Tanjong Pagar Restaurants and Bars: Duxton to Keong Saik

Tanjong Pagar restaurants and bars sit in a tight grid of conserved shophouses, and almost everything worth a booking is within a short walk of Duxton Hill. Start at the lobby of Mondrian Singapore Duxton and the omakase counter on Keong Saik Road is 160 metres north-west of the door, in a straight line.

This guide covers the three streets that matter for a dinner or a late drink: Duxton Hill and Duxton Road, Keong Saik Road, and Tanjong Pagar Road. Straight-line distances from the hotel are given for the closest rooms.

If you have a free afternoon as well, the temples and hawker centres of Chinatown are a short walk away.

Duxton Hill: rooftop, pool and a mirror tunnel

Duxton Hill and Duxton Road are short and walkable end to end. There is no main road to follow, so the evening drifts between doorways instead of queueing outside a mall.

Jungle Ballroom is a cocktail bar on Level 3 of the same hotel, reached from street level through a mirror tunnel. The room pairs neon lighting with design inspired by Southeast Asian greenery. The drinks lean on regional ingredients, including the Duxton Sling made with Brass Lion Gin, pineapple and gula melaka.

Cat Bite Club at 75 Duxton Road operates behind a daytime coffee shop space and opens each evening. It is closed on Tuesdays. The drinks centre on agave and rice-based spirits, with house creations such as the Ube Noir alongside margaritas.

Eating inside and next to Mondrian

The hotel carries several kitchens under one roof, so dinner on the day you arrive needs no taxi.

Suzuki is an omakase room on Neil Road in the same complex, led by Chef Suzuki. The dining room was designed by architect Kengo Kuma, and guests sit at the counter to watch each course prepared.

Firebird by Suetomi is the yakitori room on Neil Road at Mondrian, with sake pairings led by an in-house sommelier. Skewers come off the furnace in thigh, wing and neck cuts, with vegetable dishes, chawanmushi and clear soup alongside. It is closed on Mondays.

For drinks without a full meal, Noa Lounge by Olivia serves tapas, sharing plates, wine and cocktails at 83 Neil Road #01-01. The wine room at 83 Neil Road is reached through the hotel lobby.

Duxton Hill for a long dinner

Xiao Ya Tou at 6 Duxton Hill serves modern Asian dishes with locally inspired cocktails in a playful setting. It is 80 metres north of the hotel, in a straight line.

Keong Saik Road: omakase, Spanish fire and wine

Keong Saik Road holds the next cluster of rooms. Check each venue's hours before you cross over, because small rooms here close on set days.

NÓMADA at 1 Keong Saik Road cooks Spanish food over open flame with international influences. The menu includes paella and Ibérico pluma rice, plus crispy-skin cod and grilled prawns with garlic aioli.

FOC Restaurant at 32 Keong Saik Road serves elevated Spanish dishes and cocktails in an open kitchen.

Bistro Gaston at 25 Keong Saik Road pairs Burgundy-focused wines with traditional French bistro food in a conserved shophouse.

KOK Sen at 4 Keong Saik Road is the Cantonese zi char room, cooking traditional wok-fried dishes with strong wok hei. Signatures include big prawn hor fun with egg gravy, fish head curry and stuffed yong tau foo. It serves lunch and dinner and is closed on Mondays.

Around the corner on Bukit Pasoh Road, Live Twice is a Japanese mid-century-inspired cocktail bar for an intimate evening. Big Wine Freaks at 44 Bukit Pasoh Road has a Champagne and Burgundy-heavy list, and guests must be aged 21 or above.

Ma Cuisine at 38 Craig Road is a French gastro-wine destination for a planned dinner and a serious wine selection.

Tanjong Pagar Road and the Korean strip

Tanjong Pagar Road is lined with Korean restaurants and watering holes, from barbecue to fried chicken. O.BBa BBQ runs Korean barbecue at 63 Tanjong Pagar Road. Guiga at 134 Tanjong Pagar Road serves beef and pork barbecue with a broad Korean menu and suits a group dinner.

Jigger and Pony serves contemporary cocktails in a hotel-bar setting at Amara Singapore, 165 Tanjong Pagar Road, 410 metres south of Mondrian in a straight line.

Five Oars Coffee Roasters on Tanjong Pagar Road is a coffee roaster.

Craig Road and the quiet end

Marcys runs a seafood brasserie at Craig Place.

Firangi Superstar serves Indian lunch and dinner on Craig Road.

Birds of Paradise Gelato Boutique on Craig serves botanical gelato for the walk back.

Coffee and brunch before the day starts

Brunch dishes and homemade bakes come from the cafe butter tgt on Neil Road. The Populus serves specialty coffees with an eclectic international menu.

The Marmalade Pantry is a cafe bistro on Tanjong Pagar Road, open from 11:30 AM to 10 PM.

Choosing by occasion

For a quiet two-person dinner, the counters work best: Suzuki and Haruki seat guests at a counter, so the cooking is the entertainment. For a group of four or more, Guiga's barbecue and KOK Sen's shared wok dishes make the ordering easy.

For a late drink after dinner, the choice is between the rooftop at Canyon Club, the mirror tunnel at Jungle Ballroom, or an agave cocktail behind the coffee shop at Cat Bite Club. For wine, Praelum and Vinflow suit a sit-down evening, while Big Wine Freaks leans towards a livelier room.

Walking on to Chinatown

The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple is 360 metres north-east of Mondrian, in a straight line. That puts Chinatown within a short stroll.

Plan the temple and hawker-centre half of the day with the things to do in Chinatown, then come back to Duxton for dinner.

Practical notes for a first evening

Reserve dinner ahead if you have a set time in mind. Several rooms close on a fixed day (Firebird, KOK Sen and Cat Bite Club each close one day a week), so check the listing before you walk across. For the rest of the city, the Singapore district-by-district guide covers the other neighbourhoods.