Left Bar & Cafe

Truly creative cocktails, food and decor have distinguished Left Bar & Cafe since it opened over four years ago. Housed in a cavernous former auto-repair shop on an alley between the HuaMei Street canal and SOGO Department Store, this hang-out was opened by Camper Tsai, who has bartended over the years at FM, Oldies, Patio and TC18.
The relaxing, garage-like interior has a vaguely American vibe, with a pinball machine (non-functioning), motorcycle, foosball table, vintage American signs, wooden crates, neon signs and other knickknacks. You can plop down at polished wooden tables and a long bar, or on a couple platforms with cushions and old couches.
Dominating the menu are 60-70 cocktails (NT$250-500), including some true originals invented by Camper and Left’s other bartender, Shih Hsuan. The Cock n Corn is served in a candy-striped popcorn box, complete with fresh-popped popcorn, with only a straw betraying the fact this is actually a drink. Inside and below is a milkshake-like mix of bourbon, Bailey’s, ice cream, salt and popcorn syrup, allowing you to eat and drink at the same time. A “virgin” version of this treat is the Popcorn Milkshake (NT$250).
Camper’s affection for “Asian fusion” can be seen in other cocktails, like the vodka and Chambord liqueur based Sweet Poison, mixing blueberry and raspberry flavors with ginger and lemongrass. A separate special cocktail menu includes several tea-based concoctions like the rum-infused Ceylon Black Tea cocktail, charmingly served with Chinese porcelain teacups, a character-engraved bamboo mat and tiny Chinese screen. This menu also includes dessert cocktails like Oatmeal Cookie and Tiramisu, plus “Historic Taiwan” drinks inspired by traditional Taiwanese items, like the Smoking Plum, Peat Candy, and White Gourd cocktails. Non-cocktail beverages include beer (from NT$150), wine, whiskies, coffee, tea, smoothies and milkshakes.
Some equally-creative meals (NT$190-270) include the recently-added Korean Stir Fried Sweet Potato Noodles (NT$240), allowing you to roll up a mix of flat “glass” noodles, pork, onions, carrots and mushrooms in fresh lettuce leaves for delicious combo of textures and flavors. Another “Asian fusion” dish is the Thai Fry Pork Pizza with Green Curry Sauce (NT$280). Among more traditional fare is a cheeseburger, Philly cheesesteak, and Buffalo Wings (NT$180).

西區華美街480巷6號 0988-430-880
6, Lane 480, HuaMei St, West Dist
6 pm-2 am (最後點餐時間 1 am,
最後飲品點餐 1:30 am / last food order 1 am,
last drink order 1:30 am), 週一休/closed Mon
每人低消250元/Minimum NT$250/person order.

Don’t drink and drive