Restaurant in Taipei, Taiwan
Taipei's hardest table. Worth the effort.
Le Palais holds three Michelin stars and is Taipei's leading address for formal Cantonese dining, with a La Liste score of 91 points and an upward OAD ranking. Booking is near impossible — plan six to eight weeks ahead and request counter seating to watch Chef Ken Chen's kitchen in full operation. At $$$$ pricing, it delivers one of the most credentialed dining experiences in Taiwan.
The single most useful thing to know before booking Le Palais is this: request counter seating when you make your reservation. The 17th-floor dining room at 3 Chengde Road Section 1 gives you a clear sightline into the kitchen, and at a venue holding three Michelin stars since 2025, watching Chef Ken Chen's team execute Cantonese technique at this level is part of what you are paying for. The room itself is formal, lacquered, and visually precise — the kind of setting where the light on a dish arrives as deliberately as the dish itself.
Securing that seat, however, is the harder problem. Le Palais operates on near-impossible booking difficulty. It is closed Mondays, and lunch (12–2:30 pm) and dinner (6–9:30 pm) service Tuesday through Sunday fill fast at this tier. Plan to book a minimum of four to six weeks ahead; for weekend dinner, eight weeks is more realistic. If you are visiting Taipei from abroad, lock in the reservation before you book flights. Treat the table as the fixed point of your itinerary.
Le Palais carries a credential stack that justifies the difficulty. Three Michelin stars as of the 2025 guide puts it in the top tier of formal Cantonese dining anywhere in the world, not just in Taiwan. La Liste scored it 91 points for 2025, dropping to 85 points for 2026 — a shift worth monitoring but not alarming at this level. Opinionated About Dining ranked it #121 in Asia for 2025, up from #178 in 2024, meaning its trajectory across independent critical sources is upward. Google reviewers give it 4.5 across 2,927 ratings, which at a restaurant charging top-tier prices suggests consistent execution rather than occasional brilliance.
For Cantonese cuisine specifically, three Michelin stars is a meaningful signal. The format rewards technical precision in roasting, steaming, and sauce work , disciplines where marginal differences in timing and temperature produce visibly different results. At Le Palais, the awards consensus is that those disciplines are being executed at a level that places it alongside the small number of Cantonese rooms operating at this standard in Asia. If you have eaten at comparable venues such as Chef Tam's Seasons in Macau or 102 House in Shanghai, Le Palais belongs in that conversation.
Le Palais is the right choice if Cantonese fine dining is the specific format you are after and you want Taipei's most credentialed version of it. It is a strong pick for a special occasion: the room reads formal without being cold, and the service standard at three-star level should carry a celebratory meal without effort. Solo diners can eat here comfortably, particularly at counter seating, where the kitchen activity provides engagement that carries the meal. For groups, the private dining options in a room of this scale are worth asking about when booking, though the logistics and availability are leading confirmed directly with the venue.
In terms of timing, the current season matters. Cantonese menus at this level rotate around ingredient availability, and what the kitchen is working with now shapes what you will actually eat. Go at dinner if you want the full kitchen experience and the city views from the 17th floor have any meaning to you after dark. Lunch offers the same food at what is typically a more relaxed pace across formal Chinese dining rooms.
If you are building a broader Taipei restaurant itinerary around Le Palais, the city has depth at every price point. For high-end Cantonese in a slightly different register, Ya Ge and Lin Ju are worth considering. Longyue operates in the same formal Chinese dining tier if you want a second benchmark during your visit. For something lighter in commitment, 85TD and JUNTO offer contrast without pulling focus from the main event.
Beyond Taipei, Taiwan's fine dining circuit extends to JL Studio in Taichung and GEN in Kaohsiung if you are touring the island. For a more complete picture of where to eat, stay, drink, and explore the capital, see our full Taipei restaurants guide, our full Taipei hotels guide, our full Taipei bars guide, our full Taipei wineries guide, and our full Taipei experiences guide. If you want to extend the trip further, A Cun Beef Soup in Tainan, Volando Urai Spring Spa & Resort in Wulai District, A Gan Yi Taro Balls in New Taipei, and Ang Gu in Hsinchu County each offer a different angle on what Taiwan does well.
Reservations: Near impossible , book 6–8 weeks ahead for weekend dinner, 4 weeks minimum for weekday lunch. Request counter seating when booking. Hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 12–2:30 pm and 6–9:30 pm; closed Monday. Budget: $$$$ , expect top-tier pricing consistent with three-Michelin-star Cantonese dining. Dress: Smart formal; the room is lacquered and serious, and the service standard will notice. Address: 17F, 3 Chengde Road Section 1, Datong District, Taipei.
Dress smart formal. The dining room is on the 17th floor of a formal building in Datong District, the setting is lacquered and intentional, and at $$$$ pricing with three Michelin stars, the service team will have expectations. Business attire or a formal outfit is the practical minimum. Avoid casual or streetwear.
Yes, particularly if you request counter seating. The kitchen view gives solo diners something to engage with throughout the meal, and Cantonese fine dining at this level is well-suited to a single diner who wants to focus on the food. The formal room is not awkward for one person at this price tier , staff at three-star level are trained to handle solo diners without making the table feel undersized.
It is one of Taipei's strongest picks for a serious celebration. Three Michelin stars, a formal room with city views from the 17th floor, and a Cantonese kitchen operating at consistent quality across nearly 3,000 Google reviews gives you a high-confidence floor for what the evening will deliver. The risk is the booking , lock it in well ahead and treat the reservation as confirmed rather than assumed.
At three-Michelin-star level in Cantonese cuisine, the tasting menu format is usually where the kitchen shows its full range of technique across roasting, steaming, and sauce work. Whether it is worth it depends on your appetite for the format: if you want to direct your own meal, à la carte may serve you better. If you want to let Chef Ken Chen's kitchen build a sequence, the tasting menu at this credential level is typically where that investment pays off. Confirm current menu structure and pricing directly with the venue.
Groups should ask specifically about private dining arrangements when booking. A formal room at this level in Taipei typically has options for larger parties, but availability and configuration need to be confirmed with the venue directly. For groups of four or more, request the private room rather than assuming main dining room seating will work as well. Given the booking difficulty, group reservations should be initiated further in advance than individual tables.
At $$$$ with three Michelin stars, a La Liste score of 91 points (2025), and an upward OAD ranking trajectory, the credentials support the price. The more useful question is whether top-tier formal Cantonese is the format you want on this visit. If it is, Le Palais is Taipei's most credentialed option for it. If you want Taiwan-inflected tasting menus or modern European with local ingredients, the price-to-experience ratio shifts toward venues like Taïrroir or logy instead.
For high-end Cantonese in Taipei, Ya Ge and Lin Ju are the closest comparisons in format. If you want a different cuisine at the same price tier, Taïrroir (Taiwanese/French) and logy (Modern European, Asian Contemporary) both hold Michelin recognition and are easier to book. de nuit offers French Contemporary at $$$$ if that format interests you. For something at a lower price point with a very different register, Golden Formosa at $$ covers Taiwanese cooking without the booking pressure.
Six to eight weeks ahead for weekend dinner is the practical minimum given three-Michelin-star status and consistent demand. Weekday lunch may open up closer to four weeks out, but do not count on it. If your travel dates are fixed, book the moment they are confirmed. Walking in is not a realistic strategy at this tier.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le Palais | Cantonese | La Liste Top Restaurants (2026): 85pts; Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Asia Ranked #121 (2025); La Liste Top Restaurants (2025): 91pts; Michelin 3 Stars (2025); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Asia Ranked #178 (2024); Michelin 3 Stars (2024); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Asia Ranked #140 (2023) | Near Impossible | — |
| logy | Modern European, Asian Contemporary | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Taïrroir | Taiwanese/French, Taiwanese contemporary | Michelin 3 Star | Unknown | — |
| Mudan Tempura | Tempura | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| de nuit | French Contemporary | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Golden Formosa | Taiwanese | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Le Palais and alternatives.
Le Palais operates at the $$$$ tier with three Michelin stars, which puts it firmly in formal dining territory. Smart formal is the safe call — think dress shirt and trousers or equivalent for women. Arriving underdressed at a room of this calibre will stand out, and not in a useful way.
Yes, and counter seating is the specific reason. Request counter when booking — it's the better solo experience, puts you closer to the kitchen, and avoids the awkwardness of a table for one in a formal banquet-style dining room. Solo seats tend to have slightly more flexibility in the booking window too.
It's one of the stronger cases in Taipei for a milestone dinner. Three Michelin stars, a 17th-floor address, and formal Cantonese service create a setting that reads as occasion-appropriate without explanation. Book 6–8 weeks ahead for weekend dinner and mention the occasion when reserving — rooms or seating arrangements may be adjustable.
At $$$$ pricing with three Michelin stars and an OAD Asia Top 125 ranking in 2025, the credentialing supports the price point for serious Cantonese fine dining. If the format suits you — structured, multi-course, formal — this is Taipei's most awarded version of it. If you want a more casual Cantonese meal, the price-to-format ratio won't land the same way.
The 17th-floor space at 3 Chengde Road Section 1 includes private dining options typical of Cantonese restaurants at this tier. For groups of six or more, check the venue's official channels when reserving and specify the occasion — private room requests need lead time, and weekend slots are already competitive. Solo or pairs have more flexibility.
For Cantonese fine dining specifically, yes. Three Michelin stars in the 2025 guide and a La Liste score of 91 points in 2025 (85 in 2026) back up the $$$$ price tier. The question is format fit: Le Palais is formal, structured, and requires planning. If that matches what you're after, the credential stack is among the strongest in Taipei.
Taïrroir is the closest comparison for occasion dining at a high credential level, but it runs contemporary Taiwanese rather than Cantonese. Logy offers a tighter, more intimate tasting menu format at a lower booking difficulty. Golden Formosa covers Taiwanese banquet-style cooking if the Cantonese format isn't the draw. None of these match Le Palais's specific Michelin three-star Cantonese positioning.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
