The Tavern
5, Lane 380, Keelung Rd., Sec. 1 (基隆路一段380巷5號); Tel: 8780-0892. Average dinner: NT$250-350. Lunch buffet: T$199. Kitchen hours: 11:30am to 2am. Happy hour: 6 to 8pm, 2 for 1 draft beer. English menu. Credit cards accepted.
When it opened last January, the Tavern established itself as a different kind of foreigners' haunt. Wanting to be neither a beer swilling joint nor a meat market, it aimed to become a friendly upscale pub. By showing all the football (ie soccer), leaving some space around the pool table, and running a neat ship, it's succeeded at the pub thing. Now it also offers what is possibly the most ambitious pub menu in lower Taipei.
Currywurst, cottage pie, wiener schnitzel, fish n chips, cordon blue, croque monsieur, and Wellington pork fillet are all featured on a menu with a heavy European bent. The menu was designed by the owner, Michel Blanc, who hails from Italy. He says that after living in Taiwan for 11 years as an importer, it was about time he opened a bar. The alternative selection of dishes, especially British faves like fish n chips, has been badly needed in Taipei since the last fish n chips pub, the Dragon, folded a couple of years ago. The kitchen staff also does a respectable job in the preparations, and the portions are more than satisfying. In addition, the place sports a solid selection of beers, including Warsteiner and Boddingtons on draft and a bevy of Belgian beers in bottles.
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