Live Twice

Bukit Pasoh and the Shophouse Bar Format

Singapore's conservation shophouse has become one of the more consequential architectural formats in Asian bar culture. The two-storey, narrow-fronted buildings that line streets like Bukit Pasoh Road and Keong Saik Road impose a particular discipline on a programme: limited footprint, low ceilings in the ground floor, and a separation of spaces across levels that encourages a different pace of drinking on each floor. Live Twice, at 18-20 Bukit Pasoh Road, occupies two such units, giving it slightly more room than most single-shophouse operations in the district while retaining the intimacy that defines this building type.

Tanjong Pagar has consolidated over the past decade as one of Singapore's most competitive neighbourhoods for serious bars. The street-level approach along Bukit Pasoh — terracotta tiles, five-foot ways, the amber wash of conservation-district lighting — sets a particular register before you reach the door. The name Live Twice carries a knowingly cinematic quality, and the environment tends to match: considered without being overthought, with the kind of spatial warmth that comes from working within constraints rather than against them.

Where Live Twice Sits in Singapore's Bar Tier

A ranking of #241 in the Top 500 Bars for 2025 places Live Twice in a specific and competitive bracket. Singapore punches above its population weight in global bar rankings: 28 HongKong Street and Atlas have both held prominent positions on Asia's 50 Best Bars list, while Analogue and Anti:Dote operate with distinct programmatic identities that have earned international attention. Within that peer set, a Top 500 placement signals a bar that has been assessed and found credible by the same evaluative framework, but which occupies a niche rather than a flagship position , often where the most interesting drinking happens.

The bars that tend to cluster in the 200-300 range of global rankings are frequently those with a defined point of view that resonates with a specific audience rather than a broad appeal. They are not trying to be everything. That positional choice, in Singapore's context, matters: the city's bar scene is large enough and well-travelled enough that operating with specificity is a viable strategy rather than a limitation.

For comparison, globally ranked peers in this tier include Kumiko in Chicago, Bar Leather Apron in Honolulu, and Jewel of the South in New Orleans , bars that have earned consistent recognition through programme depth rather than volume or spectacle. Superbueno in New York City, Julep in Houston, The Parlour in Frankfurt, and 1806 in Melbourne round out a peer group that shares an orientation toward craft and deliberate hospitality over high-volume throughput.

The Team Dynamic at a Shophouse Bar

At a venue with a compact physical footprint, the relationship between the bar team, floor staff, and the guest becomes compressed in a way that larger operations cannot replicate. In Singapore's shophouse bars, this compression tends to produce one of two outcomes: a transactional efficiency that sacrifices warmth, or a calibrated intimacy where every team member's contribution is visible and consequential. The bars that achieve the latter tend to be those where the programme has been built collaboratively rather than handed down from a single creative authority.

At Live Twice, the multi-unit shophouse layout allows for some spatial differentiation , ground floor and upper level can serve different functions, whether that means a more active bar-side energy downstairs and a quieter, table-service pace above, or a shift in cocktail register between the two spaces. This kind of spatial choreography requires the team to read guests and manage transitions with precision. Front-of-house becomes an active part of the experience rather than a delivery mechanism, and the floor staff at well-regarded shophouse bars in this district tend to carry a literacy about the drinks programme that is closer to the bar team than the average restaurant server.

The cocktail programme at a bar of this standing typically reflects a dialogue between whoever leads the shakers and whoever curates the spirits and ingredient sourcing. Singapore's leading bars have increasingly moved toward using regional spirits, local botanicals, and fermentation-led ingredients , partly because it produces more interesting drinks, partly because it creates a narrative that international guests find meaningful and local guests recognise. Whether Live Twice sits squarely in that regional-ingredients movement or takes a more classicist approach to its cocktail architecture is leading confirmed on a visit, but the Top 500 recognition suggests the programme has sufficient depth and consistency to hold up under scrutiny.

Planning a Visit to Bukit Pasoh Road

Bukit Pasoh Road is a short walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT station on the East-West Line, placing Live Twice well within reach of the CBD and easily combined with dinner at any of the neighbourhood's restaurants before or after drinks. The conservation district is walkable and compact; Keong Saik Road and Club Street are both adjacent, so a longer evening in the area requires no transport between venues. This density of options makes Tanjong Pagar one of Singapore's more efficient neighbourhoods for a considered bar crawl, with Live Twice sitting at the more formally recognised end of that spectrum.

For an evening structured around the bar, arriving before the later crowd tends to allow more conversation with the team and a better read of what the current menu is doing. Shophouse bars fill quickly on weekends, and the two-unit layout at Live Twice gives it slightly more capacity than single-shophouse peers, but not so much that timing becomes irrelevant. Checking current booking availability directly with the venue is advisable for groups. For a broader orientation to Singapore's bar and restaurant scene, our full Singapore guide maps the city's key neighbourhoods and drinking destinations.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do regulars order at Live Twice?

Live Twice holds a 2025 Top 500 Bars ranking at #241, which reflects a programme that has been assessed for consistency and craft. Bars at this level in Singapore's Tanjong Pagar district typically anchor their reputation on cocktails that use the full depth of their spirits selection , whether that leans toward stirred, spirit-forward builds or more complex, ingredient-driven formats. The most reliable approach is to describe your preferences to the bar team and let the current programme guide the order, particularly if seasonal or rotating elements are in play. The bar's recognition signals that the team can be trusted with that kind of open brief.

What should I know about Live Twice before I go?

Live Twice is at 18-20 Bukit Pasoh Road in Singapore's Tanjong Pagar conservation district, a short walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT. Its 2025 ranking of #241 in the Top 500 Bars places it among Singapore's recognised cocktail destinations , a city with a competitive bar scene that includes multiple globally ranked venues. Pricing at bars of this standing in Singapore generally reflects the quality of the spirits programme and the cost of operating in a conservation shophouse; expect to pay at the higher end of the city's bar range, broadly comparable to similarly ranked venues in the region. Specific current hours, booking requirements, and menu details should be confirmed directly with the venue before visiting.