5 new unique themed bars to check out

When it comes to bars, it’s the drinks that matter for some. But for others, it’s the whole experience that takes a night out from okay to fantabulous. If you belong to the latter camp, check out these cool new themed bars — from retro-style spaces to ones with a steampunk twist.

1. Rails

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Rails, a steampunk-inspired bar and lounge by lifestyle brand A Phat Cat Collective has just opened its doors.

The thematic getaway draws on Tanjong Pagar Railway Station and Jinrikisha Station, and is envisioned as a train platform with a steampunk twist.

The decor includes a LED-lit installation of a steampunk clock tower, studded with gears and cogwheels that trail up to the ceiling that form the DJ console, a glass-paneled bar counter with exposed brass pipelines, and an entrance fashioned like a vintage elevator shuttered with steel scissor gates.

Sip on inventive cocktails – choose from fizzy refreshers, milk-based tipples, or bold, stiffer options.

There’s even a Murder On The Orient Express cocktail ($25), inspired by the famous novel of the same name, which is a dark concoction of an acquired, licorice lace of absinthe, coffee liqueur, pear, pineapple, and orange juice shaken with activated charcoal.

If you’re feeling peckish, the bar serves up bites from Chix Hot Chicken, known for its Nashville fried chicken. Tame your bellies with fried chicken sandwiches, sliders, or a hearty breakfast wrap.

Rails is at 21 Tanjong Pagar Road, #01-02, Singapore 088444.

2. Nineteen80

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Right next to Rails is Nineteen80, which is quite literally a blast to the past. It’s not new but has been recently expanded with new spaces and decor.

This arcade-meets-bar at Tanjong Pagar is decked in neon lights, a kaleidoscope of colours, a backdrop of cassette tapes, old school arcade games and video characters – think Pac-Man, Streetfighters and even a pixellated Bruce Lee wall.

Bop to groovy retro beats as you sip on equally fun cocktails like Banana Julius Flip with vodka and Crème de Banana Liqueur, and Purple Rain (named after Prince’s iconic movie), with vodka, Blue Curacao, grenadine, fruit juices, Yakult Ace Light. Hungry? Grab a hot chicken sandwich or Dirty Taters from Chix Hot Chicken.

Nineteen80 is at #01-05 21 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088444. Visit its website for more.

3. Yum Sing!

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Go back further in time to the sixties over at Yum Sing!

This experiential dining and entertainment concept which opened just earlier this year celebrates the vibrant 1960s with both its food and decor. From its rattan chairs and timber panels to bright neon lights, a pair of lion dance costumes, and advertisement boards, the furnishings harken back to a bygone era.

Dig into local favourites like Hokkien mee, prawn paste chicken wings, Hainanese chicken rice, bak kut teh and chilli crab. Drinks-wise, give its Singapore-inspired signatures a whirl; there are the Kopi-O Gao, Yum Sling and Kaya Toast Set cocktails.

Yum Sing is at 3B River Valley Road, #01-06/07, Clarke Quay, Singapore 179021.

ALSO READ: Just opened February 2021: New restaurants, bars, and cafes in Singapore this month

4. Club 5

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The newly refurbished Club 5 at Parkroyal Beach Road opened its doors earlier this year to unveil interiors that’ll take you back to the Roaring Twenties.

With glamorous Art Deco interiors designed by award-winning designer Emma Maxwell, its specially curated cocktail menu dreamt up by head bartender Ong Jun Han is dedicated to the different districts surrounding the hotel and their heritage.

There’s the 20 Houses Tonic ($18), which refreshes with a mix of aromatic gin, cardamom, fresh citrus and classic tonic, as well as the adventurous Nasi Lema’rgarita ($20) inspired by Arab Street, with housemade coconut tequila and spicy pandan syrup.

Our favourite is the Boogie Street ($22) that nods to the iconic Bugis Street – a London dry gin sour with apricot liqueur, agave syrup, violette liqueur and smokey hints from mezcal.

Don’t miss out on the Asian-inspired bar bites. Chow down on Homemade Wagyu Satay with Hazelnut Dip ($15), Peranakan style Chicken Kueh Pie Tee with Buah Keluak Dressing ($15), Deep-Fried Soft Shell Crabs with Singapore Chilli Crab Sauce ($15), and more.

Club 5 at Parkroyal on Beach Road is at 7500 Beach Road, Singapore 199591.

5. Writers Bar

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Raffles Hotel might be synonymous with Long Bar when it comes to watering holes, but it also houses the Writers Bar with a storied history.

After a revamp, this iconic establishment which nods to famous authors who have resided at the hotel, reopened in December 2020, with

From a bookcase of curios to vintage typewriters and a gold-hued bar, the luxurious surroundings will take your evening up by several notches.

The bar is manned by its newest head bartender, Nicholas Alexander, who has been in the bartending scene for nearly a decade.

Savour artisanal 1915 Raffles Gin cocktails, the iconic Million Dollar Cocktail, as well as a new menu of original handcrafted cocktails inspired by “The Raffles Affair”. This murder mystery set in Raffles Hotel Singapore is written by their latest Writer-in-Residence, Vicki Virtue.

Writers Bar is at Raffles Hotel Singapore, 1 Beach Road, Singapore 189673.

This article was first published in The Singapore Women's Weekly.