Bar Kap Singapore is located inside the historic House of Tan Yeok Nee on Penang Road.
The bar features interconnected rooms, rare spirits and a narrative-led cocktail menu.
The 120-year-old mansion is part of Singapore’s famed Four Grand Mansions.
Bar Kap Singapore brings cocktails, culture and character to the House of Tan Yeok Nee.
Singapore is a city that knows how to balance old and new. Its shophouses, colonial buildings and national monuments continue to shape the city’s identity, but few have been given a new lease of life quite like the House of Tan Yeok Nee. Located on Penang Road, the 120-year-old mansion is now home to Bar Kap Singapore, a heritage cocktail bar that brings together architecture, storytelling and modern mixology.
Built as a private residence for merchant Tan Yeok Nee, the building is regarded as one of Singapore’s most important heritage landmarks. It also forms part of the Four Grand Mansions, a group of historic residences that reflect the city’s rich architectural heritage. Rather than turning the property into a static museum, Bar Kap Singapore has transformed the space into an atmospheric drinking destination where the past is woven into the experience.
Inside, the bar unfolds across a series of interconnected rooms, each with its own character. The Main Hall acts as the social centre, with a communal table designed for conversation over cocktails and tea. The Carriage Room offers a more intimate setting, with rare spirits and a sense of discovery. The Chamber takes a quieter approach, drawing on apothecary influences and the mansion’s links to learning and medicine.
Bar Kap’s signature beverages turn the mansion’s history into a liquid archive, with the menu divided into four eras: Kapitan, Station Master, Order and Dynasty. Each section draws on a different chapter of the House of Tan Yeok Nee, from trade and movement to ritual, preservation and renewal. Drinks include the coconut and raspberry-led Mai Bàn, the long pepper-spiked Pepper Peddler, the tequila-based Johor Express with calamansi and fig leaf soda, and the robust Tea Needle, made with bourbon, baijiu, pu’er and hawthorn. It is a thoughtful cocktail programme shaped by flavour, memory and place.
Also housed within the same heritage building is Jing Studio, a calmer counterpoint to Bar Kap’s theatrical energy. The concept centres on curated teas, herbal infusions and light pastries, creating a more meditative experience within the mansion. Together, the two venues give visitors different ways to engage with the building, whether through cocktails, tea or quiet appreciation of the architecture.
Bar Kap Singapore succeeds because it does more than serve drinks in a beautiful room. It gives one of Singapore’s most storied buildings a contemporary purpose, while respecting the history embedded in its walls. For locals and visitors, it offers a rare chance to drink in the past, quite literally.
Where: House of Tan Yeok Nee, 101 Penang Road, Singapore
When: Monday to Sunday from 5pm to 12am
Contact: https://barkap.sg