Xinyi
This famous brand from Tainan is one of two big teahouses that claims to have invented the recipe for the sweet tapioca balls in tea. Go all out and order…
Must-see nightlife in Taiwan
Ximending & Wanhua
This hole-in-the-wall is the only place to get a decent coffee near Longshan Temple. With a scattering of seats outside, get yourself a brew then sit back…
Taipei
This popular student hang-out is a bit grungy but it has a good vibe and affordable drinks – the best buy is the draught Stella for NT$180. Service is…
Taipei
Great coffee, cheap prices, devilish cakes and a serene location just down from Hobe Fort. They also sell a coffee-flavoured beer in bottles for the…
Songshan
Blinged-out hotel bar with heavy drapes and minimal lighting – a creation of local designer Ray Chen. Known for their cocktail recipes – try the Devil…
Western Taiwan
This place is like walking into someone's pretty living-room. There are communal tables, a vintage dental light in one corner, a glass skull on a table,…
Xinyi
This upscale bar has a fantastic rooftop lounge with fake peach-blossom trees and glowing purple lamps, just one floor up from Wave Club in the ATT4FUN…
Kaohsiung
A fragrant teashop offering an assortment of quality loose-leaf teas from Taiwan. If you want to buy, the English-speaking owner can explain their…
Taipei
Across from 2-28 Peace Memorial Park in an old Japanese-era corner shop is this decades-old place, selling a refreshing suān méitāng (酸梅湯; sour plum juice…
Taipei
The hottest and swankiest gay bar in town, catering to well-groomed and well-heeled professionals. Downstairs has VIP booths, a DJ and a throbbing…
Taipei
With 12 kinds of craft beer on tap (eight from their own 23 Brewing Company), this little corner place is a great spot for sampling great beer; 23 IPA, a…
Shilin
This branch of Crafted has a nice local pub feel to it, with sports playing on two TV screens. Good range of Taiwan brews on tap as well as a plethora of…
Tainan
Well-known melon (or winter-squash) drink stand across from the Official God of War Temple. Look for the queue. Winter melon cools the body and makes for…
Taiwan's Southwest Coast
A low-key cafe where you can watch the sunset, adopt a cat (it's also a cat shelter), let your kids play and drink coffee. It's your call between all…
Ximending & Wanhua
This underground and popular dungeon club is accessed by a vault-like door. Down below it's all hot and steamy, with frequent live acts – for a taster…
Kaohsiung
A warm, jovial place offering good cocktails, craft beer and open frontage. Decor is a light nod to old Kaohsiung with wooden shutters and a calligraphic…
Taipei
Lioujisiang is a relaxed and simpler style teahouse. The owners claim they run the oldest tea farm in Maokong, started in 1895. Try their namesake…
Chiayi
Housed in a charming Japanese-era wooden building in front of the historical Beimen Train Station, this cafe serves decent sandwiches, pastries and coffee…
Kaohsiung
The place for clubbing in Kaohsiung, with a DJ and themed parties almost every night of the week and an international clientele. At the time of research,…
Tainan
A shipping container wedged into an alley and converted into a bar and gelateria. Buy your craft beer and salami platter from the counter and proceed…
Xinyi
Inside the trendsetting W Hotel, WOOBAR is a quiet, natural light-infused lounge in the day and a flashier neon-drenched nightspot after dark. It fronts…
Shilin
Rather than queue up at the bland coffee chain round the corner, pop into this cute, mellow cafe just behind Exit 1 of the MRT. Single-origin coffee,…
Western Taiwan
This moody bar plays lots of '80s Japanese pop and makes very good cocktails. The fruity ones come with lots of fresh seasonal fruit. They don't serve…
Pingtung County
A shop for indigenous clothing and handicrafts with a cute cafe serving excellent coffee from Dewen at its back. Gu Liu Fang is three minutes' walk from…
Tainan
A cosy pub cluttered with quirky Japanese toys and other kidult bait. They have a good assortment of Asian and European craft beers; most young locals…
Taiwan's Southwest Coast
An immensely popular cafe offering heaps of foliage, good food and organic Taiwan coffees (from NT$150), but the main draws are the killer sunset and the…
Kaohsiung
A laid-back roadside cafe run by musicians. You can sit on the bench outside and play with the cat or ascend a narrow staircase to a quiet apple-green…
Tainan
Across from the Confucius Temple is this famous shop serving delicious bàobīng (刨冰, shaved ice and fruit) and fruit drinks. There's always a crowd waiting…
Taipei
Set in an 80-year-old gutted Japanese-era private residence with lovely worn wooden flooring, this coffee house serves single-origin coffee from places…
Xinyi
Wave is popular with a young, local crowd. Ticket entrance includes an all-you-can-drink bar. On weekends expect a packed-like-a-tin-of-sardines dance…
Pingtung County
Baiwago is a tiny cafe that whips out excellent coffee and bags of Pingtung beans for sale. It's the one with open frontage and white tiled walls, and…
Taipei
This cosy nook tucked into the side of the MRT (come out and immediately turn right) is a branch of the popular local craft-beer brewery, 23 Public, back…
Taipei
This simple hole-in-the-wall watering hole is right up against the riverside, perfect for a sunset-bathed drink. There are 42 bottled beers, mostly…
Taipei
This long-running basement lesbian club attracts a young set of women, with the liveliest nights Fridays and Saturdays. There's a dance floor and DJ, and…
Hualien
This small, two-floored cafe serves coffee from NT$80, with a good-value Baileys latte (NT$140) plus a small range of local ales, notably osmanthus…
Taipei
A hyper-stylish but genuinely serene teahouse designed by chic fashion house Shiatzy Chen. One wall is made of compressed tea bricks, and there's…
Taipei
Taipei's new favourite gay sauna. Has a steam room, sauna, Jacuzzi, darkroom, maze, cabins, lounge and cafe. Crowded on nights when locals get a discount.
Songshan
One of Taipei's most fun places to dance. Reasonably priced drinks, Latin American and African beats and, of course, fragrant shisha.
Taipei
This gay sauna is not as popular as it once was but it has high-tech and clean facilities, with weekly events and a gym.
