Restaurant in Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Michelin cooking at one tier below Michelin pricing.
Haili holds a 2024 Michelin star and sits at $$$, a full price tier below most of Kaohsiung's other starred restaurants. Chef Kang's seasonally rotating Japanese-French tasting menu draws on local Taiwanese and Japanese produce, with one course each menu rooted in Kaohsiung culture. Book at least three to four weeks out — it is a hard reservation to secure.
Picture this: a second-floor dining room above Kaohsiung's Hanshin Department Store district, earth-toned walls, counter seats facing an open kitchen, and a single set menu that changes with the seasons. Haili earned a Michelin star in 2024 and charges $$$ — positioning it well below the $$$$ bracket occupied by most of its starred Kaohsiung peers. That combination of Michelin recognition and mid-tier pricing is the core reason to book. If you are visiting Kaohsiung and want the most technically accomplished meal at the most reasonable price point among the city's decorated restaurants, Haili is the answer.
Haili operates out of a townhouse on Chenggong 1st Road, and its understated exterior gives little away. That restraint carries into the room itself: warm, calm, and deliberately low-key in a way that makes the cooking feel like a discovery rather than a performance. The open kitchen and counter seating mean you are watching the team work throughout the meal, which suits the format — a single tasting menu built around local Taiwanese and Japanese produce, prepared in a Japanese-French idiom.
Chef Kang, a Taipei native who trained in notable Taiwanese kitchens before choosing Kaohsiung for his first venture, offers a menu that rotates every season. One course each menu is drawn directly from Kaohsiung culture, which gives the meal genuine local grounding rather than generic fine-dining abstraction. That curatorial decision , rooting a French-Japanese tasting menu in the specific city it occupies , is what separates Haili from the kind of technically polished but geographically interchangeable restaurants that fill Michelin guides worldwide. For the food-focused traveller, this is exactly the kind of depth worth seeking out. Compare it to the approach at JL Studio in Taichung or logy in Taipei , both Michelin-recognised, both rooting modern tasting menus in local identity , and Haili sits comfortably in that conversation.
The atmosphere at Haili is the opposite of the hushed, pressurised formality that can make starred dining feel like an exam. The room is small and warm; the energy is attentive without being stiff. Noise levels stay at a level where conversation is easy, which matters for a format built around a multi-course progression. If you are after the kind of counter-seat intimacy where you can watch each dish come together and the meal feels collaborative rather than theatrical, this room delivers that. It is a better atmosphere for conversation than many of its $$$$ counterparts in the city.
Haili is open Tuesday through Thursday from 5:30 PM to 10 PM, and Friday and Saturday from noon to 10 PM. It is closed Sunday and Monday. Book as far in advance as possible , a Michelin star at $$$ pricing in a compact room creates genuine demand, and this is a hard reservation to secure at short notice. Weekend lunch on Friday or Saturday is your leading chance of a slightly easier booking window compared to peak Friday and Saturday dinner slots, but do not count on walk-in availability at any service. Treat this like booking a starred restaurant in a major city: plan at least three to four weeks out, more if you are visiting during a Taiwanese public holiday period.
Friday and Saturday lunch also gives you the option to build a fuller day around the meal , Kaohsiung's waterfront, Pier-2 Art Centre, and the broader Qianjin district are all within reach. See our full Kaohsiung experiences guide for context, and our Kaohsiung hotels guide if you are visiting from outside the city.
At $$$, Haili is priced a full tier below Sho, GEN, and Cho, all of which sit at $$$$. A Michelin star at $$$ pricing is a strong value signal in any market; in Kaohsiung, where most starred dining sits at the leading price tier, it is genuinely unusual. For the explorer looking to cover serious culinary ground without the full outlay of a $$$$ booking, Haili is the most efficient use of a dining budget in the city's fine-dining tier.
That said, Haili is a single set menu restaurant. If you want à la carte flexibility or a shorter, lighter meal, it is not the right fit. The format rewards diners who want to commit to the full progression and engage with the kitchen's seasonal vision. Go in knowing that, and the value proposition is hard to argue with.
Haili is the right call for food-focused travellers who want Michelin-level cooking at a price point that does not require a full commitment to the $$$$ tier. It suits couples and small groups who are comfortable with a counter-seat, open-kitchen format and a fixed tasting menu. If you are travelling through southern Taiwan and want a single meal that reflects both technical ambition and genuine local identity, this is the booking to prioritise. For wider context on what else is worth your time in the city, see our full Kaohsiung restaurants guide. Elsewhere in Taiwan, JL Studio in Taichung and logy in Taipei are the natural comparators for this style of regionally anchored modern tasting menu.
If you are arriving in Kaohsiung and want to understand the broader dining ecosystem , from Anchovy's European contemporary cooking to the direct brilliance of A Fung's Harmony Cuisine , the range is wider than most first-time visitors expect. Haili sits at the serious end of that spectrum, and it earns its place there.
Yes, at $$$ with a Michelin star, Haili is one of the clearer value cases in Kaohsiung's fine-dining tier. Most of the city's starred restaurants sit at $$$$. You are getting a seasonally driven Japanese-French tasting menu with genuine local sourcing at a full price tier below the competition. If you are weighing this against a $$$$ booking at Sho or GEN, Haili wins on value unless you have a specific preference for those cuisines.
Yes, for diners who want to commit to the format. The single set menu changes seasonally, incorporates local Taiwanese produce alongside Japanese ingredients, and always includes one course rooted in Kaohsiung culture. That level of editorial intention makes the menu more than a technical exercise. If you want à la carte flexibility or a shorter meal, this is not your venue , but for a considered, place-specific progression, the format delivers.
Haili runs a single set menu, so there is no à la carte ordering. The menu rotates each season, which means the specific courses will depend on when you visit. What stays consistent is the Japanese-French approach, the use of local and Japanese produce, and the Kaohsiung-culture course that appears each menu. Confirm the current menu directly with the restaurant when you book.
Friday or Saturday lunch is worth considering if your priority is securing a reservation , dinner slots, particularly on weekends, fill faster. The menu is the same format regardless of service. Lunch also gives you more flexibility to plan the rest of your day around the meal, particularly if you are exploring the Qianjin district or heading to Kaohsiung's waterfront. See our Kaohsiung experiences guide for ideas.
Yes, with the right expectations. The room is warm and intimate, the counter seating creates a genuinely engaged atmosphere, and a Michelin-starred tasting menu at $$$ makes for an occasion that feels considered without the formality of a $$$$ room. It is a better fit for a couple or a small group that wants the experience to feel personal rather than ceremonial. If you want a grander, more formal setting, Sho or GEN at $$$$ may suit better.
The restaurant is small, with counter seating around an open kitchen. It is better suited to couples or small parties of two to four than to large groups. If you are planning a larger celebration dinner in Kaohsiung, contact the restaurant directly to ask about capacity and configuration , but go in knowing this is an intimate venue rather than a private-dining operation. Check our full Kaohsiung restaurants guide for alternatives with more flexible group capacity.
As a single set menu restaurant, Haili's format is less inherently flexible than à la carte dining. Contact the restaurant directly before booking to discuss any dietary requirements. Given the kitchen's Japanese-French approach and the use of both local and Japanese produce, the team will be leading placed to advise on what can be accommodated for your specific visit.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haili | Haili, a French restaurant in Kaohsiung, is tucked away on the second floor of a townhouse near the Hanshin Department Store district. Created by chef William, its understated exterior features nothin...; Having honed his skills in some famous kitchens in Taiwan, Chef Kang, a Taipei native, chose to start his first venture in Kaohsiung. With an open kitchen and counter seats, the earth-toned room exudes warmth and understated elegance. The single set menu that is served features local and Japanese produce astutely prepared in Japanese-French style. The menu changes every season but always includes one course inspired by Kaohsiung culture.; Michelin 1 Star (2024) | $$$ | — |
| Sho | Michelin 1 Star | $$$$ | — |
| Papillon | $$$$ | — | |
| GEN | Michelin 1 Star | $$$$ | — |
| Beef Chief (Zihciang 2nd Road) | $$ | — | |
| Cheng Tsung Duck Rice | $ | — |
How Haili stacks up against the competition.
Counter seating and a single set menu format means Haili is best suited to pairs or very small groups. Larger parties should confirm availability directly before booking, as the room's layout and open-kitchen counter configuration limit flexible seating. This is not the right venue for a table of six or more expecting a la carte flexibility.
Yes, particularly at $$$. Haili holds a Michelin star (2024) and serves a seasonal single set menu drawing on local Kaohsiung and Japanese produce prepared in a Japanese-French style. One course per menu is inspired by Kaohsiung culture, which adds a sense of place that generic tasting menus rarely deliver. At this price point, it compares favourably to $$$$-tier peers like GEN and Sho.
Haili runs a single set menu only — there is no a la carte selection. The menu rotates seasonally and always includes at least one dish rooted in Kaohsiung culinary culture. Come prepared to eat whatever Chef Kang is serving that season; that is the format.
No dietary restriction policy is documented in available venue data. Given the single set menu format and small kitchen, contact Haili well in advance of your booking — strict dietary requirements may be difficult to accommodate without prior arrangement. This is standard practice at counter-format tasting menu restaurants.
Lunch is only available Friday and Saturday (from noon), while dinner runs Tuesday through Saturday from 5:30 PM. If your schedule allows, a Friday or Saturday lunch sitting offers the most flexibility for the week. Dinner is the primary format given the five-day evening service versus two-day lunch window.
At $$$, Haili is a strong value call for Michelin-tier cooking in Taiwan. Comparable Kaohsiung fine dining options like GEN and Sho sit at $$$$, making Haili the more accessible entry point into this tier without stepping down in kitchen pedigree. Chef Kang trained in notable Taiwanese kitchens before opening here, and the 2024 Michelin star confirms the cooking is not coasting on price advantage alone.
Yes. The earth-toned room, counter seats facing the open kitchen, and a seasonal single set menu create a focused, considered dining experience that suits a birthday, anniversary, or a significant dinner with someone who takes food seriously. It is not a loud celebratory venue — if you need a large group or a festive atmosphere, look elsewhere. For an intimate two-person occasion, it is the right call.
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