Vegan
American
International
Western
Fast food
Beer/Wine
Taiwanese

動物誌 vegan restaurant and bar est. since 2013 previously at 9, Lane 1, Jinglong St Wenshan District. Offers a menu of veggie burgers, sandwiches, fried snacks, and beer on tap in addition to non-alcoholic drinks. It's also a platform for artistic exhibits and other activist events. A short walk from LiuZhangLi MRT station. Reported closed, Jun 2019.


Venue map for About Animals
© OpenStreetMap contributors

45 Reviews

First Review by cj the taniwha

VeganDavid

Points +85

Vegan
14 Aug 2016

Good western vegan food

The food here is really good, and it will satisfy you if you need a break from cold and slimy vegan food in Taiwan. The wasabi burger and garlic fries were both very good. The choice of bread for the burgers could be better, as it seemed there were some raisins in my burger bun, which was off-putting. I support using a more rustic whole-grain bun like they do, but including raisins is crazy and makes me think they are trying too hard to be different or quirky.

As some others have mentioned, this place is kind of a 'hang-out' spot, and it actually wasn't at all busy when I visited, which makes me wonder if the 'hang-out' concept is hurting their business.

And while I am not bothered by cats in the dining area, I did notice what appeared to be a piece of cat food on an empty table. The staff should really be making sure that the animals are not leaving any mess in the dining area.

If you like burgers and western vegan food then you should go here, and this would be a good time to support them since it appears they are facing much anger and hostility regarding the recent killing of the stray cat they took care of (because it is "their fault" and they are using this incident to attract media attention to their business according to their haters on Facebook). Please support 100% vegan businesses.

Pros: Good western food

Cons: Raisins in a burger bun!?

shanery

Points +188

Vegan
06 Aug 2016

-

I love this place. The atmosphere is great and so is the food. There are lots of burgers to try, as well as other interesting dishes. It's also close to the IVegan supermarket, which is a bonus.

cherryblossom153

Points +563

Vegan
02 Jun 2016

more like a bar than a restaurant

This bar offers a lot of vegan beers and different burgers :)
Very small but comfortable!
Unfortunately they don't have parking lots in that street, so its better to come by scooter or MRT.

Pros: cool burgers and cakes

Cons: very small, more like bar, no parking lots

paulkates

Points +1796

Vegan
09 May 2016

Awesome!

Delicious food that is very well-presented and a great selection of beer. Staff are friendly and courteous and the atmosphere has a relaxed vibe to it. We wound up going there twice in four days and were lucky (both times) to get a table for 4. We found out/realized the second time that they take reservations and I'd recommend doing so.

Pros: Great Food & Beer, Great Staff (including the cat!), They support great causes

Cons: Limited seating

Mark Satquest

Points +258

Herbivore
19 Feb 2016

the closest to Western veganism

Reminds me of the leftist alternive places I went to as a teenager. VERY different from almost all veg places in Taiwan as the focus is really animal rights. Thus more flavorful than Buddhist veg. The burgers are very creative from Wasabi, to Sesame and all come in whole wheat buns, but they also feature a lot of typical Western stuff like (vegan) bacon sandwich. If you are into alternative youth culture or the LGBT movement you'll love it here. If you don't like people drinking, loud music, people smoking in front of the entrance or that a large cat is very cozily sleeping on the chair next to you.... You maybe won't

Pros: flavorful, moderate prices, THE CAT

LoriFromAbroad26

Points +71

Vegan
13 Feb 2016

Pleasantly surprised

Hi, I would like to congratulate the owners for doing a great job with starting the restaurant from the bottom and working hard to develop delicious meals, good atmosphere, English spoken, English menu and promoting veganism, as well as unconditional love for people without prejudice.

We love going here everytime we are in the neighborhood because the menu keeps improving, there is outside seating for those of us who hate air conditioning, and the ambiance is relaxing.

We went there a few times now, the last time last night when we had their new burgers and panini, which were delicious and healthy. We loved the icecream, tastes like non-vegan ones. Our only problem with it is that it wasn't enough, Europeans love to eat a lot, lol.

The dinner ended with a wonderful, unexpected talk with the owner who offered us a lot of advice and support.

A suggestion would be: they have adopted cats greeting guests but everybody already loves cats. It would be great if they could adopt farm animals and show people how smart and incredible they are so that people gradually stopped ordering them in other restaurants.

Will return and we will recommend it. It's worth the visit. For a bar style restaurant, it has a lot of food options that taste great.

Congratulations and keep improving!

Pros: English menu and spoken, delicious variety, big sizes, promotes veganism

Cons: hard to find, hard air con, smoke

jojoinbrighton

Points +1283

Vegan
08 Feb 2016

Delicious!

I love the gay friendly animal activist vibe of this place. The menu's great too featuring burgers and sandwiches as well as set meals. I think they do brunch at the weekend but I wasn't able to read that part of the menu and didn't get a chance to ask. The bacon sandwich on bacon cheese bread is my favourite thing on the menu and I'm a huge fan of their hot cocoa. They also have a large range of vegan beers and ciders.

Citizen Wren

Points +283

Mostly Veg
23 Jan 2016

nice bar

great beer selection, perfect french fries. I'm not big on burgers but they have a tofu/rice/kimchi bowl with a fried veggie ball that is really good. dessert is good too.

Pros: resident cat

Cons: small space

Gary3677

Points +20

Vegan
29 Nov 2015

Relaxed & Cool Cafe / Bar

Relax young atmosphere. Has a good message that they trade by.

Pros: , Great selection of Vegan options. Very much fast f

Cons: , Prices are inline with the style of food. Staff s

helenedrouin

Points +2860

Vegan
26 May 2015

amazing vegan burgers!

About Animals is a small cozy place located near the wanlong station. The first time I went there, on a sunday afternoon, there were no free tables, a lot of people seem to just chill there for a long time after they finish eating. I had to ask some people if I could sit at their table. It was very noisy and not so much fun. The second time, on a tuesday night, I went there with my family and we were the only one in the restaurant!

I really like the food at About Animals. The wasabi burger is amazing!! It's not super spicy, so don't be scared ro try it. The burger buns are super good filled with nuts and raisins! The fried platter is also good, it can be a good appetizer to share.

Pros: amazing burgers

Cons: not so healthy, almost everything on the menu is f

omniveg

Points +45

Vegan
18 May 2015

Tasty vegan burgers in Taipei, but smokers!

Several years after it opened, I finally visited About Animals. It's very convenient and rather easy to get to from Wanlong MRT station. It's obviously a very small location with limited seating. When every chair or stool is taken, inside and out, it can get quite busy and slow. But, along with friendly staff, it might be worth waiting for as long as a half-hour for food to be ready.

Based on the reviews, I first tried the wasabi burger. The burger buns are delicious. But, I was left disappointed by the tofu-based patty, which tasted vaguely similar to what I remember fried fish-type sandwiches tasting like. Not to my liking. Also, there wasn't much of a hot wasabi taste like I was somewhat expecting.

The fried and non-fried mushroom burgers, however, were more of what I was expecting, with their really delicious tangy and spicy mayonnaise, and other common burger toppings which helped me recreate the veggie burger-eating experience like none other in Taiwan. The limited mushrooms were almost barely noticeable, but that didn't take away from the experience as others in Taipei have done with their awful faux meat patties.

Hopefully, About Animals and others in Taiwan can be more creative with their burger patties, like using chickpea powder and lentils. Come on, Taiwan, you can do better than this! Set an innovative standard!

The food presentation was excellent, and sides like fries and cherry tomatoes and orange slices were a nice treat. Food is served on wooden cutting boards which really works for me instead of plastic or something disposable. But, I could do without a wooden sandwich pick with a flag stuck through the burger, that would only just be thrown away. Decorations with all sorts of positive messaging give lots to glance at while waiting or enjoying the food.

Lastly, a big challenge for my further returning is that smoking is permitted in the outdoor bar-style seating area. This is in front and is a real turn-off to experience when leaving or entering, or when the slide door is opened. No patron or worker should be exposed to second-hand smoke!

One visit, when it wasn't busy, it even appeared that a staff member was smoking outside. That person might have handled the food and that's really gross. Whenever I see this nasty habit by those working at veg establishments, I seriously question judgments and whether I should ever go again, despite how tasty the food might be. I hope About Animals will address these critical issues!

Pros: Excellent buns and fixings!, Creative presentation!, Patties not deter burger experience!

Cons: Smoking patrons & staff! Nasty & gross!, Wasabi tofu patty like fried fish!, Wasteful sandwich picks!

Plantpowerednomad

Points +118

Vegan
14 Apr 2015

Best vegan burger in Taipei

This one’s a little more out of the way than other vegan places, but it’s close to iVegan so you can pick up some groceries afterwards. About Animals is my no.1 burger place of Taipei. Actually, their wasabi burger is so good, I’ve never ordered anything else when I’ve been there… it will satisfy vegans and omnis alike, just make sure you order a side with it if you’re a big eater.

They serve burgers, hotpots, rice dishes, and various deserts. They also have beer in the fridge, and animal rights/gay rights/everything rights postcards and labels on the walls. They have good music and a good atmosphere to chill out with friends and enjoy a burger.

One complaint: recently they seem to be undecided about whether they serve fries with their burgers. Without them you'll definitely be left unsatisfied, as the portions aren't large! Serve fries again please.

Pros: Excellent food, Laid back atmosphere, Eco-conscious

Cons: Small portions

Kimxula

Points +1185

Vegetarian
16 Mar 2015

Cosy place, great burgers!

Fantastic place! Try the wasabi burger, one of the best veggie burgers I've ever had! Cool, cosy atmosphere - loved this place.

TaiwanHannah

Points +32

Vegan
03 Feb 2015

Cosy place for vegan comfort food!

Great vegan addition to Taipei that offers up good vegan burgers/ fries and vege patties with the bonus of being one of the only vegan places that sells alcohol. Unpretentious and laid back atmosphere where one could easily spend an afternoon relaxing. Only downside is limited seating and lack of salad or more healthy options... But when you want a good burger and comfortable place to relax this is were to go! Conveniently located near MRT and IVegan supermarket as well.

Pros: part of proceeds go to animal welfare groups, sells alcohol, LGBT supportive

Cons: menu is primarily comfort food, doesn't include sa

kim2121

Points +449

Vegetarian
31 Jan 2015

Fantastic Addition to Taipei!

This place is really cute and the food is delicious. I ordered the Wasabi Burger, and hadn't realized how much I missed eating a Western-style veggie burger until the moment I bit into it. So good! The fries were a great treat too! I'm looking forward to going back and trying the Kimchi Burger, as I'm curious to see if it's spicier than the Wasabi Burger, which wasn't as spicy as I expected (but was still delicious).

Just a note, there is limited seating here, so don't be surprised if you show up and don't get a table. Still, there's a nice porch area which looked fun for hanging around outside, drinking a beer, and eating vegan food.

It is a bit hard to find About Animals. Here is my best description (sorry if you get lost). When you come out of WanLong MRT, exit 2, you have to choose either to turn left or right after coming up the escalator. Turn left, walking down the more narrow exit and walk past the 7-Eleven. Once you get to the street, turn right. At the first intersection, turn left and walk down the street until you see a sign for Jinglong Street Lane 1 on your right. Turn down Jinlong Street and About Animals will be a short way down on the right hand side.

Pros: Delicious Food, Great Atmosphere

Cons: Limited Seating

eric

Points +20056

Vegan
12 Oct 2014

Sign Of The Times

Dropped in this little hangout with some friends as it is conveniently located just nearby the vegan supermarket.
It's a cool little place which is a local focus spot for animal rights advocates and lesbian and gay issues. The gal serving us was very sweet and accommodating.
I tried the wasabi burger which came with fries and a little fruit. I'm not a big wasabi fan, but liked the flavor of this burger, only mild spicy. It kinda fell apart on me though so they could work on the recipe a bit. Would love to come by again when they have an event and meet some locals. It's really a sign of the times that Taipei has places like this... leading the way.

Pros: Interesting Burgers, Cool Hang

AlexParr

Points +16

Vegan
10 Aug 2014

Soo good

Half way into the first burger and got up to order another one. Really good.

I'll be back for sure!


Updated from previous review on Saturday August 09, 2014

Pros: Good food, Friendly staff, Reasonable prices

cj the taniwha

Points +71

Vegan
06 Jan 2014

Great new vegan bar and cafe

We went to About Animals in the first week that it opened, it had a great range of beverages and in Taiwan it is hard to find good vegan (or veg) food with alcohol also served. The service was awesome, very friendly and open to suggestions and the food was great. The desserts from Vegan Heaven were amazing and sold out too quickly. I would highly recommend a visit and I can't wait to bring my family.

Pros: Great food, Great service, Beverages!

Cons: A little hard to find, Not open for lunch




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