The Library

The library bar requires a password to get in. If not, you need to tell a joke to gain access. If you are not able to crack a joke, there are other ways to get in!
I believe the concept comes from a speakeasy and it’s one of those bars with warm lightings and décor.
The music is kinda loud in my opinion but the service is attentive even on a busy night.
Do note that they do not allow cake cutting in the house :(

I had a great time here with a local bestie! It’s her favorite bar, and she took me here as a treat. The password is gimmicky but cute. Drinks are actually creative and yummy! I had the basil one — sooooooo delicious!!! Can’t wait to come back.

I would say this is one of the best and special bar in Singapore. It is a cozy, well decorated and creative small place. You need to know the password to get into the bar. The bar itself pays lots of attention on the details, you can tell it from their decorations, menus, wines and service. It’s definitely a good place to have some small drinks and talk with some friends on the weekends evening.

If I rolled my eyes at PDT having a phone booth entrance through a hot dog shop in NYC, they should have gone far back in my head to learn about the not-​so-​secret secret password that you need to get into 47 Keong Saik road. There’s a big difference though. This establishment takes itself a lot less seriously when it comes to entry — they reserve the serious business for cocktails. I guess one of the perils of being a NY speakeasy is that it’s not so speakeasy at all. Singapore bars have that luxury… for now.
So after a little guidance from the protector of the door :) we stepped into the library. It was like suddenly being transported from 2040 to 1970. If you asked me if I was underground, I bet I would have said yes. but the place is firmly on terra firma.
The menus are quirky, the descriptions are funny, and the presentation is gimmicky. The most impressive part: the drinks are clever, and they are tasteful, and they are tasty. We tried a number of drinks — the Top Secret (like fruit yogurt and egg white, so breakfast in a cup– in the best possible way), roller Pisco (a pisco sour dressed for a night on the town), butter rye effect (not buttery enough, but savoury and great balance), the rum DMC (the most complex drink of all, featuring a walnut infused rum). I’d put the drinks almost on par with the great ones that I have tasted in NYC. We ended up chatting a bit with our bartender, and it reinforced my notion that passion for mixing drinks goes a long way in making a perfect cocktail. Any of the drinks we ordered could have been a lot of things. They could have tasted of soap, or bubble gum or simply have been poured into a glass with a bunch of ice cubes on it. Taste-​wise it certainly pleasantly surprised me, and my overall experience at the Library was top notch.
The only thing I can, and will, complain about is the serious lack of vegetarian bites on the menu. There’s only so much that cinnamon donuts can do.
But I’ll be back again, and I’m going to bring my friends.

So apparently you have to eat at the adjacent restaurant to get a password to get into The Library just so you can buy a drink in there. Seems like a lot of work to me! What if I just wanted a drink sans dinner? How does that work?
Well that was exactly how I was feeling that afternoon when I walked pass The Library. So I decided to try my luck and charm the bouncer (not sure if this is the right term) to let me in without a password! After an intense series of negotiations… He decided if I could make him laugh, he would let me pass. I pulled up an old joke I remembered from high school, a tad bit nationalist, but funny nonetheless… and he cracked into a smile! That was it! I was in!!!
Inside The Library, one could barely see anything. It was as dark as night, despite being in the middle of the afternoon. No windows. Just dim table lamps occasionally scattered around the place. It feels like you’ve been thrown back to the 1930s, the age of prohibition, and you’ve just stepped into a forbidden underground bar.
My bartender had bright pink XiaXue-​like hair. He recommended the top secret. It seems to fit the ambiance and I was feeling mysterious (whatever that means). My friend had the Teh halia (literally ginger tea in Bahasa Melayu). Mine was fruity and yogurty. Hers was a tad bit too spicy. $ 27 each. Drinks were ok.
Overall, an interesting experience and a great tourist attraction! But I am not sure if it’s worth the hassle of retrieving a password? But I do appreciate the marketing ploy of exclusivity!

Wow. I wanted to like this place, I really did. The password was a bit tacky for me, but the bookcase door, the mirrored room, sure. That was all very nice.
The presentation of the drinks (mine came in a china teacup with a cube of sugar… cane on the side) was very impressive… the menus were creative and funny…
But at the end of the day, a bar is judged on its drinks.
We ordered two drinks, the «Weapon of Choice» and «The Dubbed Version».
Both were nigh undrinkable.
The Weapon of Choice, though I forget what was supposed to be in it, basically tasted like Bourbon, lemon juice, topped off with water. It was sour, lacked balance, and had no complexity.
The Dubbed Version tasted like… you know those sour apple gummies? Yeah. Like that. Some apple-​y tartness, a WHOLE LOT of general SOUR-​ness, and very little of the Matcha that was supposed to tie it all together.
Neither of us finished our drinks, and the friends we were with who had ordered what we said was a boring bottle of Champagne were very smug.
Now, I recognise that maybe we ordered two of the «not so good drinks». But here’s the rub. A good bar doesn’t have bad drinks on its menu.
Urgh. The enamel on my teeth still hurt.

Oh, the Bar With No Name On A Street No One Can Pronounce Correctly That Everyone Calls «The Library». Yes, you need a password to get in, but if you do a light google search/​are tech savvy, you’ll find it easily.
The first time I went here for my birthday, I was quite impressed. It starts when you are given the rite of passage into the bar after successfully saying the password (s). You walk into a confusing box full of mirrors, hear the voices inside the bar and tell yourself, «Oh, just go straight.» Then you’re welcomed to a dimly lit bar… not sure how to describe the décor, but if there are any New Yorkers here, it’s similar to Experimental Cocktail Club in LES.
You are given a small menu, but surprise! It contains a pretty extensive cocktail list, complete with witty titles: +1 star! The prices are steep but you say, «Ah, what the hell» and drink it up.
The bartenders are pretty awesome, well groomed faces and hipster outfits, complete with suspenders. It’s always a good time sitting at the bar and watching all the action.
Presentation of the drinks is something else– the most creative I’ve ever seen anywhere (and I’ve been to a few bars in my 28 years on Earth.) Reading glasses glued on to a wooden stand, playing cards, hollowed out limes set on fire, a small bathtub with rubber duckies, a plane ticket… you can tell their imagination runs wild here, and I love it.
And of course, the actual drinks themselves– in my opinion, one of the best in Singapore. Well made, nuanced, and on par with my favorite spots in NYC.
The only thing I hate about this place is that there is only ONE TOILET for the entire bar. And I’m not talking one for men and one for women. SERIOUSLY ONLY ONE TOILET. This one girl took a good 15 minutes in there and in hindsight, I should’ve clocked her in the face. Apparently, they have some sort of bathroom deal with one of the hotels across the street, so one of the employees escorted me and a few people there to use their toilets. Pretty inefficient, I hope they can fix this problem soon, considering the amount they charge for their drinks.

The most annoying thing about this place is trying to figure out the password. The chase is getting old b/​c they change up the password every week. I’ve been here a few times now and definitely been impressed with the drinks here each time. Its pricey but if you sit in front of the mixologists, they put on a good show and impressive displays of presentation as well as the crazy amount of rare spirits, mixers, and liquors in this place. So worth the $ 25-​$ 30 a drink. I’m a lightweight so I may only spend at most $ 50 for 2 drinks at this place.
This place also reminds me of New York. Any place in Singapore that reminds me of New York is aiiite in my book. I miss New York.

After hearing the praises and reviews for this place, I had my hopes held up high. Unfortunately, the higher you fly, the harder you fall.
Ambience is really nice and the fact that the entrance is hidden behind mirror doors makes it all the more cooler. However, that was pretty much it. Upon entering, the place was really small and could barely fit more than 30 sitting patrons. That was not the biggest issue cause we could always get cosy and sit a lil closer.
The food was… meh… at best. Sliders ran out at 630pm, even though they opened only at 6pm?! Food portions weren’t exactly very tasty but they were certainly pricey. I would say the same for their drinks. We had the banana boat as well as the bathtub but from the quantity, our money didn’t travel very far.
I may be comparing it with 28HongKongStreet but when you set-​up such a speakeasy bar, it is only normal you get put up against them. My vote is for 28HKS anyday over The Library.

Eh.
I really don’t see what the hoo-​ha about this place is. Food was ok at best, the cocktails were just ok as well, though i have to give them credit on creative presentation. Both are pricey.
The novelty of the speakeasy-​ness wears off fast once you get through the main door. Between this and the truffle ball that was more bread-​y than truffle-​y, I won’t be hurrying back here any time soon.

I’m a fan of this place! It’s not easy for me to find a froo froo bar that I like in Singapore, because I always feel that the new indie bars have too much fluff and not much substance when it comes to the drinks. This place has a pretty obnoxious vibe to it too, having to get in only with a password, but I forgive them because their cocktails are really good. The amount of thought that goes into each drink with their own quirky decorations were really fun to me, and the drinks tasted like fresh ingredients instead of sugar water, not too sweet as well. According to my friend, the quality of the food has gone down, but I personally still like the serrano ham and cheese fingers and the cheese balls with truffle honey are not too bad as well. And the cocktails are priced on the low end of 20 bucks, which is pretty reasonable compared to other similar bars. Recommended.

Singapore seems to have an ever growing collection of interesting places to go out to. I had heard of this spot but just happened in one night while waiting for a reservation at another restaurant. People keep talking about this password but we were let in after just waiting a couple minutes. The ambiance is nice. Dark but with soft lighting. I really admire places that try to be a little different. While this might be an old concept in some other cities, I think it adds something here.
The drinks are interesting and fun but to be honest I probably wont come back for the drinks. Theyre fun but over priced. I really couldnt taste the «nacho» in nacho infused tequila. But they do a good job and the drinks are well thought out. The food was really tasty. Its mainly just finger food. The sliders were really tasty. The service was excellent. It was pretty busy but they were very attentive. The hostess works her ass off. When we got the bill our sliders hadnt come so she took them off and apologized but then they arrived so she gave them on the house. The money doesnt matter but it was a nice touch. I was going to give this place 4 stars but the service and overall ambiance tipped it over. Definitely worth checking out.

Stefen and his crew are one of the best bunch of bar folks around. The ambience is definitely «speakeasy» like but their services are friendly and very welcoming. Apart from the mysterious password entrance, the place is very down to earth. The cocktails are all very well-​thought of. The flavours are intense and interesting. An eye opener for new cocktail drinkers and heartwarming for frequent drinkers.
A creative approach from ingredients to vessel. With almost 300 spirits/​liqueurs, it is without a doubt a unique avenue for originality.
If you don’t like it, try another drink. Chances are you just didnt get it right. It is place for everyone to feel comfortable with their drink and find the right glass.

I love the drinks at this place! They really make it interesting and each drink has a theme and comes with props! love it. it’s a great place to just chill. Closest thing to a speakeasy you’d find in Singapore — and it is quite spacious compared to other speakeasys i’ve been to in NY and SF. The menu is really creative and I love how they have a section for people to SHARE drinks and also for «designated drivers». Everything I had was great!

The ambience and crowd here is definitely good but the drinks are pricey and a bit too girly for me.
The ambience: Small bar which is really thoughtfully and beautifully done up. The noise level is not too high so you can have a decent conversation. And the lay out of the bar makes it easy to mingle (if that is what you wish to do).
The service: Good and prompt despite the crowd.
The crowd: It was a nice mix of Singaporeans and foreigners in their 20s and 30s.
The drinks: I was seated at the bar counter and I could see the bar tenders mixing the drinks. They were very dedicated and that is definitely a plus. But the drinks were not that strong and just a bit too pretty for me. And each drink was at least $ 20. So not pretty for the wallet.
I think it is a nice place to bring people to but it will be rather pricey if you are thinking of having a couple of drinks. So I would recommend bar hopping and making this one of the places you should stay for just a drink or two.

The good: The first full-​on speak easy in Singapore. Others came close, but this one really takes the cake. My first experience was close to 4 stars, as I got caught up in the whole walk through a bookshelf experience. I went with a medium sized group, and for the most part all the drinks I tasted were good and everyone left happy. I would also say that they really set the music playlist and levels nicely, not too loud and in your face but not background music either. Also a huge plus, staff is on point, seriously on point.
The bad: Been back 2 more times, and with every visit the gimmick of password and secret door wears thinner and thinner. The second time I still felt good because I was showing new people a place they’ve never been, and it reminded me of some places back in the states but by the third time I found myself asking why I was returning. This goes without saying, they are expensive.
The ugly: Let me break this into 2 categories, drinks and concept. The drinks were inconsistent, which is my ultimate pet peeve for any establishment. After my first visit I was boasting about the drinks but by my 3 visit I struggled to find a drinkable (not exaggerating) drink. I even went back to the first bartender I had, still stale. Compared to a Tippling Club or Maison Ikkoku, they lack creativity which I think goes back to bartender/​manager experience. Truth be told it’s frustrating to see establishments in Singapore follow in the footsteps of hipster fads that are passé even where they originated. For lack of a better analogy, it’s not a place you would bring a New Yorker. Someone, anyone, be new and original… please. To end this on a positive note, I think Singapore is headed in the right direction.

4-​stars for the place that reminds me so much of NYC (think Death & Co in the east village). It is cosy and hip, and the music is not so loud that you can’t carry on a conversation.
3-​stars for the cocktails which are mostly too fancy and gimmicky for me. You know, the fire, the smoking dry ice, etc. The first two I had were both too sweet, that you can hardly taste any alcohol. The 3^rd was a little better but still not smooth enough.
Service staff were great though. They were very accommodating as my friends were all very fashionably late, but they managed to switch us around whenever people leave such that we all ended up with a seat when everyone arrives.
Saturday night is not as crazy busy and not that difficult to get a seat.
PS, they don’t take reservation anymore. Password and wait list if full.

Yowch! This place is so cool, the hip factor so sharp, the concept so fresh and slick, you could easily slip and smash your face on the sleek before your first sip. (That is if you don’t do it on your way in via the confuse-​a-​blond mirror room.)
Getting inside is tough. You’ll need to pick up the ever-​changing password from either neighbouring KSS or Esquina, then make it through David Bowie’s fantasy labyrinth mirror room I mentioned earlier. Once inside you’re instantly shrouded in darkness, but even then you know you’ve stumbled into something special and your efforts haven’t been for naught. This is reconfirmed when a sexy tattooed bartender passes you a drink prettier than your date and more delicious than Jonathan Brandis in Ladybugs.
Bars like this are all the rage these days and there’s good reason — from start to finish, they really are very cool experience. Tough on the wallet, but great on the ego.