Author Hollie Younger
Photographer Vision
Editor Levarcy Chen
Taipei comes alive in the twilight, and Taiwanese culture is showcased across the city in many a tipple sure to tickle your fancy. For example, head to the 1990s for tea-infused cocktails backed by throwback Mandarin love ballads, or return to the 1980s to go retro Japanese style and immerse yourself in anime culture and arcade gaming.
SpeedRun by VG Taipei
In video-game speak, a “speedrun” means finishing a game in record time. But at SpeedRun by VG Taipei, the speakeasy’s secret entrance, nostalgia-laced cocktails, and addictive arcade showdowns will have you staying much longer than planned for “just one more round.”
Tucked in beside Linjiang Street Night Market and a short walk from MRT Xinyi Anhe Station, the bar is hidden above one of Taipei’s best duck rice joints. Don’t be distracted by the crowd lining up downstairs – you’re in the know. Slip inside the restaurant, scoot around the counter, and look for a glowing retro gaming screen in the corner. Press the button. The secret door unlocks.
Upstairs, the scene shifts from an upscale eatery to a 1980s Taipei arcade, inspired by Japanese cool. Everything – from decor to drinks – channels childhood memories. The owner, once a schoolkid riding the bus to spend pocket change in arcade parlors, designed the space as an homage to afternoons lost in flashing screens.
Seats mimic old Taipei buses – press the stop sign to call your server – and cheeky signs like “No Pain, No Game” hang above six old-school Japanese arcade machines. Every table gets ten coins to play; cocktails earn you two more. Rotate through street-fighting classic The King of Fighters or test your Tetris reflexes.
The intimate space glows with moody red lights – ideal for sparking friendly rivalry on a first date or bonding with friends. Even the cocktail menu plays along: designed like Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, each drink is a nod to an iconic anime.
Shingeki no Kyojin (aka Attack on Titan) is a smoky banana sangria, the main body a rich ruby port, finished at the table with burning cedar incense. Doraemon, a brandy-based martini, comes as baby blue as its cartoon cat namesake, mixed with orange blossom and red bean and topped with a mini dorayaki pancake. The rest of the menu is just as daring – think pork floss or curry leaf-infused creations – but always expertly balanced by the bar’s mixologists.
And SpeedRun’s ultimate cheat code? Order the secret upstairs-only duck rice bowl. It repurposes the unused cuts from downstairs into a bar snack donburi bowl topped with tender meat and creamy Kewpie mayo. Game on!
SpeedRun by VG Taipei
🚩2F, 79, Tongan St., Daan Dist.
📞0912-529-098
🔗instagram.com/vg_speedrun.tw
Heartbreak Club
For the nostalgic and the lovelorn, Heartbreak Club in Songshan District serves up cheesy Mando-pop love ballads, throws it back with decor inspired by Tokyo’s Ginza lounge bars, and shakes up cocktails with distinctively Taiwanese twists. From pandan leaf and thyme to jasmine tea and a cheese milk cap, local flavors shine from the carefully curated menu, designed by in-house mixologists and rotated seasonally.
The DJ booth, signposted “CRYING ROOM,” spins tracks every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday night from 10:30pm, but the playlist impresses each night of the week. Taiwanese sing-along classics pull at the heartstrings and hark back to 1990s vinyls and 2000s radio tunes.
The spot is located a 10min walk from MRT Zhongxiao Dunhua Station and a stone’s throw from Liaoning Street Night Market. From the outside, it looks pretty unassuming with its white-and-silver retro façade. But step inside and you’ll find a large space made cozy with black-leather booths and metal finishes. Apron-clad mixologists whiz about behind a sleek red-backlit bar.
Choose from the creative cocktail menu of drinks named for famous love ballads, grab a favorite from the classics list, or even ask the bartenders to whip up something special just for you. Inspired by the classic Hong Kong dessert of mango pomelo sago, the Your Name Engraved Herein cocktail, named for the beloved 2020 ballad by Taiwanese singer/songwriter Crowd Lu, is a fruity summer spritz featuring pandan leaf, vanilla, and mango with a Bacardi base. The mixologists infuse the beverage with carbon dioxide to knock out the sweetness and top it with an orange peel filled with fruit jelly.
The Distance of Love, named after the classic Eric Chou tune, is like a tea-lover’s take on an espresso martini. Mixing Jin Xuan tea with a citrus Yuzu twist and spiked with sake, this one is served martini-style with a toasted coffee bean floating atop.
And to test your palate, Elope to the Moon, named after a hit by local rock band Mayday, is a gin-based, froth-topped guava cocktail punched with thyme and marked with oh-so-Instagrammable pink lettering spelling out “Heartbreak Club.”
The food menu also plays on classic local flavors – dumplings, mala numbing-spicy noodles, and chunks of addictively juicy Taiwanese fried chicken are great to share with your friends.
Whether kicking back from a long day of sightseeing to enjoy local flavors – shaken not stirred – or, perhaps more aptly, using liquid therapy to heal a broken heart, Heartbreak Club hits just the spot.
Heartbreak Club 傷心酒店
🚩103, Sec. 4, Civic Blvd., Songshan Dist.
📞02-2779 0902
🔗instagram.com/heartbreakclub_tpe/
This article is reproduced under the permission of TAIPEI. Original content can be found on the website of Taipei Travel Net (www.travel.taipei/en).
