Offtrack

Offtrack is the rare Singapore bar where the playlist is as carefully built as the back bar. Dean Chew and Daniel O'Connor designed the room for listening first: acoustically treated walls, restored Klipsch La Scala horn speakers, and programming that roams from jazz and soul to forgotten Asian gems you will not hear in a club. Head bartender Joash Conceicao keeps the drinks side equally focused, reworking classics with enough personality to stand up to the volume without turning the night into a tasting menu. At No.17 on our 2026 Asia ranking, it reads as a creative-community living room rather than a show bar, and that warmth is the point.

The address is a ground-floor shophouse on North Canal Road, a short walk from Clarke Quay MRT. Inside, warm timber, vinyl on the walls, and rotating art from Singapore and regional artists set a homely tone that feels closer to a friend's apartment than a hotel lobby. The long bar faces the speakers, counter seats give you the best view of both the pours and the music direction, and tables suit groups sharing pan-Asian plates alongside drinks. Friday and Saturday nights run later and busier; midweek service is calmer and the room closes at midnight.

The current menu splits evenly between classic and contemporary cocktails, anchored by craft spirits, natural wines, seasonal beers, and a non-alcoholic list that includes mocktails and NA beers. Start with the House Espresso Martini, which lifts the familiar template with orange blossom and dry curaçao for a fruitier edge than the usual coffee bitterness. The Rum & Raisin Manhattan, built with rum, PX sherry, and hazelnut, is the comfort-order on a jazz-heavy night. Tell the bartenders whether you want light, heady, or spirit forward and they will steer you through the strength spectrum Joash Conceicao built for regulars and first-timers alike.

Offtrack sits at 34 North Canal Road, #01-01, Singapore 059290, near Clarke Quay station on the North East and Downtown lines. It opens Monday to Thursday from 18:00 to 00:00, with last drinks at 23:30, and Friday to Saturday from 17:00 to 01:00, with last drinks at 00:15. Walk-ins are welcome most nights; call or text +65 8748 0408 to reserve for groups of eight to ten or for arrival after 22:00. A late-night snack menu runs Friday and Saturday only if you are staying past dinner service.

Chew and O'Connor conceived Offtrack during the pandemic as a third space guided by leisure: a bar where selectors and record collectors could programme music that does not fit a traditional club or restaurant. The restored Klipsch La Scala speakers and treated acoustics keep detail clear without the fatigue of a dance floor. On the drinks side, Conceicao draws from classic cocktail history and rebuilds familiar templates with craft spirits and small twists, a Jigger & Pony-trained rigour applied to a room that cares as much about the needle drop as the garnish. Rotating wall exhibitions extend the same local-first curatorial instinct to visual art.

Our 2026 Asia ranking places Offtrack at No.17, up from No.23 in 2025, as one of four Singapore rooms on the list alongside Jigger & Pony, Nutmeg & Clove, and returning Origin Bar. The jury citation highlights killer drinks, dishes, and a sound system, and the bar has become a favourite for the city's creative community since its January 2022 opening. In a region where music is often background noise, Offtrack treats curation, acoustics, and cocktails as one experience, and that coherence is what keeps peers and regulars coming back.