Tess Bar & Kitchen

Placed next to Raffles Hotel, Tess Bar is packed most evenings. Helmed by multiple award-winning bartender, Christyne Lee, Tess’ cocktail menu features modern classics like espresso martinis ($24) and sangria ($24), as well as unique cocktails for those looking for something new. Go for Afternoon Tea in London ($24), a mix of Hendrick’s gin and Smokey Monkey Shoulder paired with butter, English Breakfast and Guinness syrup, and vanilla tincture to round it out. You can also take your tastebuds on a trip around the region with Tess Bar’s Favourite Classic Cocktails menu, which compiles signature cocktails by various guest bartenders across Asia. This includes Hiboru’s (Taipei) Yuan Yang Manhattan ($24), Zest Bar’s (Seoul) No Rush, Gold Rush! ($24), and COLEY’s (Kuala Lumpur) Let’s Get Frisky ($24).

The food is also no slouch. Tess Bar serves up well-executed bar bites like crispy pork belly ($15) and deep-fried calamari complete with cilantro chimichurri and furikake ($17). Stop by Tess Bar during the weekends for its boozy brunch buffet ($108), where you can feast on decadent dishes like duck confit and pesto waffles, and angus beef oxtail casseroles. The cocktails are free-flow, so grab your friends with the stomach for it. 

Offering excellent drinks, top-notch nosh and attentive service, Tess Bar is the kind of spot where you can easily get very comfy and abandon any other bar hopping plans for the night.