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)