Hidden Gems: Secret Bars in Taipei
23 hidden and low-key bars in Taipei worth discovering.
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XingCheJiuPin Wine Specialty Store L'Etoile Vin — Songshan, Taipei $$
In the morning, I first went to Ding's home to pay my respects and offer incense for Brother Jiaming's final journey. Life is all about fate; it's enough that we had the chance to meet and chat freely. At noon, I had a meal with Pat, Elton, and Kyle at Nong Lai nearby. Lately, my reflections on life have grown deeper—when there's a chance and time to gather, let's gather as much as possible. Thanks to my brother for picking up the tab. After the meal, Pat went back to the office for a meeting, while I found a very quiet little shop in the afternoon to sit down alone and order...
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Black Bottle (2nd Visit) — Taipei $$$
Second visit to Black Bottle, Taipei. Brother Yan brought out a decanter he had preserved from over thirty years ago when he ran an Italian restaurant. Later, Annie, the owner of the neighboring wine shop 'Ling Wine Selection,' joined us. Finally, we all went for an after-party to a place near Ximending's Xiangsi Garden (Asia). Cheers!
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Taipei, Hai Zhen Home-Style Cuisine, Minsheng Branch $$$
Tonight, I attended a dinner gathering at the Taiwan-Poland Chamber of Commerce. There were the chamber president, companies from various fields like green energy, agriculture, AI, ESG, the chairman of the Carbon Rights Digital Economy Development Association, family offices, the China Productivity Center, fund companies... a total of 16 people at a large table. Thanks for the hospitality! Cheers!
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Taipei, Liuzhangli, Xiao Zhao Private Kitchen $$$
After a busy day, I came to this hard-to-find private kitchen for a wine gathering. I met both old friends and new faces like Leticia and Andy, who even brought expensive Belgian beers to share. Chef Zhao, a 60-year-old Shanghainese, can cook any cuisine.
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Bade Rd. Alley LANDED Grape Bar — Taipei $$
In the afternoon, an elder couple sponsored a private screening of this film—thanks for the invitation. It's a documentary about the 1920s, produced by Li Gang and directed by Xu Mingchun. I thought it might be a heavy topic, but I was completely engrossed for two hours. It mainly tells the story of Xie Wenda, Taiwan's first pilot.
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Taipei Beian Rd. American Club American Chamber of Commerce Club (3rd Visit) $$
Came here in the evening for drinks with Ramen Senior and Elder Tim. Later, Tim's wife Fina, also from Tainan, joined, so we could chat about many Tainan things. Small world—an American AI fund that Elder Tim is an LP in is actually a VC that Ramen Senior's company is currently negotiating a term sheet with. Elder Tim is going to Singapore next week to meet with META (Facebook)...
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Taipei American Club (ACC) near Yuanshan — 2nd Visit $$
Second visit to the American Club near Yuanshan. Met up with Tim, a Harvard+Yale grad I hadn't seen in almost two years, for Happy Hour. He's been discussing a Japan-based project similar to MicroStrategy with friends from US and Japanese financial institutions (including one managing hundreds of billions in AUM). We connected through Yujia to chat about it today.
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Taipei Huashan Creative Park Black Vinyl Coffee $$
In the evening, I visited a company with Jeff, whose clients include Far Eastern Bank and Chung Tai Chan Monastery. Afterwards, we had soup dumplings at Jinan Fresh and then I headed to a spot opened by Cory's friend to spend some quiet time alone. It's a very special secret base filled with vinyl records. Listening to live band music while enjoying a few glasses of wine created a super relaxing vibe, especially on this drizzly night. Enjoy the moment!
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Taipei Yongji Rd. Ji Rui Wine Collection | FortuneCellar $$
Taipei Yongji Road FortuneCellar. After dinner, I passed by this shop while taking a walk. It was drizzling lightly, so I went in and opened a bottle of Italian sparkling wine to relax with a drink. The shop owner treated me to a small glass of Macallan Classic Cut whisky that had been aged in a sherry cask. Suddenly remembering that T also lives nearby, I called her out to join me for a drink. The two of us then opened another bottle of South African Shiraz red wine. Cheers!
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Taipei Hotel MVSA 8F Lounge Vino $$
After visiting Liyuan Soup Dumplings for the first time in over a decade, we headed to Lounge Vino on the 8th floor of Muzha Hotel. I met up with William, an old colleague from my investment trust days and wine buddy from my time in Hong Kong. He's now the CIO at a Hong Kong fund after leaving J.P. Morgan.
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Technology Building Station Jdan's Wine Cellars (formerly Tiancang Dijiu) $$$
In the afternoon, I visited Jdan's wine cellars (formerly known as Tian Cang Di Jiu) near Technology Building Station. I went with Tiger and Steven from the Tsai family, a century-old aquaculture family from Yunlin. Both studied in the US, and Steven even lived near Zhongshan Park Station in Shanghai's Changning District before.
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Taipei Xiangshan Hidden Abode Bistro (Suspended) ⚠️ 暫停營業 $$
Today, I listened to Paul and Andrew discuss aquaculture-photovoltaic integration over dinner at Paradise Dynasty. Thanks to Paul for the treat. After parting ways, Andrew and I went to his friend's newly opened restaurant and bar, which even has a karaoke room in the basement. The group of seniors were all straightforward folks; we drank in a circle and played games. I chatted with Leo next to me about politics, children's education, and Taiwan's future development... It was a special night. Thanks to Brother Wu for the hospitality. For the third round after that, many places were fully booked before the New Year, but we finally found a spot.
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Taipei Linsen N. Rd. Qin Zhuo Wine Collection $$
In the morning, went to Yangmingshan with Tiffany to consult Master Hong about next year's fortune. In the afternoon, had a Zomma Option meeting at Ark Taipei. In the evening, met up with senior Telder for red wine and to give him a book. Chose a hidden basement wine cellar on B1—very quiet and relaxing. Chatted with him about his recent research on Zi Wei Dou Shu, DALL-E AI generative art, and agri-tech... Drank the wine recommended by the owner.
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JRDongRiBenDa Rice Dian3F The Bar — Taipei $$$
Taipei Hotel JR East Japan 3F The Bar. In the evening, Mark, the founder of AINiffler. Last week when having dinner with him, we discussed some matters. So that day he suddenly said he wanted to meet General Manager Liang. Since I was previously treated by Mark and William, I helped arrange tonight's gathering. It's also been a long time since I've been here. Last time I came, this place was still the Churchill Bar of The Westin Taipei. Here, drinking Kavalan whisky while listening to General Manager Liang share about his previous experience at Invesco, managing nearly $20 billion (130 billion RM...
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Taipei Da'an Rd. Le vin CAFE (5th Visit) $$$
Saturday night, introducing good friends to each other. Cheers!
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Taipei Songqin St. Private Club BTSE & Fireblocks Party $$$
Another day moving around Taipei's Xinyi District. Started with a morning meeting at QuanTrend in the Cathay Landmark Building, then had Italian pasta for lunch nearby. In the afternoon, attended a meeting for Zomma Crypto Option Exchange near the World Trade Center. In the evening, thanks to Jude from Fireblocks for the BTSE & Fireblocks Party at the Songqin Street venue.
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Taipei, Lane off Zhongshan N. Rd., Sushi Gun $$$$
Mars invited a few friends to support Chef Huang, the former head chef of Shun Cai, who just opened his own sushi restaurant this month. The ingredients were incredibly fresh, and we ended up enjoying over twenty courses without feeling overwhelmed. Even without ordering drinks, the per-person cost was nearly NT$6,000. Dishes like sea bream, salmon, botan shrimp, uni, and small white fish were all refreshingly sweet and left a lasting aroma—a truly unforgettable Japanese dining experience.
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Taipei Mandarin Oriental Hotel 5F Tajimaya Premium Shabu Shabu $$$$
Only upon visiting today did I learn that this place operates independently from Tajimaya. Tajimaya is a century-old Japanese meat supplier with many dedicated restaurants in Taiwan, while Tajimaya Jia is its importer in Taiwan, mainly represented by this restaurant at Mandarin Oriental and its second branch. Regardless, Tajimaya Jia remains one of Taipei's top-tier shabu-shabu spots—on a Monday night, only seats after 7:30 PM were available. With drinks, per-person spending starts around NT$3,000+. The American red wine Skyside paired with the meal tonight was okay. Each table is a private dining space...
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Taipei Da'an Leputing $$$
台北 大安區 樂埔町 Leputing is a French restaurant hidden in a Japanese-style old house. We paired the meal with a French red wine—dishes like squid crisps, charcoal-grilled beef tongue, sea bass and eel broth, quail with roselle sauce, seared beef short ribs, clay pot rice, and burdock tea. A nice supper on the weekend~ I have to wake up early at 3 AM tomorrow to catch a flight again @@
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Chen Premium Japanese Restaurant — Taipei $$$$
Tonight, I introduced two seniors and chose Chen, a former private club, as the venue. Besides a few counter seats, it's all private rooms, perfect for chatting and business. Tucked away in a basement near Keelung and Zhongxiao East Roads, it's quiet, not widely known, and easier to book on weekends. The ingredients are top-notch, with set menus at 1,500, 2,000, and 2,500 TWD.
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Taipei SaSa Sasa Sushi Premium Sushi $$$$
SaSa Sushi was selected by Newsweek in 2012 as one of the 101 global restaurants worth eating at, and the only one in Taiwan on the list. Tonight, Mr. Liang, just back from China, asked me to dinner again, so we came to this restaurant in a Zhongshan North Road alley. Dinner offers only 2,500 and 3,000 TWD sets; omakase starts at 4,000. With two bottles of sake, our bill was over 9,700 TWD (~2,300 RMB).
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Taipei Star Cellar Wagyu Restaurant (Currently unsure if serving food) $$$
A private location with a wine collection worth over 200 million NT dollars. Besides being a wine cellar, you can also enjoy very delicious meals in the basement - truffle foie gras + beautifully colored Australian Wagyu beef. It's a very special place. My elder treated us to a meal here today and also introduced his niece's husband to Morgan. Cristopher is from Costa Rica, a Ph.D. in chemistry, currently teaching at a university in Costa Rica, and has published many papers in internationally renowned journals. Although our expertise differs, chatting and communicating with him in broken English was still quite enjoyable.
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Taipei Hui Xiang Bistro $$
Tucked away on the second floor of a residential building in an alley on Changchun Road. You can find beers from various countries - Austria, Italy, Belgium... A rather unique corner of the city.
FAQ
Hidden bars in Taipei?
23 secret and low-key venues.
Speakeasy bars in Taipei?
Multiple speakeasy-style bars among 23 hidden gems.
Secret bars in Taipei?
23 secret and hard-to-find bars worth the search.
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