Fork Cafe is a restaurant in Hsinchu Park that dates back to the Japanese Era. Now, it has been turned into a cafe, patrons here can enjoy amazing views of the park and the building’s historic architecture. It is definitely worth a stop on your next trip to Hsinchu.
🏯 Planning your trip to Hsinchu? 🪁
Here are some top travel tips for you:
- Best time to visit: Summer when it is warm and less windy
- How to get there: Taiwan High-Speed Railway and Inter-City Bus
- Best place to stay: Golden Motel or CD Motel
- Book tours and activities in Hsinchu on Klook
- Stay connected with a local SIM
- Rent a car to explore distant sights
History of Fork Cafe:
Fork Cafe was originally Hupan Restaurant, located in Hsinchu Park, built in 1931 during the Japanese colonial period and originally served as an upscale dining and social venue for Japanese officials and local elites. Today, visitors can relax by the lake, admire the historic architecture, and enjoy tea or a meal. Nearby, Fork Cafe offers a comfortable, family-friendly atmosphere, making it a convenient place to enjoy a meal after visiting Hsinchu Zoo. Its menu includes pasta, risotto served with soup, fried snacks, waffles, tea, coffee, and sparkling drinks at reasonable prices. There is no time limit on weekdays, while visits on weekends and holidays are limited to 90 minutes.
Hours:
11 AM to 7 PM
Price
100-300 NT per meal
Hotels Nearby
Most of the accommodation you will find is near the city center. If you will only visit downtown, you can consider a day trip from Taipei.
We have stayed at and recommend the Golden Motel a high-quality motel near Green Grass Lake (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, Expedia here, or Trip.com here), and CD Motel, another high-quality motel in downtown Hsinchu (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, or Trip.com here). Unfortunately, I cannot recommend any further hotels that I have stayed at in Hsinchu because usually we stay at my wife’s uncle’s house.
You can find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here.
How to get to Hsinchu?
You can book tickets to travel to Hsinchu via inter-city bus on Klook here.
You can book tickets to Hsinchu via high-speed rail (HSR) on Klook here or KKDay here.
Book tickets via the normal train (TRA) on Klook here.
How to get to the Fork Cafe:
By car/scooter: From central Hsinchu, turn onto Shipin Road, and park near the south side of Hsinchu Park. There is an underground parking lot and paid parking on the side of the road. If you are looking for car rentals in Hsinchu, you can also search Qeeq here, Klook here, or KKDay here. You can also check out our car rental guide here.
Looking for scooter rental in Hsinchu? You can search Klook here or KKday here to look for options. You can also check out our scooter rental guide here.
By TRA: Hsinchu Park is only a ten-minute walk south of Hsinchu TRA station. You can book tickets to travel to Hsinchu via inter-city bus on Klook here. You can book tickets to Hsinchu via high speed rail (HSR) on Klook here or KKDay here. Book tickets via the normal train (TRA) on Klook here.
By Bicycle: Cycling is the best way to enjoy Taiwan’s landscapes if you have the time and energy. Looking for bicycle rentals in Taiwan? You can search on KKday here and Klook here. You can also check out our Taiwan cycling guide here.
Tours:
You can find more tours and activities in Hsinchu such as You can find more tours and activities in Hsinchu such as river tracing, wild hot springs, white water kayaking, backpack rafting, Little Ding Dong Theme Park, Leofoo Village Theme Park, Window on China Theme Park, glamping, camping, stone spa, horse riding, Yukids Island, Tom and Bei Bei Parent-Child Paradise, bee keeping experience, cycling, dried persimmons experience, Jump Wave Trampoline Park and more on Klook here or KKday here.
Map:
Check out the map above.
Our Journey:
I have been to the Fork Cafe twice. Make sure to visit on a weekday when there is no time limit and less people. This restaurant is special because of the beautiful Japanese architecture it is housed in and the great scenery nearby.
The restaurant is right in front of the turning bridge in Hsinchu Park.
Here is a view of the outside of the building from the bridge during Cherry Blossom season.
View of the inside of the restaurant. Luckily for us, it was a weekday and there were some seats left open. We did not make a reservation.
View of the menu. There are many different drinks available.
There were amazing views of the park right from our table.
The baked rice was so good that I forgot to take a photo before I ate most of it.
Behind the Fork Restaurant, there is another cafe at the glass museum on the third floor. Here is the menu.
If you visit in the spring, you can see all the beautiful cherry blossoms in the park.
Check out our guide to Hsinchu here.
You can also check out our full guide to Taiwan here.
