Ben's Guide to Taipei and Taiwan

http://www.gordonbiersch.com Now open in the Xinyi District. They have a nice selection of beers and the pizza is good too. The pizza toppings are very flavorful, only the crust leaves a little more to be desired. The price is a little high, but not outrageous. Beers are $210 per glass, or you can order 6 beers for $999, which makes it significantly cheaper if your party will drink that much. It is on the second floor and they have outdoor seating on the sky walk. If you are coming by MRT, use the Taipei City Hall Station. Walk South to Songgao Rd. and between the Eslite Bookstore Building and the Shin Kong A4 Building there are stairs to the sky walk. When there is a left hand turn you will see the restaurant straight across this bridge, which is the A11 building. Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant 　Xinyi Store Taiwan • 地址：台北市信義區松壽路11號2F (新光三越信義新天地 A11館) • Address：2F,No.11, Songshou Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City 110, Tai...

This restaurant specializes in fried port. Meal sets include a drink, white rice, miso soup, dessert, and 2 types of pork. It is around the corner from NY Bagels. If you eat pork you will find something you like here. Menus are in Chinese only but have photos.

Official Website The Outback Steakhouse is located next to Ikea at the Asiaworld Mall on the corner of Nanjing and Dunhua Roads. There is also a branch in the Xinyi District .

I have not yet visited this novelty, and I don't have plans to do so. I heard the food tastes like shit, and it certainly looks like it. The Toilet Bowl Modern Toilet

台北市大安區信義路三段 122 號 / Taipei City, Daan District, Xinyi Rd, Sec. 3, No. 122. This is between AIT and Jianguo Rd. on the same side as AIT. It is also near Daan Park. 台北市信義區松壽路 16 號 2 樓 Taipei City, Xinyi District, Songshou Rd. No. 16, 2F. This is located in the food court of the theater complex (Formerly Warner Village) . 美麗華店 台北市中山區敬業三路 20 號 B1. This is in the food court of the Miramar . There is one on Dunhua S. Rd. Sec. 2 at the South-west corner of the Heping Rd. intersection. See the complete list of BKs in Chinese only See the complete list of BKs put through a machine translation

On the Northern end of the Muzha-Brown line , come out of Zhongshan Jr. High School MRT (only 1 exit) and turn right. A few shops down on your right hand side will be an excellent Indonesian restaurant. I lost the name card, so that's all the detail until I eat there again. Address: Fuxing N. Rd., No. 292 / 復興北路 292 號 / Fùxīng Běi Lù 292 Hào (02) 2504-5793

They have decent Mexican food at average prices. Locations: Fuxing N. Rd. No. 202 / 復興北路 202 號 / Fùxīng Běi Lù 202 Hào Guangfu S. Rd, Lane 280, No. 28 / 光復南路 280巷 28 號 / Guāngfù Nán Lù 280 Xiàng 28 Hào

Dan Ryan’s Grill serves western food. The service and quality is ok, but the food is nothing special and it is more expensive than average. I found Dan Ryan's to be very comfortable but not memorable. The closest MRT Station is Nanjing East Road MRT Station on the Brown-Muzha Line. Go East on Nanjing Road and then turn right (South) on Dunhua Rd. It is about a ten minute walk. It is next door to The Shannon and across the street from Asiaworld Plaza and the Municipal Stadium. They have bar and restaurant seating. Location: Dunhua North Rd., No. 8 / 敦化北路8號 / Dūnhuà Běi Lù, 8 hào just South of the Nanjing East Rd. intersection Map (see the Shannon) Go to main Pub listing page

There are probably places in Taipei City where you can find specialty foods, but if you live in Yonghe or Zhonghe then this will be an option for you. Near the Yongan Market MRT and the Zhonghe park there is a small grocery store selling specialty items including spices, liquors, and Mexican ingredients such as tortillas, sour cream, salsa, and jalapeno peppers. Some items have clearly come from Costco but there are other items you will not find elsewhere. 中和市 宜安路118巷14號 Zhonghe City, Yi-an Rd, Lane 118, No. 14 Zhōng hé Shì, Yí-ān Lù, 118 Xiàng, 14 Hào

Located in northern Taipei with easy access from the MRT. Take the Danshui-Red line to Jiantan Station. The Shilin Night Market is one of the bigger night markets in Taipei, It will have a lot more selection and variety but it is often extremely crowded. See also: Wikipedia

This night market is on Linjiang Street (臨江街 Línjiāng Jiē) which connects with Keelung Rd. near the Keelung Rd. / Guangfu S. Rd. intersection . It is not the biggest night market, but has everything you expect to find at one.

One of Taiwan's international chains for western comfort food. You know what to expect, but that's the idea. The official site for Taiwan (in Chinese only) They have several locations in Taipei county as well as locations in Taichung (Taizhong) and Hsinchu (Xinzhu). Taipei City Branches: Dunhua Branch Dunhua N. Rd, No. 150 台北市敦化北路 150 號 營業時間：週日至週四 11:30 ～ 24:00 (Sunday through Thursday) 週五至週六 11:30 ～ 01:00 (Friday and Saturday) See Map Zhongxiao Branch Zhongxiao E. Rd. Sec. 4, Lane 49, No. 2 台北市忠孝東路四段 49 巷 2 號 營業時間：週日至週四 11:30 ～ 24:00 (Sunday through Thursday) 週五至週六 11:30 ～ 01:00 (Friday and Saturday) World Trade Branch Keelung (Jileng) Rd, Sec. 2, No. 7 台北市基隆路二段 7 號 open from 11:30 until 24:00 daily Chung Ching Branch 台北市重慶南路一段 94 號 open from 11:30 until 23:30 daily Ximen Branch 台北市武昌街二段 72 號 2 樓 open from 11:30 until 24:00 daily Miramar Branch 台北市敬業三路22號2樓 (美麗華百樂園購物中心2F) open from 11:00 until 24:00 daily Yong Chun Branch Zhongxiao E. Rd. Sec. 5, No. 297, 2F 台北...

Grandma Nitti's tastes so shitty. This place is a trap for Shi Da students who don't want to wander to far off the campus. The food was not that good and was expensive by local standards. I would have been better off at one of the local breakfast shops. Grandma Nitti's Kitchen is located on Shi-Da Road, Lane 93, #8 . The telephone number is 2369-9751-2. They are open Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 11:00 pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 am to 11:00 pm. see also: http://www.forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.php?t=4382

Night markets are a great place to try some of the truly local dishes. You can pick up cheap clothes, DVDs, and just about anything else. Here are just a few of the night markets you can find in Taipei: Hwahsi Night Market (Snake Alley) Linjiang Night Market South of Xinyi Rd on Keelung Rd. near the Guangfu South Rd. intersection . Shilin Night Market North Taipei with easy access to the MRT. Ximen Night Market

They have very good western food, with a menu of items you may expect to find in a place called The Diner. They have very good burgers. They also serve breakfast. The price is average considering the size and the quality. I liked this better than NY Bagels, and certainly better than Grandma Nitti's. The Diner 145 Rui-an Street 瑞安街 Ruì'ān Jiē Near Heping E Rd. and JianGuo S. Rd. Near Daan Park, just east of Jianguo Rd. Rui-an Street is a one way street which exits into Heping East Rd. see also: http://www.forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.php?t=49495

Not feeling adventurous, want some comfort food; then head to your nearest international chain for your ISO certified meal. Casual Dining: Dan Ryan's Chicago Grill Hooters The Outback Steakhouse is located next to Ikea at the Asiaworld Mall on the corner of Nanjing and Dunhua Roads. TGIFriday's has multiple locations in Taipei and Taiwan. Chili's is located in the Xinyi District, in the Neo 19 Building Romano's Macaroni Grill is also loctated in the Neo 19 Building. Fast Food: McDonalds has taken over the island. Burger King still has a few branches throughout the city. Moss Burger is a Japanese chain. Yoshinoya is Japanese fast food. KFC is another ubiquitous feature in Taipei and Taiwan. Subway and their local clone Subber are also found throughout Taipei. Fine Dining: Lawry's The Prime Rib Other: Starbucks are separated by 7-Elevens and McDonalds.

There are a handful of Mexican Restaurants in Taipei, but I would kill for a Chipotle burrito. The only one I've been to is Tequila Sunrise and all I can say is don't do it . The food was bland and overpriced. There was really nothing to make it stand out. The decor was ok, but that only gets you so far. They did do a decent margarita, but that only stimulated my appetite and made me more disappointed with my meal. Edit 9/2007: Amigo is not bad.

From Xindian MRT Station it is a short walk to the riverside which is lined with shops, games, and restaurants. There is a pedestrian bridge across the river to Bitan. On either side of the river you can rent paddle boats for approx. $200 for an hour. This is a scenic area on the edge of the city and can make for a relaxing day in good weather. Rosemary's Kitchen When crossing from Xindian to Bitan on the pedestrian bridge, Rosemary's Kitchen is on the right hand side, next to the bridge. It has a nice view of the river, decent coffee, and good service. Rendezvous Stone Oven Pizza & Bar - no longer exists after Bitan was remodeled.

闔家牛排 hé jiā niú pái (Roughly translates as Entire Family Steak) This is a formal western style steak restaurant that does an excellent steak with a baked potato on the side. The only thing they are lacking is an English menu and signboard in front. Location : Minsheng E. Rd. Sec. 3, No. 119, 1F / 台北市民生東路3段119號1樓 Main Restaurant Page: http://taipeiguide.blogspot.com/2006/09/restaurants-in-taipei.html

The barbequed meat which comes out fresh from the kitchen on metal skewers is delicious. They had beef, lamb, pork, chicken, shrimp and more. Unfortunately there were two things that make me unable to recommend this restaurant. First, besides the BBQ there is not much else to eat. There is a very small soup and salad bar. Second, when busy the service suffers greatly. The waiters bring the BBQ out of the kitchen and are supposed to distribute it amongst the tables. What ends up happening is they always begin at the tables nearest the kitchen, and the food is gone by the time they reach the back of restaurant. I had to complain a couple of times before food started to find its way to my table. Location: Nanjing E. Rd. Sec. 5, No. 6, 2F /臺北市,南京東路,五段,6號,2樓 / Nánjīng Dōng Lù 5 Duàn 6 Hào 2 Lou It is located near the Guangfu N. Rd. Intersection / 光復北路口 / Guāngfù Běi Lù Kou in the same building as The Living Room . Main Restaurants Page