Mountain and Sea House

Mountain and Sea House is the place to taste the elaborate Taiwanese dishes that once graced the tables of the island's wealthy families. It holds one Michelin star in the 2026 Michelin Guide Taiwan, and it has carved out a distinctive niche by reviving historic recipes that take considerable patience and skill to prepare, rather than the everyday dishes found in most Taiwanese restaurants.

The setting matches the food. The restaurant occupies a large mansion with a courtyard and a high-ceilinged entrance hall, decorated to evoke the 1930s, so arriving feels like stepping into a private residence from another era. It works well for family celebrations, business dinners and anyone who wants a sense of occasion without the formality of a tasting-menu restaurant.

The cooking leans on careful sourcing. The restaurant is owned by an organic food company and follows a farm-to-table approach, buying seafood and livestock from small producers on the principle that good local produce is the foundation of good cooking. Highlights picked out by the Michelin inspectors include roast suckling pig, prepared over a full day and served three ways; a Yilan speciality of savoury deep-fried custard with pork and shrimp; and a dessert of kumquat with mashed taro. Some of the most elaborate dishes need time to prepare, so ask about pre-ordering when you book. Taiwanese banquet dishes are designed for sharing, which makes a group of four to eight the ideal party.

The restaurant is open every day for lunch from 12:00 to 14:30 and for dinner from 18:00 to 21:30. Reservations are strongly recommended, particularly at weekends and for larger groups, and you can contact the restaurant through its official website. Prices sit at the upper-middle level for Taipei; lunch is a good way to sample the kitchen at a lower total cost. The restaurant has wheelchair access, a car park and air conditioning, and credit cards are accepted. Allow around two hours for a relaxed meal.

Mountain and Sea House is on Section 2 of Ren'ai Road in the Zhongzheng District, a central location within easy reach of the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and the Da'an area. Combine a lunch here with an afternoon at the memorial hall and its gardens, or with a walk to the original Din Tai Fung on Xinyi Road if you want to compare two very different sides of Taipei dining.