After a year-and-a-half hiatus, DV8, which held a special spot in the heart of many an expatriate, recently reopened in a new location near the terminus of Fuxing South Road (復興南路).
“One of the reasons we wanted to open again was that I kept hearing from our regulars that they missed having a place to go and see one another. It wasn’t just them — I missed DV8, too,” says co-owner Michelle Wong (王風鶯).
The new bar is sleeker and more modern than its predecessor on Jinhua Street (金華街), which was fondly known for its dive-y atmosphere. But patrons still make the ambiance — literally. The black paint on the walls has been left unsealed so customers can draw and write on it in chalk. Framed pencil sketches by regular Kenbo Liao (廖褚健) hang in the small alcove off the back of the bar, while a vintage tuba, a gift from one of Wong’s friends, stands guard over the liquor bottles.
As with the old DV8, the new bar will have DJs, many of them regulars, almost every night. Wong’s famous thin-crust pizza is available for NT$200. (She and her husband ran an Italian restaurant before the original DV8, as evidenced by the two tapered bottles of Galliano on the bar.) Other entrees on the new menu include chili con carne and beef goulash (NT$250).
The new space doesn’t have room for a pool table, but customers can look forward to darts and a roulette wheel. (Winners will enjoy prizes like a free beer or steep discounts on drinks.) Other activities include regular wine-and-cheese nights, with a selection of house wines going for NT$100 a glass or NT$600 a bottle. Beers on tap include Heineken (NT$180) and Carlsberg (NT$160); bottled beers, including Guinness and Corona, are also available.
DV8 is located at 385, Fuxing S Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市復興南路二段385號), between Heping East (和平東) and Xinhai (辛亥) roads. Current opening hours are from 8pm to 3am Mondays through Saturdays, with happy hour lasting from 8pm to 9pm, though plans are afoot to open Sundays, too. Call (02) 2733-9039 for more information.
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