80s-Inspired Bar Nineteen80 Is All Flashy Lights, No Substance

Here’s our take on why nostalgia is selling so well: those who grew up in the 80s and 90s finally have more spending so well and they are loking back at the things they grew up with.

Nineteen80 is the newest retro-themed bar that has popped up on Tanjong Pagar Road just down the road from Kilo Lounge, and is full of arcade games, old tunes and classic cocktails.

The entrance into Nineteen80 from Tanjong Pagar Road

The founders, A Phat Cat Collective who used to work at Ce La Vi, designed the entire bar based on their childhood years and as a tribute to the Mohamed Sultan and Boat Quay nightclubs of the yesteryear. The entire bar is littered with pop culture references from the moment you step in the Tron-inspired entrance is lined with neon lights, and there is a huge mural by Singapore-based artist Mojoko filled with all sorts of characters from iconic arcade games that is the main feature.

You’ll discover new details every single time you look at the mural
A row of arcade including Donkey Kong, Street Fighter, and Mortal Kombat

There is also an entire row of arcade games opposite the bar. For now, the arcade games are free to play. There will be containers with tokens lying around arcade machines, until the owners decide that they’ll start charging for them. There are also two games screens that double up as tables too so that you don’t have to jostle with the rest of the crowd for your turn. Multiplayer Pacman’s by the toilets if you’re wondering.

The Bar

The cocktails are all classics from the 80s, but with a twist. There’s the signature Long Island Iced Tea, the Blue Lagoon and the NT80 rework of a Tequila Sunrise. And you’ll be able to get a Vodka Ribena, untouched as you used drink it if you drank diluted sweet syrup in hopes of getting drunk.

Blue Lagoon (Super Disco Blend). Sprinkles do NOT belong in cocktails.

The bar has also put together a few signature cocktails, which were all too sweet. The Donna Summer is a tangy cocktail with a bite, and whisky fans might want to go for the Whisky Foxtrot Tango, which is more sweet than it is tangy. You can order cocktails by the cup ($18 – $20) or by the jug ($50 – $70).

I couldn’t really choose a favourite cocktail because all of them seemed to just taste like sweet syrup – no flavour and no alcohol. I’m not trying to say I expected my cocktail to come with double shots of alcohol, but it would have been nice to taste something. Another thing that irked me was that the cocktails weren’t consistent. Me and an acquaintance ordered the same drink which tasted different, and hers tasted so much better. If I was going to spend $20 a cocktail, I would like to be decent.

Vodka Ribena

If you ever do hit up the bar because you want to reminisce your childhood with the 80s vibes, just stick to the spirits and shots – it’s hard to go wrong there. Shooters like Kamikaze, Blowjob, and Slippery Nipples are $16 each, and you can also get bottled beers and ciders. The bar bites are decent although nothing too fancy with pizza, truffle fries, calamari and chicken tenders on the menu.

On Wednesdays and weekends, a DJ will take over the DJ console, which sits in front of a wall of casette tapes. Another easter egg lies in the “ON AIR” sign, which has been stylised to resemble the SEGA logo.

Nineteen80 has a solid lineup of resident DJs – llie’Des, YA5TH, Joshua P, Paulsilver, Suren, and Bobo – who play old school dance music, which includes pop tunes, R&B, and occasionally hip-hop instead of the big room drops you hear at Zouk. One of the founders also promised us they would never play Justin Bieber – so at least you know that you’ll have a good time.

Light up Pacman on the DJ console which will flash according to the beat

Wednesdays are Ladies Nights at Nineteen80, and every girl gets 4 free Vodka Ribenas. There’s also a games themed “Fight For Your Right”, where there’ll be funk, soul and house playing all night long.

It’s a pretty cool place to hang out with your colleagues after a long day at work, with a pint in hand whilst you battle it out over a game of Street Fighter. Just maybe avoid the cocktails. You can also compete to see who can spot the most easter eggs in the bar!

 

NINETEEN80
21 Tanjong Pagar Rd, S088444
Open from 5.30pm – 1am on Tues and Thurs, and from 5.30pm to 3am on Wed, Fri and Sat
Website | Facebook | Instagram