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8 Bars That You Should Not Miss in Taiwan

September 1, 2026 by
Angela Tsai

In previous article I shared some Taiwanese beer brands. Here I’d like to talk about a similar topic, which is the bar recommendations in Taiwan. Bar culture in Taiwan is not as common as in Europe. You might see tea shops and convenience stores everywhere, but you don’t find bars at every corner. Despite of that, you can still find some cool bars in every city.

If you are in Taipei, Brass Monkey and Triangle are two of the most famous bars. They organize different events every week, so it can be a good option if you don’t know what to do in Taipei in the evening. However, these two places could be a bit noisy, so if you want to have a chill vibe and just to chat with friends, maybe you’d prefer to find a bar near Red House at Ximen or at the Pier 5 of Dadaocheng. I personally also like Another Brick and Revolver too. Another Brick is a Belgian bar, where you can find good real beers. Revolver is a nice place for indie music lovers: metal, post-rock, punk… and maybe some other surprises. 

In this article, I’ll introduce 8 other bars that I like in Taiwan, some are in Taipei, some not. They are in my list because I’ve been there and I find they all have a very special part.

Yifu – Taipei

Yifu is a cocktail bar hidden at a place that looks like a private residence. If you are a vintage style lover like me, you might also like the decoration of this bar. 

They make signature cocktails with local ingredients like grapes, pineapples and Taiwanese tea. Besides drinks, there are also some Taiwanese tapas (小菜xiǎocài) for you to experience Taiwanese cuisine. 

The bar is quiet, so it’s a good place to chat with friends.


Isaiah – Taipei

Artistic decoration, good service, high-quality food and signature cocktails, Isaiah is my favorite bar in Taiwan. It is located at Dadaocheng, the old town of Taipei. 

They have a wide selection of cocktails, so my boyfriend and I were a bit lost about the number of choices we had. There’s a list of cocktails named “Taiwan series,” with the inspiration of Taiwanese ingredients. There’s another list of signature cocktails where you can’t see the ingredients but only with a brief description of flavors and a citation of the Bible. 

When the server came and we still didn’t know what to order. He made recommendations based on our preferences and we were both amazed by the taste of cocktails we had. I remembered the one I ordered was just like a trip when I drank it. From the first taste in the mouth until I swallowed it, the tastes of the cocktail kept changing. It was an amazing experience. Even if you are very new about cocktails, I recommend this place as well. The servers explain patiently to clients how to enjoy the most their cocktails. Besides cocktails, I also recommend the food here. We ordered French fries. It was crispy, and with a very nice homemade cheese sauce. I usually don’t enjoy much having French fries, but what they made were the best fries I’ve ever had.

If I have to say anything negative about this place, then it’s the price. A cocktail is between 350NTD and 550NTD. The fries were not very big but cost 230NTD. However, considering the quality of drinks, food, service and environment, it is not as pricey as it seems.



Golden Bar – New Taipei

Golden Bar is located in Jiufen, a mountain village in New Taipei. A lot of people, especially Japanese tourists, like to visit this village because its scenery resembles a scene in “Spirited Away” by Hayao Miyazaki. Most people took a bus from Taipei to Jiufen in the afternoon and leave in the evening, so they don’t get the chance to see this village’s magical side when the lights are off. I recommend people to stay overnight at Jiufen if you have time. Then you can go to Golden bar to have dinner a grab a drink. At Jiufen, a lot of stores are close in the evening, but Golden Bar is still open. You can enjoy the meal (there’s a vegetarian option), local beers, cocktails, wines or soft drinks. What’s even better, there are seats at rooftop where you can enjoy the romantic panoramic view while the village is half sleeping. 

When you finish the dinner, you may consider taking a walk around this area. You’ll find a very different atmosphere from this morning. The village is much quieter and you get to see the lanterns are on (at 9pm if I remember correctly).


Sparrow Brewing – Tainan

Maybe for some people, the fancy decoration is not their thing when they choose a bar. Then Sparrow Brewing in Tainan City center might be a good option for them. This place is tiny with an industrial style design. Around 8 different draft beers present right in front of you.

The name of the bar is actually several interesting puns. In Chinese, it’s called “拾捌樓的小酒場” (Shíbā lóu de xiǎo jiǔchǎng). “拾捌樓” means 18th floor, but apparently this is not the case because the bar is at the ground floor. So if you read it faster, it’s actually a similar pronunciation to its English name “Sparrow.” And why it is called “Sparrow?” I think of an Chinese expression “麻雀雖小，五臟俱全” (Máquè suī xiǎo, wǔzàng jùquán), which means “The sparrow is small, but it has every that it needs.” This is a perfect description of this place. The bar is small, but there are seats, beers and bartenders. What else do you need? Just drink!


Lola – Tainan

Named after the song with the same title by Kinks, this vintage style place is not just a bar, but also a place fans who like to collect CDs and vinyl.

My boyfriend and I ordered Taiwanese draft beers, a stir-fry vegetables with peppercorns and a truffle mushroom pizza. We didn’t expect much about the food, but it was surprisingly good. And the beers were very special too because they are not brands that you can easily find at convenience stores like 7-11.



Simple Plan – Tainan

Speaking of bars with good food in Tainan, you can not miss Simple Plan either. If you have ever been to Japan, the atmosphere of this place is pretty similar to izakaya (いざかや, 居酒屋), a kind of Japanese bar where you have some snacks and drinks after work. Usually, this kind of places serve good food, so for some people, it might feel more like a restaurant rather than bars. 

We had a noodle, a clam soup, an omelet and two cocktails. It was all really tasty. 


21 Grams – Kaohsiung

Day time as a coffee shop, night time as a cocktail bar. This place is close to Formosa Boulevard Metro Station in Kaohsiung. At ground floor is the bar while there’s a vintage clothes shop at second floor. The environment is quiet and relaxing. On the wall of the bar, you’ll see some posters of Megaport Festival, a well-known music festival in Kaohsiung. 



Chunming – Pingdong

I used quite a lot of times the word “hidden” in this article, but this bar is really hidden in the building, like a speakeasy bar. To find this place, you have to firstly enter a coffee shop called MUSEaUM, you might hesitate if Google leads you to the wrong place, but just keep following the sign “春酩,” pass by a hostel, and then go downstairs, you’ll eventually find the bar. 

The menu of the bar is well-designed, if you read Chinese characters, just by reading the menu is an enjoyable activity. You’ll not only find the humor of designer, but also learn something about Hengchun Village. In their signature cocktails, you can find local produced ingredients like onions, Gangkou tea, etc. By tasting their cocktail, you are getting to know Hengchun Village as well. Don’t have to worry if you don’t speak or read Chinese, the day when we were there, the bartender spoke perfectly English. And the menu is partially with English translations.


Some bars I mentioned don’t accept credit cards, you’d better prepare some cash with you if you’d like to go. Do you like to go to bars in Taiwan? Are there any differences in terms of drinking culture between Taiwan and your country?


Angela Tsai

Mandarin teacher from Taiwan, based in France. I like to have a croissant as breakfast, but rice for lunch. Ending a supper with a soup is not negotiable.

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