For decadent desserts and epic ice creams, head to Miyahara, Taichung’s famous ice cream parlor and gift shop.
Like something out of a Harry Potter movie, this elegant red brick building overlooks Taichung’s Green River and is a short walk from Taichung Station.
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Inside you’ll find the most beautiful of gift-shops and an opulent upstairs restaurant, plus gorgeous wooden interiors and high ceilings.
One of the most popular things to do on Taichung, join the hungry queue outside Miyahara to taste one of Taiwan’s top ice creams and desserts, with over 60 different flavors of ice cream plus seasonal specials. We visited at Halloween and had a ghoulish dessert (but in a very good way)!
And we’ll also tell you about nearby ‘Fourth Credit Union’, where you can enjoy Miyahara’s magnificent ice creams without the queues.
From prices to popular menu items, here is our ultimate guide to Miyahara ice cream in Taichung with photos.
You might like – Our guide to visiting Gaomei Wetlands, Taichung’s top sunset spot (and combinable with Miyahara on several tours) COMING SOON
Taiwan checklist
We love using agoda.com and booking.com for researching and booking all our hotels, and Hostelworld for booking hostels.
For booking tours, transfers and SIM cards we recommend Get Your Guide, Viator, KK Day or Klook.
Miyahara opening hours and admission
Taichung’s Miyahara ice cream parlor and gift shop is open daily from 10am to 9pm.
Miyahara’s interior and downstairs gift shop is free to visit – however you need a restaurant reservation to access the upper floors.
You might like – Taiwanderers guide to 30+ things to do in Taichung including the other famous dessert cafe Minimal (which has won a Michelin award too) >
How to get to Miyahara in Taichung
Handily, Miyahara is located a very short walk away from Taichung Station or a short bus ride from Taichung HSR / High Speed Rail Station.
From Taichung Station, Miyahara is a flat 5 minute walk away and can be found on Google Maps here >
From Taichung HSR Station, Miyahara is around 7km away – take a local train from the HSR Station to Taichung Station (around a 10 minute ride) or local buses 6670, 100, 33 or 158.
If you plan to visit Taichung and Miyahara from Taipei, the HSR train takes around 45 minutes from Taipei Main Station to Taichung, or the slower / cheaper local train / TRA Tze-Chiang train takes just over 2 hours.
Several Taichung tours include Miyahara including this Gaomei Wetlands one with KK Day. Read about our guide to Gaomei Wetlands here (COMING SOON).
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What to expect at Miyahara in Taichung
If you are staying over in Taichung and don’t fancy big queues, we’d recommend going to Miyahara for ice cream first thing around 10am or later in the evening around 8pm – this is because many big coach groups rock up during the day so the line-up can be long!
You can choose to visit the gift-shop inside Miyahara first (more on this later) or grab the famous ice cream from the shop outside. The queue starts in the alley just outside the shop.
There are markings on the floor to show you how to line up. Miyahara staff are also on-hand during busy periods / weekends to hand out the Miyahara menu.
The Miyahara menu of ice creams for the shop is double-sided. There is so much choice – we counted over 60 different ice cream flavors, plus half a dozen different add ons and multiple toppings to choose from.
Miyahara menus are available in several languages – Chinese / Mandarin, English and Japanese.
Once you know what you are want, tick the boxes with your choices whilst waiting in the line – staff members will let you know if any of your ice cream choices are out of stock.
If you are somebody who takes a long-time to decide and the queue is small, maybe spend some time planning your ice cream plan of attack and flavor combos beforehand.
Your Miyahara menu options include whether you want 1, 2 or 3 flavors, served in a waffle bowl or sundae style (with lots of extra elements like biscuits or palmiers) plus what toppings you’d like.
The number of various combinations given all the flavors and toppings must be in the thousands!
Once you reach the counter, let the staff member know what you want, you then pay using cash or card and are then given a ticket with a number on.
When your number is called, you will be asked which free toppings you would like and your epic ice cream choice will be made up before your very own eyes. Topping choices include healthy things like fruit and seeds to more decadent decorations like chocolate brownies.
Now eat and enjoy – but quickly if it is hot outside as it melts so quickly!
Try this – Taichung tours with Viator, Get Your Guide, and Klook
Miyahara’s menu + prices
We last visited Miyahara in October 2024 – we rocked up around midday on a Saturday and there was a small queue which took only about 5 minutes to pass.
Note we’ve been to Taichung many times and sometimes the queue is four deep along the whole alley – so it could take longer.
Miyahara prices start from NT$100 for a single scoop of ice cream, NT$180 for two different scoops / flavors or NT$255 for three flavors (which is the maximum they will do).
After choosing your ice-cream flavors, you can opt for a waffle bowl (+ NT$20) or a sundae style serving (+NT$80).
The sundae version means you get a waffle bowl but with lots of extra things like butterfly shaped palmiers and a little biscuit in the shape of the Miyahara building – too cute!
We visited just before Halloween recently so our sundae also included little white chocolate ghosts – seasonal specials occur throughout the year.
Try this – Top Taichung food tours with Viator including a bubble tea class or make your own suncake >
Ice cream flavors at Miyahara
Miyahara’s ice cream menu is split into several sections and flavor types from fruit or tea ice creams to chocolate or cheese ice creams. Some of the Miyahara ice cream flavors include:
Fruit
- Kumquat Lime
- Banana Milk (we loved this one)
- Kyoho Grape
- Lychee
Cheese (+NT$10 extra)
- Honey cheese
- Raisin mascarpone
- Rose white wine with cheese
- Mamdeling & Brazilian Coffee cheese
Plus a couple of yogurt style ice creams (strawberry or blueberry)
Tea flavors
- Ceylon black tea
- Roselle tea
- Alishan Oolong Tea with plum and honey
- Songboling Green Tea
Miyahara special ice cream flavors
- Salted caramel
- Peanut
- Sesame with almond
- Mt Lishan Apple Milk
These are just a few of the 60+ flavors available with more new ones being added all the time.
You might like – Top 10 Hello Kitty things to do in Taipei or our guide to Taichung’s Bugcat Capoo House (the cutest cat gift-shop you’ll ever see)
Eating your ice cream
Once you’ve received your ice cream, the one downside at Miyahara is there isn’t really anywhere to eat it – you can either enjoy it on the sidewalk / pavement outside (beware of all the water spray if you are wearing contact lenses) or take it elsewhere.
We’d recommend walking across the road and eating it by the Green River just outside Miyahara – there are several benches and you can watch the fish in the stream or people using the stepping stones there.
Just to note there are no bins by the river so you’ll need to head back to Miyahara to dump your leftovers in the bins outside there.
As we were in Taichung on a 32 degree day, one thing to mention is our ice creams melted so quickly and that this caused our waffle bowls to collapse after about two minutes.
So eat quickly and get your Instagrammable ice cream pictures as soon as you are served.
Alternatively, there is another way to enjoy Miyahara ice creams sitting down and in the comfort of air-conditioning.
May we introduce you to Fourth Credit Union, an old bank that has now been transformed into a palace of desserts and just 400 meters away from Miyahara itself…
You might like – Our guide to Taichung’s reopened Rainbow Village: is it worth visiting? >
Fourth Credit Union
This is a Taichung dessert hall with a difference; you can ‘bank’ on it!
Situated over three floors of a former bank, Fourth Credit Union (map) is an opulent retro setting, really making the most of its historic surroundings.
It used to have lots of different street foods but is now focused on sweet-treats (as it has been taken over by nearby Miyahara’s ice cream shop owners).
There are a lot of culinary choices here, (mostly desserts including a second branch of Miyahara ice cream). All reasonably priced, so in keeping with your surroundings, it won’t break the bank!
Our tip is that if you want a Miyahara ice cream but don’t want to stand outside the main shop eating it, head on over to Fourth Credit Union as there are lots of seats and smaller queues. You’re welcome!
You might like – Our Taiwanderers guide to the newly opened Taiwan National Museum of Comics in Taichung (free to visit) >
Miyahara gift shop and tea shop
Most people visit Miyahara in Taichung for the epic ice creams but inside is also worth checking out. Follow the trail of golden ants on the sidewalk and walk inside the red brick building to a Harry Potter style magical world of sweet treats and tasty Taiwanese teas.
Miyahara stock the most celebrated chocolate in the whole of Taichung and the store displays are so beautiful – it kind of feels like shopping in a historical department store like the famous Hayashi Department Store in Tainan.
The staff at Miyahara are always willing to help and they appear to be dressed in some form of funky safari suits – it is all part of the experience.
Inside, you can buy huge slabs of chocolate with incredible flavors or vinyl LP style Taiwan teas packed in a ‘record sleeve’- a gift-wrapping service is also available.
Miyahara also has their own range of branded clothing and souvenirs like their Eye Scream t-shirts available for NT$780 (or NT$730 if you spend over NT$1,000 in-store).
Upstairs, Miyahara has a restaurant which we haven’t yet made it to – but we will one day!
You might like – Our guide to Sun Moon Lake and how to get to Sun Moon Lake from Taichung
Miyahara Review
Overall, Miyahara is worth a visit, if only to visit the opulent interiors inside.
The Miyahara ice creams are good but possibly a little-overhyped and expensive for what they are.
If only they could have some seating areas to enjoy the ice cream or find a way to stop the ice cream melting so quickly and waffle cone collapsing after just a few minutes – take pics, eat quickly and you’ll be fine!
You might like – Our Taiwanders guide to the ‘free’ Taiwan Receipt Lottery which travelers can enter or our guide to the Taiwan Tourism Lucky Land prize draw (free for tourists to enter until June 2025)
Taichung’s other famous ice-cream shop and dessert cafe
Tasty Taiwan! It has 10 new MICHELIN starred restaurants added to the 2024 MICHELIN guide, including ‘MINIMAL’ in Taichung, which becomes the first-ever ice cream dessert shop to receive a MICHELIN Star globally!
We were hoping to visit Minimal but realized too late that they have a waiting list of several weeks so learn from our mistakes and book way in advance.
You might like – Our perfect 3 day Taipei itinerary >
Where to stay in Taichung
We’d highly recommend staying in Taichung for a few days (or at least) overnight as there are so many things to do in Taichung.
Mid-Range ($$)
Park City Hotel Central Taichung
Modern affordable hotel located a 10 minute walk from Taichung Train Station. Check rates and availability on booking.com and agoda.com
Luxury ($$$)
Millennium Hotel Taichung
Modern high-rise 5 star hotel. Facilities include a rooftop bar, outdoor pool, sauna and on-site restaurants. Check rates and availability on booking.com and agoda.com
Check out the best hotels in Taichung via booking.com, hotels.com, expedia.com or agoda.com
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