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Taiwan 7-Elevens are like no other in the world – beloved by locals and tourists alike, there are currently over 7,000 7-Elevens currently in Taiwan, including over 100 special themed 7-Elevens.
We’ve been to 7-Elevens all over the world, from South Korea to Singapore, Thailand to Japan (even the world’s biggest 7-Eleven in Pattaya) but the world’s best 7-Elevens have to be 7-Eleven Taiwan.
From the quality of ready meals to the special character themed 7-Elevens (plus all the exclusive 7-Eleven merchandise and their own character, Open Chan), Taiwan 7-Eleven will always be tops for us – you can even win the lottery with the smallest of purchases!
Here are 14 reasons why Taiwan 7-Eleven has the best 7-Elevens in the world:
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Taiwan 7-Eleven Quick Summary
In 1979, Taiwan’s first 7-Eleven opened in the Zhongshan district of Taipei – fast forward to 2024 and there are now over 7,000 7-Elevens in Taiwan, making it the biggest convenience store chain in Taiwan.
Convenience stores are big business in Taiwan (it has a population of around 24 million people) and of the 14,000 convenience stores in Taiwan, over half are 7-Elevens. Its biggest competitor is Family Mart, which has around 4,000 stores in Taiwan.
But why is 7-Eleven so popular in Taiwan? Here are 14 things and facts you not know about 7-Eleven in Taiwan and why it is the best convenience store experience anywhere in the world:
1. There are Taiwan 7-Eleven themed character stores
Until recently, Taiwan 7-Eleven was the only 7-Eleven in the world to have themed 7-Eleven character stores (although Malaysia have recently opened a new Pokemon 7-Eleven in Kuala Lumpur).
There are now over 100 themed 7-Elevens in Taiwan with the vast majority on them located in Taipei.
Many have character takeovers such as Snoopy themed 7-Elevens, Sanrio / Hello Kitty 7-Elevens, Bugcat Capoo 7-Elevens and several Sumikko Gurashi 7-Elevens in Taiwan.
Not only are the stores full of theming on the walls and ceilings, many even have themed character cafes and seating areas.
So for instance, you can sit on a Hello Kitty chair whilst drinking out of a Hello Kitty coffee cup, or you can even dine in Snoopy basement cafe in one particular 7-Eleven in Taipei.
On our latest trip to Taiwan in 2024, we visited the new Mofusand 7-Eleven store (map) which we think is one of the cutest 7-Elevens in the world.
Mofusand is a cute kitten who often wears funny hats. The store is full of Mofusand merch and you can drink from 7-Eleven Mofusand coffee cups!
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2. Some Taiwan 7-Elevens have their own bars
Cheers to Taiwan 7-Eleven as some stores have their very own bars and pub counters where you can drink a draft pint of Taiwanese Buckskin beer instore or even Sapporo beer from Japan.
We’ve seen Taiwan 7-Eleven bars in Taipei (in several locations) plus enjoyed a pint of beer at the 7-Eleven bar by Liouhe Night Market in Kaohsiung.
Taiwan 7-Eleven bar prices are reasonable with a small Buckskin Hefewizen, Marzen or Munich Helles beer costing NT$78 for 280ml or NT$119 for a large 480ml draft beer. Taiwan Beer, Sunmai Honey Lager plus wine and highballs are also available.
We sat at the 7-Eleven bar and had a few draft beers, chewing on 7-Eleven snacks we’d also bought from the store – a cheap night and a fun thing to do for 7-Eleven fans and enthusiasts.
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3. 7-Eleven toasties in Taiwan are the tastiest!
If you’ve ever been to a 7-Eleven in Thailand, you’ll know about the phenomenon that is 7-Eleven toasted sandwiches.
However, not many people realise that this isn’t unique to Thailand and Taiwan 7-Eleven also has its own range of toasties. In fact, the quality is much better and the toasted sandwiches in Taiwan even have 7-Eleven’s Open Chan character toasted on the outside.
With flavours like truffled scrambled egg sandwich or New Orleans Style Roast Chicken Toasted Sandwich, this is one tasty snack to enjoy on the go or in-store; prices are reasonable too with most sandwiches costing around the NT$60 to $80 mark.
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4. Epic EasyCard / iCash Collections
Most travellers to Taiwan will know the best way to get around or shop without cash is to use a Taiwan EasyCard or iCash cards (accepted in most convenience stores and on all of Taiwan’s public transport network).
However, 7-Eleven in Taiwan usually has a dedicated section next to the tills that has crazy EasyCard collectibles, everything from character cards like Doraemon and Hello Kitty through to more unique EasyCards and iCash cards like miniature fried chicken, tiny TVs, FoodPanda helmets and much more.
As some of these epic cards are collectors items, some have security tags and others are often hanging on a display above the till – so definitely check out the creative and cute iCash Card collections next time you are in a Taiwan 7-Eleven.
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5. You can win the Taiwan Lottery Jackpot with every single 7-Eleven purchase
Every time you buy something in 7-Eleven (or pretty much in any shop or store in Taiwan), you are given a receipt which doubles as a Taiwan Lottery ticket. So even if you just buy a bottle of water or packet of chewing gum, you are given a ‘free’ national lottery ticket for Taiwan.
The Taiwan Lottery is drawn every couple of months and foreigners are allowed to enter and win prizes.
You must be in Taiwan to receive the prize, so if you win big enough, it is worth flying back – large prizes such as NT$10 million are common (around £250k or over $300k USD) and lower amounts are easily redeemable in 7-Eleven (just be aware the draw takes place a few weeks after your purchase).
One word of caution – on a few rare occasions, store staff would deliberately keep back the receipts from us, likely to keep back the Taiwan Lottery tickets for themselves (who can blame them to be fair, when most tourists just throw them in the trash). So if you do want to take part, make sure you are given your receipt.
6. Taiwan 7-Elevens have exclusive merchandise
Yep, if you are a big 7-Eleven fan, Taiwan 7-Elevens has big collections of their own brand 7-Eleven Open Chan products like 7-Eleven plushes / cuddly toys, Open Chan bakery products plus Open Chan clocks.
Most 7-Elevens in Taiwan sell cute cartoon merchandise like Hello Kitty or Snoopy but the Open Chan 7-Eleven range is equally cute.
7. Taiwan is big on 7-Eleven city cafes and seating areas
Of all the countries where 7-Eleven is prevalent, Taiwan 7-Elevens seem to be stores with the most cafe and seating spaces, encouraging a sense of community.
Pretty much all stores have seating areas where you can eat your ready meals, slurp your noodles or drink inexpensive 7-Eleven Taiwan City Cafe coffee.
Some of the 7-11 cafes are also quite ‘bling’ with chandeliers, mood lighting and more. The ones in city center locations sometimes even have outdoor seating areas which can become partial party places at night.
8. They have a mouthwatering microwave ready meal range
So we obviously aren’t suggesting you eat convenience store bought ready meals over delicious Taiwanese street eats or traditional restaurants, but the occasional ready meal helps if you are on a budget or just need a quick snack.
Luckily, convenience stores in Taiwan (especially 7-Eleven and Family Mart) have a great selection of heat and eat meals (plus all the stores have microwaves behind the counters and will gladly heat your meals).
Yes, ready meals are available in all 7-Elevens across the world but the ones in Taiwan are the best. From traditional Taiwanese treats to limited edition lunchboxes, the ready meals are much better here with huge ranges, from pasta and curries to noodles and other sumptuous savory snacks.
We particularly appreciated the 7-Eleven Taiwan ready meal range in Sun Moon Lake when we spent several nights in Ita Thao.
All of the restaurants closed early plus those that were open were expensive and heavily geared towards passing tourist trade so the restaurants weren’t great – convenience store ready meals were a blessing when faced with so few good eating out choices.
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9. Customise your own 7-Eleven t-shirt
There is a branch of 7-Eleven near Ximending (map) that not only has a huge Open Chan DJ booth, but you can also design and print your very own 7-Eleven Open Chan T-shirt – how Uniqlo!
Yes, there is a 7-Eleven T-shirt Print shop – create your own design using the instore machine and then get one of the store staff to print it up for you.
Whilst there, check out the Open Chan 7-Eleven merchandise cabinets or sit in the themed Open Chan character cafe – this is one unique themed 7-Eleven in Taipei!
10. 7-Eleven Themed Brand Stores
As well as the character themed 7-Eleven stores in Taiwan, did you know there are several special food and drink branded 7-Elevens in Taipei?
For instance, you can visit the Coca-Cola 7-Eleven which has a special themed Coca-Cola upstairs complete with vintage coke bottles (map).
There is even a Lay’s themed crisps / potato chips in the heart of Ximen complete with Lay’s themed gaming tables and potato chip displays (map).
Better yet, there is a luxury Maserati car themed 7-Eleven on the outer edges of Taipei (map) plus a Heineken beer themed 7-Eleven, complete with a Heineken lounge (map) – who needs a bar eh?
11. The Starlux airplane themed 7-Eleven
Onto our favourite themed 7-Eleven in Taipei – the 7-Eleven that is themed like an aeroplane / airplane.
In conjunction with Starlux Airlines who recently launched direct flights to Taipei from the USA, this special 7-Eleven in Taipei is themed like the interior of a plane.
Even the dining area feels like you onboard an aircraft plus there is a ‘landing strip’ guiding you to the checkout plus a wall of clocks showing different world times – the attention to detail and theming here is excellent.
As well as Starlux themed food like American hotdogs and sandwiches, you can buy items here that would only usually be served onboard the flights like Starlux coffee (not to be confused with Starbucks coffee BTW)!
The Airplane themed Starlux 7-Eleven in Taipei can be found on Taipei’s Dunhua North Road – the Google maps location is here >
12. Cool craft beer selections
Whilst 7-Eleven in Taiwan does stock the standard mass produced Taiwanese beers and lagers like Taiwan Beer or Taiwan Classic, they also offer a cracking craft beer range (which varies depending on which Taiwanese city you are in).
With everything from Oolong Tea beer to Yuzu craft beer from Taiwanese craft breweries like Taihu Brewing, craft beer connoisseurs will enjoy browsing the beer cabinets in 7-Eleven Taiwan stores.
13. 7-Eleven Ibon Taiwan tickets
One of the best things about Taiwan 7-Elevens is that most have an Ibon ticket terminal where you can easily buy tickets for events and sporting games like Taiwan baseball or concert tickets.
In fact, 7-Eleven Taiwan also promote their own concerts and music festivals which you can purchase tickets to instore.
Ibon 7-Eleven machines look like a cross between an ATM machine and desktop computer terminal and are usually next to the till – you can even buy HSR (high speed rail) train tickets too.
Alas we found they didn’t have an English language setting when trying to purchase sporting / baseball tickets in Taiwan so we had to rely on Google translate at most stages.
Our final reason & fact why 7-Eleven Taiwan is the best 7-Eleven in the world:
14. New for 2024 – Ultraman Themed 7-Eleven
On our most recent trip to Taipei in spring 2024, we discovered a new Ultraman themed 7-Eleven (map) – it is so cool, even if you aren’t an Ultraman fan.
The Ultraman 7-Eleven theme is carried across the whole shop (even in the restroom / toilet) plus it continues across the store exterior and entrance plus cabinets and ceiling inside.
There are lots of fun photo opportunities and a HUGE range of Ultraman merchandise to buy including an Open Chan 7-Eleven Ultraman figure that is only available to buy in this particular 7-11.
Afterwards, sit in the Ultraman cafe area and drink your coffee from an Ultraman cup.
Read more in our guide to the Ultraman themed 7-Eleven store >
@taiwanderers The Ultraman themed 7-Eleven in Taipei, Taiwan. Location – 104, Taiwan, Taipei City, Zhongshan District, Section 3, Jianguo N Rd, 89號 91號1樓 #taiwan #taipei #7eleven #7eleventw #themed7eleven #ultraman #7eleventaiwan #taiwantiktok #taiwantiktokers #taiwan🇹🇼 #ウルトラマン ♬ Run with Us (From "The Raccoons") – FalKKonE
Did you like our 7-Eleven Taiwan guide? Did we miss any other reasons why 7-11 Taiwan is the best 7-Eleven in the world? Hit us up in the comments.
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