Wondering where to go clubbing in Taipei? Curious to know what the best bars in town are? Read out our ultimate guide on the best Taipei nightlife and get ready to party.
When it comes to nightlife, Taipei is considered one of the busiest cities in all Asia. There is a lot to choose from and you won’t have any problem whatsoever finding places to go when the sun goes down.
Depending on the district you find yourself in, things to do can be very different: families might prefer the Ximending neighborhood for the presence of markets and theatres, whereas students would rather go clubbing in the Xinyi district. Here is a list of the best city’s areas to go to enjoy the best nightlife of Taipei.
Da’an District: the best bars in Taipei
This is Taipei’s commercial and cultural district. Despite its name which means “great peace”, Da’an is one of the most bustling areas in Taipei and is home to some of the city’s trendiest bars.
On Tap
On Tap is a pub that recreates a British looking style, to the extent that the logo recalls the London Tube sign. Being a pub with an European vibe, it sells European draught beers and typical English dishes. What’s more is that on TV there will always be an European sport game.
It opens at 5 pm and closes late; on many nights it hosts special events, for example, Wednesday is “Lads’ night” and beer is cheaper than usual. As to prices, it’s quite expensive but definitely worth a try.
Ounce
Ounce is one of Taipei’s most trending bars of the moment. On the outside it looks like a coffee bar, but this shouldn’t mislead you, in fact inside it brings you all the way back to an American Speakeasy-style bar. In this dark hardwood and dim light location, you will find bartenders that will ask customers quick questions on alcohol flavor preferences and then will put together a unique top-rated cocktail.
It’s open every day, apart from Sundays, from 7 pm to 2 am. Reservations aren’t necessary, but on weekends it’s best to be there before 9 pm in order to find free seats. Drinks anyhow are expensive, with an average price of 500 TWD.
Ximending: the best night markets in Taipei
This is a famous shopping area in Taipei, besides the first pedestrian area of Taiwan.
If you are travelling with your family, it will probably be the best place to spend the evenings in Taipei: you can choose between walking through a night market or going to see a play at the theatre.
Huaxi Street Night Market
This market is very popular among tourists because of its bizarre collection of food products. Here you can buy snake meat and blood (which gives the market its nickname Snake Alley). The entrance is a traditional Chinese gate that gives way to the stands of food, souvenirs and Chinese herbs used as medicine. The market is great as a starting point for a tour of the old town and nearby you can find the Longshan Temple.
It’s open every day from 4 pm to midnight.
Theatre Street
Theatre Street in Ximending became popular in the 1930s and still is today. You can find beautiful historical buildings in which plays, concerts and performances are showcased. Many plays also narrate Taiwan’s history and is therefore a great moment of cultural growth.
Xinyi district: the best nighclubs in Taipei
This is the newest part of the city and its modern financial district. Here you can find the Taipei 101 building, a “green” skyscraper that draws millions of visitors as it has a shopping mall and observatories divided on the 101 storeys. The district, anyhow, is very popular among young Taiwanese and tourists in the nightlife scenery because of the many night clubs.
Babe18
It is one of the few clubs open on Sunday nights, making the dancefloor very crowded. DJs keep the atmosphere filled with commercial music. The space is not so big, in fact it’s a one-room club.
It’s open from Wednesday to Sunday from 10pm to 4 am and the price is relatively low, on an average of 500 TWD.
Barcode
In the Xinyi district you can also find this very posh bar, located in the NEO19 building. The indoors features seating places, a pool table and a football table. You can appreciate the great view from the large balcony and the ‘Sky Garden’. The DJ plays classic house, acid jazz, funk and new wave to lighten up the air. More importantly, the bartenders are trained by Peter Kendall and their cocktails are considered the best in town. Being a sophisticated venue there is a dress code to respect: people should be dressed smartly. The entrance is free, expect on special event nights.
It is open every day from 9 pm to 2.30 pm, a part from when it closes at 3 pm on Thursdays and Fridays.
Elektro
This club opened in 2015, but is already a complete hit on the Taipei nightlife scene and is always full of people. It is a modern club and it renewed the lighting scheme, the sound system and video mixing visuals achieving its popularity, to the point that even local celebrities and top models go partying here. This club is perfect for EDM lovers, but it is expensive.
Prices for men range from 700 to 1000 TWD, whereas women can pay from 300 to 700 TWD and on Wednesdays is “Ladies’ night” so women enter for free. It’s open from Wednesday to Saturday from 10 pm to 4.30 am.
Zhongshan district: the best karaoke pubs in Taipei
This area has a large pub and bar scene. During the day, Zhongshan is popular for the parks and the Fine Arts Museum, but is equally important at night, when its bars and pubs are bustling with people who entertain themselves with the very famous KTV, that is karaoke.
PartyWorld
This is a chain of karaoke boxes with many rooms that allow you to host private parties. The selection of music is very vast: providing the choice of both Eastern songs as well as Asian ones. You can order drinks and traditional Taiwanese dishes and it all with be adorned by your voices thanks to the amazing sound system.
It is open 24 hours and you pay for how many hours you stay.
Taipei is definitely a great city to visit, both for families and group of friends. Being the capital of the “country that never sleeps”, it clearly lives up to its name, allowing people of every age to keep themselves busy at any time of the day: you won’t ever feel bored, without any doubt.
