Goodbye, Alibi
53A Duxton Road
Singapore 089517
📷: @goodbyealibi
Tuesday to Thursday, 4pm to 11pm;
Friday and Saturday, 4pm to 12am
Our rating: 7/10 🛈
Goodbye, Alibi opened in March to relatively little fanfare; after all, its location in the middle of Duxton means it’s flanked by competition on all sides. What’s one more watering hole in a neighbourhood where liquor flows more freely than coffee or tea?
Besides, the space looks more or less the same as it did when the previous occupant, GOHO, was still around. Plus, there was talk of some less-than-savoury goings-on by a former bartender before the place opened: embezzled funds, police reports and the like.
Things seem to have turned around by now, though, with head bartender Chok Han Tan joining the fold after four years at The Elephant Room.
The bar has also gotten a fair bit of attention online for its “share your secrets” concept, with bowls of confessions dotted around the space. It can be pretty entertaining, if not a little voyeuristic, fishing around looking for some stranger’s skeletons.
Whispers and concepts aside – here’s what you need to know.
Han put out his first menu for Goodbye, Alibi in September, with 14 signatures split in two sections: “Highly Suspicious” for lower-ABV drinks, and “Bold & Dangerous” for more spirit-forward concoctions.
When it comes to the drinks, mellow is most decidedly not the name of the game at Goodbye, Alibi. Flavours, for the most part, are a rock-em-and-sock-em affair, with seemingly no holds barred.
Get a Room (S$25), the bar’s answer to a pornstar martini, fires on all cylinders with the requisite passionfruit and vanilla. It’s almost too sweet, but the sidecar of prosecco helps us through once there’s room in the glass for it.
There’s a good mix of savoury and sweet cocktails here, though we find the more umami mixes a little heavy-handed.
Summer Fling in Bangkok (S$25), for example, is what we imagine the illegitimate child of a paloma and tom yum soup might look like, perhaps born out of that very summer fling. It’s even topped with a couple of grilled shrimp.
Sweet, tangy and a little like sucking on a Knorr stock cube, the drink gets markedly better after sitting for a little while and the ice has had a chance to melt.
From the “Bold & Dangerous” end of the menu, My Crazy Ex (S$25) feels like more of the same, just with whisky and mala instead of tequila and tom yum.
Again, we find ourselves leaning back and waiting for more dilution; over time those gut-punching notes peter out into something that’s actually pretty tasty, with a mild spiciness that lingers in the back of the throat.
Perhaps the biggest shocker of the evening is Kill Me Softly (S$27), a gin martini best described as an alcoholised version of the liquid that comes with convenience-store hanjuku eggs.
The comparison doesn’t let up at all, especially considering there’s a literal marinated quail egg dangling precariously on the rim. Oddly, though, we find ourselves quite enjoying it.
Subtlety may not be the flavour du jour at Goodbye, Alibi, but there are some moments of quiet between the more flamboyant drinks.
Miso Broken (S$25) is one such drink. Putting in our order, we fear it’s yet another soup disguised as a cocktail; after all, the menu description (pickled radish, wasabi and miso) offers little comfort. But it turns out to be a well-balanced mix, with a reasonable salinity and mild sweetness that goes down easily.
Back on the sweet end of the spectrum, Last Dance (S$24) is a fruity sake cocktail, made lightly fizzy with prosecco.
Another mild flavour profile by this bar’s standards, the drink’s main notes are peach and elderflower. We imagine this would do well as a daytime drink; brunch, perhaps?
And though they add little to the drink itself, the duo of gummy bears perched on the rim makes for a really cute garnish.
The food menu at Goodbye, Alibi is unexpectedly substantial, with plates that barely fit on the small tables by the kitchen. (If you’re coming in a group of three or more, try to ask for the table at the end with the banquette; that gives you more space to wiggle around without threatening to topple a drink every three seconds.)
For a start, the Crispy Garlic Pork (S$16) is served with a sweet chilli sauce on the side. It’s moreish deep-fried food, which means there’s very little that could go wrong – and nothing does, thankfully. But maybe hold off on these garlicky nuggets if you’re planning to kiss someone after.
Goodbye, Alibi has other starters, including competitively priced oysters (S$2.50 apiece from 4pm to 7pm, or S$20 per half-dozen after 7pm), but they’re out during our visit.
All four mains on the menu are noodle dishes. The Cold Somen and Salmon Sashimi (S$25) is our favourite of the lot; it’s simple, but the light, cool freshness – with a kiss of spice – pairs perfectly well with the cocktails’ punchy flavours.
Instant Noodles with Collagen Broth (S$21), meanwhile, sounds like a sneaky way to trick you out of your money, but here it’s comforting and hearty. Clams and a marinated egg take the dish to a slightly elevated, but by no means pretentious, level.
Overall, we really enjoy our time at Goodbye, Alibi. Sure, it needs a little editing and cutting down to make things truly sing, but it’s better to go all out and get reeled back in than to not go far enough at all. The emphasis on savoury cocktails is also much appreciated, especially with umami’s big moment continuing well into 2026. We’re pretty sure we’ll be back soon.
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