Bars that offer more than just booze
Drinking with your friends is usually a chill affair, but when you’re in the mood to amp it up, Singapore’s got a slew of bars that offer more than just nice evening breezes and a relaxed atmosphere – there’s a new 80’s inspired joint with neon-lit photo ops and retro arcade games, an underground bar with ping pong tables, and a shots challenge that requires some tricky maneuvering!
Here’s a list of 7 bars that you can hit with your best buds for a night of fun:
1. Hopheads Bar
Source: Hopheads
Spacious, grungy, and hidden underground – that’s Hopheads Bar for you, where you can find all sorts of drinking and non-drinking games like beer pong, darts, foosball, pool, Giant Jenga, and even table tennis!
Source: Hopheads
The games are all free-of-charge so long as you purchase drinks with no minimum amount required, and besides their insanely affordable Happy Hour deals that include an Asahi Tower that goes for just $55, they whip up a pretty mean Chicken Waffle Burger as well.
Source: Hopheads
Plus, they hold nostalgic #throwback parties from time to time, where you can dance away to your favourite jams from the 90’s and 00’s between games.
The 90s Boom Boom Party. Source: Hopheads
Address: #B1-00, Haw Par Glass Tower, 178 Clemenceau Ave, Singapore 239926
Opening Hours: Mon – Thurs: 11.30AM – 12AM | Fri: 11.30AM – 2AM | Sat: 5PM – 2AM
Telephone: 6904 4019
Website
2. Level Up
Source: Level Up
If you’re a fan of arcades, Level Up is where you’ll want to be. The first-ever arcade bar in Singapore, it not only has the usual pool, foosball, and beer pong, but also plenty of old-school game machines, complete with joysticks and buttons, where you can battle it out at games like X-Men vs. Street Fighter and Metal Slug!
Source: @sardonicfatigue
They even have air hockey and basketball machines, the ever-popular Bishi Bashi, a claw machine, and recent additions Ultimate Big Punch and Point Blank. Tokens come free with bar bites and drinks, but are available for purchase on their own as well with prices as low as $0.70 per piece.
Source: Level Up
It doesn’t hurt that Level Up has plenty of photo-worthy spots as well, like the graffiti murals of characters from video games like Mario and Street Fighter, and their signature neon-lit signage right outside the bar’s entrance!
Source: @fionseesays
Address: #02-04, 3A River Valley Road, Clarke Quay, Singapore 179020
Opening Hours: Mon – Thurs: 5PM – 2AM | Fri – Sat: 5PM – 3AM | Sun: 4PM – 1AM
Telephone: 6266 2276
Website
3. Nineteen80
Source: NINETEEN80
The newest to jump onto the bandwagon of retro games is Nineteen80, an 80’s-inspired watering hole that features a healthy dose of neon-lit photo ops, a cassette tape wall, and a pixelated mural of Bruce Lee, among other 80’s icons!
Source: @domduck
With arcade games like Space Invaders, Puzzle Bobble, Pac-Man, Mortal Kombat, and Street Fighter, you’ll be hit by a wave of nostalgia for sure – which will only be further heightened by tunes from the 80’s till 00’s spun by their resident DJs!
Source: @mmmonkman
Do note that while the place is a little small, it only just opened late last month, which means it’s great for those who wish to escape from the crowd at Level Up!
Address: #01-05, 21 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088444
Opening Hours: Tues, Thurs: 5.30PM – 1AM | Wed, Fri, Sat: 5.30PM – 3AM
Website
4. Chupitos Shots Bar
Source: @chupitos_sg
Not many are aware of this, but Chupitos Shots Bar revamped their infamous “Hall of Fame” shots challenge late last year! Great for those who pride themselves on their drinking abilities, it isn’t just a simple “throw your head back and down it” kind of challenge either – in just 60 seconds, you need to finish 10 shots, and complete a set of tasks before drinking each shot.
Yes, one of the challenges involves a shot in a shoe! Source: The Chupitos Bar
The tasks get harder as you go along as well, which includes tossing a coin into a shot glass, stacking steel nuts atop each other, and… stacking a glass on the bottom of a bottle for a literal “bottoms up”.
Watch the full challenge guide here!
Address: #01-05, 3B River Valley Road, Singapore 179021
Opening Hours: Sun – Tues, Thurs: 6.30PM – 1.30AM | Wed, Fri: 6.30PM – 3AM | Sat: 6.30PM – 3.30AM
Website
5. Forest Darts Cafe & Pub
Source: Forest Darts Cafe
Calling out to all my sharpshooters! As its name states, Forest Darts Cafe & Pub is a forest-themed bar that not only looks pretty with lush greenery and fairy lights hanging off the ceiling, but also takes its darts very seriously. They hold dart matches internally, and even compete in external competitions regularly!
Source: @michellejia_if
What’s more, each game is priced affordably at just $2 per person for both darts and pool, and they even have a karaoke machine for those who want to sing their heart out.
Address: 45 Ann Siang Road, Singapore 069719
Opening Hours: Mon – Thurs: 4:30PM – 1AM | Fri: 4.30PM – 2AM | Sat: 6PM – 2AM
Telephone: 6227 3522
Website
6. Don’t Tell Mama
Source: Burpple
Perfect for those working in the vicinity to let their hair loose and celebrate TGIF, Don’t Tell Mama is a Korean-Mexican bar in Tanjong Pagar that boasts a stylish modern industrial interior, unique fusion cocktails, and a Beer Pong challenge where the winning team gets to drink for free!
Don’t Tell Mama even has a tree indoors. Source: Don’t Tell Mama
You’re free to challenge anyone in the bar, and it’s the rule that loser pays for all the beer – including your share. Of course, the usual drinking roulettes and games are also available to rent for free.
Source: Don’t Tell Mama
As an added bonus, Don’t Tell Mama also has regular value-for-money promotions, like their current Ladies Night deal that has free-flow house pour spirits with the purchase of any food item every Wednesday from 7PM – 10PM.
Address: 52 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088473
Opening Hours: Mon – Thurs: 5.30PM – 2AM | Fri – Sat: 5.30PM – 3AM
Telephone: 6221 2007
Website
7. Club Castle
One of the signs at Club Castle’s 2nd outlet at Lavender. Source: @jace_tan
Tucked away at D’Kranji Farm Resort and Lavender Street are Club Castle bars, with the newer outlet at Lavender boasting a grand total of 19 Instagrammable neon-lit signs on top of multi-coloured LED chairs and tables, quirky cocktails, and a wide variety of drinking roulette and dice games!
Source: @xean000
From games like Crocodile Dentist and Biting Bulldog to Pop-up Pirate, both bars even have a special type of Jenga to try your hand at, with drinking forfeits stamped on each block.
Source: Club Castle Group
To switch up your drinking games, they also have special concoctions with ingredients kept secret and wacky cocktails like a bucket of Hospital Needle Shots, a Nu Er Hong that’s served in a classic Chinese wine jug, and a twist on the classic “Graveyard” drink that comes with 4 different shots of liquor on the side for you to dunk into your drink every time you lose at a game!
Nu Er Hong. Source: @cgcastlegroup
Address: D’Kranji Farm Resort, 10 Neo Tiew Lane 2, Singapore 718813 | 217 Lavender Street (2nd Storey) Singapore 338772
Opening Hours: Sun – Fri: 5PM – 3AM | Sat: 6PM – 4AM
Website
