Tallest Starbucks inside Taipei 101

Located on the 35th floor of the Taipei 101 tower, home to the world's tallest Starbucks. Due to the popularity, advance reservation is required to get into this Starbucks. Does it live up to the expectations and how much do you need to spend to enjoy the highest Starbucks in the world?

PRICE:

Reservation to Starbucks Taipei 101 is free, but it is also highly difficult, we managed to get through after trying over 2 days of constant calling. The only rule is that you must spend NT$250 per person per visit during your time here (at the time of this visit). I spent a total of NT$325 for a meal and a drink, which is about NZ$18, much cheaper than paying NZ$50 to get up to the observatory and see the same view.

RESERVATION:

You can call their reservation line on (+886 2 8101 0701), and if you are a non Chinese speaker, it would probably be easier to get someone who can speak Chinese to make the reservation for you. When you have the time and date, you will be given a reservation number that you will have to provide when queuing up.

ENTERING THE TALLEST STARBUCKS:

The entrance is on door 7, the line to the queue is rather hidden but if you walk towards the customer service desk, you will see a sign that says Starbucks, and you will queue there until someone comes to get you. As the reservation is first come first serve, you'll receive a number after they check your name off their list. The Starbucks is very small, the bar stools are the ones that are in high demand as they are the closest to the window. There are other dining tables but you won't be getting much of a view since it is blocked by furniture and people.

FIGHT FOR YOUR SEATS:

I was number 2 to enter, which means I should have a good opportunity to score a window seat, or so I thought. A person has already taken the far left 3 seats so I took the 4th, and given there were only 8 seats here, there were only 4 more seats available. A family of 5 then came and told me to move 1 seat over, however those seats have got belongings on them so basically I had no way of adding an extra seat or moving to another seat. I did the stupidest thing and gave up for the family of 5 to take those seats, and maybe I was kind or they felt sorry for me, some of the family members decided to take the dining table and told me to take the seat. I do appreciate however I shouldn't be since this is a first come first serve and if you do not score the seat, then that's too bad.

UNETHICAL OCCUPYING OF SEATS:

Remember the belongings on the 3 seats to my left, apparently one guy reserved all 3 seats for the friends that didn't turn up for the next 40 minutes. I am not sure how they can justify occupying seats that could have been used by others even if it's only for 15-30 minutes. It really pisses me off that people are so selfish, and back to my previous point about first come first serve. If they are not there in the queue, there's no justification to be taking over a bunch of high demand seats.

FOOD & DRINKS:

I can't say whether the menu here would be the same as the ones on the ground, but we were provided with a menu while getting called on the ground. They have a selection of meals and desserts, including the normal bar snacks and drinks of course. I ordered a ratatouille with pork and bread and a drink, first off the meal is good but I can't say the same for the drink. I am pretty sure that is not the taste of lemonade, probably leaning towards more towards the like of traditional Chinese medicine. The only reason I am drinking that is that I needed to cool down as I was wearing fairly thick layers in a summer climate, since I will be heading towards a cold climate region but didn't pack any lighter clothing for the transit.

CONCLUSION:

I wouldn't bother if I have already been up there before, for first timer it might be worth it but it's the hassle and the limited seating and chaos that doesn't make a pleasant experience. It's not the cheapest way to eat or drink but considering that if you are going to pay for the observatory, you could save the money by spending it here and still have leftovers to spend on street level.