Neon Pigeon

Neon Pigeon is a modern Japanese izakaya that bills itself as 'The Original Third Culture Izakaya.' After years on Keong Saik Road it relocated to a larger space at 36 Carpenter Street in the Boat Quay conservation area near Clarke Quay, where the room is split into a casual bar, a raw bar with counter seats and a main dining area, all wrapped in raw concrete, dim light and graffiti by local street artist Zero. It carries a spot on The World's 50 Best Discovery list. The kitchen is led by executive chef Sean Mell, formerly of Nobu, and the bar by manager Mario la Pietra, previously of the award-winning Luggage Room bar in Mayfair, London.

The non-alcoholic program is a genuine anchor rather than an afterthought. The drinks menu is intentionally organised into full-proof, half-proof and zero-proof cocktails that, in the venue's own words, vary only in the amount of alcohol they contain and not in the effort it takes to craft them — the zero-proof builds are listed and mixed alongside the rest of the list. The flagship alcohol-free drink is the No Kaze, made with Lyre's London Dry, London Essence blood-orange and elderflower tonic, a house-made Thai-basil cordial and a dashi-and-seaweed saline, served in a large wine glass with Japanese cucumber, shiso and a celery stick.

Beyond No Kaze, the zero-proof section includes the Lady Hinata (S$14), a floral gin-cooler twist crafted with zero-proof gin, lavender, cucumber and shishito peppers, and a non-alcoholic Amaretti Sour that reworks the amaretto/whisky sour with Lyre's Amaretti and zero-proof Prosecco. Half-proof options offer roughly half the alcohol of a standard cocktail for guests pacing themselves. Neon Pigeon opens daily from the early evening for izakaya sharing plates — charcoal kushiyaki, sashimi and reimagined classics — making it a rare Singapore restaurant where a full alcohol-free evening is treated with the same seriousness as the spirit list.