Six KTVs on file in West District. Four of them sit between Sec. 2 of Taiwan Blvd and Wuquan Rd, under two kilometres in a straight line, walkable in one night.
Do not walk it that way. Each one is open for a different kind of party, and the wrong stop ruins the whole evening.
This piece routes by occasion: count heads first, then the stops, then when to go and how to get back. The list itself is at West District KTV; how chains and self-service places bill citywide is worked out in the Taichung KTV price guide, not repeated here.
Count heads first, then look at the map
Ten or more, or a company party or birthday that needs rooms and food, go straight to the first floor of No. 16, Sec. 2, Taiwan Blvd.
Four people who mainly want mahjong, with singing as the half-time break, take the lift in the same building to the 15th floor.
Two to four who want Japanese songs have one stop only, No. 300, Sec. 1, Meicun Rd, 3F; no other songbook has them.
Three to five who want stir-fry and a microphone, budget under NT$300 a head, head for No. 20, Sec. 1, Zhonghua Rd or Wuquan Rd.
One or two people looking for a self-service, per-head place: West District has none of that type. Go to No. 195, Gongyuan Rd in North District, routed in the North District KTV guide.
Stop one: No. 16, Sec. 2, Taiwan Blvd, press the right floor
From Taichung Station, the Taiwan Blvd trunk bus, about fifteen minutes; on foot a little over two kilometres, twenty-five minutes, and not in July or August.
First floor, Kaiyue YES KTV Taichung (凱悅 YES KTV 台中店), 4.7 stars, over 7,270 reviews, the most-reviewed of the six in West District and the most-reviewed chain KTV in all of Taichung. Plenty of rooms, receipts available, someone comes when you ring. Friday and Saturday from eight to midnight is the priciest and fullest slot; without a booking you sit in the lobby, phone 04 2203 9966. Weekday afternoons are loosest, the same room can cost half as much, posted prices rule.
December through January is year-end banquet season and weeknights fill too; book a week ahead.
15th floor, Mao Ju Mahjong and Board Game KTV Rooms (貓局棋牌麻將桌遊KTV麻將包廂), a perfect score, 103 reviews, phone 04 2323 0050. Filed under KTV, actually mahjong and board-game rooms with singing attached. Eight rounds of mahjong then two songs works; anyone wanting three hours of straight singing should not go upstairs, the sound system is not the point.
One address, two nights. Press the wrong floor and the evening changes.
Stop two: No. 300, Sec. 1, Meicun Rd, 3F
Suzuran Japanese KTV (Suzuran 日文KTV), 4.7 stars, over 320 reviews. About fifteen minutes on foot from Sec. 2 of Taiwan Blvd, under five by taxi from Qinmei or the Calligraphy Greenway.
Full Japanese catalog, small rooms, right for two to four. A 300-review small shop has few rooms; call 04 2301 2918 first on weekends, and do not just show up if nobody answered. Chain Japanese catalogs update slowly; for Japanese singers this line has one stop.
Stop three: stir-fry with coins, around Wuquan Rd
575 A-Qing Stir-Fry Music Diner (575阿慶的快炒店 音樂餐坊 投幣歡唱), No. 20, Sec. 1, Zhonghua Rd, 4.8 stars, 230 reviews, phone 0931 788 907. About eighteen minutes on foot from Taichung Station, under ten by taxi.
Good Place Singing Stir-Fry (好所在歡唱熱炒), 4.3 stars, 75 reviews, phone 04 2375 8855. The registered address lists both No. 2-175, Wuquan Rd and No. 85, Sec. 2, Liuchuan E. Rd, so try both on the map; about ten minutes from the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts.
Same game: order a few dishes, open a few beers, drop coins and rotate the mic. Three to five people run under NT$300 a head, posted prices rule. Frankly, the next table hears you, so slow ballads stay home; Taiwanese songs, oldies and anything everyone joins in on belong here. Before seven the tables are still empty; the atmosphere arrives after eight.
The one left off the route
Jin Jiang Technology (金將科技) at No. 133, Wuquan W. 5th St, 4.8 stars, 89 reviews, filed under KTV, and the record stops there. Private rooms, an equipment shop, or something else, call 04 2371 5998 before going.
Transfer table
| Your party | Stop | When |
|---|---|---|
| Ten or more, rooms and food | No. 16, Sec. 2, Taiwan Blvd, 1F | Weekday afternoon cheapest, book Fri-Sat |
| Four, mahjong with a few songs | Same building, 15F | Ask for a room first |
| Two to four, Japanese songs | No. 300, Sec. 1, Meicun Rd, 3F | Call on weekends |
| Three to five, stir-fry and Taiwanese songs | No. 20, Sec. 1, Zhonghua Rd, Wuquan Rd | After eight |
Last bus
The Taiwan Blvd trunk bus runs until around midnight. After that a taxi, mostly under NT$200 within the city.
Stir-fry beer and bottles opened in the room both count as drinking. Open one and call a designated driver, leave the car; easy on Sec. 2 late at night, a few minutes longer around Wuquan Rd.
Not ready to go home after singing, the bistros on Sec. 2 mostly run to around midnight and bars to one or two, and the West District nightlife guide lists four zones; for a massage finish, the shop at No. 357, Sec. 2, Taiwan Blvd runs 24 hours, covered in West District massage.