The Prince of Wales is the Little India backpacker pub that doubles as Singapore's most reliable cheap-pint-and-live-band room. Open since 2007, it has hosted local indie acts, touring backpacker bands, and the occasional well-known name passing through the region.
The space is bigger than it looks from Dunlop Street: a long bar, a small live-music room at the back, a beer garden out front. The crowd is exactly what the name suggests, backpackers, hostel guests, Australian and British expats, the occasional curious local. Cover is rarely charged. Happy hour from 5pm to 8pm puts pints at S$8–S$10, which is unmatched in the city.
The music programme is informal but reliable: pub-rock, indie, the occasional jam session. The bands change weekly and the lineup is posted on the bar's Facebook page on Sundays. The Wednesday open-mic night has been running for fifteen years and has a small but committed local songwriter following.
This is not a cocktail destination. It is a cheap-and-honest live-music room with cold beer and a kitchen doing a credible chicken parma. The right order is a pint, then another pint, then whatever the band is selling on merch.
Best time to visit: Weekday evenings before 9pm for the quieter version of the room; weekends after 9pm for the busier one. Reservations recommended where the bar accepts them.
What to order
- 01
Aussie Pint Special
- 02
Tiger Pint
- 03
Jug of House Lager
- 04
Whisky Coke
- 05
House Cocktail (rotating)