Ask where to go in Taipei at night and the answer is usually the name of a district. Xinyi. The East District. Linsen North Road.
That answer is half right. Taipei’s night is a relay: each district has its own hour to light up, empty if you arrive early, closed if you arrive late.
18:30 — first stop, eat
A night that starts on an empty stomach does not make it to ten.
The first stop after work is a skewer izakaya, and two streets have the densest clusters. One is Civic Boulevard Section 4 in Songshan: 夜酌居酒屋 市民店 at No. 147 has 1,500-plus reviews and a 4.9, 捌千代居酒屋 松山店 at No. 217 has 1,600-plus, and 吳留手串燒居酒屋 市民店 is at No. 135 — three places within a five-minute walk. The other is in Zhongshan, where 柒息地串燒居酒屋長安總店 at Chang’an E. Rd Sec. 1 No. 46-1 has 8,600-plus reviews and a 4.8.
In Da’an, 大村武串燒居酒屋-大安店 at No. 44, Lane 31, Da’an Rd Sec. 1 has 13,800-plus reviews and a 4.9, the most-reviewed venue on our entire Taipei list. A number that big means one thing: no reservation on a Friday, do not go.
NT$800–1,500 per person.
20:30 — a proper drink
Cocktails come after food, not before.
The East District lanes are home turf. OriginBAR 初 at No. 20, Alley 11, Lane 216, Zhongxiao E. Rd Sec. 4 has 2,100-plus reviews and a 4.9; Potions Magic Bar魔藥學餐酒館 at Anhe Rd Sec. 1 No. 55-1 has 4,100-plus. Both are within ten minutes on foot of MRT Zhongxiao Dunhua (Zhongxiao E. Rd Sec. 4 No. 182), and cocktails run NT$350–500. The list is on Da’an bars.
For something quieter, head to Datong. 沃森茶酒館 WOSOM / Teahouse & Bar is on the second floor of an old shophouse at Dihua St Sec. 1 No. 34, and Mikkeller Taipei 米凱樂啤酒吧 at Nanjing W. Rd No. 241 has 1,500-plus reviews and pours craft beer. Dihua Street closes early, so go there first. The route is in the Dadaocheng bar walk.
East District or Xinyi? We compared them in East District vs Xinyi. One line here: if you want to talk, go East.
22:00 — the road forks
Fork one: sing.
錢櫃 台北林森店 at Linsen N. Rd No. 312 has 5,600-plus reviews, ViBES 歌喉響宴 KTV at Nanjing E. Rd Sec. 3 No. 301 has 2,300-plus and a 4.7, and Sing!Go 聚唱KTV 信義店 on the ninth floor of ATT 4 FUN, Songshou Rd No. 12 in Xinyi, has 1,800-plus. For a Friday or Saturday night room, book by that afternoon. Billing differs from chain to chain; the Taipei KTV price guide breaks it down, and district lists start at Zhongshan KTV.
Fork two: Ximending.
This is the cheapest glass in Taipei, cocktails at NT$250–400. ONCE Cafe&Bar 無心戒酒互助會-西寧分會 at No. 2, Lane 82, Xining S. Rd has 5,600-plus reviews and a 4.9; 酒肆西門 Ximen Beer Bar - 西門町酒吧 at Wuchang St Sec. 2 No. 83-2 has 2,300-plus. No reservations; you just walk in. Lots of students, lots of volume — do not come here to talk business. More in Ximending late night.
00:00 — Xinyi wakes up
Before midnight, a nightclub is an empty room.
Xinyi’s rhythm: bars have people from nine, clubs peak from midnight to 2 am. Entry with one drink is roughly NT$600–1,200, booths and bottles extra, as posted on site. Some venues turn away flip-flops and shorts. Thursday nights are noticeably thinner, and the mood is still there. First-timers should read your first Xinyi club night.
The last MRT runs around midnight. The moment you decide to go clubbing, you have decided to take a taxi home. Count that money in advance.
01:30 — closing the night
Not ready to go home? Two options remain: supper, or a massage.
The area around Linsen North Road in Zhongshan has the highest density of massage shops, most open into the small hours; check each shop’s posted hours. 太原養生會館_天水店 at Tianshui Rd No. 14 in Datong has 1,800-plus reviews and a 4.8, five minutes by cab from Linsen North Road. If you have had a lot to drink, skip Thai massage and take a foot massage with light pressure. Places that stay open all night are collected in the Taipei 24-hour map.
Times to stay away
- East District lane bars, Fridays and Saturdays from seven to nine: without a reservation you will stand at the door for forty minutes.
- Concert nights at Taipei Arena: after ten, avoid Taipei Arena Station and walk one stop to Nanjing Sanmin.
- Neihu bistros shut around midnight. If you want a second round, start moving toward the city by eleven; the last Wenhu Line train is around midnight.
- Shilin Night Market on weekends, nine to eleven, is tourist hour. No need to squeeze in for a drink; go on a weekday if you must.
- Rooftop bars from December to February. The wind wins inside twenty minutes. Sit indoors.
Getting home
If you drove out and then drank, there is one move: leave the car in the car park and call a designated driver. Xinyi mall car parks run about NT$60–100 an hour on weekday evenings, and a night’s parking is far cheaper than one ticket.
Going out alone? Solo nightlife in Taipei plans it differently. Full district lists start at Zhongshan, Xinyi and Wanhua.