We put together four Orchard Road chill-out spots that offer a great place to relax and unwind over some drinks and bites.
Shopping along Orchard Road, whether solo or with friends, can be a very exhausting (and exhaustive) affair. Sometimes you just want to take a break in between hopping into your favourite stores, and recharge oneself for a second wind. We get it. And we sympathise.
That’s why we’ve put together this list of places you can hang out at over drinks before, during or after your shopping. Not at Orchard Road to shop? These chill-out spots are also good for that mid- or late afternoon meet up with your girlfriends, or while you wait for a hair salon appointment.
A Boozy Brunch at RATIO Café + GastroBar
If you’re looking to fuel up before heading off to your weekend shopping spree, RATIO Café + GastroBar in ION Orchard has an alcohol-soaked brunch that will start you off on the right foot.
RATIO’s Boozy Brunch presents a spread that includes Gravlax Salmon Avocado Eggs Benedict or Fried Chicken Waffle that should please those who love these all-time brunch favourites. Then there’s the Meaty Madness Plate – essentially a take on the full English breakfast of a platter loaded juicy wagyu beef patty, chorizo sausage, chicken bratwurst, rye sourdough toast, scrambled egg, bacon and tomato confit – for the truly hungry. Wash them down with RATIO’s range of Sangrias; there’s the Red Sangria is made with Rioja, the White Sangria made with Sauvignon Blanc and the Prosecco-based Sparkling Sangria. Even better? It’s always happy hour every hour so these Sangrias – and other cocktails – come at only S$22++ for two!
All is not lost if you pop in on weekdays. RATIO has a Tipsy High Tea during tea time where you get a specially curated set which comes with a choice of tea-based cocktail (we hear vodka-based The Earl is their best-selling creation) as well as an assortment of savoury and sweet bites – such as wagyu beef sliders, furikake chicken skewers, and a mango passionfruit mousse – for your pairing pleasure.
RATIO Café + GastroBar | B1-12, 2 Orchard Turn ION Orchard, Singapore 238801 (Google Maps link) | 10am to 10.00pm daily | 6910 5460
Afternoon Seafood Platter and Champagne at Opus Bar & Grill
Need to rest your heels mid-afternoon after sauntering for hours down shopping aisles in your favourite boutiques? Head over to Opus Bar & Grill in recently-reopened lifestyle hotel voco Orchard Singapore for something a little more upmarket.
Available here from Mondays to Thursdays between 4pm to 7pm is a special afternoon seafood platter and champagne promotion. You’re looking at a luxurious seafood platter – which includes a selection of freshly shucked oysters, a juicy Boston lobster, succulent prawns and tender mussels – that comes with a bottle of Laurent Perrier Brut at a special price of $110++ for two persons (usual price at $196++).
We know, shelling crustaceans with one’s fingers isn’t exactly very refined, but we figure the champagne will help you relax in between your bouts of shopping.
Bar Opus Bar & Grill | 581 Orchard Road, voco Orchard, Singapore 238883 (Google Maps link) | 6.30am to 10.30pm daily | 6730 3390
Sunset Hour at Goodwood Park Hotel
Closer to the evening, there’s Sunset Hour at the esteemed Goodwood Park Hotel. As the afternoon slowly turns to dusk, lobby lounge L’Espresso transforms from an elegant tearoom into a cosy watering hole.
Guests get to enjoy aperitivo hour with a slew of seven specially-concocted cocktails they can sip on even as they bask in the golden hour. You’re looking at mostly tropically-inspired cocktails offering a range of different flavour profiles. We’re big fans of 1900 Teutonia, a pleasantly sweet, tangy and smoky number made with rum and mezcal, as well as Al-Cohol ‘U’ Later, a gin-based sour with floral and earthy tones. For something stronger, Shibuya Crossing is a crisp and intense Saketini with delicate floral notes.
Be sure to avail yourself of their bar snacks menu, as well. Pick from cosmopolitan bites such as Chicken Satay, Sichuan-style Spicy Popcorn Chicken, or Thai Prawn Cakes to line your tummy in preparation for the drinks to come.
L’Espresso | 22 Scotts Rd, Goodwood Park Hotel Singapore, Singapore 228221 (Google Maps link) | 6.30am to 10.30pm daily | 6730 1743
Binary Hour at Binary
Then there’s Binary over in Palais Renaissance, a contemporary gastrobar best known for its fun dual takes on sharing plates.
If you pop in between 4pm to 7pm from Mondays to Wednesdays, you’ll get complimentary sliders with every order of an alcoholic beverage. The good news is that there’s an extensive beverage programme here, so there’s plenty to choose from. For example there are two craft beers on tap here from local brewery Rye & Pint – including Binary Craft Brew, a cream ale exclusive to the gastrobar – but there are various wine and cocktail options on offer as well. Louis Roederer Collection 242 Brut NV by the glass? Yes, please.
What’s particularly great about the complimentary sliders are that they are made from Binary’s Homemade Kubaneh Bread, which we absolutely love. In fact, we reckon they’re so good they may just tempt you into staying at Binary for dinner.
Binary | #01-01A Palais Renaissance, Singapore 238871 (Google Maps link) | 11.30am to 10.30pm daily | 9363 0101
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