Staying Gold: Stay Gold Celebrates Fifth Anniversary withAsia’s 50 Best Bars Recognition

Stay Gold celebrates five years of proper drinks, boisterous music and genuine hospitality with its latest recognition on Asia’s 50 Best Bars Extended List at No. 97

Stay Gold, the Amoy Street bar known for its rock-and-roll spirit, has earned a place on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars Extended List 2026 at No. 97, marking another milestone as it celebrates its fifth anniversary this year. 

The recognition is the latest milestone in a five-year journey that has seen Stay Gold steadily recognised by both regional and international industry platforms. Since first joining 50 Best Discovery in 2022, the bar has ranked No. 32 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars in 2023, No. 63 on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars Extended List in 2024, while also being named among Tatler’s Best 20 Bars in Singapore and Best 100 Bars Asia-Pacific.

Five years ago, Stay Gold opened with a simple idea: build a bar that people would feel a part of—one they would return to not just for the drinks, but for the atmosphere and hospitality. A bar where the drinks are taken seriously—but never solemnly—where the music reverberates, the food is as considered as what’s in the glass, and hospitality is measured by one thing only: how welcome people feel the moment they walk through the door. 

That idea continues to shape the bar today. Many of the people, ideas, dishes and drinks that helped build Stay Gold remain at the heart of it. Bar Manager Amos Kew has been part of the journey since the beginning. Signature dishes such as Fish Tacos, Steak & Rice and Mala Quail Eggs continue to hold their place on the menu, while Intro To Absinthe—one of the bar’s original cocktails created by co-founders Jerrold Khoo and Bai JiaWei during the pandemic before Stay Gold even opened—continues to share the menu space with a handful of long-standing favourites that guests still return for today. 

For Stay Gold, evolution has never meant starting over. That philosophy is reflected in The Bartender’s Diary Vol. II: The Mixtape, the bar’s latest cocktail menu launched earlier this year. Inspired by the notebooks bartenders carry through years of service, experimentation and discovery, the menu is structured around three sections: Anthems (returning crowd favourites), B-Sides (experimental originals), and Remastered (reimagined classics). 

Much like the bar itself, the menu is both forward-thinking and reminiscent of the past. It celebrates the drinks and ideas that helped build Stay Gold while creating space for new ones to emerge. 

From Left to Right: Jerrold, JiaWei and Amos

The story of Stay Gold has always centred around the team. Creative Director and Co-Founder Jerrold Khoo sets the creative direction of the bar, drawing from a bartending philosophy rooted in Japanese precision and a lifelong love for music and rock-and-roll culture. Co-Founder Bai JiaWei brings the energy and hospitality of the American cocktail tradition, while Bar Manager Amos Kew serves as the bridge between vision and execution, ensuring every guest experiences the bar as intended. Alongside them, Head Chef Joanne Sakai continues to lead a kitchen programme that has become just as integral to Stay Gold’s identity as its cocktails. 

“Five years is a meaningful milestone for any independent bar. People told me that when we first started, and I understand why now,” says Jerrold Khoo, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Stay Gold. 

“When we started Stay Gold, we never set out to chase rankings. We wanted to create a place where people could feel free—through the drinks, the food, the music and our hospitality. Over the years, we’ve continued to evolve, but we’ve never lost sight of those fundamentals. To receive this recognition in our fifth year is incredibly special because it reflects not just the work of our team, but also the support of our guests and the wider bar community that has been part of the journey. I understand now why people said five years is such a meaningful milestone” 

It is a sentiment that feels particularly fitting for a bar named Stay Gold. Inspired by The Outsiders, the phrase serves as a reminder to remain true to oneself in an everchanging world. Five years on, that idea continues to guide the bar. 

The drinks may evolve. Menus may come and go. Recognition may arrive along the way. But some things are still worth holding onto. Staying gold is one of them. 

*All prices are subject to a 10% service charge and prevailing GST.