Toucheng’s night, torn off a calendar.
The honest part first: all six nightlife shops on file in Toucheng are bistros and izakayas, zero pure bars. If you searched “Toucheng bars” and want a drink, sit at one of these six counters. After the sea at Wushi Harbor covered the dusk-to-night route; this page is not a route, it is a calendar, five cells. Every name and number comes from the Toucheng shop registry.
Weekday cell
Tuesday to Thursday, Toucheng at its loosest.
Jixiang Rd 220, Kanea廚房-餐酒小館, 4.9 stars and over 580, mobile 0901 305 805. About ten minutes on foot from TRA Toucheng Station. Walk in at seven on a weekday and there is usually a table; dinner with a drink or two NT$600 to 1,000 a head, posted prices rule.
Tea tree bistro 無菜單料理 at Huanzhen E. Rd Sec. 2 No. 357, 4.9 stars and over 310, no fixed menu, so give your headcount ahead even on weekdays.
A weekday in Toucheng goes quiet after nine. Sit down at seven, one shop to the end.
Weekend cell
Friday and Saturday, two cells shaded full.
Qingyun Rd Sec. 3 No. 381, 秀 やま 炭火串燒 / 海鮮 居酒屋（無外帶服務）, 4.8 stars and over 780, the thickest count on file in Toucheng. Same road, No. 143, 島的對面 串燒&居酒屋-平價餐廳, 4.9 stars and over 540, “budget” written into the name. The two sit at either end of Qingyun Rd Sec. 3, ten to fifteen minutes on foot from the station.
Weekend nights from seven to nine, both have waits. Call first, Shu Yama 0958 580 778, Island Opposite 03 977 0062. NT$500 to 800 a head.
Lucas Bistro酒龜88餐酒館-頭城居酒屋 頭城美食 頭城咖啡廳 頭城餐酒館 頭城宵夜 頭城下午茶 頭城餐廳 Restaurant at Huanzhen E. Rd Sec. 2 No. 373, over 170, the weekend backup; the name lists everything it does.
Summer cell
June to September, surf season.
The surf shops on the Wai’ao side hang a few small bars, teaching surfing by day and selling beer at night; the registry has no shop names for them, so only the area: around Wai’ao Beach on Binhai Rd Sec. 2. Beer about NT$150 to 250 a bottle. This cell exists only in summer, and it has people on weekdays too.
Summer seafood restaurants are busiest at dinner; the Wushi Harbor strip along Gangqian Rd mostly runs until eight or nine, a little later on weekends. Eat the fresh catch as dinner, not as a late-night stop.
Winter cell
November to February, the northeast monsoon.
Coastal shops may close early or not open; check the week’s hours before going. This cell moves indoors: Tea tree at Huanzhen E. Rd Sec. 2 No. 357 and Lucas at No. 373, both in town, not on the water, out of the wind. The two on Qingyun Rd Sec. 3 are indoors too, but the fifteen-minute walk will be bitter, so take a taxi.
Plainly put, Toucheng in winter is not a place to drink; it is a place to finish dinner and head to Jiaoxi for a hot spring. After the hot spring in Jiaoxi picks up from there.
Rain cell
Options shrink.
Seafood restaurants stay open; the beach side often closes early. On a rainy day sit at Kanea or Tea tree, both in town, both under a roof. Taxi straight after.
Money and wheels
Izakaya NT$500 to 800 a head, bistro NT$600 to 1,000, beer NT$150 to 250, cocktails NT$250 to 400. Toucheng money goes to seafood; drinking is the side dish.
TRA Toucheng Station to Qingyun Rd Sec. 3 is ten to fifteen minutes on foot, Jixiang Rd about ten, Huanzhen E. Rd Sec. 2 five minutes by taxi. The intercity bus stop is in town, direct through the Hsuehshan Tunnel.
After nine the harbor and coast are empty and dim, and no cab will pass. Save a taxi company’s number before you leave, or book a designated driver. Drink and you do not drive, no third option. Where to drink across the county is in How to find a bar in Yilan; getting home is in Yilan late-night transport.