Entertainment in Taiwan
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A
Maussac
Maussac is an upmarket teahouse, complete with a bookshelf's worth of jars featuring teas from around the world. In addition to tea, set-meal specials, including pasta, meat and seafood dishes, are all served with a haute-European flair. Maussac's charming atmosphere makes it a popular spot for Taipei's chic looking to unwind with a meal, tea or both.
reviewed
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B
Marquee
High ceilings and lush lighting make this upper-end club just south of Taipei 101 the place to meet and greet the movers and shakers of Taiwan's young financial community, expat and native born. Opened in 2009, the Marquee also has a restaurant serving organic pasta dishes, burgers and salads, from 5.30pm to 1am (to 2am weekends).
reviewed
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C
Malibu West
Located in the Combat Zone, Malibu West has a pool table and a menu with dishes including burgers, pastas, pizzas and snacks. Happy hour is between 4pm and 9pm. It has a tropical feel and one of the most competitive pool tables in town. Best of all, Malibu is fully wireless, meaning laptop-toters can spend their evenings there, er, working. Sure. We believe you.
reviewed
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D
Luxy
A massive club that often features international bands, DJs and some of the hippest live entertainment in Taipei. Check the website for the latest offerings.
reviewed
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E
Lavazza Coffee
reviewed
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F
Hud La Voos
A family-run bar sounds a bit quirky, but the Bunun clan that runs Hud La Voos embraces that difference. The bar is decorated with aboriginal carvings, paintings and embroidery and has a funky world-music feel to it. Hud La Voos offers standard drinks but also millet wine and a range of exotic aboriginal fare (fried bees, for example). There's an English menu to help you out.
reviewed
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G
Hours Cafe
Lovely little gay-owned cafe and bookstore serving food and beverages.
reviewed
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Helen Coffee
Most cyclists stop here, just past Xiaogetou at the very top of the pass (around 15km from Bitan, or 10km from Pinglin). The coffee shop is unmistakable on the left and has a deck with a half-million-dollar view (there are some power lines) over a big forested valley. The turn-off for 北47 is just a few metres past Helen Coffee.
reviewed
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H
Gu Ling Street Avant-garde Theatre
This grassroots, community-based, avant-garde company presents music, drama, dance and children's theatre. The majority of the shows are not culturally specific, meaning that even those without Chinese-language skills will be able to follow. The building, which dates from 1906, was originally a police station, and during some performances the audience can see all the way through to the former jail cells. Check the website for upcoming performances.
reviewed
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GinGin's
Gay and lesbian bookshop and cafe.
reviewed
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Fresh
Taipei's gay club du jour has three floors of fun: a bar floor, a dance floor and a chill room. In addition, there's a roof garden. It's friendly and the crowd is international.
reviewed
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Former Julius Mannich Merchant House
The first Opium War between the British Empire and China led to the opening of ports in Taiwan to European trade. This fine old wood and brick structure is mildly interesting to tour as a site but is also highly enjoyable as a place to hang out. The garden restaurant serves good German beer and sausage plates under the shade of spreading banyan trees.
The merchant house is just a few minutes' walk from the Tree House, and just behind a row of houses across from Anping Fort.
reviewed
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Epicurean Cafe
Like the Mermaid's, the food here won't turn your head, but the hillside perch of this cafe-restaurant-bar is a great location for sipping a coffee or beer while you enjoy the views of Lanyu's coral coastline. If there are customers the cafe will stay open late, in effect turning into a late-evening bar.
reviewed
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K
Dog Pig Art Cafe
This is a long-running cafe and alternative art space at the heart of the scene in Kaohsiung. Documentary movies and alternative theatre are shown on the 3rd floor on weekends. As owner Leo Liu says, 'We show things that are interesting to us, not necessarily what is commercially successful'.
The cafe serves good curries and has a decent foreign-beer selection.
reviewed
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L
Darts One
Darts One gets its name from its five dartboards (NT$25 per game), but you don't need to be a darts fan to enjoy this chic Japanese-feeling bar. The house special, mojitos (NT$260), should help your aim.
reviewed
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M
Dance Cafe
Located in a historic wooden house that once housed a dance troupe (hence the name), this lovely, low-slung cafe serves good coffee, sandwiches, snacks and a wide variety of teas and other beverages in a quiet setting just off the main drag.
reviewed
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Chun Shui Tang Teahouse
Taiwan bubble tea is famous worldwide tand this is supposedly the company that began it all. The modern teahouse is at the start of Chingming St, known as one of Taichung's famous tea streets, though today it's almost all clothing shops. Still, the pedestrian-only street has outdoor seating and is pleasant on cool evenings.
reviewed
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Carnegie's
Carnegie's caused quite a stir when it first opened in 2001, what with patrons dancing on the bar and all, but even if it has calmed down a notch, it's still one of the liveliest nightspots in Xinyi. It's a popular meeting place for after-work drinks. The menu includes steaks, halibut and lamb.
reviewed
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O
Brown Sugar
Taipei's pre-eminent club for jazz and soul, Brown Sugar hosts both local house musicians and guest musicians from around the world. Wednesday is Ladies Night, with free champagne from 9pm to 11pm.
reviewed
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P
Brass Monkey
A smoking-hot bar and club with a definite reputation as the in spot for hooking up (especially on Thursday – Ladies Night). The Brass Monkey is also known for its Pub Quiz Night (second Wednesday of the month).
reviewed
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Q
Blue Note
Taipei's longest-running jazz club, Blue Note has been in the same location since 1978. The intimate lounge has live piano music on Friday and Saturday night. Drink choices run the gamut from beer (local and imported) to single malts and cocktails.
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R
Bed
Lush couches, bumping techno music, imported hookahs and towers of alcohol all make you feel like you're in Bangkok or Saigon rather than just behind the main shopping drag that is Zhongxiao E Rd. Be sure not to miss the almost hourly go go dancing show staged just above the bar. Unisex bathrooms are a classy touch!
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8898 Bar
Once known as the Pig, this Tianmu pub has changed its name but retained the British feel and menu. It serves steaks, chops and chicken, and Guinness by the pint.
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T
45
Go up the narrow stairs and join the huge crowd (which includes many foreigners), especially on Friday and Saturday nights. It's festooned with Americana, from licence plates to movie-star photos, and the food is American-style, too.
reviewed