(617) 426-8181

34 Oxford St
Boston, MA 02111 42.3515 -71.0601

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Neighborhoods: Chinatown, Central, Downtown, Chinatown / Leather District

Hours:

Sunday To Saturday From 11:00 AM To 01:00 AM

Price:

$$

Last updated 8.16.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

Cash

Restaurant Special Features:

People Watching, Group Dining

Cuisine:

Chinese

Smoking Permitted:

No

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About Taiwan Cafe

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

Think Taiwanese food means Chinese food? Think again, especially over the salty, tangy, textured fare. Mostly Asian-American families fill the bright, but otherwise nondescript, dining room. For the brave, there's fried pork intestines, chilled jellyfish with garlic, spicy pork ears and five-spice duck tongue. More conventional options include scallion pancakes, gigantic bowls of soup and the can't-miss basil eggplant. Handmade steamed dumplings and raviolis make for perfect starters. Portions are huge across the board; its best to order one or two dishes at a time. Those looking for dessert…

Editor's Tips

Know Before You Go:
Taiwan Cafe accepts cash only.
When to Go:
Huge lunch specials cost $6 each, or $16.95 for three.
When to Go:
Huge lunch specials, available for a pittance, include daily soup and white rice, served weekdays from 11am-4pm.
Look Good:
If you're comfortable with the menu and have an eager, hungry group at the table, the multi-course Special Taiwan Style Banquet is available upon request.
What to Drink:
Tsingtao Beer is the only alcoholic libation available.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. “Somehow, sometimes, if you just got fed up with those western style sea food and wish to try some traditional chinese food and got nowhere to go, here is the one for your reference in light of their special Taiwanse style cuisine and comfortable service i”
food quality
87.88000106811523% positive
  1. “Very authentic food, great value.”
  2. “You can get in, eat a great meal, and get out in reasonable time.”
  3. “But with such tasty food, I would crowd around the table too.”
  4. “The steamed buns, beef/tomato rice and piping hot noodles were superb.”
  5. “And the wonton soup is amazingly good.”
  6. “Other friend ordered wonton/noodle soup which he wasn't a big fan of.”
  7. “This is my favorite place for food in Chinatown.”
  8. “Generous portions, friendly service, fabulous food!”
  9. “It is hands down the most authentic Chinese restaurant I've been to in Boston and really reminds me of Mom's home cooking.”
  10. “ordered a noodle soup with flat noodles and vegetables.”
  11. “While some dishes are still decent, the overall quality of Taiwanese dishes has gone downhill.”
  12. “like the food in this restaurant, but I like the brunch the most.”
  13. “They have an extensive menu with lots of authentic food.”
  14. “The "Home style braise eggplant with basil", "Crispy Tofu", "Chinese watercress" dishes are so yummy!”
  15. “Taiwan Cafe: great food and great hours.”
  16. “Not transcendental by any means, but maybe we just didn't order the right dishes.”
  17. “You won't feel disappointed with such reasonable price for such wonderful meal.”
  18. “It appears reasonably clean, the prices are good, and the food tastes good.”
  19. “The noodles were not that great.”
  20. “every dish on the menu is tasty.”
  21. “Great food for reasonable prices.”
  22. “The most authentic Chinese restaurant I've been to in Boston”
  23. “Authentic chinese food”
  24. “All are extremely tasty and made memorable culinary experiences.”
  25. “I'd highly recommend the pork with bamboo tip (my staple dish), Eggplant with Basil, or any of the seafood dishes.”
  26. “Jellyfish in garlic sauce was delicious, Taiwan-style noodles were excellent, and steamed taro with duck was yummy (though slightly on the salty side).”
  27. “If I had to pick, I would recommend the mini steamed buns w/ pork (xiao long tang bao), the spicy salt & pepper soft shell crab, the beef stew noodle soup w/ spinach, and the sauteed beef w/ long-horn pepper.”
  28. “Their "Spicy Beef" is my favorite dish.”
  29. “Beware: The array of items on the menu is really geared for those with an adventurous palate and can truly appreciate authentic Chinese cooking.”
  30. “This is by far one of the most authentic Taiwanese restaurant I've eaten in.”
  31. “best chinese food in town”
  32. “Somehow, sometimes, if you just got fed up with those western style sea food and wish to try some traditional chinese food and got nowhere to go, here is the one for your reference in light of their special Taiwanse style cuisine and comfortable service i”
  33. “The food is very authentic, very fresh, great portions.”
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. “Beware: The array of items on the menu is really geared for those with an adventurous palate and can truly appreciate authentic Chinese cooking.”
  2. “They have an extensive menu with lots of authentic food.”
  3. “every dish on the menu is tasty.”
  4. “The menu is big and exciting!”
overall
100.0% positive
  1. “Taiwan Cafe is a great restaurant in Chinatown that is kind of hidden away.”
  2. “Taiwan cafe is by far my favorite Chinese restaurant in Chinatown.”
service
66.66999816894531% positive
  1. “Very fast service and cheap too!”
  2. “The service is good; I usually don't carry high expectations of service in Chinatown but found the waitresses did their best to help me with their limited English.”
  3. “Somehow, sometimes, if you just got fed up with those western style sea food and wish to try some traditional chinese food and got nowhere to go, here is the one for your reference in light of their special Taiwanse style cuisine and comfortable service i”
  4. “Anyways - the service is terrible.”
  5. “I'm not sure why other reviewers are getting bad service.”
  6. “Generous portions, friendly service, fabulous food!”
value
100.0% positive
  1. “Very fast service and cheap too!”
  2. “You won't feel disappointed with such reasonable price for such wonderful meal.”
  3. “You cannot beat the price at this restaurant, either, which makes everything an amazing value.”
  4. “Generous portions, friendly service, fabulous food!”
  5. “Great food for reasonable prices.”
  6. “The food is very authentic, very fresh, great portions.”
  7. “Everything was perfect and the portions were just right.”
  8. “Very authentic food, great value.”
  9. “It appears reasonably clean, the prices are good, and the food tastes good.”
wait time
100.0% positive
  1. “If I had to pick, I would recommend the mini steamed buns w/ pork (xiao long tang bao), the spicy salt & pepper soft shell crab, the beef stew noodle soup w/ spinach, and the sauteed beef w/ long-horn pepper.”
2 Star Rating: Below Average

03/29/11

Good food but service terrible!

by XiaoTianShi at Citysearch

When the near-by Dumpling House was full and people were waiting in line outside the restaurant, we decided to go to Taiwanese Cafe instead. The food was good and similar to Dumpling House, so I wondered how come this place wasn't even full on a Saturday night. But soon we found out WHY! 1st....the waitress was extremely rude. She gave us this face right from the start. When we ordered some sodas, she just dropped the cans on the table...not even to individual person who ordered it! 2nd....after we finished eating, we gave her the credit card, and she said "cash only". Wish they put up a big huge sign on the door saying "cash only"! 3rd...we left 15% tips on the table, the second we got up, she took the tips right away and then say in her native language (I understand partially) loudly complaining about our tips to another waitress! Come on, for her service and we still paid 15%? She should thank god already! We'll never ever go back again even the food was good! We should never be treated like this when we are the ones paying for the service!

3 Star Rating: Average

03/27/10

Authentic chinese food

by gregd on cs , Citysearch Contributor at Citysearch

Good restaurants and Chinatown don't go hand in hand. Of all the restaurants I have tried in Chinatown I prefer Taiwan Cafe. It appears reasonably clean, the prices are good, and the food tastes good. When we go we have a native speaker order for us and that probably solves any problems that might arise. It's authentic, cheap, fast and good. Not a date place, just a food place.

  • Pros: Quick, authentic, good
  • Cons: Crowded
1 Star Rating: Poor

03/13/10

Go somewhere else

by sodoku2008 at Citysearch

Ok - this place is definitely in Chinatown.

Anyways - the service is terrible. Our waitress misunderstood our order, got it wrong, brought it to the table, and then argued with us for several minutes insisting that we were wrong. After telling us we were wrong she insisted that we take the wrong order anyway and had a terrible attitude. We took the wrong order anyway, an oyster omelette, and it wasn't that good.

I ordered a noodle soup with flat noodles and vegetables. The noodles were not that great. I've had several much better noodle soups before.

Other friend ordered wonton/noodle soup which he wasn't a big fan of.

Other than cheap prices, there are much better place to eat taiwanese food than here. I will never go back.

  • Pros: Price
  • Cons: Serivce, food just ok
3 Star Rating: Average

02/10/10

Maybe I ordered the wrong thing?

by LingboLi at Citysearch

My friend and I wandered in, looking for a light dinner. Except Chinese meals don't really work that way - you gotta order a ton. And a good deal we did - seafood congee, a noodle and beef dish, and a app of spicy beef tendon. The tendon was thinly sliced and tasty, but we request some extra spice for more of a kick. The seafood porridge didn't have the kind of thick, glutinous quality, and could have used some extra seasoning. But it was huge, filling, and comforting, at least. Finally, the lo mein hit the spot with a bit of oily goodness. Not transcendental by any means, but maybe we just didn't order the right dishes.

4 Star Rating: Recommended

10/22/08

Phenomenal Authentic Food at an Excellent Price

by dlgclement at Citysearch

This is a no-frills dining experience that focuses on the food. The food is very authentic, very fresh, great portions. The menu is big and exciting! You cannot beat the price at this restaurant, either, which makes everything an amazing value.

Great place for lunch with friends during work. Service and kitchen are fast.You can get in, eat a great meal, and get out in reasonable time. Although the place really looks like a hole in the wall and there is nothing average about the place settings, you'll be having so much fun with the food you wouldn't even notice. Very charming.

  • Pros: Variety and taste of food
  • Cons: Hole-in-the-wall atmosphere

The Details on Taiwan Cafe

Place Categories:

  • authentic chinese food
  • fast service
  • great taiwanese restaurant
  • authentic chinese restaurant
  • reasonable prices
  • big menu
  • pretty great place
  • favorite dish
  • superb steamed buns
  • great meal
  • yummy home style braise eggplant
  • very authentic great portions
  • great value
  • flat noodles
  • excellent taiwanstyle noodles
  • amazingly good wonton soup
  • yum
  • absolutely delicious specials
  • like brunch
  • highly recommend pork
  • fast kitchen
  • great taiwanese
  • yummy steamed taro
  • not big fan
  • not order right dishes
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