Pop City x Pony
19 Cecil Street, Level 2
Singapore 049704
📷: @popcity.singapore
Tuesday to Saturday, 5.30pm to 12am
Our rating: 7.5/10 🛈
When news of Sugarhall’s closure broke in mid-2025, some whined, others sighed, yet others bitched and moaned. After all, the place had become a regular watering hole for many a tired CBD office worker; its closure meant the death of a beloved post-work sorrow-drowning spot.
It wasn’t long after, though, that Jigger & Pony Group dropped a new concept at the very same spot.
Enter Pop City x Pony, which opened its doors in December. The second-floor Japanese-inspired venue is supported (literally) by a restaurant, Barrel Story of Hibiki, which debuted the very same month.
Both venues come by way of a partnership between Jigger & Pony and Suntory, we hear. That’s no surprise on the first floor, considering the not-so-clever placement of Hibiki and other Suntory labels in just about every square inch of free space, along with a small whisky bar.
The Suntory branding is decidedly less in-your-face upstairs, with just the Hibiki bottles that take up a few shelves behind the bar.
But on to the good stuff. The menu at Pop City is split in two predictably named parts: “Pop” and “City”. The former is supposedly inspired by music, and the latter takes its cue from fashion.
We can’t say any of the drinks make us want to burst out in song or tailor a suit, but it’s about the same level of head-scratching as any other menu concept in 2026. We find the handy table in the first few pages far more instructive.
Happy hour at Pop City runs from 5.30pm to 8pm. Cocktails on the happy hour list are all from the main menu, which makes for pretty decent value, relatively speaking.
As far as highballs go, Shibuya-Hi (S$25, or S$15 during happy hour) is pretty sweet, but it makes for a good pre-dinner drink. Gin and coconut water as a pairing isn’t our taste, but there’s enough other stuff here – a little fig, some rosemary and rum – to keep our palates intrigued for the next drink.
Yuzu Whisky Sour (S$27, or S$17 during happy hour) is a no-frills but impeccable concoction: creamy, citrusy, a tad bitter and a little sweet.
It’s quite a steal during happy hour, simply because it’s such a well-made whisky sour. Once regular pricing rolls around at 8pm and you can fairly compare it with everyone else, however, it’s a little less appealing.
Genmaicha Espresso Martini (S$25) is styled really bizarrely on the menu; we fear typing it on our keyboards might summon some sort of Japanese ghost.
The drink turns out to be mild and mellow, though it’s closer to the bottom-right of the menu grid. Don’t expect coffee to blast you in the face; it’s very much a tea-forward, almost dessert-like drink. The hojicha gives sweet, salty notes, while mezcal adds a big hit of smoke to balance out the creaminess.
Pop City’s answer to the bloody Mary comes as an almost-stereotypical Harajuku Mary (S$27). There’s a bit of wasabi aroma with none of the nasal spice; it’s probably a drink even the most spice-averse would be okay with.
A two-punch combo of tonkotsu sauce and dashi means the drink is more salty than savoury. A touch more sweetness and acidity would probably have balanced things out better.
If Genmaicha Espresso Martini is a silent killer, Rugged Roy (S$28) is just the opposite. This Rob Roy-boulevardier hybrid combines whisky, Drambuie (a 40% ABV liqueur also made with whisky) and sweet vermouth.
It’s unsurprisingly spirit-forward, and quite pleasantly so, but we wonder if it’s just because a little sweetness in whisky is almost always good. There’s a hint of toasted sesame somewhere, but we wish that roundness had been put up further front and centre.
Pop City certainly doesn’t fall short of the Jigger & Pony formula. It leans almost comically into the same vibe and cool factor that arguably form the backbone of its sister brands’ popularity. No doubt you’ll feel like part of the in crowd while you’re here, particularly the youngins who crave the 1980s city pop aesthetic.
And, as with the group’s other concepts, the menu at Pop City is varied and considered enough that you’ll invariably find something you like among the 16 signatures.
At this level, the happy hour prices are also hard to beat. We’d recommend coming here at least before 8pm, and staying on if anything else catches your eye.
Leave a Reply