Last time you came to Shida, it was the after-nine-thirty shift.
This letter is for the second visit. No more stall queues — you did the Longquan Street round already. This time the weight goes on the late-night coffee of Taishun Street, the bistros of Anhe Road and Wenchang Street, and that short stretch of Heping East Road heading east, where Da’an’s bars change temper.
Coffee first, because it is the easiest thing to skip
East of Shida Road, in the lanes of Taishun and Pucheng Streets, a few cafés keep their lights on at night. Late-night coffee here has no famous names and does not need any: small neighbourhood rooms, a dozen seats, a pour-over around NT$200. On weekday nights during term you will mostly get a seat; the two weeks of finals are the exception. Closing times are posted on each door — go by what is on site, not by what you found online.
How long to stay? One cup.
If round two involves alcohol, coffee first lines the stomach — far better than walking into a bistro empty.
Three directions I would pick for a bistro
East, to Heping East Road Section 3. About ten minutes by cab from the Shida Road corner, THE Id Bar & Bistro at No. 68-6, Heping East Road Section 3 carries four hundred and seventy-odd reviews and a 4.9, about five minutes on foot from MRT Liuzhangli; the room is small, and two people at the bar is the best way to sit. I put this one first because it is close enough to Shida and not on any tourist route.
Anhe Road is regulars’ territory. 無向 Bar Without at No. 27, Anhe Road Section 2 has seven hundred and fifty reviews and a 4.6, cocktails NT$350–500 a glass, and a wait is common on Friday and Saturday; 有間客棧 駐唱餐酒館 at No. 73, Anhe Road Section 1, two hundred and ninety-odd reviews and a 4.6, has live singers — not the place if you want a proper conversation. On the same road, PS TAPAS 西班牙餐酒館 at No. 19, Lane 21, Anhe Road Section 1 holds four thousand-plus reviews: crowded, loud, fast tables. Fine for a first trip to Taipei; unnecessary on a second visit.
Wenchang Street is the third direction, reached by heading south along Tonghua Street. Sidebar at No. 275 has seven hundred and twenty-odd reviews and a 4.6; Needle Bar at No. 125 has two hundred and eighty-odd; the two sit a street apart, each quiet in its own way. About ten minutes on foot from Anhe Road — no cab needed.
Da’an bistros run NT$800–1,500 a head; the Shida end sits a notch lower, and prices climb the further east you go. That is geography, not the bars’ fault. The full list is in Da’an bars and bistros.
If you are not drinking
Then skip the section above.
梵莎爾SPA（瑞安館） at No. 210, Ruian Street has two hundred and seventy reviews and a full five-star rating, about fifteen minutes on foot east along Heping East Road from Shida Road; 芙洛雅FLORA SPA 古亭店 at 6F, No. 107, Hangzhou South Road Section 2 has a hundred and sixty-odd reviews and a 4.9, close to MRT Guting. Both run mostly on appointments — calling in the afternoon to ask about a slot beats walking in on luck. 象緣泰式養生會館 at No. 66-6, Heping East Road Section 3, three hundred and thirty-odd reviews and a 4.3, is right next door to THE Id: two steps after your last drink. Sixty minutes of Thai massage goes for roughly NT$800–1,000; check the price list inside. The rest are in Da’an massage and spa.
Getting home, and a few nagging words
The Shida end leans on MRT Taipower Building and Guting; from the Anhe Road end, Xinyi Anhe station is about eight minutes on foot; Liuzhangli is about five minutes from THE Id. Last trains run around midnight, weekdays and weekends much the same.
If you have been drinking, take a cab or a designated driver, and leave the scooter until tomorrow. A cab from Anhe Road back to Shida is under NT$200.
From October on, the nights cool down and the lanes are good walking; July and August are muggy, and the café air-conditioning is one reason to stay put.
The first-visit route is in Shida after dark; the map of the whole district is in the Da’an guide. Next time, do not skip that cup of coffee.