Serenity has 6 years of Michelin Bib recognition, but it’s been around for much longer. Opened in 2005, it holds the claim to be Taiwan’s first vegetarian Sichuan cuisine restaurant and has cultivated a loyal clientele of Taipei locals. While the Michelin branding is loud and proud both on premise and online, the restaurant itself is decidedly understated, tucked away on a quiet alley behind the Sheraton on Zhongxiao East Rd. Inside, the decor is clean and simple, a little old school.

The food is traditional Chinese vegetarian fare. Rather than highlight vegetable forward dishes, classic meat and fish dishes are painstakingly recreated, artfully employing an arsenal of tofu, seitan, and more to mimic each animal protein. It’s a texture game: mock duck is distinct from mock chicken, the soy-based ground “meat” in the lion’s head meatball remarkably convincing, the vegetarian pork belly layered like the real deal, and you might not even notice the wheat gluten vegan intestines in chili stir fried Sichuan dishes without a closer inspection. The menu is as ambitious as it is artistic. They even have vegetarian shark’s fin soup and bak kut teh.

Vegetarian food is easy to find in Taipei, but Serenity’s mastery of the craft of vegetarian food makes it a destination even for meat eaters.