Some places tell you what they are the moment you walk in. Tess Bar Kitchen doesn’t quite let you decide.
It sits on Seah Street, a quiet stretch just opposite Raffles Hotel, in one of those conservation shophouses that Singapore has learned to reuse well. The question I kept turning over all night was simple. Is this a bar that happens to serve good food, or a restaurant that happens to pour serious cocktails? By the end, I decided the question itself was the point.
This is my honest read on Tess Bar Kitchen, what it does well, where it wobbles, and who it’s actually for.
First Impressions of Tess Bar & Kitchen on Seah Street
You find Tess Bar & Kitchen by its energy before you find it by its sign.
The space is a 60-seat shophouse done up in that modern industrial-chic style that could easily feel cold, but somehow doesn’t. There’s an open-concept kitchen, warm enough lighting, and a bar that clearly considers itself the centre of gravity. It reads polished without being stiff, which is a harder balance to strike than most places admit.
The location does a lot of quiet work. You’re steps from Raffles Hotel, in that City Hall pocket where the city still feels grand, and Tess Bar leans into the after-work, city-night crowd without apology. On packed evenings, the room hums. Conversation overlaps, glasses clink, the bar moves fast.
I’ll be straight about one thing early. This is not a quiet restaurant, and it doesn’t pretend to be. If you arrive expecting a hushed, slow dinner, the buzz will work against you. If you arrive expecting a lively bar kitchen with proper food, you’ve read the room correctly.
What I Ordered: Small Plates and Signature Cocktails
Tess Bar Kitchen splits its menu into small, medium, and large sharing plates, which tells you how to eat here before you order. You’re not building a solo main. You’re building a table.
Here’s what I tried, and what I made of it.
Triple Cooked Crackling Pork Belly with Chimichurri ($16)
SENDs Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
If one dish explains Tess Bar & Kitchen, it’s this one.
The pork belly is crisp on top, rich underneath, the kind of bar bite that’s engineered to make you order another drink. What saves it from being too heavy is the chimichurri, which cuts through the fat with a bright, herby sharpness. That contrast is the whole trick, and Tess Bar pulls it off.
For $16, it’s fair value, especially as a sharing plate rather than a full portion. It’s the item I’d order again without hesitation, and the one I’d tell a first-timer to start with. It sets the tone for what the kitchen is doing here: familiar comfort, tightened up, built to pair with a glass in your hand.
Deep Fried Calamari with Smoked Aioli ($18)
SENDs Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Calamari is the safe order at almost any bar kitchen, so the question is always whether a place bothers to make it interesting.
Tess Bar Kitchen does, mostly through the smoked aioli. The calamari itself is a solid, crowd-friendly sharing plate, the sort of thing that disappears quickly when there are a few of you at the table. But the smoked aioli gives it a slightly more considered, bar-forward personality than the usual squeeze of lemon and a shrug.
At $18, it’s priced fairly for the area, though I’ll note it’s a touch more than the pork belly for something a little less memorable. It’s a good dish, not a standout one. I’d order it again in a group, probably skip it if I were solo and had to choose.
Signature Cocktails: A Focus on Classics with a Twist
Here’s where you remember that Tess Bar & Kitchen is, at heart, a cocktail bar.
The bar team is helmed by an award-winning bartender, and the drinks feel like the main event rather than an afterthought. The Espresso Martini is the one I’d point you toward first, balanced and confident, the kind of cocktail that makes the case for the whole spot. It’s not trying to reinvent the classic. It just executes it properly.
The honest catch is the price. At $24, one is a pleasure, but the bill climbs fast once you’re two or three deep. That’s not a criticism of the cocktail so much as a warning about the maths. This is where an evening at Tess Bar quietly gets expensive, and you should walk in knowing that.
I was also greeted with the Sangria 1738, a cocktail offered with Cointreau and Rioja red wine, filled with berries and passionfruit. It bridges day and night perfectly, with a flavour that wakes the tastebuds and pairs well with the small plates.
Service & Overall Experience at Tess Bar Kitchen
Service is one of the things Tess Bar Kitchen genuinely gets right, and I don’t say that lightly about a place this busy.
Even when the bar is full, the team stays accommodating. They’re good with drink suggestions, which matters at a cocktail-led venue where the menu can feel like a lot to navigate. Food tends to be served quickly too, so you’re rarely left staring at an empty table wondering if you’ve been forgotten.
What impressed me is that the energy never tips into chaos. There’s a difference between a room that’s lively and a room that’s overwhelmed, and Tess Bar Kitchen mostly stays on the right side of that line. The team seems used to the pace, and it shows.
I’ll add the fair caveat. During peak hours, the buzz is real, and if you’re the type who wants an unhurried, intimate dinner, the pacing and noise can feel at odds with that. It’s not a service flaw. It’s just the nature of the place. Come when it’s calmer, and the same team gives you a more relaxed night.
Things to Know Before You Reserve at Tess Bar on Seah Street
A few practical notes worth sorting out before you head down.
Location: 36 Seah Street, Singapore 188392, opposite Raffles Hotel. Some older listings say 38 Seah Street, so check and confirm the newer address.
Nearest MRT: City Hall or Esplanade are easiest, with Bugis walkable if you’re coming from that side.
Opening hours: Monday to Thursday, 4pm to 1am. Friday, 4pm to 3am. Saturday, 12pm to 3am. Sunday, 12pm to 1am. Check before public holidays.
Estimated spend: Around $30 to $50 per person for light bites and one drink, climbing to $50 to $80+ once you’re into sharing plates and a few signature cocktails.
Reservation: Recommended, especially for dinner or weekend drinks. Walk in earlier if you’re only after cocktails.
Parking: Available in nearby buildings, but public transport or ride-hail is the smarter call if you’re drinking.
A quick piece of timing advice. Weekday early evenings and weekend openings are your friend if you want seats without a fight. Friday and Saturday late nights are when the room is at its busiest, so plan accordingly.
I’d go back, easily. With friends, a bit hungry, and no illusions about what the tab will look like at the end.
SENDs Verdict on Tess Bar Kitchen
Price Range: $$
SENDs Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is a cocktail bar kitchen that takes its food seriously, and a restaurant that takes its drinks even more so. Tess Bar Kitchen doesn’t dazzle you with novelty. It just gets the balance right, night after night, in a room that knows exactly what it is.
Perfect For: After-work drinks, casual date nights, and small groups who enjoy sharing plates and letting the cocktails lead the evening.
Skip It If: You want a quiet, unhurried dinner, a cheap night out, or a full individual main rather than plates built for sharing.
SENDs Tip: Go on a weekday early evening for an easier table, start with the Triple Cooked Crackling Pork Belly and an Espresso Martini, and set yourself a cocktail limit before you sit down. The drinks are the best part, and also the part that quietly runs up the bill.
Before You Decide on Tess Bar Kitchen
I left Tess Bar & Kitchen thinking less about any single dish and more about the feeling of the room.
That’s the honest measure of a place like this. The pork belly was excellent, the Espresso Martini exactly right, but what stays with me is the sense of a spot that knows how to carry a night. Lively without being loud for the sake of it. Polished without being precious.
Whether that’s your kind of evening is a question only you can answer. If you want a bar kitchen where the food matters and the drinks lead, Tess Bar Kitchen delivers without straining. If you want quiet, or cheap, or a proper sit-down meal, this may not be your spot, and that’s fine.
Either way, come with people you like and a little room on the tab. And if this was useful, there are more bars in Singapore waiting for you over at Social Eats ‘N’ Drinks. We’re always out somewhere, paying attention, so you can decide what’s worth your time.
