western/brunch: I strongly recommend THE DINER at ATT4FUN

the Diner
at ATT4Fun
No. 12 Song Shou Rd.
(02）7737-5055

MRT: Taipei City Hall

hours: 10AM - 12AM

kid friendliness: high chairs available. dining area on second floor, stairs only.

visit reviewed: 10/26/2011 and 11/23/2011
previous posts: 12/2006 and 6/2007

Has it really been that long since I've last eaten at the Diner? I'd been scared off by the crowds and waits, and found other brunch and burger options around town. But the lure of the Diner in the Xinyi area was too convenient to resist. Even a few days after opening in late October, the newest branch of the Diner was already packed full of customers. Although it's in the ATT4Fun building, it has its own storefront entrance, across from Vieshow theaters. Don't go inside the main building looking for it, otherwise you'll make a huge circle around it.

I was surprised by how huge the menu was, with more brunch (Frittatas, Baked Egg Rancheros, Baked Egg with Oxtail?!) and main dish items (Po Boy Sandwiches, Turkey Reuben, Pulled Pork sandwiches, Fish and Chips) than before, since I hadn't visited the Diner in such a long time. But it turns out this expanded menu is only for the ATT4Fun location.

With the big windows, the space is airy and bright with more space than the other Diners, especially the basement located Dunhua Diner. 

I was a little overwhelmed by the new menu, and ended up ordering a Spinach salad (NT$310) which had bits of bacon, chopped hard boiled egg and blue cheese crumbles. The vinagrette was light and slightly sweet and I quickly polished off the sizeable salad. Other salads available are caesar, cobb, nicoise and grilled steak.

My friend's Burger with blue cheese looked good...

as did my other friend's All American breakfast plate (NT$280), though the hash browns could have been more crispy.

Save room for dessert- the Diner has slices of pie, scoops of ice cream, carrot cake slices, as well as their massive chocolate brownie with ice cream. The bill is paid downstairs at the register after the meal.

I got the chance to try the pancakes I was craving on a return visit. On a weekday morning, it was nice and cozy, not too crowded with our food coming out fairly quickly. I probably gasped when I saw the banana and chocolate pancakes breakfast (NT$330) piled with whip cream and chocolate. The pancakes were fluffy and not too dense, and dotted with chocolate chips too, but I definitely couldn't finish the stack by myself.

The bacon was crispy and the potatoes o'brien were well seasoned and good. You can get the pancakes or french toast with or without the eggs/breakfast meat/potatoes too. Hey! I just realized when writing this up that they left off my mushrooms. Oh well.

It's great to finally have a brunch place in the Xinyi area, though it's kind of insane how far in advance you have to make weekend reservations.

OTHER LOCATIONS

No. 145, Rui-An St.
(02) 2700-1680

No.6, Lane 103, Dunhua S. Rd., Sec. 2
(02) 2754-1680

CAFE CAFE
No. 2, Lane 147, Alley 5, Keelung Road, Sec. 1,
(02) 2764-1680