BOP (Bartenders of Pony)

Jigger & Pony writes its menus like magazines. BOP would rather you had a somaek and some fried chicken.

BOP is the Jigger & Pony bar to take friends to when you want a loud, easy night rather than a lesson in cocktail theory. Go with a small group, order fried chicken and a round of soju-and-beer bombs, and save the clever drinks for round two. The compromises: the tables are tight, so it is a poor fit for big groups, it is closed on Mondays, and you should book, especially at weekends.

It belongs to Uno Jang, the group's creative director, who opened it on Tras Street at the end of January 2026, soon after winning the Bartenders' Bartender Award at The World's 50 Best Bars 2025. By July it was No.52 on Asia's 50 Best Bars 51–100, the highest new entry; the bar bills itself as Singapore's first Korean cocktail dining bar. The idea is personal: after ten years here, Jang has said, he wanted a bar that reflected how he grew up drinking. Jigger & Pony writes its menus like glossy magazines; BOP drops the menuzine and goes for fun.

The drinks list reads like a Seoul convenience store that went to bartending school: a Buldak Penicillin, a dalgona iced coffee, a banana makgeolli Piña Colada, a Jeju hallabong Bellini and a honey butter Godfather. The BOP Martini goes soju, gin, seaweed, takju and a pickled olive, and the Perilla Smash leans herby. The easy way in is the iced somaek, the soju-and-beer bomb, which is the right first round for a table that has just sat down.

The kitchen is a proper part of the deal. Executive chef David Tang works with Jason Oh, an alum of the Korean cooking show Culinary Class Wars, on fried chicken with three sauces, a seafood pancake and a banana milk tiramisu. There is also a bossam, and a yukgaejang cup ramyeon that comes with a timer (the most honest piece of service in town).

The room is open-plan, with a counter running into a vinyl-lined area of benches stocked from Jang's own record collection. Look for the traditional Korean obangsaek colours, a tiger artwork after a Joseon-era painting, a little nook for four called the Sarangbang and bartenders in hanbok-inspired jackets. With tables this close together, we would keep the group to six or fewer, or ask about the Sarangbang if there are four of you.

How to do it well: book, bring friends, order the fried chicken and a round of somaek, and move on to the Buldak Penicillin or the BOP Martini once the food lands. Tanjong Pagar MRT is a few minutes' walk.

Good to know BOP is at 76 Tras Street, a few minutes from Tanjong Pagar MRT. It is closed on Mondays, and booking is strongly recommended, especially at weekends. We haven't confirmed current prices or happy-hour times with the bar, so check before you go.

BOP (Bartenders of Pony) | 76 Tras Street, Singapore 079015 | Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar