Alchemy Speakeasy Bar Taipei — Restaurant in Xinyi District

The Alchemy bar must be Taipei’s best hidden secret. For sure you will not easily find it if you haven’t been there before with friends or haven’t studied the Google reviews in advance. We were lucky to ask at the Opium Champagner bar on the corner of the building. The bar tender kindly showed us the way through the entrance of another venue called MQ. After entering the MQ you will have to take the stairs on the right to the second floor where you will end up in dimly lit hallway. After a little while not knowing where to enter or where to knock a sliding door magically opened to the Alchemy’s classic bar room and it felt like traveling back in time to the prohibition era. This is our cocktail flight on that evening: Beginning of Prohibition, well balanced, entering the universe of mixology Chrysanthemum Fizz, actually turned out to be my favorite, the refreshing and subtle taste drew me into the lounge chairs Green Lake, obviously an all time favorite with the ladies, light in alcohol and full summer flavors, why would anyone order an Aperol Spritz that has been extremely popular in Europe during the last years, when you can enjoy a beautiful summer drink like the Green Lake Alpine Meadows, I enjoyed the mellow taste of the tea infused gin and the warmth of the Benedictine, but the burning tea leaves on top were a bit too much Kingston Negroni, this drink put me back up on my feet, I love the strength and bitterness of a classic Negroni, with the coffee it rushed right into my veins. It has been a great evening at the Alchemy. I only wish that we would been seated without any restrictions since we were the first guests when...

So so hidden. It's actually inside of MQ. Ask any staff, they'll direct you up. This is what speakeasy should be like, I feel so taken care of here. Everyone's chatty and friendly here. A bit of a wait but I didn't mind. Oh and the secret door to the bar, slides left away from the other wall. Good luck finding this gem. It's worth the trouble.

I ordered their Chrysanthemum Fizz and there's an actual chrysanthemum on a orange peel placed on my drink. (See photo) Everytime I take a sip, my nose would get very intimate with the flower and peel. A subtle but intoxicating fragrance would fill my breath and taste. Absolutely magical. My favorite drink thus far. Alcohol taste is minimal too, for a wuss like me.

My favorite of this bar, aside from amazing conversations and the diversity of its customers, is their soup. I don't know if you can actually order it, but late into the night, they would give out chicken broth in a shotglass-sized copper mug.(see photo). I was so confused at first but after shots and drinks, this well warmed up broth was simply heavenly. I did make me feel better overall. Body was warm, my...

Atmosphere 9/10 Truly a speakeasy with an entrance located inside MQ Bar (find stairs leading to the upper floor), behind a fake wall. The interior is very old school / antique and authentic for the Prohibition era. Also, appropriate music - blues - is playing in a pleasant volume in the background. Good bar counter seating and a lot of chair/table/sofa seating inside. Cool backbar

Drinks 8/10 Recommendation: Beginning of Prohibition Simple menu design, but a relatively large drink selection - classics and signatures. Definitely recommend the “Beginning of Prohibition” cocktail, which has a superb presentation, true to Prohibition times (thedrink is covered in newspaper). Average glassware / cups. No coasters

Service 6/10 Water is served upfront. The bartender put some effort into explaining the menu in English. No further service aspects. Prices are slightly above average

I’m really not sure what “Alchemy” in the bar name has to do with the concept. But this is maybe due to my lack of...