Welcome to the May 2025 Community Spotlight!
Welcome to our May Community Spotlight! This month, we’re thrilled to highlight Meltem Ulas, a familiar and friendly face at the Community Services Center.
You’ll often find her joining our hikes, radiating warmth and kindness every step of the way!
About Meltem
My name is Meltem Ulas. I’m from Germany and have Turkish roots. Our adventure in Taipei began about 2.5 years ago. My husband works for a German IT company, and we moved here together as a family. Our two children attend the German Section of Taipei European School.
While my husband is on assignment here, I take care of our home and manage our family life. I also feel very lucky to have the chance to meet great new people, explore Taipei, and get to know the local culture.
What’s one restaurant in Taipei you’d recommend that everyone should experience at least once?
Poetry: “If cuisine is the soul of poetry, then space is its skeleton.”
Poetry is a real jewel of Dazhi–relaxed, stylish, and full of flavor. The dishes combine Taiwanese ingredients with international ideas–with a refined twist. It’s creative, but not over the top. There is also live music every Wednesday.
PS: Ladies, the bathroom is such a vibe–go take a look, even if nature is not calling.
What’s an authentic restaurant that serves food from your home country?
There is only one address in Taipei for us to have German food, and that’s Der Löwe Bavarian Restaurant.
Run by Stefan from Germany, this cozy spot serves authentic German dishes full of heart and flavor. His specialties are tender beef goulash and crispy pork knuckle–though we haven’t tried the pork knuckle ourselves, since we don’t eat pork. What we can highly recommend, though, are the homemade Spätzle.
The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, and every visit feels like a little trip back to Germany.
PS: The sausages are homemade as well.
I’m afraid I can’t really recommend a Turkish restaurant in Taipei–I cook Turkish food at home so often, and honestly, nothing beats homemade!
Do you have a go-to comfort food spot in Taipei that you absolutely love?
Halal Chinese Beef Noodles! Taiwan is famous for its beef noodle soup–you definitely have to try it at this restaurant. It’s a very local and authentic restaurant with super-friendly and efficient staff. It’s not the place for a fancy dinner night out, but the food is absolutely amazing. It’s more of a “get in, eat, and go” kind of spot.
PS: Try the pancakes!
I would also recommend The Antipodean Neihu. It’s my absolute favorite coffeeshop with the best cappuccino and the best Bircher muesli. A little piece of tropical paradise on a plate–simply heavenly!
What’s a hidden gem in Taiwan—a place or activity—that you think foreigners should know about?
Dihua Street–it is touristy but definitely worth a visit, especially around Lunar New Year. The street truly glows with culture and celebration then.
You can also find stylish cafes, tea houses, gift shops, artisanal boutiques and herbal shops.
How did you find out about the Community Services Center? What keeps you coming back?
Some friends told me about the Community Center when we moved to Taipei. I signed up for all sorts of events pretty early, just to meet new people and explore the city.
After completing the Grand Trail Taipei with the Community Center last year, I developed a passion for hiking. You can find me in almost every hiking event.
You meet people from all over the world, you would probably never come across otherwise. And it’s all so casual. If you feel like chatting, you do, and if not, that’s totally fine too.
What piece of advice would you give to someone new to living in Taiwan?
I once read: If you really want to understand how a city works, take public transport. That’s such good advice.
If you are not in a hurry, get off one or two stops early and walk the rest. You’ll see parts of the city you’d otherwise miss or just be excited about what’s coming.
🗺 Locations Mentioned:
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Poetry: Section 2, Tiding Blvd, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, 10491
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Der Löwe Bavarian Restaurant: B1, Lane 63, Section 2, Dunhua S Rd, Da’an District, Taipei City, 106
- Halal Chinese Beef Noodles:
(Da’an Location) Alley 7, Lane 137, Yanji St, Da’an District, Taipei City, 106
(Xinyi Location) Taipei City, Xinyi District, Songgao Rd, 110
- The Antipodean Neihu: Lane 26, Gangqian Rd, Neihu District, Taipei City, 114
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