SHOW (Jin Hua Road, Sec. 3, #209, 2F. Phone - (06) 229-6012) is Tainan's newest disco pub with lots of beer and food. They're open from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.
Another new hot spot is AD Dance Pub and Lounge (Gung Yuan Road, #52, B1. Phone - (06) 220-9997).
MP5 (Yong Hua Road, Sec. 2, #248. Phone - (06) 295-1155) is a great place to drink and dance. The entry fee is $200 N.T. Wednesdays and Fridays are Ladies Nights.
Also, try DJ (Hsia Lin Road, #108. Phone - (06) 220-0032). Unique decor and wonderful music make this place worth visiting.
A relatively new spot is La Sight Disco Pub (Jian Kang Road, Sec. 1, #260). This club has several DJs, live bands, and lots of other events.
Rose Rose Night Club, located inside the Tayih Landis Hotel is Tainan's most elegant night club. It features live music, very comfortable seating, and a dance floor.
Hudlavoos Pub (Chung Hsueh Road, #215. Phone (06) 335-1362) is an aboriginal pub which has recently moved to a new location. Unlike any other pub in Tainan. They serve aboriginal dishes, as well as Chinese and Taiwanese favorites. Don't miss the nightly performances upstairs.
Western Beer (Gung Yuan Road, #128, 1F-30. Phone - (06) 225-0180) is very popular with foreigners in Tainan. They have all kinds of beer, all your favorite Western dishes (burgers, fries, nachos, fish and chips, spaghetti, pizza), as well as a pool table, and darts.
Next to Western Beer is The Hangout(Gung Yuan Road, #128, No. 128-32. Phone - (06) 220-0172) a newly opened restaurant and bar run by former employees of Western Beer. They offer spaghetti, beer, and a friendly waitstaff.
A fun place to drink and hear live music is The Armory (Gung Yuan South Road, #82. Phone - (06) 226-5800). Be on the lookout for the one and only DJ Tim, who plays the best dance music on the island.
The major hangout for English teachers in Tainan is The Green House (Fu Chien Road, #21, Sec. 1). Located close to the Confucius Temple, this friendly restaurant offers sandwiches, spaghetti, Mexican food, breakfast, and hamburgers. They have a bulletin board for teachers, English newspapers, and some slightly aged English books. Check out the bulletin board for information on teaching jobs, housing, motorcycles, etc.
And now there's Green House II (Chung Hua East Road, Sec. 1, #92. Phone - (06) 234-4646). This Green House is a bit fancier than the original. Also, don't miss the Ambassador Theatre next door for the latest Hollywood blockbusters.
Cheffresh (located near Eslite bookstore Phone (06) 208-3977) has excellent sandwiches and brunches. Some of the best western food in all of Tainan!
Another hot spot for the foreign crowd is Anne's Place (Ching Dong Street, #87. Phone - (06) 236-4290). Food is similar to that of The Green House.
Down the street from Anne's Place is Ocean Area (Dong Men Road, Section 1, Lane 267, #1. Phone - (06) 234-6259), where you can enjoy sandwiches, spaghetti, and tea.
Another popular place is Go Dutch Cafe, located behind the train station (Wei Min Street, #18-1. Phone (06) 209-3432). They have espresso, Mexican and Italian dishes, salad, as well as a great library of English books and Internet access.
The best sandwiches in town are at Deli King (Dong Ning Road, #32. Phone - (06) 275-6061). They offer sandwiches, spaghetti, soft drinks, and a variety of snacks.
The Tayih Landis Hotel has several great restaurants, a bar, a pastry kitchen, and a night club.
Greek Restaurant (Gung Yuan Road, #80) is Tainan's Greek restaurant. Fantastic meals at reasonable prices.
Indian Restaurant (Guang Ting Street, #54. Phone - (06) 221-1410) has all your Indian favorites including curry, Tandoori chicken, and naan.
Andi's Corner (Chong Hsueh Road, #233. Phone - (06) 289-3609) brings you German and Austrian food. Their bread and bagels are the best in Tainan.
Just down the road, you can find Eureka (Chong Hsueh Road, #143. Phone - (06) 335-3431), with their fresh, delicious California cuisine.
Captain Vogue (Gung Yuan Road, #52. Phone - (06) 223-2376) has all your Italian favorites in a romantic setting.
Italian dishes are also on the menu at Italian Kitchen (Dong Men Road, Sec. 2, #34. Phone - (06) 234-7808).
For terrific Japanese cuisine, try The Next Restaurant's neighbor - Ching Hai (Ching Dong Street, #89-1. Phone - (06) 238-4019). Ching Hai offers affordable Japanese food in an elegant atmosphere.
Dong Da Men (Hsia Lin Road, #133. Phone - (06) 291-9752) offers Korean food at reasonable prices.
Another place for Korean food is Da Chang Jin (Lin Sen Road, Section 2, #105. Phone - (06) 237-5340).
Just next door is Catiya (Lin Sen Road, Section 2, 107. Phone - (06) 275-8405). They have sandwiches, spaghetti, coffee, tea, and desserts. They also have a few books for learning Chinese.
Willy's Sports Bar and Grill (Hsia Lin Road, #169. Phone - (06) 263-4461) offers great Mexican dishes, hamburgers, and lots of alcohol. Another place to rub shoulders with other English teachers. They also have a small bulletin board for language teachers.
And now there's Willy's Second Base (Jian Kang Road, Sec. 2, #321. Phone - (06) 291-1050), a bar and restaurant brought to you by the owner of Willy's Sports Bar and Grill. This new spot has great atmosphere and service. They serve up hamburgers, sandwiches, Mexican food, and pizza.
The Corner (Da Hsueh Road, Lane 22, No. 12. Phone - (06) 275-4321) has wonderful Western dinners, including steak and spaghetti. A full meal can cost around $800 N.T., but is worth the price.
Two places to hear jazz and enjoy dinner are P.S. Jazz (Yong Fu Road, Sec. 2. Phone - (06) (228-4548) and Jazz Cellar (Kang Le Street, #148. Phone - (06) 224-9041). Allstar (Jian Kang Road, Sec. 2, #31. Phone - (06) 263-7606), Pioneer (Jian Kang Road, Sec. 2, #351. Phone - (06) 291-2155), Mu Mian Dao (Chang Rong Road, Sec. 3, #26. Phone - (06) 238-8663), and Hollywood (Yong Hua Road, Sec. 2) all have live bands and delicious food.
Hsiang Chu (Kai Shan Road, #97. Phone - (06) 223-2859) offers Chinese dumplings (their specialty) and numerous other dishes, including gung bao chicken, fried rice, steamed dumplings, sweet and sour pork, and spicy tofu. Try the "jwa bing"!
Dong Ji (Dong Ning Road, #128. Phone - (06) 235-6011) also has dumplings, jwa bing, beef noodles, and more. They are located at the intersection of Dong Ning and Chang Rong roads, near the Pizza Hut and Watson's.
For Cantonese food, head over to the Diamond Restaurant (Chung Yi Road, Section 2, #26. Phone - (06) 225-3100). Unbeatable dim sum.
And there's a good Peking duck place on Kai Yuan Road, #392.
But if it's super spicy Szechuan food (gung pao chicken, spicy tofu) you crave, Yu Yuan (Chung Yi Road, Section 2, #117. Phone - (06) 228-5990) has what you are looking for. They also serve many other non-spicy dishes. And they're located right down the street from the Guo Hua movie theater. Three other places to consume Szechuan food are Wan Jia Hsiang (Dong Hsing Road, #264. Phone - (06) 236-8768), Pin Hsiang Yuan (Chong Hsueh Road, #215. Phone - (06) 267-8415), and Dzwei Pian Yi (Chung Hsueh Road, #158. Phone - (06) 335-6359).
Speaking of spicy, Thai Cooking (Dong Shing Road, #500. Phone - (06) 235-3937) cooks up the best Thai food in the city. Perfect for the wintertime. Phuket (Sheng Li Road, #14. Phone - (06) 234-4882) is another Thai restaurant, closer to the downtown area.
Red Chilli Curry Food House (Chang Rong Road, Section 3, #18. Phone - (06) 200-2405) offers many curry dishes, including curry chicken, beef, pork, and squid. They also have French bread, and a new spin on spaghetti.
If you want to enjoy your curry in a more upscale setting, you should head for Onion Curry Restaurant (Yong Fu Road, Sec. 2, #67. Phone - (06) 220-3531). This classy restaurant serves Japanese-style curry. It's located next to P.S. Jazz.
Specialties all the way from Malaysia, such as curry chicken or ginger pork, are on the menu at the Malaysian Restaurant (Chang Rong Road, Section 3, #27. Phone - (06) 234-3155).
If you're in the mood for something Indonesian, there is an Indonesian cafeteria near the train station. Rumah Makan (Bei Jong Street, #20. Phone - (06) 221-7662) has Indonesian dishes as well as a small grocery section.
Mongolian barbecue, all-you-can-eat, is a recommended feast. You choose which vegetables and meat you want, add whatever spices and sauces you like, and they cook it up for you, stir-fry. Country Sports Club (Fu Lian Road, #106. Phone - (06) 213-5817) is the spot for Mongolian barbecue in Tainan.
Flower Language (Yu Le Street, #236. Phone - (06) 238-6542) has superb teppanyaki, along with excellent dinners and tea.
All this greasy food wearing you down? Try The Green Hat (Chung Yi Road, Section 2, #120. Phone - (06) 226-6866) where you can choose from a variety of fruit and vegetable juices, and also noodles, toast, or plates of fruit. They make the juice fresh and are eager to make the juices just the way you want them (with or without sugar, ice).
The charming Su Chuan is serving up freshly made submarine sandwiches, nachos, and beverages at Yellow Submarine (Da Hsueh Road, Lane 22), near the Kentucky Fried Chicken.
On the same road you can find The Ivy (Da Hsueh Road, #20-1. Phone - (06) 236-9168), a bakery that makes French bread, bagels, scones, whole wheat bread, and more.
If you're not on the Atkins diet, you should love Mr. Mark Bakery. They have delicious and nutritious bread, freshly baked with healthy ingredients. They also have sandwiches and muffins. They have three locations: Chung Cheng Road, #74. Dong Men Road, Section 2, #96. and Sheng Li Road, #175.
Tainan has twelve movie theatres, so you are always likely to find something worth watching. These four theatres have first run films (although some movies are released much later in Taiwan than overseas):
Guo Hua Theatre (Min Chuan Road, Sec. 2, #118, 3F. Phone - (06) 226-1213)
Nan Tai Theatre (You Ai Street, #317. Phone - (06) 223-2426)
Nan Du Theatre (You Ai Street, #138. Phone - (06) 222-2383)
Tuntex Theatre(Hsi Men Road, Sec. 3. (06) 251-7270 ext. 433)
These four offer second-run movies. Most allow you to see a double-feature for a very low price.
China Town Theatre
(Huan He Road, #72. Phone - (06) 221-5110)
United Theatre (Jin Hua Road, Section 3, #167. Phone - (06) 220-7577)
Chuan Mei Theatre (Yung Fu Road, Sec. 2, #187. Phone - (06) 222-4726)
Jin R Theatre (Chung Cheng Road, #249. Phone - (06) 220-5151)
And these three seem to favor wild and crazy Hong Kong flicks (some of which are several years old).
Dong An Theatre (Chang Rong Road, Sec. 2, #18. Phone - (06) 237-5650)
Wang Dz Theatre (Chung Cheng Road, #323. Phone - (06) 222-5460)
Hsin Jian Guo Theatre (Min Chuan Road, Sec. 1, #56.)
Chang Rong VCD/DVD Center (Chang Rong Road, Sec. 3, #60) has an amazing assortment of VCDs and DVDs for rent. Also, Digital AV Center (Jian Kang 1st Road, #286. Phone - (06) 213-2623) is another place to find interesting and unique DVDs.
If you want to study Chinese, the only school in town is located at Chengkung University. Tuition is a little steep, but most say it's worth it.
If you're new in town, you might want to join the Hash House Harriers. They meet up and go running somewhere in Chiayi county.
A good place to get your laundry done is Hsi E Wang (Dong He Road, #125. Phone - (06) 274-9610.
Caves Books (Bei Men Road, Section 1, #159. Phone - (06) 223-7824) is where ESL teachers go to hunt down textbooks and teacher's reference books. They are located very close to the train station.
Eslite Bookstore (Cheng Kung Road, Sec. 1, #181, B1. Phone - (06) 208-3977) has fewer ESL titles, but has a number of other kinds of books (including literature, self-help, business, and travel) in English, and has a cozy cafe and extensive music store. And now they have an additional branch in the new Focus Shopping Center, next to the Mitsukoshi Department Store on Chung Shan Road, #166.
Used books are available cheaply at Jin Wan Dz Used Bookstore (Chung Yi Road, Section 2, #6. Phone - (06) 225-0191). Alas, most of the books are in Chinese, but there is a whole shelf of used ESL textbooks, as well as some dated Time magazines, and the occasional classic novel.
Another used bookstore with some ESL textbooks is Cheng Kung Used Bookstore (Bei Men Road, #104. Phone - (06) 228-5888).
It's located close to the train station.
You can surf the net for free at the Far Eastern Department Store (Da Hsueh Road, 6th Floor, near the rear exit of the train station) or at the Eslite Bookstore (see above for address). If you would prefer to PAY to use a computer, try one of these Internet cafes:
2099 Internet Cafe (Sheng Li Road, #22. Phone (06) 209-8259)
New King of Comic (Sheng Li Road, #38-3. Phone (06) 209-8363)
Comics Republic (Cheng Kung Road, #123, 2F. Phone (06) 229-3093)
Ching Song Internet Cafe (Cheng Kung Road, #225. Phone - (06) 220-3456)
Shwun Yi Internet Cafe (Min Dzu Road, Sec.2, #231. Phone - (06) 220-3066)
TWArt (Chung Yi Road, Sec. 2, #159. Phone - (06) 221-4210)
Da Yo Wang (Jian Kang Road, Sec. 2, #36. Phone - (06) 221-8580)
Hsiao Mi Feng (Hsi Men Road, Sec. 1, #585. Phone - (06) 228-6333)
Long Dian Internet Cafe (Fu Lian Road, #159. Phone - (06) 213-0935)
Exercise is an important part of staying healthy. Is Spa (Da Chiao 1st Street, #51-2. Phone - (06) 201-7635) has aerobics classes, an exercise room with all the latest equipment, a playroom for kiddies, a swimming pool, and sauna. Membership is a little steep, however. It's $30,000 N.T. plus $2,000 N.T. a month for a 3-year membership, or if you are willing to pay everything up front, you can give them $80,000 N.T. for a complete 3-year membership. They are open from Tuesday to Sunday, 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m, and members can use their facilities any time they are open.
Another health club closer to the center of Tainan is Tian Hsia (Fu Chien Road, Sec. 1, #176. Phone - (06) 228-7428).
There are two new state of the art places to exercise in central Tainan: Muscle Asia Gym (Chung Shan Road, #166, 11F. Phone - (06) 241-1124) and Max Mania Gym (Chang Rong Road, Sec. 1, #177, 5F. Phone - (06) 236-9653). Muscle Asia Gym features a weight room, tanning booths, aerobics classes, plenty of exercise equipment, and even a drink bar. Max Mania Gym has aerobics classes and exercise equipment.
The Tainan Municipal Cultural Center (Chung Hua East Road, Sec. 3, #332. Phone - (06) 289-7913) offers a full range of performances and exhibitions. They have a schedule of events available at 7-11, as well as on-line, but it's all in Chinese.
If you want some unique Chinese handicrafts to send home, pay Guang Tsai Hsiu Chuang (Yong Fu Road, Sec. 2, #206. Phone (06) 227-1253) a visit. Beautifully embroidered clothes and accessories are reasonably priced. Another place for Chinese-style clothing is Fan Chu (Hsi Men Road, Section 2, #83. Phone - (06) 221-3016).
Chou Ta Souvenir Store (Chung Cheng Road, #136. Phone - (06) 222-5545) and Tsai Se Ming Yi (Min Sheng Road, Sec. 1, #114. Phone - (06) 220-7914) offers other uniquely Chinese artifacts. And if you are looking for a little Buddha statue or a fascinating Chinese calligraphy scroll, try Fu Fa Hsiu Jwang (Ching Nian Road, #83. Phone (06) 228-7341), as well as the neighboring Jun Yuan Art Center (Ching Nian Road, #121. Phone (06) 222-0636).
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