Roof Park
Breaking back into the Kaohsiung Scene

By Sean Cooper Translated by Annie Liu
Photos by Annie Liu

165, LinSen 1st Rd, 15F, Kaohsiung City (07) 241-6666
Hours: Fri & Sat
6 pm-4 am; Sun to Thur 6 pm-3 am
(kitchen open all night)
Chinese & English menu.
No service charge. Smoking section.

For the last three months, lovers of Kaohsiung nightlife have really missed Roof Lounge. The club was a great place for special parties, lounging on a couch with some friends and a beverage, or just dancing the night away. During this three-month hiatus, Tony, the owner and operator, has been busy making major renovations and preparing for a magnificent reopening.

After over NT$250,000 of remodeling and one small name change, "Roof Park" is ready too be a hot nightspot again.

When asked about the facelift and name change, Tony explained that Roof Lounge had already been open for four years and it was time to shake things up. Instead of being mainly a lounge space he wanted it to have a more club vibe. So that's what he did.

The removal of a wall opened up Roof Park into one big club with a panoramic view of Kaohsiung's skyline. The vast ocean of divans in the back lounge area has been replaced with a new fully equipped DJ booth and impressive new light and sound system. The main seating area has moved into what was once the "club" room, where the walls provide a natural buffer from the music so you can still have a place to relax and chat.

Besides the major changes, Roof Park's new interior design borrows from upscale Singaporean clubs with a deservedly urban Taipei feel. The idea is to create a different kind of club in Koahsiung: Modern, classy, and swank. To keep things safe, Tony's put in a new security system which scans your ID and puts it on their database in case of emergency, so bring your ID people! He's also put in place a Friday and Saturday night age limit. On these nights women must be 20 to enter and men 22. I got a pretty good feeling from the new Roof Park, and plan on watching a few sunrises from its balcony.