Southeast Asia’s Post-Pandemic Cocktail Scene Boom

The Southeast Asian cocktail scene did not simply bounce back after COVID-19. It went through a distinct cycle: 2020–21 was about survival, 2022 became the great opening boom, and the following years saw more cocktail bars expand throughout more cities and countries.

Cambodia and Thailand were among the earliest movers to remove restrictions in late 2021, followed by the Philippines (Feb), Vietnam (Mar), Singapore (Apr), Malaysia (Apr), and Indonesia (Apr) in the first half of 2022.

2020–21: Survival and disrupted openings

For bars, the pandemic was uniquely disruptive. Unlike restaurants, cocktail bars depend heavily on late-night trading, social gatherings, tourism, and international movement; all of which were severely restricted.

Opening a bar in 2020/2021 was generally a bet against extraordinary uncertainty, but there were exceptions that managed to launch during this period (and have survived to this day). These include:

Bangkok: BKK Social Club, Messengerservice

Kuala Lumpur: Frank’s Bar, Reka

Singapore: Sago House, Stay Gold Flamingo

Jakarta: The Cocktail Club

Manila: Bar By East, ReCraft

Saigon & Hanoi: Stir, The Haflington

2022: The major post-pandemic cocktail boom

2022 was the pivotal year. The reason was not simply pent-up demand. It was the convergence of several things happening at once: restrictions were being lifted, international borders were reopening, consumers were eager to socialize again, displaced hospitality workers were returning, and entrepreneurs who had spent the previous two years putting projects on hold could finally move ahead.

Singapore is perhaps the clearest example. After restrictions were progressively eased, the city saw more than 40 bar openings and new cocktail programs during 2022, according to contemporary local coverage. These include Nutmeg & Clove's second outpost Last Word, vinyl cocktail space Offtrack, and a retro inspired 'classics with a twist' joint, Nighthawk.

Bangkok experienced a similarly dramatic rebound: Time Out Bangkok described the city's bar scene as finally getting back on its feet after two years of pandemic turbulence. Notable bars that opened include Ronnaporn's Mahaniyom which focuses on sustainable local ingredients, and Opium which is known for its imaginative Thai-themed cocktails.

Kuala Lumpur experienced the same release of pent-up activity. This year saw the opening of bars established by long-time bartenders, including Jon Lee's Penrose which focuses on classic twists, Shirmy Chan's Bar Terumi which is a rare female-led bar focusing on classics with Asian twists, and omakase-style Bar Mizukami which is helmed by Shawn Chong, an OG in the KL scene. These were rounded out by the opening of bars like Japanese-inspired Ikiya 2.0 and classics-focused Remedy Cocktail Bar.

Second-tier cities like Penang and Hanoi were also opening up. In Penang, we saw the opening of The Nest and BaoBae, offering experimental food-cocktail pairings and classics respectively. In Hanoi, Art Deco-inspired Hudson Rooms put the city on the world cocktail map. In Saigon, Vũ Ngọc (Will) established his atmospheric Enigma Mansion with its reimagined classics.

In other words, 2022 wasn't just a recovery year, it was a release valve.

2023-2024: Expansion and experimentation

By 2024, the question was no longer simply Can bars reopen? but Where do we open next? Operators experimented with more distinctive identities, new cities, and more regionally specific narratives.

For example, in Singapore, new bar Cat Bite Club focuses on agave and rice spirits, while Bar Somma leads with contemporary classics. In Bangkok, Bar Us proved that you don't need to have a bartending background to create an award-winning bar. Over in Manila, Bar Flora is a women-led, tea-and-gin themed bar, while The Grasshopper Bar uses hyperlocal ingredients for its approachable drinks, and Fat Cat leans into its identity as a semi-hidden jazz bar serving cocktails.

Penang experienced a boom in 2023, with bars like female-run Biso, retro cocktail bar No Bar Here, and global-flavor-inspired Nomad. Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur added more bars in 2024: the Japanese-themed Ba by Kinugawa, and Cabinet 8, a speakeasy tucked within a Chinatown cafe.

Even Cambodia got in on the scene, with the opening of speakeasy Kravat in Phnom Penh, among other established bars.

2023-2024 were boom years for Jakarta, where we saw the opening of independent bars like Niko Idham Kholid's Between the Sips that's known for its creative yet complex cocktails, along with Golden Tooth and Carrots.

Meanwhile, Demitria Ramona opened Hats, which is known for its cocktail-sorbets, while Union Group expanded with Modernhaus and Cosmo Pony. Prior to the pandemic, a night out used to mean clubbing, but Gen Z and millennials have pivoted to specialty cocktail bars.

Bangkok in 2024 saw the opening of Niks Anuman's theatrical G.O.D., Palm Supawit's pioneering "super classics" space Dry Wave Cocktail Studio, and Ronnaporn's Nuss Bar. By this time, Chiang Mai was gaining a reputation for its cocktail bars.

Over in Manila, we saw the opening of Kate Osmillo's neighborhood café and cocktail bar Raion, and the family-run Three Dots which features classic twists.

2025–26: A maturing ecosystem

While clubs are closing down, cocktail bars are bucking the trend, with a plethora of new establishments flourishing across the region.

Philippines: Cocktail bars continue to pop up – this time within neighborhoods, with AKA, Malagihay, No Entry, Problem Child, and Somewhere Quiet leading the pack. By now, Cebu is slowly gaining a reputation for its cocktail bars.

Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur is seeing huge growth, with neighborhood bars dominating the openings: Bar Gaya, Bar None, Barley & Rye, Dear Hearts, and Riff District. Neo is the only opening in the city center. Over in Penang, Nomu and Steep Social prove that when you have a strong theme, there's space for you. Elsewhere in Malaysia, one can already find decent cocktails in Johor Bahru and Malacca.

Vietnam: Saigon, where bar hopping is easily done on foot, added to its roster Jimmy Nguyen's Raw+Atelier which focuses on fundamental mixology techniques (working flair). In Hanoi, the opening of local-focused Workshop14 adds to the city's already top tier cocktail bars.

Cambodia: While still a burgeoning cocktail city, its recent cocktail festivals only serve to provide a platform for more openings to come.

Indonesia: While Jakarta sees the opening of Dualism, En Par, and Tara, other regions in the archipelago, like Bandung and Bali, are establishing their own cocktail enclaves.

Thailand: Bangkok still leads with the most number of cocktail bars – with the opening of 1970 Bar and Wasteland – but Chiang Mai is slowly catching up.

Singapore: Despite already having a plethora of bars in a tiny country, there's space for more, as we see the opening of Bar Coda, Bar Middle, and Hi Stranger, among others.

Southeast Asia is now an exciting cocktail region

The list is by no means complete, and there are plenty of excellent cocktail bars to try out. The sheer number of bar openings prove one thing: people are still drinking in this region. While millennials still dominate the bars, Gen Z are slowly catching up.

(If your bar isn't listed here, and you're based in Southeast Asia, do contact us!)