Side Door

Side Door is genuinely one of our favourite bars in Singapore. We ranked it number one in our 2025 Best Bars list, and the 2026 menu proves that even at the top of their game, this husband-and-wife-run spot keeps evolving.

Helmed by Bannie Kang and Tryson Quek, formerly of Anti:Dote, Side Door feels like their home away from home that’s also a creative playground. And the chemistry is real: there’s always playful banter, effortless hospitality and serious technical skill. It’s rare to find a bar operating at this level that still feels genuinely welcoming.

The vibe

Side Door doesn’t lean into the usual dim-lights-and-velvet bar formula. Instead, it feels closer to a relaxed café, bright, airy and completely unpretentious. Raw concrete floors and a natural skylight create an industrial base, softened with greenery and warm service.

The best seats are at the counter, where you can watch Tryson cooking and Bannie building drinks with competition-level precision. There’s also a large communal table ideal for groups but book ahead, it fills fast.

The drinks

Bannie’s style is unmistakable, with visually minimal cocktails and layered, precise flavours. Clarification techniques are used liberally throughout the menu, but never for show. They sharpen ingredients rather than mute them.

What makes Side Door stand out is its tapas-style cocktail pairing menu ($29). The TNT (Don Julio Blanco, tomato-wasabi, jasmine) arrives with a cone of maguro, bonito jelly, seaweed and tomato. Have a bite and you’ll find that the snack really enhances the flavours of the tomato-based drink, and vice versa. Another hit riffs on a negroni with Hendrick’s Gin, strawberries, Thai milk tea and sweet vermouth, paired with a playful chicken sausage bite. Not a combo you’d usually expect, but the mustard and ketchup on the mini hotdog make the tea notes in the drink sing.

The revamped signature list keeps only the cult non-fruit beer ($25), a clever reinvention of the Korean soju bomb, but the new drinks more than justify the overhaul. The Green Door ($27) — Tanqueray No.10, green chartreuse, cucumber and lime — is a must-order. Served in a gorgeous Kimura glass, Tryson created this drink influenced by Bannie for his World Class Tanqueray challenge, where he had to make a modern classic inspired by a modern icon, his wife. It’s properly boozy but perfectly balanced by the cucumber and lime.

There’s range, too. The melon soda pop ($26) is playful and nostalgic, while the kumquatini ($27), served crisp and ice-cold, leans more adult. It’s a menu that works for both cocktail nerds and casual drinkers.

The food

The bar bites menu has also evolved into a full dinner-worthy offering. The beef tartare ($23) with a smoked yuzu sorbet remains a favourite, now served with spiced chips. The cumin wings are gone, replaced by a limited-quantity fried spring chicken (half $20, full $36), which is simply seasoned, juicy and elevated by sauces like cilantro aioli and sweet-spicy Korean glaze.

And then there’s the late-night move: a zhnged-up Nissin cup ramen, listed as ‘favourite noodle’ ($16), topped with grilled prawns and scallops. It sounds gimmicky, but is touched by Side Door’s special magic. The broth is deeply comforting and exactly what you want before another round.

Time Out tip

Go early and sit at the counter. You’ll get the full experience, drinks, food and the dynamic between two of Singapore’s most talented bartenders, all as you watch the sun slowly set through the skylight.