A city that moves at several speeds at once, Taipei is hyper-connected and deeply ritual, cutting-edge and steeped in tradition. Here, global food & beverage trends are absorbed at an impressive pace and often even anticipated, thanks to a clear identity that weaves together fine dining, street food and contemporary cocktail bars.
The Role of Tea in Taipei’s Cocktail Scene
Young chefs have carved out a modern Taiwanese gastronomy, blending local ingredients with French technique and Nordic restraint, while the markets remain living laboratories where the island’s boldest flavors originate. Those same flavors feed directly into the glass, making Taipei one of Asia’s most compelling mixology hubs.
The city’s cocktail bars work with state-of-the-art labs where Taiwanese ingredients reach their full expression, and in the dining room a refined yet relaxed approach favors a constant dialogue between food and drinks, often with structured pairings. Tea connects these worlds. Deeply rooted in local culture, prized oolong varieties such as Dong Ding, Oriental Beauty and Alishan are served in contemporary tea rooms and also appear on cocktail lists in the form of infusions, cordials and sprays.
Lab and the Japanese Influence on Taipei’s Mixology Scene
Japanese influences complete Taipei’s cultural landscape and emerge in bars like Lab, whose founder Takafumi Makita tells a story of redemption: as a teenager he left Japan and a bosozoku group (a crew of young motorcyclists) in search of a new life in Taiwan. His bar is a small glass-fronted room facing the street, with a linear counter and high stools. The menu is browsed directly on Instagram, with an artificial intelligence that introduces each experimental mix, from “Lapsang Souchong” and “Tapioca Milk Tea” creations to aromatherapeutic cocktails dedicated to “Relax”, “Comfort” and “Calm”.
unDer lab’s Seasonal Teatails
A few steps away lies unDer lab, a basement bar built around a U-shaped counter where guests sit for cocktail pairings, with a central island where the team is constantly at work. Led by mixologist and entrepreneur Pei Liu, it offers seasonal cocktails, tea-based “teatails” and drinks that twists cuisine through a liquid grammar, such as “Masala Yum” with gin, lemongrass, spicy mango chutney, chili, tamarind, Taiwanese basil and fish sauce.
Bar Mood, Two Venues Built Around a Sustainable Drinking Supply Chain
At Bar Mood the experience unfolds across two venues, located opposite each other and founded by Nick Wu. Stepping inside means entering a sensorial journey that blends Eastern and Western technique, with high-mountain teas, tropical fruit, spices and coastal notes that speak of the island and its terroirs. The bar collaborates with local farmers to build a sustainable supply chain and works to extract the purest essence from every ingredient, elevating the art of pairing.
Draft Land and the Draft Cocktail Revolution
At Draft Land, the world’s first draft- cocktail concept, drinks are poured from a large tap wall and ordered via boards where each mix corresponds to a number. Upstairs is Testing Room, an experimental bar where the recipes that later go on tap are developed. The menu revolves around 14 typical Taiwanese ingredients, translated into alcoholic, low-alcohol and zero-ABV preparations.
From The Room to Suki Salon
Mad House universe, a concept that combines ramen and cocktails founded bySeven Yi, introduces several new ideas. The first is The Room, an interactive space where food and mixology are enhanced by light effects and projections on a counter carved from cypress by a master craftsman. On the lower floor, Suki Salon is about to open in collaboration with Japanese mixologist Shuzo Nagumo: a tea & cocktail bar where Tokyo’s precision meets Taipei’s sensibility through “teatails” built with Japanese teas, handled with ceremonial rigor, and Taiwanese oolongs.
Inside Taipei’s Hotel Bars: Capella Taipei
Within the hotel-bar landscape, Capella Taipei aims to stand out with the recent opening of Glasshouse, a concept made up of three different bars created under the creative direction of Angus Winchester: Tilt transforms Taiwanese ingredients into drinks that express terroir, Cooper focuses on aged spirits, and Playback celebrates Japanese cocktails and music.
Mandarin Oriental Taipei
Inside Mandarin Oriental Taipei, M.O. Bar draws on Art Deco inspirations and a central island where guests sit to watch the bar team led by Joaquim Gubau Fustero.
Sharing the Early Hours at The Public House
The bar tour ends at The Public House, a late-night hideout for cocktail lovers and industry professionals, where unforgettable fries with truffle mayo are served alongside “Noon”, a cocktail with single malt whisky, oolong tea, sherry and rye bread – the perfect way to wait for morning as Taipei begins to wake.
The article first appeared on Coqtail – for fine drinkers. Order your copy here
