Language Exchange 西門 (Ximen)

You're learning Mandarin and keep freezing up when it's time to order. Your friend's English is great but has never left the textbook. You just like meeting people from somewhere else. Any of those means you'll fit right in.

Every Friday night we grab a few tables at The 58 Bar in Ximending and swap languages over a drink. Start in English, switch to 中文, then mix the two when you run out of words. Nobody's grading you, and your awkward sentences will turn into great stories later.

我們搬家囉!

The new venue has hundreds of Taiwanese craft beers and a menu of British-style food, plus snacks, mains and soft drinks at fair prices. Even better, the owner hands out free fries or 魷魚絲 on the night. Good luck talking with your mouth full.

每週五晚上在西門町，台灣精釀啤酒配英式料理，邊吃邊聊，用你正在學的語言交朋友。

What it costs

There's no entry fee. To support the bar that hosts us, your first purchase is a minimum of NT$200, and that can be any drink or food item. After that, normal menu prices apply. Your NT$200 counts toward what you order, so you're really just ordering dinner or a pint.

低消 NT$200，可折抵消費。之後依菜單價格點餐。

Getting there

Take the MRT to Ximen Station (西門站), Exit 6. From there it's about a five-minute walk to Kaifeng Street. Look for The 58 Bar, then look for the tables where people are switching languages every few sentences.

Come along on your own or bring a friend. Order something, take a seat, and say hi in whatever language you've got. 週五見!