Sounds like a great idea! Only…what are the bouncers like? Are there even bouncers? And for that matter, what’s the legal drinking age in Taiwan?
most of the places i’ve frequented didn’t have bouncers per se, but if you go blindly stumbling around groping and such, expect a pack of rather nasty people to toss you out, and perhaps do worse. depending on the bar, these may be regular chinese/foreigners, or some less understanding gangsters doing the throwing.
if you can hold your liquor, and not be an ass, you’ll have a much easier time.
i’m not saying you will do anything like this, but that’s what generally happens …
I haven’t come across any bouncers yet, but I don’t go clubbing, so don’t really count on that. But as xtrain says, basically consider the crowds much like you might in a new place in Oz - if you’re a dick, you’ll get your arse kicked.
Legal age, AFAIK, is 18.
Check the Zone thread. Tonygoods opinion for reasonable beer prices
Just for info cos I work in the industry. There is zero import duty on spirits & excise tax rates are vey low by world standards. Due to competition prices in the off trade (e.g. hypermarkets) are about as low as you will get anywhere for whisky: JW Black NT$ 600-650, Macallan just over NT$1,000 etc.
The on tade (pubs etc) is relatively expensive in comparison for a number of reasons a) rents in Taipei b) recouping costs of expensive refurbishment in ‘style’ bars & c) because they offer a wider experience (& that cost has to be covered)
And just to respond to someone’s comments about decent whisky starts above NT$ 1,000 i.e. Single Malts. I know a lot of whisky experts from Scotland & most actually prefer blends (we sell both) as they see them as the real art of whisky making, are are normally more complex. In other words words don’t be fooled by fashion, there are many fine whiskies for less than the price of a single malt. However each to his own, I say drink what you real like!
fellsopolis -
Good info, Thanks.
I happen to be friends with a couple who are one of the larger liquor/wine distributors from Chayi south here on the island.
They also have a retail shop that is open to the public in Tainan.
Their off the shelf prices for scotch, brandy, bourbon, vodka and gin are very low. Comparative lower than in the bigger retail shops in California.
They have some very excellent bourbon @ NT$390 for 750ml (a fifth) which is cheaper by far than the USA. Also the same low prices for scotches - and they have a very large selection.
I don’t shop the hypermarts for this stuff so I can’t compare their prices, but this demonstrates that booze is definitely cheaper here.
Sorry I’ve just re read my post above & realise that it’s a bit misleading.
What I was trying to say is that the basic cost of booze (spirits) here is not that expensive. Compared to some countries the relative difference here between bars & hypermarkets may appear a lot - but that is due to tax rates. In absolute terms there is little difference.
Bar prices really do depend on how the trade is structured & what they offer - location, levels of support, service, quality of establishment, whether they provide free music / entertainment etc etc. When you pay for your beer (or whatever) you are getting a lot more than the actual product. Bars vary also because some places choose to make their money on booze, some on food . . . . I don’t think there is anything especially different about Taiwan from elsewhere.
I have heard that The Taiwan Brewery Pub is fairly cheap. Its on BADA road I am told .
Anybody have the address and any details?
For Kaohsiungers - Black Dog specials are pretty cheap. 25NT beer on Tuesdays until midnight. They have other specials that I don’t remember although 50NT tequila shots on the weekend ring a bell.
Can’t remember the address (too much cheap beer?!). Go to the Starbucks across from Hanshin department store and keep going down that street.
Not cheap?! I put NT$150,000 in a bank account to study two years ago. That paid for my flight, rent, living expenses. After having $20,000 stolen and buying a super hi-tech Japanese CD player I still had maybe $40,000 left. I lived it up by my standards, too - I found the trick is getting onto club guestlists and occasionally departing for drink c/o the nearest 7-11.
That said, I was brought up by my grandparents in a poor area of northern England… I was born to bargain. Feel the Gs!!
The only, singular way to blow money through general living in Taiwan is by spending it all in bars. If you prefer to hang on to your money you can have a good time on next to nothing with sensible budgeting, bargain hunting (including where you buy your food) and a healthy sense of cheapness.
[quote=“spiderman”]Indeed in Australia it’s not customary to tip; our hospitality staff are paid fairly good wages for the work (an 18 year old casual worker will earn about AUS$18 or NT$420 per hour). Of course, like anywhere, it’s still a good idea to tip at busy bars to get quicker service. And if the bar chick is cute…
ANYWAY
I’m beginning to figure out that the cost of living Taiwan may not be as cheap as I thought it would be. Realistically speaking, do you think I’d be able to get away with living on NT$51,750 a month in Taipei? (That amount is what the HESS brochure says I’ll be earning at 20 hours/wk)[/quote]
[quote=“llary”]Not cheap?! I put NT$150,000 in a bank account to study two years ago. That paid for my flight, rent, living expenses. After having $20,000 stolen and buying a super hi-tech Japanese CD player I still had maybe $40,000 left. I lived it up by my standards, too - I found the trick is getting onto club guestlists and occasionally departing for drink c/o the nearest 7-11.
That said, I was brought up by my grandparents in a poor area of northern England… I was born to bargain. Feel the Gs!!
The only, singular way to blow money through general living in Taiwan is by spending it all in bars. If you prefer to hang on to your money you can have a good time on next to nothing with sensible budgeting, bargain hunting (including where you buy your food) and a healthy sense of cheapness.
[quote=“spiderman”]Indeed in Australia it’s not customary to tip; our hospitality staff are paid fairly good wages for the work (an 18 year old casual worker will earn about AUS$18 or NT$420 per hour). Of course, like anywhere, it’s still a good idea to tip at busy bars to get quicker service. And if the bar chick is cute…
ANYWAY
I’m beginning to figure out that the cost of living Taiwan may not be as cheap as I thought it would be. Realistically speaking, do you think I’d be able to get away with living on NT$51,750 a month in Taipei? (That amount is what the HESS brochure says I’ll be earning at 20 hours/wk)[/quote][/quote]
Hope you are not on my guest list!
So, if I’m doing my math right, you spent nearly 90,000 on a CD player. Way to get your budgeting priorities right, dude!
:loco:
Not quite man:
Like I said, feel the Gs.
[quote=“Taverncaptain”][quote=“llary”]Not cheap?! I put NT$150,000 in a bank account to study two years ago. That paid for my flight, rent, living expenses. After having $20,000 stolen and buying a super hi-tech Japanese CD player I still had maybe $40,000 left. I lived it up by my standards, too - I found the trick is getting onto club guestlists and occasionally departing for drink c/o the nearest 7-11.
That said, I was brought up by my grandparents in a poor area of northern England… I was born to bargain. Feel the Gs!!
The only, singular way to blow money through general living in Taiwan is by spending it all in bars. If you prefer to hang on to your money you can have a good time on next to nothing with sensible budgeting, bargain hunting (including where you buy your food) and a healthy sense of cheapness.
[quote=“spiderman”]Indeed in Australia it’s not customary to tip; our hospitality staff are paid fairly good wages for the work (an 18 year old casual worker will earn about AUS$18 or NT$420 per hour). Of course, like anywhere, it’s still a good idea to tip at busy bars to get quicker service. And if the bar chick is cute…
ANYWAY
I’m beginning to figure out that the cost of living Taiwan may not be as cheap as I thought it would be. Realistically speaking, do you think I’d be able to get away with living on NT$51,750 a month in Taipei? (That amount is what the HESS brochure says I’ll be earning at 20 hours/wk)[/quote][/quote]
Hope you are not on my guest list![/quote]
D’oh.
[quote=“Tetsuo”]Not quite man:
Most Western bars here THE rip-off. They moan about overheads. Like there are no overheads in British pubs!
We still manage to sell draft beer at 70 NT a pint back home in many pubs all day.
Mind you,they are up-market here and places like The Tavern or Malibu or Carnegies do provide a good service if you can afford it.
However, relief is at hand. The Taiwan Beer Bar at 85. Bade Road Sec.2 sells draft Taiwan beer at 50 NT a pint and they even sell a plate of bangers for 75NT.
Makes even the cheap Pinoy bars on Sunday seem expensive.
OK its rough and ready but you can put up with that at these prices. They even put the football on if you ask.
Competition is a great thing.
On Saturday afternoon there was over 100 punters in. Say no more ! Stock it high, sell it cheap.
I have written about this place some months ago and agree that it is a great deal to get fresh Taiwan draught for NT$50/Pint (appears they increaesed their prices since my last visit back eany June this year). You got to however keep in mind that it is a different ball game all together when comparing the place with at least two of the places you mentioned. At the Taiwan Brewery you get absolutely zero service, you sit on plastic chairs and you basically sit in front of a brewery and whilst great to have bangers, it is hardly comparable with the extensive food menus availalbe at the likes of Carnegies and the Tavern-Premier. Sure they might be putting on a footie game if it happens to be on a local channel but consumers these days want to ideally watch three or four different leagues with multible games and want to have the choice between several type of Ales, Lagers and Stouts which obviously comes at the price. Would love to be in a position to just roll in the barrels from behind somewhere like the Taiwan Brew Pub can do.
Do agree with the fact that competition is a great thing, Pubs in Taipei are just gettin better and better everyday to the benefit of the consumer.
I just want to go to the pub and drink and talk to mates. The trend toward going to the pub and it being like an international flight with individual TV screens defeats the purpose. Someone open a plain simple decent pub with a TV in the corner, good food and beer and a band on now and then… hang on, why dont I do it… :loco:
JBs did exactly that, except for the bands. He’s still working on that aspect, but it’ll happen.