Old Daddy Cafe (老爸機場咖啡) was established in 2003. It is a hidden gem that gives you front row seats for plane spotting right outside the Kaohsiung International Airport. You can not get any closer without being chased by airport security.
While most people go there to spot and photograph planes, what make this a unique spot is the high quality coffee, various drinks, and tasty snacks. In fact, they serve the renown “Lavazza” coffee bean from Italy. The cafe is also a family oriented establishment with a large area for children to run around and play catch, frisbee or football. It is also pet-friendly.
Food
In addition to coffee, ice coffee, ice tea, slurpee, and hot tea (in a pot) are also very popular. The snacks are a fusion of Western and Chinese cuisines. For example, they offer seafood pizza, pizza with seaweed, a mixed Western french-fries and Taiwanese fried chicken nugget basket, Korean Bulgogi as a salad. They offer the best of both worlds.
While the menu is all in Chinese, the staff have basic English ability and should be able to help most foreigners.
Plane Spotting
Plane spotting is a hobby for many people. They are aviation enthusiasts who would go to great lengths to capture the perfect photo of airplanes. Some people travel abroad for the opportunity to capture rare planes. But at the Old Daddy Cafe, you can enjoy the hobby right here in Kaohsiung.
If it’s not your hobby, it’s still a great place for a family outing as children will be amazed at the proximity of the airplanes. There are airplanes taking off or landing at an interval of every 5 to 10 minutes. The planes range from regional turboprop planes to the large international-bound jet airplanes. It is recommend to use digital cameras with adequate zoom lens to capture the airplanes in higher quality due to the distance.
Tips
There’s no English menu, but the staff will be very helpful.
Mixed French Fries and Fried Chicken Nugget basket is more bang for the buck than only a French Fries basket.
There is another cafe nearby. You will actually pass it on the way. It requires an entrance fee between 100 to 150 NTD. To reach the Old Daddy cafe, keep going straight pass this cafe. The road will curve right and stay on it until the end.
On exiting, if you are driving or riding a scooter, do not go back the way you came in. At the intersection below, turn left. There is no “DO NOT ENTER” sign, but the road is single lane with incoming vehicles. There’s a small yellow sign to the left. In Chinese, it reads “Exit” with a left arrow symbol.
How to Get There
Buses: 69A, 69B (about 10-15 minutes walk to the cafe).
Business Hours
Monday – Wednesday: 10am – 12am
Thursday: 2pm – 12am
Friday – Sunday: 10am – 12am
Contact Information
Address: No. 16號, Alley 10, Lane 135, Mingsheng Street, Xiaogang District
Phone Number: 0912-987852