Taipei drinking starts with To Infinity & Beyond, No. 35 on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2026, and the bench behind it runs deep: we list 10 active bars across the city. 3 of them hold verified international recognition, from the 50 Best lists to the Spirited Awards. Every listing below is verified by BarMagazine, with addresses, opening hours and the signature drinks worth ordering.
Automatic doors slide open onto a spaceship: To Infinity & Beyond, opened December 2019 and led by Mars Chang (World Class Taiwan champion 2021), runs Taipei's most scientific cocktail program, distillation, centrifugation, drinks categorised by texture, in a sleek, psychedelic room. No.35 on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2026; the dumplings are, of course, Mars Spicy.
Order this: (EARTH) 2025 — pine needles, pink peppercorns, palo santo
Nick Wu opened Bar Mood in September 2017 as a cozy living room, the bespoke furniture was made by his parents, with a bartop garden the team forages for garnishes. Taiwanese produce leads: bitter melon, soy milk, peanuts and oolong reworked through rotary distillation and low-temperature cooking. On Asia's 50 Best every year since 2019 (No.37 in 2024), with the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award in 2022; sibling MEET by BAR MOOD pours at the Grand Hotel. It sits at No. 82 on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2026.
Order this: Spice Raft — Mount Gay Black Barrel rum, pepper & pandan syrup, spiced mango, lime, marigold leaf
William Wu's ode to the good old British boozer, with East Asian discipline: Ginza-perfectionist bartending and hand-carved ice behind a pub-warm room on Xinyi Road. Five house signatures run Public #1 through #5, food arrives late (fried chicken, risotto), and there's complimentary chicken soup after 2am on the way to a 4am close. No.40 on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025. The latest lists place it at No. 92 on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2026.
Order this: The Public 1 — gin, paochong tea, osmanthus syrup, chardonnay
A small cocktail bar owned by bartender Makita Takafumi, working in a precise, technique-led style. The room is monochrome and low-lit, with a pared-back layout that keeps the focus on the drinks. The list covers reworked classics and aromatic cocktails built around herbs grown on site. It sits at No. 99 on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2026.
A small Japanese-style cocktail bar concealed inside an older office building near Zhongshan. The room is finished in dark tones and kept without background music, and drinks are made to order according to each guest's stated preference rather than from a fixed list.
A combined cocktail bar and restaurant near Zhongxiao East Road, fitted out with vaulted ceilings, exposed brick and leather seating. The drinks list uses Taiwanese ingredients alongside imported spirits, including a serve built on rice wine lees and oloroso sherry. Food draws on Italian, Vietnamese and Thai cooking.
The original Draft Land outlet, opened in 2018 by the Drinks Lab group, serving cocktails dispensed from taps rather than mixed to order. The format is stand-up and fast, with guests able to taste before ordering, and prices set well below the Taipei cocktail-bar average. The company has since opened outlets in Taipei Xinyi, Taichung and Hong Kong.
A small neighborhood bar off Heping East Road, entered through an unmarked door. The interior is covered in Polaroids and the venue programs DJs regularly. The drinks list runs to boilermakers, shots and brightly colored house cocktails rather than a classical cocktail program.
These 12 are the starting point. The full BarMagazine directory covers every listed bar in Taipei, with a map, filters by bar type, and new openings as we verify them.
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