Real Guts Cafe is a mecca for Taiwanese cinephiles. Stocked with movie paraphernalia and books, it is the brainchild of Taiwanese director Wei Te-sheng, whose Cape No. 7 was Taiwan’s second highest-grossing movie of all time and achieved the longest theatrical release in the island’s cinematic history. 

The food is typical cafe fare: coffees, teas, sandwiches, waffles. For something more substantial, they do a decent barbecued pork, sliced into thin pieces, paired with a sunny side-up egg and served over rice. There are grilled rice balls and bright salads. Even local craft beer if one is so inclined. 

However, the food is secondary because the main draw at Real Guts is the decor. There are old film cameras, director clapboards from Wei’s movie sets, and two real Golden Horse awards (considered the Oscars of Chinese-language cinema) on display. There’s also an entire bookshelf brimming with storyboards and set design drafts, plus a merchandise section selling miscellanea like T-shirts of endemic Taiwanese animals. 

While it’s all a bit chaotic, Real Guts draws a consistent crowd of work-from-home folks and students, who like the floor-to-ceiling windows and lush foliage that hangs from the nooks and crannies of the space. Stocked with a reasonable amount of outlets and Wi-Fi, it is a relaxing place to pull up a laptop and get some work done.