Today I want to share a craft beer bar near Yongkang Street, by Dongmen MRT Station. Yes, you read that right — today we’re not talking about code, we’re talking about bars! I’m sure you’ll gradually get used to all sorts of odd topics showing up on this blog. The place I’m introducing today, Zhangmen Craft Beer, is a great spot for a few friends to have a drink after work. The fact that I still have the energy to write a post after drinking today should tell you how suitable it is for office workers on a weekday — and this was the first time I ever took the MRT home after drinking! Alright, enough rambling. I’ve been to Zhangmen twice, and it’s been great every time. The beer is delicious, there are more than a dozen options to choose from, and they’re all brewed in-house!! The space is comfortable and great for bringing friends to chat, but there aren’t many seats and you can’t make a reservation. I’d suggest calling half an hour before you come and asking the owner to hold a seat for you (though there’s no guarantee you’ll get one).

Zhangmen Craft Beer has many branches across Taiwan. The one we visited this time is in Dongmen; friends in Taipei can also go to the Neihu or Breeze Song Gao branches, and there are also branches in Taichung, Kaohsiung, and Tainan! Their craft beers won gold and bronze at the 2016 Australian International Beer Awards, and all three founders come from an engineering background!! I honestly think engineers are hopeless at sticking to their own profession (laughs).

Zhangmen Yongkang Branch Info

  • Address: No. 10, Ln. 4, Yongkang St., Da'an District, Taipei City
  • Hours: 13:00 - 00:00 (Friday and Saturday until 1 a.m.)
They have over a dozen beers and rotate them irregularly. It had been less than a month since my last visit and I already didn't recognize the new menu (sob). When drinking beer you're supposed to remember the names of the hops — you know, the English ones! Things like Ale, IPA, and so on, because the type of hops affects the flavor of the beer. Remembering the names... you'll probably end up like me, never knowing what to order each time you come. Click the image to enlarge it. ABV at the top means alcohol by volume, and IBU below is the bitterness. Prices are split into small and large cups; you can ask the staff to show you the actual cups before deciding which one you want.

Note: no seats are provided on Fridays — you can only drink standing up.

Besides the small and large cup options, you can also order a “beer flight” — six small cups like this (a bit smaller than the small cup). It’s perfect when two or three friends come and don’t know what to drink: just order a flight and try the flavors!

When you first arrive you’ll definitely wonder why there are so few seats and the second floor isn’t open — well, you’d be wrong!! The second floor is actually a mysterious cellar. See those pipes on the wall? Every sip of beer you drink comes straight down from the second floor, poured fresh!

Joke aside, I’m a total amateur when it comes to beer, so asking me whether it’s good is especially reliable! Because unless it’s exceptionally good, it all tastes the same to me. In other words, if I say something tastes bad, it definitely tastes bad (laughs). And when I judge a bar, the drinks and prices are actually secondary — the most important thing is the atmosphere. Different atmospheres suit different friends, and I think this place’s atmosphere is great for bringing newly made friends to chat. It’s not too formal, and the staff are friendly, unlike some bars where the bartender is really cocky. But I have to say, there really aren’t many seats.

Want some water? Just bravely pull the tap next to you! But remember to hold your cup under it first, and I’d suggest keeping your phone far away (laughs).