Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Peter Vazquez has been quietly making a name for himself for years.
The Appetite Repair Shop
Ōmori Nori Vending Machine
Parkway Bakery and Tavern has been slinging these sandwiches since 1929.
Parkway Bakery and Tavern
Parkside Plum Juice
Dishes at Aksorn are grounded in deep historical research.
Aksorn
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
7 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
8 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
9 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
10 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Taiwan Kaohsiung City Shinhama Ekimae
AO Edited Gastro Obscura

Shinhama Ekimae

Housed in a Japanese colonial-era bank, this cafe pours next-level cold brew.

Kaohsiung City, Taiwan

Added By
Getty Hesse
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The Gold Ingot breakfast set boasts a roll shaped like a gold ingot.   gettyhesse / Atlas Obscura User
The Gold Ingot breakfast set boasts a roll shaped like a gold ingot.   gettyhesse / Atlas Obscura User
This historic former bank now houses a craft coffee shop.   gettyhesse / Atlas Obscura User
A decorative sheet of beaten metal can be seen behind the counter.   gettyhesse / Atlas Obscura User
Smoke bubbles forth from dry ice in the cold brew’s decanter.   gettyhesse / Atlas Obscura User
This mad scientist contraption is used to make cold brew coffee.   gettyhesse / Atlas Obscura User
You can peer through the window of this historic bank vault.   gettyhesse / Atlas Obscura User
Step up to the front counter and order.   gettyhesse / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Kaohsiung, Taiwan's largest southern city and largest port, has a storied history. Though much of its development is recent, the historic Hamasen area in Gushan District is full of buildings which date from the Japanese colonial era (from 1895 to 1945) and boast elegant Japanese-style architecture.

One of these buildings is the Old Sanwa Bank. Built in 1921, it operated first as a branch of Sanjushi-Ginko Bank and then, after a merger in 1933, as a branch of Sanwa Bank. After 1945, the bank became a branch of the Bank of Taiwan. Though no longer a bank, the building has been renovated and since 2020 has operated as a café, Shinhama Ekimae.

The interior décor is intended to replicate the feel of the building during the Japanese colonial period. Behind the counter, the wall boasts a strange contraption made of clocks, gauges, and metal tubing.

On the back wall, visitors can inspect the door to a historic bank vault. Those who peer through the circular window will see another contraption, made of gauges, glass jars, metal tubing, and lightbulbs, which wouldn't seem out of place in the lab of a mad Victorian scientist. This machine is used to make the Shinhama Ekimae's cold brew coffee.

The cold brew is the café menu's signature item and comes on a tray with a glass and a decanter filled with the coffee. In a hollow in the decanter, smoke bubbles forth from a cube of dry ice.

Diners can select from a variety of other drinks, caffeinated and not, as well as breakfast and lunch offerings and a choice of scrumptious desserts. The highlight among the food options is the Gold Ingot Breakfast Set, which comes with a crunchy breakfast roll shaped like a gold ingot. 

Related Tags

Cafe Banks Coffee

Know Before You Go

Shinhama Ekimae's hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. It is located only a minute walk away from the MRT orange line's terminal Hamasen Station.

Community Contributors

Added By

gettyhesse

Published

July 15, 2024

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Shinhama Ekimae
5號 Linhai 3rd Rd
Kaohsiung City, 804
Taiwan
22.622158, 120.274747
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Takao Railway Museum

Kaohsiung City, Taiwan

miles away

Remains of the Takao Foreigners' Cemetery

Kaohsiung City, Taiwan

miles away

Xiziwan Tunnel (Old Shoushan Cave)

Kaohsiung City, Taiwan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Kaohsiung City

Kaohsiung City

Taiwan

Places 22

Nearby Places

Takao Railway Museum

Kaohsiung City, Taiwan

miles away

Remains of the Takao Foreigners' Cemetery

Kaohsiung City, Taiwan

miles away

Xiziwan Tunnel (Old Shoushan Cave)

Kaohsiung City, Taiwan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Kaohsiung City

Kaohsiung City

Taiwan

Places 22

Related Places

  • Lunch arrives via pneumatic tube here.

    Christchurch, New Zealand

    C1 Espresso

    Get your meal delivered via pneumatic at this former post office.

  • The parfait is a particularly popular treat.

    Fukuoka, Japan

    Sanatorium - Wonder Museum Annex

    A bizarre, tuberculosis sanatorium-themed café moonlighting as an underground art gallery.

  • Order a cappuccino where the concept of utilitarianism was invented.

    Oxford, England

    Queen’s Lane Coffee House

    Originally founded in 1654, this coffee house claims to be the oldest of its kind in Europe.

  • You can’t leave Ginza without tasting their coffee.

    Tokyo, Japan

    Café Paulista

    Luminaries from Albert Einstein to John Lennon once had a cup of coffee at Tokyo's oldest café.

  • With its high ceilings, the dining room is pure elegance.

    Vienna, Austria

    Café Sperl

    Royals, rebels, and artists have all conversed at this grand 19th-century Viennese coffee house.

  • Omu-maki swaps the rice for noodles in this omelet.

    Tokyo, Japan

    Denkiya Hall

    This century-old electronics store-turned-cafe serves comforting, retro fare.

  • Ali El Hendy has a stunning glass ceiling.

    Alexandria, Egypt

    Ali El Hendy Coffeehouse

    Hidden away in a back alley, this Art Nouveau cafe has been in business since 1882.

  • You don’t see Arabic coffee and dates every day in Japan.

    Naha, Japan

    Inshallah

    For half a century, this Arabian-inspired retro café has been an oasis for locals in Okinawa’s central tourist area.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.