There has always been a steady stream of Singapore bars for local tipplers to choose from, but recently there has been a spate of new venues setting up shop all over town, offering everything from unique arrays of beers to interesting cuisine options. We round up five great new bars to add to your ever-expanding list of options.
Find out who made it to our top five picks for great bars with unique bar concepts.
The name of The Bank Bar is pretty self-explanatory: bankers and other high-flyers are frequent patrons of this 120-seater venue, which is modelled after an old British bank. Dark wood, a colour palette of warm hues and giant portraits of old Straits Settlement currency gives the place a charming Old-World vibe.
Naturally, the food offered here is not of your usual bar grub variety; expect familiar favourites like beef bourguignon and fish and chips done to perfection, as well as an extensive assortment of beers and wines. Service is a little spotty, but food and drinks are reasonably priced considering the bar’s prime location.
The Bank Bar, 1 Shenton Way, #01-01, +65 6325 7125, www.thebankbar.com
The Exchange Brasserie and Bar
The Bank Bar isn’t the only financially themed Singapore bar in town: The Exchange is also looking to cash in on the moneyed sets. The new venue stands out from the pack by having its bar, restaurant and lounge all serving Australasian cuisine, as well as offering a wine list that focuses on New World wines and premium beer list.
Although The Exchange is still too new to review (every venue needs some time to work out kinks), with a menu focusing on fresh ingredients, a solid drinks list and an ace location, it’s a place to check out on your next after-work night out.
The Exchange Brasserie and Bar, 8 Marina View #01-05 Asia Square Tower 1, +65 6636 1200, info@theexchange.com.sg
There might be tons of Singapore bars, but there’s one hole in the market: there are few good wine bars, leaving local oenophiles high and dry. Melvin Tan and Gregory Lee are offering a solution in the form of their new Verre Wine Bar. Their vision for the venue is to create a watering hole where both seasoned and aspiring wine lovers to share experiences over a glass of vino.
Whether it's a bottle from independent artisan wineries or well-known vineyards you're after, Verre carries an impressive list of 750 labels from Burgundy and Bordeaux. Pair your drink with Verre's French-influenced menu.
Verre, 8 Rodyk street, #01-05/06, closed on Mondays, +65 6509 1917, drink@verre.com.sg, www.verre.com.sg
For budding wine connoisseurs looking to start their own wine collections, wine expert Henry Hariyono shares some beginner tips on choosing your first bottles of wine.
For more information on wine pairing with Asian cuisine, don't miss our Flavours of Asia articles.
The Tree Bar – the boozier half of at modern European restaurant Garden of Eden – offers a variety of experimental cocktail creations conceptualized by owner and chef Tim Ross-Watson.
With tipples called “Adam and Eve” and “Christmas in a Glass”, the drinks here are hard to resist. The cocktail menu of avant-garde cocktails and quirky beers are paired with unique bar fare, and the F&B is set against the edgy interior of colourful murals and graffiti art. This new Singapore bar is the perfect place to indulge in a sin, or two.
The Garden of Eden, 148 Neil Road, +65 6222 2119, thegardenofedenrestaurant.com
Check out also modern European restaurant Keystone, which serves progressive cuisine.
WaBar
Now here's something you don't see everyday at a Singapore bar: Korean music videos blaring out of flat screen televisions, offering a respite from the ubiquitous sports programs in pubs in the area. The bar food here offers an impressive variety of Western classics with Korean twists. The first Singapore branch of the award-winning Korean beer bar franchise, WaBar’s combination of pub and K-pop culture is the venue’s defining feature.
A stunning bottle display sits at the bar entrance, lit in bright neon shades, but it's the staggering selection of beer and whiskey options from all over the world that has our attention.
Wabar, 62/64 Tanjong Pagar Road, +65 6224 7073, wabarsingapore@gmail.com, www.wabar.co.kr