What It Is

拾米屋 (Sheme House) is an artisan chocolate patisserie operating inside a surviving Japanese colonial-era grain warehouse (1號倉庫) on Datong Street in Beitou. The name 拾米 (shí mǐ, "gather rice") is a direct reference to the building's original function as a rice granary. The structure is not a renovation that retained surface aesthetics — it is the warehouse building, in use.

In 2019, Sheme House won a gold medal at the International Chocolate Awards (ICA) — the premier international artisan chocolate competition — in the White Chocolate Bonbon category, for a flavour called 桂花滇紅 (Osmanthus Yunnan Black Tea). The ICA operates under blind judging by professional chocolatiers and food journalists; entry requires submitting work against international field. The award was not widely reported in Taiwanese travel media and did not materially change the shop's tourism footprint.

Sheme House is one of a small number of artisan chocolate producers in Taiwan and the only one documented operating in Beitou — a district whose tourism is entirely defined by its hot springs. It has no connection to the hot spring economy.

Location

District: Beitou (北投區)
Address: No. 1 Warehouse, 153 Datong Street, Beitou District (台北市北投區大同街153號1號倉庫)
Nearest MRT: Xinbeitou Station (新北投站, Xinbeitou Branch Line) or Beitou Station (北投站, Danshui-Xinyi Red Line) — approximately 7–10 minutes on foot from either. Datong Street runs between both stations.

Opening Hours

Monday–Friday 12:00–19:00. Saturday–Sunday 12:00–20:30.

Price Range

  • Cake slices / tarts: approximately NTD 150–280
  • Bonbon boxes: approximately NTD 280–450 per box
  • Beverages (chocolate drinks, coffee): approximately NTD 120–200

Prices are approximate based on comparable Taiwan artisan chocolate producers; confirm at the counter on arrival.

Specific Items Worth Buying

桂花滇紅 — Osmanthus Yunnan Black Tea bonbon. The ICA 2019 gold-medal piece. A white chocolate bonbon infused with osmanthus flower and Yunnan black tea. Whether it is available on any given visit is not guaranteed — call ahead or check current stock on arrival. This is the primary reason to visit over other Taipei chocolate shops.
Seasonal cake and tart selection, NTD 150–280. Sheme House produces a rotating patisserie range alongside the chocolate confections. The granary building means eating in the actual production-and-storage environment rather than a purpose-built café interior.

Why It Is Unusual

Beitou's entire tourist infrastructure is organized around its geothermal hot springs — the Hot Spring Museum, the Thermal Valley, the resort hotels. Sheme House is 700 metres from Xinbeitou Station and has no overlap with that ecosystem. A visitor who came specifically for the hot springs would not find it unless looking.

The building is the second structural fact. Japanese colonial Taipei built infrastructure across the city — warehouses, police stations, schools — that were either demolished or repurposed beyond recognition. The Datong Street granary retained its warehouse form, and the name 拾米屋 makes the building's function part of the shop's identity rather than background context.

Winning an ICA gold medal is not common for any producer; winning one from a warehouse in a hot-spring district and remaining obscure in travel media for seven years afterward is the specific anomaly here.

Verified currently operating: active Uber Eats delivery listing (Taipei, Aug 2026); TripAdvisor listing (restaurant ID d7786178); CommonWealth / 微笑台灣 (Smile Taiwan) feature article confirming address, building, and ICA award; multiple Chinese food blog documentation (paulyear.com, weieat.tw).