Salt Lick

Hualien

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Cowboy hats, lassos, Buffalo Bill portraits and framed lengths of 19th-century barbed wire give this diner-pub a Wild West theme, set to a soundtrack ranging from Bowie to Guns N' Roses. They serve barbecue ribs, deep-pan pizzas and Louisiana gumbo, but the big attraction is the blackboard listing of Taiwanese craft beers (usually five on tap).

If available, try the excellent, hoppy Taihu IPA. Happy hour (5pm to 6pm) has two-for-one drinks, and Friday nights at 9pm you can get a beer and burger for NT$195. Note that quoted prices don't include the 10% service charge.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Jing Si Hall

    Jing Si Hall

    1.74 MILES

    Built in 2000, this gigantic temple-cum-performance venue has a simple yet striking, white-and-grey exterior. At its tallest point, the building is…

  • Start of the Zhuilu Old Trail

    Taroko Gorge

    13.37 MILES

    This 18km marble-walled gorge is Taroko National Park's crown jewel. It's a must-see attraction whether you're hiking its trails, peering at its…

  • Bulowan

    Bulowan

    13.69 MILES

    Nearing completion at the time of research, a breathtaking new suspension footbridge at Bulowan will soon cross the gorge, dizzyingly high above the river…

  • Aowanda National Forest Recreation Area

    Aowanda National Forest Recreation Area

    27.94 MILES

    Located along the scenic Hwy 14 near Wushe, this national park is famous for its maples. The park ranges in altitude from 1100m to 2600m, making it a cool…

  • Qingshui Cliffs

    Qingshui Cliffs

    15.22 MILES

    Very steep rock-and-forest mountainsides north of Taroko descend directly into the sea from several hundred metres' altitude. That means that roads and…

  • Qixingtan

    Qixingtan

    3.74 MILES

    Qixingtan (Chihsingtan) is a former fishing hamlet whose few remaining, old, tin-roofed shacks are outnumbered by a gaggle of small but fanciful hotels…

  • Lintianshan

    Lintianshan

    22.2 MILES

    An attractively set 'cultural village' and tour bus magnet, Lintianshan was founded in 1918 as a Japanese-era logging village. At its 1960 peak, it housed…

  • Eternal Spring Shrine

    Eternal Spring Shrine

    12.75 MILES

    Picturesque for its setting, backed by toweringly steep mountainsides, this small shrine sits above a gushing spring that pours out onto the rocks below,…

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Nearby Hualien attractions

1. Hualien Railway Culture Park

0.07 MILES

Worth a five-minute look, this area's main sight is a 1932 wooden courtyard building containing a fairly basic history of the East Coast Railway since…

2. Pine Garden

0.59 MILES

Set in a graceful garden that's all a-twitter with birdsong, this 1940s concrete building was used by the Japanese military to wine and pleasure their…

3. Martyr's Shrine

0.64 MILES

Designed like an antique Chinese palace, this colourfully gabled 1980s complex is set amid lush foliage on a small rise overlooking Hualien's single most…

5. Jing Si Hall

1.74 MILES

Built in 2000, this gigantic temple-cum-performance venue has a simple yet striking, white-and-grey exterior. At its tallest point, the building is…

6. Gangtiangong

1.97 MILES

Climb through a dragon's mouth into one of two spiral staircases that front this gigantic Matsu temple – the biggest in Hualien. There is particularly…

7. Fogstand

2.76 MILES

An ambitious little gallery that showcases edgy and experimental works by Taiwanese, Asian and Western artists. Fogstand also has an artists-as-resident…

8. Qixingtan

3.74 MILES

Qixingtan (Chihsingtan) is a former fishing hamlet whose few remaining, old, tin-roofed shacks are outnumbered by a gaggle of small but fanciful hotels…