Forty-two.
That is how many bars, bistros and izakaya sit on the Zhongli register — more than any other district in southern Taoyuan. They are not scattered evenly. They bunch into five turfs: Zhongyuan, the station front, Zhongyang W. Rd, the SOGO stretch on Yuanhua Rd, and Qingpu. Decide the turf first. The name of the place is a later problem.
The full list lives at Zhongli bars and clubs. This piece does one job: describe the temperament of each turf.
Zhongyuan: heaviest reviews, and it only fills after eleven
Daren 2nd St, Daren 5th St, Zhongbei Rd, Xin Zhongbei Rd. Chung Yuan Christian University sits at No. 200 Zhongbei Rd, and students keep these few streets the highest-volume drinking ground in Zhongli.
Zhongyuan 221 bistro (中原貳貳壹 bistro), No. 31 Daren 2nd St, five stars, 2,022 reviews, tel. 0906 928 560. The most-reviewed entry on the whole register, run as an all-you-can-drink house, which only makes sense split across a group. LOCAL LAZE, No. 2 Daren 5th St, 4.8 stars with 712 reviews, takes private bookings and proposal nights.
For skewers with the drink, Hedanting Skewer Bar (鶴丹亭 串燒酒場) at No. 482 Xin Zhongbei Rd holds 4.9 stars over 503 reviews, tel. 03 451 6865.
The clock here runs backwards compared with elsewhere: eight or nine is still loose, eleven is when it is full. Finishing the night is simple, since Zhongyuan Night Market is next door — the route is laid out in the Zhongyuan Night Market supper map.
The station front: the turf that closes last
Datong Rd and Yanping Rd, both within a ten-minute walk out of Zhongli Station.
What this turf sells is not better drink. It is later hours. Toriichiban Izakaya (鳥一番居酒屋), No. 28 Datong Rd, 4.2 stars across 670 reviews, tel. 03 422 6398, is the most-reviewed izakaya here. Small.Kitto (Small.Kitto 去哪酒吧), basement level, No. 552 Yanping Rd, 4.9 stars with 569 reviews, tel. 03 422 9531, sits underground behind a small sign — allow ten minutes to find the door the first time.
The last TRA train goes around midnight. Work that out before the second round.
Zhongyang W. Rd and Huanxi Rd Sec. 2: for talking
The Zhongyang W. Rd commercial zone is Zhongli’s old drinking ground, izakaya door after door.
Sanjiang Izakaya (叁匠居酒屋) stands at No. 120-5 Zhongyang W. Rd Sec. 2, 4.4 stars over 1,096 reviews, tel. 03 493 0741. Huoshaodao Japanese Beer House (火燒島日式平價啤酒屋), No. 415 Huanxi Rd Sec. 2, four stars across 917 reviews, tel. 03 493 1505, runs the cheap-beer-hall line — the sort four people sit down at and drink their fill.
This turf suits conversation. The volume stays low, nobody rushes you out, and before ten there are seats to choose from. If you want noise, do not come here; you will find it too quiet.
The SOGO stretch on Yuanhua Rd: it starts when the shops close
SOGO Zhongli stands at No. 357 Yuanhua Rd. Closing time there is not the end of the night but the beginning of this strip’s.
Hefengju Izakaya (禾豐居酒屋(複合式)), No. 67 Xingguo Rd, 4.8 stars with 1,406 reviews, tel. 03 422 0872, carries the heaviest review count on the strip. V bar (V bar 酒吧) at No. 45 on the same road holds 4.9 stars over 385 reviews and runs as a straight bar, not a full kitchen. Ershijiu Izakaya (貳拾酒居酒屋), No. 144 Zhongmei Rd Sec. 2, 4.8 stars, 927 reviews, tel. 03 427 5578.
KTV density is highest here too. How those bills are built is unpicked in how Zhongli KTV pricing works; for the whole district arranged by budget, see the Zhongli nightlife guide.
Qingpu: newest venues, hardest ride home
Yofukashi Bar (夜更かしBar), No. 59 Qingfeng Rd Sec. 1, 4.8 stars over 918 reviews, tel. 03 287 7013. Mutsuki Bistro Qingpu (睦月餐酒 青埔店), No. 5 Yongneng Rd, 4.8 stars, 660 reviews, tel. 03 287 5538. PARKJECT BAR 趴街酒吧 (4F), 4F, No. 66 Gaotie S. Rd Sec. 3, 4.9 stars on only 47 reviews — it is new.
Qingpu’s problem is not the venues. It is the ride. Airport MRT A22 Laojiexi and A23 Zhongli both sit on the town side, and empty cabs out here are scarce after dark, more so past eleven. Book the car home first, or simply stay in Qingpu.
One that belongs to none of the five
3F, No. 101 Chunde Rd. Blu Bar. 4.9 stars, 1,868 reviews, tel. 03 273 7697.
Second-most-reviewed straight bar in Zhongli, and it sits outside walking range of every turf above, so the trip is deliberate. Third floor, lift, book first. If what you want is a cocktail rather than beer with skewers, this is the number to call.
When to arrive, when to leave
Before ten you can still pick a seat; that holds across all five turfs. After eight on Friday and Saturday, ring the four-figure houses.
Nagaitei (長居亭創作酒処), No. 103 Qihe 1st St, 4.4 stars over 602 reviews, has written “last order 23:59” straight into its own shop name — which saves you guessing at half past eleven whether one more plate is allowed.
Some venues rest on Mondays and Tuesdays, so check the day’s hours before you go. Prices, minimum spends and service charges follow the posted notice.
Leave the car at home
If you are drinking tonight, do not drive at all. Three of the five turfs — Zhongyuan, the station front, Zhongyang W. Rd — let you change venues on foot. A car buys you nothing there.
If you genuinely must park, the paid lots by SOGO and the station cost you a five-to-ten-minute walk and save the circling; weekend evenings seven to ten are worst. Designated drivers and taxis are easy inside the zones; out in Qingpu and on Huanxi Rd, book on the phone.
Collecting the car tomorrow is not a hardship. District-wide listings sit at the Zhongli district guide.