HERMIT & Co.

🌟 The first floor does not offer reservations, with a minimum spend of one drink, and a dining time of 1.5 hours.
🌟 Reservations are required for the second floor, with a minimum spend of 400 per person.
🌟 Pets must be in a cage or stroller; outside food is prohibited.
🌟 2023 Chiayi Beautiful Street Map

"HERMIT & Co" is located at the corner of Chengren Street in Chiayi, in a newly renovated century-old Japanese building. It retains the sign of Yongcheng Printing Factory, which has been in operation for 42 years, as well as printing machines, allowing visitors to feel the traces of the printing factory era. In addition to drinks, the shop also sells ice cream.

After the renovation by the couple from Mugeng Café, HERMIT transformed the century-old wooden house into a new brand. The interior design unfolds from a "peeking" perspective, incorporating various design elements while retaining old printing machines and lead type templates. The entire space allows glimpses of the past existence of the printing factory, providing ice cream desserts, coffee, and tea, along with experiences like miniature letterpress printing, tours, and lectures.

The first floor of HERMIT operates on a waiting list basis, with a minimum spend of one drink, while the second floor requires a reservation and is not open for visits, with a minimum spend of 400 per person. The place looks quite nice in photos, but parking around HERMIT is not convenient; you can park at the municipal parking lot and walk about 3 minutes.

After getting the menu, go to the counter to place an order. The menu includes:
Ice cream, pudding, custard, and cream chiffon ice cream, with drinks including espresso, single-origin pour-over coffee, dairy drinks, and cold brew tea.

Let’s eat!
Corn mousse ice cream 💰200
I was attracted by the realistic corn chip in the photo. It has a salty flavor with a hint of pepper, giving it a sense of eating a savory biscuit. The ice cream is topped with caramel sea salt sauce, overall tasting sweet and salty without being overly sweet, quite cool.

Single-origin pour-over coffee from Ethiopia Yirgacheffe 💰180
Strawberry, passion fruit, dried mango

Thoughts: I was drawn to the second floor and didn’t realize it couldn’t be visited. The brand itself is quite unique; however, the high chairs on the first floor are not very comfortable overall. The dishes are distinctive but felt just okay; the coffee is good, recommended for those who enjoy old houses or atmospheric cafés.

Focus on the food: The coffee is delicious; there is a 20% discount for takeout.

Focus on the environment: The old house atmosphere is nice, though the chair design isn't that comfortable; the second floor seems great.

Focus on parking: Motorcycles can park nearby; cars are not easy to park; municipal parking is available.

Focus on toilets: There is a common one that is quite clean.

Focus on waiting: There is a waiting list for on-site seating.

Focus on service: Average.

Value for money: 🌟🌟🌟
(Discussing food and price only)