Gastropub Near Me in Holland Village: Wala Wala's Wings, Steak and 33 Years

Wala Wala Cafe Bar has been pouring beer at 31 Lorong Mambong, Holland Village, Singapore 277689, since January 1993, a couple of minutes from Exit A of Holland Village MRT. For anyone typing gastropub near me in the west, the draw is a happy hour that runs from 4pm to 9pm every day, a plate of Wala Chicken Wings at S$15, and a 250g ribeye steak au poivre at S$35, all priced nett.

Wala Wala calls itself probably the second-oldest independent bar in Singapore, and owner Stanley Yeo has run the 1,700 square foot ground-floor unit through three decades of rent rises. In June 2025 he announced it would close, citing rent of S$28,000 a month and revenue down by more than half. Regulars turned out in such numbers that the landlord offered revised terms, and on 26 August 2025 the bar said it would stay.

The upstairs room was once the heart of Singapore's live-music circuit. Gigs began there in October 2001, and the stage helped launch bands such as The Lost Box and Shirlyn + The UnXpected. That second-floor space shut in November 2021 after the pandemic ban on live entertainment and never reopened as a gig room. Live music has since moved down to level one, though the bar does not publish a weekly band schedule.

The food here is pub cooking done generously rather than fine dining. The signature Wala Chicken Wings cost S$15, Jalapeño Poppers stuffed with homemade cream cheese are S$14, and Smashed Beef Sliders run S$18. Wala Beef Meatballs in a tomato cream sauce with garlic toast are S$20. Every price on the menu is nett, so unlike most Singapore bars there is no service charge or GST added at the end.

For a proper dinner, the Steak au Poivre is a 250g ribeye with fries at S$35, and the Fish and Chips uses golden snapper with mushy peas at S$26. The Truffle Mushroom pizza costs S$26 and is built for sharing over a jug. If you are deciding between the sliders and the meatballs, take the meatballs: the garlic toast does the job of soaking up a second pint far better than a slider bun.

Happy hour runs daily from 4pm to 9pm, which is longer than almost anywhere else on Lorong Mambong. A 50cl Heineken or Sapporo draught costs S$15 at happy hour against S$19 at full price, and a tower drops from S$88 to S$70. House wine by the glass is S$10 during the window and S$14 after it. A single-malt list starts at S$14 a glass for those who would rather sip than pour.

The dated September 2026 promotions flyer added a few extras: a Whisky Espresso Martini made with Dalmore 12, Kahlua and espresso at S$22 nett, a Gin Purple Sky with Roku tea gin, butterfly pea and lychee at S$20 nett, a Warsteiner bucket at S$55 nett, and Dalmore 12 by the glass at S$15. The smart move is to arrive by 7pm, order food and a tower, and let the 9pm cut-off set your pace.

Wala Wala only takes reservations for arrival before 7pm, with your name, party size, indoor or outdoor preference, date and time. On full-house nights the rules tighten: indoor tables are a first seating, there is a ten-minute grace period, parties of four or fewer must be complete before being seated, and groups of five or more need three quarters of the party present.

Tables are held for 120 minutes on busy nights, and groups of six or more have a minimum spend of S$50 per guest; bottles kept behind the bar do not count toward it. The bar is open to all ages, and dogs and cats are welcome in the outdoor area. If the outdoor tables are full, a guest review on the bar's own site calls the lack of outdoor seating a turn-off, so arrive early if the street is the point.

The crowd spans generations: people who came for upstairs gigs in the 2000s now bring their own teenagers for wings, and office teams book long tables for farewells, as one guest review on the website describes. Locals still call the place Wala's. Flat-screen televisions keep live sport running, so a Premier League weekend draws a louder crowd than a Tuesday, when the room is closer to a neighbourhood living room.

An honest note for live-music fans: if you are coming for the legendary upstairs gig room, it no longer exists, and Yeo himself told Rice Media in 2023 that losing live music, high rents and outdoor-seating limits had thinned the crowds. Come for the history, the long happy hour and the steak. If you want a concert, check the bar's ground-floor music nights on its own channels before planning the evening around them.

Holland Village MRT on the Circle Line drops you at Exit A, which opens straight onto Lorong Mambong, so the bar is about three minutes from the platform. Start with an early bite at Holland Village Market and Food Centre at 1 Lorong Mambong, then claim a Wala Wala table before 7pm to lock in the reservation window and the remaining two hours of happy-hour prices.

After dinner, Plan B for a late snack is Dong Fang Mei Shi at 10 Lorong Mambong, a Northeastern Chinese spot that opened in January 2026 and stays open until 2am, with skewers from S$1 each. On weekends Wala Wala itself runs until 1am, from Thursday through Sunday and on the eve of public holidays, so there is time for a last round after the skewers.

Address: 31 Lorong Mambong, Holland Village, Singapore 277689, near Exit A of Holland Village MRT on the Circle Line. Hours: Monday to Wednesday 4pm to midnight; Thursday to Sunday and eves of public holidays 4pm to 1am. Happy hour daily 4pm to 9pm. All prices nett, all ages welcome, pets allowed outdoors.

Who it suits: groups of friends who want one long happy hour with real food, football fans, and Singaporeans revisiting a bar from their twenties. Who it does not suit: anyone expecting the old upstairs live-music venue, or diners who want a quiet table on a Saturday night. Ask in the Karpo APP for more Holland Village bars within a short walk if you want a second stop.