A Korean-infused cocktail bar that reads like a design manifesto, not a menu
When one of the most respected figures in contemporary cocktail culture steps out on his own, the result is more than a bar—it’s a place with its own rhythm and logic. BOP — Bartenders of Pony in Singapore’s Chinatown is Uno Jang’s first solo venture away from the much-celebrated Jigger & Pony Group, and it nods to Korean social culture with both heart and precision.
Design rooted in cultural values
The interiors were shaped by Gabriel Tan of Studio Antimatter, whose approach refuses literal pastiche in favour of spatial intelligence and emotional flow. Instead of cherry-picking motifs, Tan worked closely with Uno to translate core Korean values—Kki (craft), Jeong (heart) and Heung (energy)—into the bar’s geometry, materials and colours.
Inside the narrow shophouse, the space unfolds across four distinct zones, each calibrated to the social behaviour it supports. Timber-clad surfaces and warm lighting invite lingering conversations, while a tactile mix of soft beiges, earthy terracotta, ochres and deep reds softly references Korea’s obangsaek colour system and traditional dancheong palettes. Custom joinery and bespoke lighting, paired with careful acoustics, keep the interior lived-in and inviting rather than staged.
The bar as social choreography
Bartenders of Pony isn’t about flair—it’s about feeling. The layout lets the bar counter act as a stage and meeting place at once, and the arrangement of furniture and lighting encourages fluid movement from vibrant front sections to more intimate corners. All elements are designed to support the way people really drink, eat and interact.
This isn’t a bar that stops to pose; it moves with you.
Cocktails that ground culture in flavour
Uno’s drinks draw deeply from Korean ingredients and spirits, pairing familiar profiles with creative twists. Think a BOP Martini built on house-made makgeolli vermouth and seaweed, or an Iced Somaek crowned with shaved soju ice—playful, clever and instinctive. There’s a lightness here that never sacrifices complexity.
Jason Oh, the chef brought in to shape BOP’s food programme, keeps dishes generous and share-able, from perilla oil noodles to tuna gimbap and crispy fried chicken. Each plate lands with confidence, designed to sit somewhere between the casual and the considered.
Why it matters
This new bar from Uno Jang feels like the next step for cocktail culture in Singapore because it doesn’t treat design and hospitality as separate things. Here, architecture, interiors, food, drinks and sociality are inseparable. The result is a space that feels elevated but warm, structured but improvisational. And that’s what makes Bartenders of Pony a place people will return to, not because it’s a trend, but because it feels like somewhere worth inhabiting. Bill Tikos
Bartenders of Pony is at 76 Tras Street, Singapore 079015.
