The number one hangout for foreigners in Chiayi is the Calgary Cafe. They are located at Guo Hua Street, Lane 351, No. 19. Phone - (05) 227-1626. They serve pizza, hamburgers, nachos, burritos, and a wide variety of drinks. Weekends they have live music.
And now there's Calgary Deli (Dz You Road, #229. Phone - (05) 232-9060). This place serves a wide variety of delicious sandwiches, as well as steak, Mexican food, spaghetti, and some great desserts. Highly recommended.
American Pie (Shing Ye West Road, #123. Phone - (05) 283-5001) offers the best in American food. Definitely try their nachos, chicken sandwiches, and steaks.
Capri Coffee Shop (Mi Two Road, Lane 238, #76. Phone (05) 277-8785) is popular for its bagels and breakfasts, as well as a few Mexican dishes.
There is now a big Thai Buffet restaurant (Yo Ai Road, #362. Phone - (05) 234-5000) in Chiayi. They have everything from steak to sushi to salad, and, of course, Thai food. Prices are higher during the evenings and on weekends. Da Ya Road also has a Thai restaurant, Thai Rest (Da Ya Road, Sec. 2, #295. Phone - (05) 274-3160).
Located right across the street from the train station, the wonderfully named Give Me Power! (Ren Ai Road, #584. Phone (05) - 223-3855) is an ideal place to get some fruit or vegetable juice. They offer a number of beverages, ices, ice creams as well. Prices range from 10 N.T. dollars (an iced tea) to 80 N.T. dollars (a big bowl of mango, milk, and ice.
For fine dining, you might want to check out the classy Bardon Cafe (Guo Hua Street, #283. Phone - (05) 227-9851). This spacious restaurant overlooks the Chiang Kai Shek park, and offers great meals and drinks. Definitely try their grilled black pepper chicken or beef. The kung bao chicken and san bei chicken are also recommended.
The oddly named Madrid Cafe (Min Chuan Road, #369. Phone - (05) 222-0922) is also very pleasant. Oddly named, as they only serve Chinese dishes.
Another good spot is Song Shao (De Yang Street, #35. Phone - (05) 233-9778). They have a great variety of rice and noodle dishes, snacks and beverages, too.
Rung Hsing Restaurant (Chung Shan Road, #173. Phone - (05) 223-6193) has a lot of good Chinese food including kung pao chicken, fried rice, and grilled black pepper beef. My favorite Szechuan restaurant in Chiayi.
Another cozy spot is Gu Daw steakhouse (Min Chuan Road, #397. Phone - (05) 227-8680). They serve steak, coffee, tea, and an assortment of snacks and desserts.
Hsiao Tung Yi (Yo Ai Road, #390. Phone - (05) 281-1390) also serves up steak, as well as rice and noodle dishes in an upscale setting.
Kou Fu Japanese Restaurant (Min Sheng North Road, #229. Phone - (05) 228-2628) has sushi and noodles. Ju Jye Japanese restaurant (Yo Ai Road, #218. Phone - (05) 233-9160), Jiu Jou (Dz You Road, #155-1. Phone - (05) 234-5007) Song Tsun (Chung Hsing Road, #101. Phone - (05) 232-3546) Sushi Express ( Wen Hua Road, #188. Phone - (05) 223-6707) and Ji Ban (Min Sheng North Road, #16. Phone - (05) 222-9223) are also good places for Japanese food.
Chiayi even has its own Korean Restaurant. Han Guo Guan (Chung Cheng Road, #547. Phone - (05) 222-2173) is the place to go for kimchee, barbecued meat, and hot pot.
3 Royalty 3 House has three restaurants in Chiayi (Min Chuan Road, #432. Phone - (05) 223-1766) (Ren Ai Road, #484. Phone - (05) 228-3256) (Chung Shan Road, #109. Phone - (05) 275-7157). They all offer spaghetti, steak, sandwiches, and desserts in a very snazzy restaurant setting. In addition, the Chung Shan Road restaurant has a breakfast buffet for only $90 N.T.
Gilly Family (Chung Shan Road, #86. Phone - (05) 274-4050) is another upscale place with food similar to that of 3 Royalty 3 House.
Hoolyy (Hsin Rong Road, #197-1. Phone - (05) 223-2881) has some pasta and rice dishes. They also sell teas, coffees, and waffles.
Lung Tao Wang (Chwei Yang Road, #261. Phone - (05) 225-2669) offers an unusual dish, "cool" noodles. Yes, that's right, noodle dishes that are eaten cold. This place has several versions, including Szechuan, Japanese, Thai, Korean, and curry noodles. Best of all, dishes are all only $30 - $35 N.T.
Da Ya Road is the place to go for fine dining. Rich Park (Da Ya Road, Section 2, #410. Phone - (05) 271-9883) is an elegant French restaurant. England Ritz (Da Ya Road, Sec. 2, #380. Phone - (05) 275-6518) is also very upscale. Golden Vienna (Da Ya Road, Section 2, #440. Phone - (05) 277-8966) has steaks, coffee, and Chinese style set meals. Lolly Pop (Da Ya Road, Section 2, #512. Phone - (05) 271-4075) is a more casual spot. They have coffee and pasta dishes (Taiwanese style), but not much in the way of candy. The 3 Little Pigs (Da Ya Road, Section 2, #456. Phone - (05) 278-0692) has Chinese style dinners, coffee, tiramisu, bagels, and more
Further down Da Ya Road, there are some coffee shops for the art lover in you. Shr Wai Tao Yuan (Da Ya Road, Sec. 2, #417. Phone - (05) 275-3909) has coffee, tea, "hot pot", spaghetti and Indian bread. Wu Jiao Chiao Ban (Da Ya Road, Sec. 1, #844. Phone - (05) 278-7131) is also for the artistically inclined. They have coffee and Chinese food.
Care for some pizza? Napoli Pizza (Min Dzu Road, #477. Phone - (05) 222-7387) has just what you are looking for, and they deliver. Other places to fill up on pizza are Domino's (Min Dzu Road, #495. Phone - (05) 228-5511), and Pizza Hut (Wen Hua Road, #76. Phone - (05) 228-8900).
If you would prefer to buy some whole-grain bread, fruit juice, or milk, I recommend I-Mei Bakery (Chung Shan Road, #549. Phone - (05) 223-9371).
Jinami (Ren Ai Road, #353. Phone (05) 225-5480), located close to the train station, has good bread, rolls, cake, and beverages.
A very comfortable coffee shop, Kohikan (Hsing Ye West Road, #113. Phone - (05) 285-3335), has quite a selection of coffees and other beverages, as well as sandwiches, spaghetti, fish, and some Chinese dishes. Kohikan is part of a Japanese coffee shop chain that is quickly spreading across Taiwan.
Barista Coffee Shop (Ren Ai Road, #397. Phone - (05) 216-6685) has a branch close to the train station. A very relaxing spot to enjoy coffee, pastries, and bagel sandwiches.
Prague Coffee Shop (Bei Hsing Street, #227-14. Phone - (05) 281-3300) is a new spot, with cappuccino, espresso, and all the rest. A more unusual coffee shop is Danbee Beauty Shop/Coffee Shop (Yo Ai Road, #276. Phone - (05) 281-2839), where you can sip coffee and/or get your hair cut.
If it's not too hot outside, you might pay Coco Hurst Openair Coffee Bar (De An Road, #160-1. Phone - (05) 231-6599) a visit. They serve coffee, ices, fruit juice, teas, waffles, and toast.
For delicious cakes and cookies, try Isabelle (Chung Shan Road, #557. Phone - (05) 223-9992).
If you want to try singing, definitely check out PartyWorld (Ren Ai Road, #399. Phone - (05) 229-1100).Also try Holiday KTV, which has a branch in Chiayi (Chung Shan Road, #619. Phone - (05) 225-6885). They have a good selection of English songs, so get ready to belt out a few ballads.
A good place for dancing is Player (Ren Ai Road, #2. Phone - (05) 285-8700). They serve drinks and dinner.
Bars and pubs are plentiful in Chiayi. Try Blue World (Min Sheng North Road, #324. Phone - (05) 228-4763) or Dimple Pub (Min Chuan Road, #447. Phone - (05) 225-1850). Other drinking spots include Music Bar Pub (Chung Hsing Road, #191), Mei Ren Yu (Chung Hsing Road, #169. Phone - (05) 231-9900), Lan Diao Pub (Chang Rong Street, #273. Phone - (05) 224-5990), Victoria Pub (Sz Wei Road, #350), and Apollo Pub (Min Dzu Road, #305), Touch Pub (Yo Ai Road, #256, 2F. Phone - (05) 234-0586), Gentle Girl (Yu Shan Road, #1), Dong Jr Lian (Hsing Ye West Road, #291. Phone - (05) 286-6618), Nostalgia Pub (Min Chuan Road, #474. Phone - (05) 227-7979) and Style My Bar (Hsing Ya Road, #18. Phone - (05) 233-5684). For a more upscale spot, try HERE Lounge Bar (Lin Sen West Road, #189, 2F. Phone - (05) 224-3198).
If you're up for a game of pool, try out Nine Ball (Yo Ai Street, #112). They're located on the rear of the train station. Some other places for playing pool are A-Gun (Ren Ai Road, #335. Phone - (05) 227-5733) and V-ONE (Chung Hsing Road, #166. Phone - (05) 234-9971).
Taekwondo, anyone? If you are willing to part with $1880 N.T. a month you can take Taekwondo classes several days a week. Visit the Hsin Ying Taekwondo Center at Bei Hsing Street, #328 for more information, or call (05) 232-2997. Classes are all taught in Chinese, but you shouldn't let that stop you.
Swimmers take note. Guo Hua Water World (Guo Hua Street, #375. Phone - (05) 223-3338) is the place for you. They have several indoor pools, including facilities for the kiddies. It's 200 N.T. dollars for visitors, and has reasonable membership prices. They even have swimming classes. They're open from 5:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Some Internet cafes near the train station are Space Website (Lin Sen West Road, #434. Phone - (05) 216-1729), Net Age (Lan Jing Street, #465, 2F. Phone - (05) 216-6578), TWArt (Chung Shan Road, #617, 9F. Phone - (05) 229-3340), Internet Family (Lin Sen West Road, #316. Phone - (05) 224-7118), and Yi Wang Ching Shen (Chung Shan Road, #598. Phone - (05) 216-2607). And if you want to buy some computer equipment, visit 3C (Bwo Ai Road, Section 2, #55. Phone - (05) 234-6666). OR you can just mosey over to 3C (Lin Sen West Road, #295, next to the Ming Jya Mei Department Store. Phone - (05) 225-9252) and surf the net for free.
You movie buffs out there should head for Jya Nian Hua (Chung Shan Road, #617, 4F. Phone - (05) 225-0289). This movie theater has the latest hits from Hollywood. It is located in a complex that has a video game arcade and a McDonald's (which is not far from the Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise).
There is a second run movie theatre called Yuan Dong (Chung Cheng Road, #574. Phone - (05) 222-3312). They play the hit movies of a few months ago, and admission is only $80 N.T. for a double feature. Another second run movie theater is Hsin Rong (Hsin Rong Road, #52).
Or if you want to watch a movie of your choice in a private room, try out Barcelona MTV (Wen Hua Road, #155, 7F. Phone - (05) 229-0163).An amazing selection of old and new movies on video and laser disc. They also have snacks and beverages. Another MTV location close to the train station is Highway (Bei Rong Street, #155. (Phone - (05) 224-1264 or 224-9550.
For my money, the best VCD/DVD rental store in Chiayi is called Estyles ("E Shr Dai"). They are located at Hsing Da West Road, #161. Phone (05) 236-8713. They are a few feet away from American Pie, and they have an excellent selection of movies. They also have a lot of Discovery Channel videos. VCDs are arranged by actor/actress, which makes it easier to find your favorite Harrison Ford flick. And get this, they have free delivery and pick-up.
Blockbuster Video (Lin Sen West Road, #290. Phone - (05) 216-1656) has videos, VCDs, and DVDs for rent, as well as quite a stock of high calorie snack items from the U.S.
Noble Sauna Bath (Sz Wei Road, #192. Phone - (05) 234-0770) is the best sauna in town.
Chiayi's east side is home to Chiayi Park, a nice place to take a stroll. The centerpiece to the park is Sun Tower, which has a good view of the city and Well Cafe(Gung Yuan Street, #46, 10F. Phone - (05) 275-6988), where you can sit and enjoy a hot cup of coffee.
Alishan (also called Mount Ali or Ali Mountain) is wonderful mountain resort, far away from the crowded city. It is located east of Chiayi. Chiayi residents have the perfect opportunity to take a break from city life, and enjoy a refreshing walk in the mountains.
Alishan is located 2,490 meters above sea level. Besides the spectacular mountain scenery, it also boasts forests of red cypress, cedar and pine. You can visit the Sacred Tree, which is over 3,000 years old. Most visitors like to get up early to see the sunrise.
Alishan by Halima Dick and Kao Chieh-ju
Chiayi's snazziest department store, Idee (pronounced eeh-dee-eh) (Chwei Yang Road, #726. Phone - (05) 222-4888), is located behind the train station. It features cosmetics, the latest in men's and women's fashion, a pretty decent food court downstairs, and a bookstore with a limited number of ESL titles. There's also a coffee shop and a Cantonese restaurant on the 11th floor.
Near the train station, there is a smaller department store called Ming Jia Mei (Chung Shan Road, #490. Phone - (05) 227-9880), where you can load up on detergent, pots and pans, makeup, socks, underwear, pillows, blankets, cosmetics, candy, cereal, and other general stuff.
Watson's (Chung Shan Road, #343. Phone - (05) 225-0454) has shampoo, cosmetics, deodorant, condoms, chocolate, and a number of other things you can't live without.
Jin Yu Tang (Hsin Le Road, #337. Phone - (05) 223-9566) is a large bookstore that features some materials such as flashcards and posters in Chinese and English for teaching English to children. Oh, and be sure to get some Hello Kitty stationery.
Used bookstores in Taiwan are an overlooked source of ESL textbooks, both monolingual and bilingual. They also have some English dictionaries and novels. I discovered two such places in Chiayi: Wang Cheng Used Bookstore (Lan Jing Street, #437) and Da Mo Used Bookstore (Hsin Rong Road, #323).
If you are into used magazines (Japanese and English), you should head for the Taiwan Indigenous Enterprise Development Association (Chi Ming Road, #146. Phone - (05) 278-9161).
Washing King (Guang Tsai Street, #564) is a good place to wash your dirty laundry. They have coin-operated machines, and 70 N.T. dollars gets you one load of clothes washed and dried. Other places: Chung Cheng Road, #702. De Ming Road, #112. Yo Ping Road, #27. Mi Two Road, Lane 238, #54. Hsing Da Road, #565.
If you're looking for a plant or two to liven up your apartment, wander over to Hua Tsao Dian (Min Sheng Road, #31. Phone - (05) 223-8523), a plant shop that has an incredible variety of plants and other items for decorating your place. Don't fret if you don't see anything you like there, because just down the street there are several more flower shops. On the other side of the train station, Ru Yi Flower Shop/Coffee Shop (Jian Guo Road, #111. Phone - (05) 232-8001) has a good selection of plants. They also have a coffee shop that serves, coffee, tea, ices, ice cream, waffles, and Chinese dumplings.
For a uniquely Chinese souvenir, you can have a chi pao (traditional Chinese-style dress) tailor made for only a few thousand N.T. dollars. Where? Wander down to Fu Gwei Ren (Min Sheng North Road, #199. Phone - 0915-821-556) and ask for Mr. Lin.
Another place to hunt for Chinese items is Liang Yuan (Min Dzu Road, #478. Phone - (05) 224-8846). This store's colorful wares are intended for weddings and other special occasions, and it's worth taking a look around even if you don't want to buy anything.
The Body Shop (Chung Shan Road, #399. Phone - (05) 228-4856) offers skin and hair care products.
Bo Lin Records (Chung Shan Road, #475. Phone - (05) 229-3968) has CD's of your favorite Western artists.
Mei- Li Chen Dance School (Chwei Yang Road, #318, 5F-4. Phone -(05) 224-7575) offers a wide variety of dance classes. Also, Teacher Tung Dance Studio (Bwo Ai Road, #168, 5F-5. Phone - (05) 231-0515) has dance classes for adults and children. That's behind the train station.
Finally, if your Chinese is up to snuff, you can read over the Chiayi On-Line Website.
Here is the Chiayi City government website. It includes a map of Chiayi (all in Chinese, I'm afraid).
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