Best-of list · Cocktail Guides
The best cocktail bars in Taipei for 2026, from Indulge and AHA Saloon to Draftland and Ounce. Asia's most underrated cocktail city. Updated 2026.
The short answer
9 ranked rooms follow. How we picked is at the end of this guide.
Taipei has quietly become one of Asia's most exciting cocktail cities. Indulge has appeared on the Asia 50 Best list almost every year since 2017. Draftland pioneered the all-tap cocktail format. The eight below cover Daan, Xinyi and Songshan.
Indulge opened in Daan in 2012 and has landed on Asia's 50 Best Bars almost every year since. Founder Aki Wang builds drinks around Taiwanese ingredients, from aged oolong to local fruit. The room is polished and serious. Order from the seasonal menu and let the bartenders lead. Best early on a weeknight, before the late industry crowd fills the counter.
Full listing & hours →AHA Saloon sits on Fuxing South Road in Daan, open Tuesday through Sunday from 8pm. The bartenders come from competition backgrounds and the menu rewards that, leaning technical and produce-driven. The space is small and low-lit, built for the drink rather than the scene. Go for a late seat at the bar and ask what they are testing.
Full listing & hours →Angus Zou built Draftland around one idea: every cocktail pours from a tap, none are shaken to order. The format keeps prices down and the queue moving. The Tea Collins and the oolong highball are the regulars' picks. The crowd is young and the room runs loud. Best for a fast first round before moving deeper into Daan.
Full listing & hours →Bar Pun hides behind a disguised fire alarm; ring it and a concealed door slides open. Inside is a tight speakeasy that takes its cocktails seriously and its theatre lightly. The list changes often and the bartenders steer well. Best for a couple or a small group who want the reveal. Go early, since the room fills fast on weekends.
Full listing & hours →Vesper runs on classics done precisely, with a nod to the Bond martini that gives it the name. The bartenders are veterans and the service is formal without being stiff. Expect stirred-down drinks rather than experiments. The room is small and dim. Best for a quiet late seat at the bar, ordering a dry martini or a negroni and little else.
Full listing & hours →East End is the neighbourhood option, a Daan cocktail bar that trades spectacle for consistency. The list is short and well made, the prices fair, the welcome warm. Regulars treat it as a local. Best as a relaxed second or third stop rather than a destination, late on a weeknight when the counter has space and the bartenders have time.
Full listing & hours →R&D Cocktail Lab sits on Jiaxing Street in Daan, open from 7pm most nights and later on weekends. The name is the brief: the bartenders treat the menu as a laboratory, rotating experimental builds alongside cleaner classics. The room is compact and focused. Best for a drinker who wants to be surprised, early in the evening before the seats run out.
Full listing & hours →Ounce is the bar that opened Taipei's speakeasy era, hidden behind a cafe counter near the Xinyi line. Step through and the room turns dark and low. The cocktails are bartender's-choice friendly; name a spirit and a mood. Best for a date or a slow nightcap. Go on a weeknight, since the small room books out on Fridays and Saturdays.
Full listing & hours →The Tavernist occupies the 12th floor of the Kimpton Da An hotel, with a bar and rooftop over Ren'ai Road and a Michelin recognized kitchen. Designers Neri and Hu shaped the room. Order: a cocktail built on local ingredients. Best time: sunset before dinner service.
Full listing & hours →How we picked
Taipei pairs Tokyo-style precision with a freer hand for experiment. Build the night around Indulge or AHA Saloon for the technical drinks, then move to Draftland or Bar Pun for the later hours.
Fredrik Filipsson covers flagship-city bars for barsforKings. He rates Ounce for the cleanest speakeasy room in the city and Draftland for the smartest format.
Keep reading
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 · The editors recheck hours and closures against current local coverage.