Gordon Biersch - Taipei Hsinyi Store

Upstairs in the Breeze, a western style brewpub like all the GBs around the world. 6 beers on tap at a reasonable price for a flight if you so desire. There is nothing unique to this location and the beers are all the same. Service was great and they offered me a sample of the seasonal before I even sat down.

Visited during lunch in late November 2015. They had six beers on tap, all available in two sizes. I think that the beers were ok although nothing sensational. Fast and friendly service at the bar. Located in a department store, close to Taipei 101. An ok place.

This is a Gordon Biersch. It’s in Taipei but it’s a Gordon Biersch. There were six beers on tap and all of them were available in a sampler. I felt the quality of the beers was better than average for Gordon Biersch so that’s a positive. Like most western style restaurants, it’s a little on the expensive side but if you are a traveler from the US, it will be about what you’d expect to pay here. The staff spoke enough English that you can order, pay, etc. w/o issue if you don’t speak Chinese. If you are going to be in this area of the city anyway, it’s not a bad place to stop through but I wouldn’t make a destination of it unless you have a particular affinity for Gordon Biersch.

To add to the comment below, there are actually a number of places to find excellent craft beer all throughout Taipei (and Taiwan). Notably are bottleshops like Beer & Cheese, gastropubs like EIEIO (Dogfish) and Mayan (craft tastings every saturday night), and a number of places that specialize re Belgians. GB is great if you’re looking for a filling western meal paired with a solid wheat beer. The experience is consistent, and the service is excellent. If you’re looking for something like Lamb Burgers with a double IPA (EIEIO) or the best guac in the city with some Anchor Steam (Mayan), keep hunting. (Or, my favorite, pick up a few bottles at B&C, then head to a night market).

I guess there are two locations here in Taipei for Gordon Biersch. Apparently it’s next to impossible to get a Microbrewery up and running in Taiwan. But if you’re dying for some good beer...this is about as good as it will get. There are a couple of more places I have on my list to visit. But here, you’ll find the same beers you’d find at any other Gordon Biersch. I had the Mai bock and the Schwarzbier. Both a BJCP standard in their categorizes. The food was good and again, made toward the American pallet. I’d recommend visiting this spot if you get the craft beer craze... The one I visited had WI-FI available as well as a Patio set-up outside. I’m not sure of the address in this listing, but just know there are two locations.

Accessible from the MRT Blue Line stop for City Hall. Outdoor patio. English language menus and very friendly English-speaking staff. Faux red brick walls behind J-shaped 20-place laquered red wood bar. Bar/lounge area with a dozen and a half tall tables and padded chairs. Padded bench-style seating along one wall. Subdued music and moderate lighting (bright enough to read the menus)Non-smoking available. Sampler for NT 230. Late-night specials from 21:30-. Full liquor license. Crowd about 50/50 men/women, mostly locals in their 20s and 30s.

Great place for after work. Food is great ( but expensive) . Beer is great . It’s not the generic lager you’d get in most pubs. Staff are very helpful and there are so many of them. There are now more GB’s appearing all over the island. Get the garlic fries they are sumptious. Highly recommended.

Gordon Biersch is located on the second floor in the A11 building of the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store, near Taipei 101. This isn’t actually a brewpub. The bartender told me that it is illegal in Taiwan to have a brewery inside a pub or restaurant. The production brewery is located in Taichung where there is also a second GB retail location. I knew from doing some previous research that getting a good craft beer in Taiwan is not an easy thing. That certainly was my experience for the eight days I was in the country. The indigenous Taiwan Beer (macro lager) is everywhere, having started off as a government monopoly. The only other beer choices I had occasion to see was in 7-Eleven where they sold a selection of international macro lager, Asahi Black, and Michelob Dark. I also went to a restaurant on the northeast coast that offered their own beer, but it was made from an Australian lager kit and blended with cranberry juice -- too sweet for my taste. I stopped here at GB for a beer with my guide while on a press trip. He’d never been here, much less even knew about GB, so we started off with a sampler rack of the six beers on offer -- Czech Lager, Golden Export, Hefeweizen, Maerzen, Schwarzbier, and a seasonal. Interestingly, he enjoyed all of them. We then decided on a glass of the seasonal Festbier (http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/gordon-biersch-festbier/2454/2164/) before heading off for dinner at a Tainan restaurant where there was only more Taiwan Beer to be had. GB Taipei is essentially their US brewpub transplanted in Taiwan, including the food menu. In the US, you may not think of it as being anything special, but in Taiwan, they were serving the best beer I could find. I even asked an expat Brit in here if you could find an IPA in Taipei. He thought for a bit and said no. So in that context, Gordon Biersch is a place you would definitely seek out. That said, there certainly is a major growth opportunity for craft brewing in Taiwan.