Restaurant in Taipei, Taiwan
Seven courses, one sitting, book early.
FRASSI is Taipei's most focused Italian contemporary option at the fine-dining tier: a seven-course tasting menu, dinner only, with in-house meat ageing and a 400-bottle Italian wine list. Michelin Plate-recognised in 2024 and rated 4.6 on Google, it rewards diners who want structured, technique-driven cooking over flexibility. Book three to four weeks ahead minimum.
If you've already been to FRASSI once, the question on a return visit isn't whether the cooking holds up — it's whether the tasting menu has moved on. Chef Iacopo Frassi runs a single seven-course tasting menu format, dinner only, and the kitchen's commitment to in-house ageing and Italian regional technique means the experience rewards repeat visits when the menu rotates. The aged duck, in particular, is the kind of dish that keeps regulars coming back. Book it, especially if contemporary Italian in Asia is a format you take seriously.
FRASSI sits on Lequn 3rd Road in Zhongshan District, a part of Taipei that doesn't announce itself as a dining destination the way Da'an or Xinyi does. That low-key address is part of what makes a second visit feel different from the first: once you know where you're going, the room settles into focus rather than surprises you. The atmosphere runs calm and controlled, with the kind of measured energy you'd expect from a kitchen serving a structured tasting menu to a deliberate crowd. This is not a loud room. Conversation carries. The pace is set by the kitchen, not the bar, and that distinction matters if you're choosing between FRASSI and a livelier option in the city's fine-dining circuit.
The format is fixed: one tasting menu, evenings only. There is no à la carte option, no brunch service, no lunch sitting. For a food enthusiast who wants to understand what the kitchen is doing, that's the right structure — seven courses of creative, contemporary Italian fare that draws on Frassi's Tuscan background while staying current in technique. Dishes like lobster risotto and rabbit tagliatelle are well-documented anchors of the menu, artfully plated and technically precise. The kitchen ages its own meat in-house, and the aged duck has become a reference point for regulars: deeply flavoured, carefully timed, not the kind of thing you find elsewhere in Taipei's Italian dining options. For that alone, FRASSI earns its $$$$ price positioning.
The wine program is one of the stronger arguments for booking at this price point. Sommelier ChihYao Will Chang oversees a list of around 400 bottles, with 100 selections available and Italy as the clear orientation. Wine pricing sits at $$, which is sensible given the cuisine tier , a range that covers accessible entry points without abandoning serious bottles. Corkage is set at $15, which is fair if you're bringing something specific. Wine pairing is offered in half or full glasses, a practical option that gives explorers the ability to match pace and depth across seven courses without committing to a full-bottle spend. For a wine-focused diner, this flexibility is worth noting when comparing FRASSI to peers at the same price tier where pairing options can be more rigid.
Michelin Plate recognition in 2024 signals that the kitchen is cooking at a consistent level without yet reaching starred territory. That positioning , cooking that the Michelin Guide considers worth eating, without the booking difficulty that a star would bring , is actually a practical advantage right now. FRASSI is hard to book relative to casual Taipei dining, but it doesn't carry the months-out lead time of Taipei's two- and three-starred rooms. Booking difficulty is rated hard: plan at least three to four weeks ahead, more if you're visiting during peak travel periods or public holidays. There is no walk-in culture here given the tasting menu format. Reservations are essential.
For context on what Italian contemporary looks like at the high end elsewhere in the world, Agli Amici Rovinj in Croatia and L'Olivo in Anacapri offer useful reference points for the genre , technically ambitious, region-rooted, committed to produce quality. FRASSI's in-house ageing program puts it in that same conversation, even if the Taipei context adds its own dimension. Within Taiwan, JL Studio in Taichung is worth the comparison for a different take on European technique in a Taiwanese setting.
If you're visiting Taipei and building a dining itinerary around this meal, the city's Italian options include INITA and Tutto Bello for different price points and formats. For a broader picture of the city's dining offer, our full Taipei restaurants guide covers the range. If you're planning the wider trip, our Taipei hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide are worth a look alongside this booking. Beyond Taipei, GEN in Kaohsiung and A Cun Beef Soup in Tainan are worth flagging if your Taiwan itinerary goes further south. For something closer to the city, A Gan Yi Taro Balls in New Taipei and Volando Urai Spring Spa and Resort in Wulai District round out the regional picture. If you're heading further afield in Taiwan, Ang Gu in Hsinchu County is also in the Pearl network. Our Taipei wineries guide is available for those extending the wine focus of this meal into a broader itinerary.
FRASSI serves dinner only, with a fixed seven-course tasting menu. The $$$$ price tier for cuisine reflects a meal at $66 or above per head for a two-course baseline , a tasting menu format will sit well above that figure. Wine pairing is available in half or full glasses, with a 400-bottle list weighted toward Italian producers, corkage at $15 for those bringing their own bottle. The address is 299 Lequn 3rd Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei 10491. No phone or website is available in current records; booking should be confirmed through a reservation platform or direct contact. General Manager YuTao Tim Weng and Owner Jay Tien oversee the operation alongside Chef Frassi and Sommelier Chang. Google rating: 4.6 across 212 reviews.
The venue data doesn't confirm a bar counter for dining, and FRASSI's format — a single evening tasting menu running seven courses — is structured around the full seated experience. This isn't a drop-in-for-a-glass situation. If you want to try the wine list without committing to the full menu, FRASSI probably isn't your entry point; Taipei has more casual Italian options for that.
A fixed seven-course tasting menu at the $$$$ price point is a reasonable solo spend if you're serious about the format — Chef Frassi's Tuscan-rooted cooking and the kitchen's aged duck in particular reward focused attention. The Michelin Plate recognition (2024) suggests a room that takes itself seriously, which generally means solo diners are treated well rather than sidelined. Book in advance; seats are limited and the room fills on merit, not walk-in volume.
FRASSI holds a Michelin Plate, runs a seven-course evening tasting menu priced at $$$$, and is shaped around a chef who has styled the restaurant to reflect his Tuscan roots. That combination points to a room where turning up in casualwear would feel out of place. Dress neatly — business casual or above — without needing a jacket unless you prefer one.
Book at least two to three weeks out, particularly for weekends. FRASSI is dinner-only with a single fixed tasting menu, which means every table is committed to the same multi-hour experience — no quick turnovers, no walk-in gaps to exploit. Its Michelin Plate status in 2024 keeps demand steady. The earlier you lock in a date, the more flexibility you'll have on the night.
The fixed tasting menu format works naturally for groups since everyone eats the same seven courses, removing the usual coordination headache. That said, FRASSI's layout isn't documented in detail, so large parties — say, eight or more — should check the venue's official channels to confirm capacity and whether a private arrangement is possible. For smaller groups of four to six, the format suits the occasion well.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
