Butthead Coffee & Tea
1028 Chienshing Rd.
Tel: (04) 2319-2828
Hours: 9:30 am to 2 am

Catwalk Night Club
12F, 1049 Chienshing Rd (Grand Formosa Hotel)
Tel: (04) 2328-8000
Hours: 9:30 pm to 3 am (closed Mon.)

JD's Pub
603 Jungmei St.
Tel: (04) 2322-1425
Hours: 7 pm to 2:30 am

Salt & Pepper Restaurant
185 Buoguan Rd.
Tel: (04) 2329-6400
Hours: 11:30 am to 2 pm, 5 pm to 'late'

The Riverside
548 Huamei St.
Tel: (04) 2327-2360
Hours: 6 pm to 2 pm

Wine & Cigar Bar
12F, 1049 Chienshing Rd (Grand Formosa Hotel)
Tel: (04) 2328-8000

When most of us think of the Canal District, we think of the area south of Taichung Harbour Rd. (Taijunggang lu).  Previously, there weren't many options in that area; but recently several new places have opened up, creating the possibility of a new pub crawl zone.  With Huamei St. blocked off at Harbour Rd. and the nearest intersections slightly scary to the less than sober, there is the possibility that many will stick to one side or the other of Harbour Rd.  on any given evening.  We would be curious to hear from our readers whether they think this would be a good or bad development.

At the far north side of this area is the newly opened 'The Riverside'.  The Riverside was created by the friendly and popular face of now defunct Gringo's Grill, Simon, and the place reflects his mellow, laid-back nature.  Decorated with plenty of wood, it is a great place to kick back, have a few beers and hang out with friends.  Even better, the place boosts the largest music collection in town and they take requests.  No matter how unusual the song, they just might have it.  The beer is reasonably priced at NT$90 for a bottled beer, and the mixed drinks are an even more reasonable NT$100.  Located at the corner of Huamei St. and Buoguan Rd., it is easy to find. 

Just down Buoguan Rd. at the intersection with Jungmei St. is Salt & Pepper Restaurant, a favourite dinner spot for the last few years.  Inside the restaurant is a bar area that has a fair number of regular devotees.  With the recent arrival of legendary professional bartender and author Mike Armstrong, this bar crowd is likely to grow considerably.  His ever-present grin, good service and fantastic mixed drinks have consistently made whatever location he works at a center of boozed-fueled fun.  The décor in Salt & Pepper is very upscale Californian, with upstairs and outdoor seating.  It is recommended pub-side visitors arrive early to grab one of the few seats along the bar.

Clearly the oldest place in the area is JD's Pub, open for eleven years and still going strong.  It is probably the longest running pub in one location in Taichung (Frog is older, but they've moved twice).  It is clear why this place has survived so long, what, with four bands playing nightly (mostly cover bands, but some originals as well) and purportedly the best mixed drinks in town.  JD's takes special pride in their huge selection of mixed drinks, using higher quality ingredients and working to keep standards high.  Combined with Salt & Pepper, this street is turning into cocktail heaven.  Heavily decorated with wood and pub paraphernalia, this place is a classic pub.  It is located one block down from Salt & Pepper on Jungmei St. 

One block over towards the Grand Formosa Hotel is Butthead Coffee & Tea.  Cigars and cheap beer (Boddingtons!) is their specialty.  For more details check out our October, 2000 issue of the Compass of check out our website (www.taiwanfun.com). 

Across the street and inside the Grand Formosa on the 12^th floor is the Wine and Cigar Bar.  As the name suggests, this is an excellent place to sip at some wine and light up.  The seating is fantastic, with panoramic views of the city and huge comfy chairs.  Unfortunately the disco next door takes away some of the quiet appeal of the place later in the evening. 

That disco would be the Catwalk Night Club, an upscale place featuring live performances and celebrity DJs.  There is a bar, a snack buffet (free with cover charge) and, obviously, a dance floor.  Their particular forte has been live Latin music, a rarity here in Taichung.