Taipei has quietly become one of Asia's most exciting drinking cities. Indulge has been on the Asia 50 list every year since 2017. Draftland pioneered the all-tap cocktail format. The 10 below cover Xinyi, Daan and Songshan — Taipei's three serious-bar districts. Reservations are essential at most.
Part of our 50 Best Bars in the World listThis article is one chapter in our larger global guide. See the full pillar with every featured city.
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The 10 best bars in Taipei
01 · Taipei
Songshan
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Pre-batched · On tap
All cocktails on tap, pre-batched. The execution is so consistent that the format is the point.
Order: Whatever's most popular this month
02 · Taipei
Daan
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Restaurant + bar · Asia 50
Aki Wang's room. Asia's 50 Best Bars top-10 fixture. Modern Asian-spirits cocktails alongside an experimental food menu.
Order: A signature Taiwan-tea-infused cocktail
03 · Taipei
Daan
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Speakeasy · Counter
Aki Wang's other room. Twelve-seat counter cocktail bar. Reservations only. Classics-led, hyper-local Taiwan ingredient focus.
Order: Bartender's choice with Taiwan whisky
04 · Taipei
Songshan
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Listening · Modern
Modern listening-bar with serious cocktails. Vinyl-only programming, quiet, late hours.
Order: A whisky highball during a Miles Davis record
05 · Taipei
Daan
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Speakeasy · Reservations
Daan speakeasy. Reservation-only. Classic Italian aperitivo influences with Taiwan-ingredient twists.
Order: A Negroni Sbagliato variant
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06 · Taipei
Songshan
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Hotel bar · Polished
At the Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Polished hotel-bar cocktail program, panoramic city view, classics done right.
Order: A perfect Manhattan
07 · Taipei
Daan
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Tiki-leaning · Tropical
Daan tropical-leaning cocktail bar. Rum-deep program, Taiwanese fruits used liberally, casual atmosphere.
Order: A Mai Tai with their reserve agricole
08 · Taipei
Daan
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Modernist · Cocktails
Modernist cocktail laboratory. Sous-vide, rotovap, force-carbonation. Asia 50 fixture for the modernist side.
Order: Whatever's the most experimental seasonal
09 · Taipei
Daan
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Speakeasy · Through a coffee shop
Through an unmarked door at the back of a coffee shop. Daan speakeasy with a classics-driven menu.
Order: A Sazerac
10 · Taipei
Songshan
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Modern · Counter
Modern counter cocktail bar. Younger crowd than the Asia 50 institutions, technique still strong.
Order: A spec built around shochu or sake
More Taipei bars by categoryCocktail, hidden gem, listening bar — the full Taipei index.
See the full list
Why Taipei is Asia's quiet bar capital
Taipei combines Tokyo-style discipline (most bars are quiet, intimate, technique-focused) with a willingness to experiment that Tokyo lacks (Draftland's tap format, Indulge's local-ingredient inventiveness). Build an evening around Indulge or AHA Saloon for the technical experience, then move to a casual room (Draftland, Bar Pun) for the late hours.
