There’s a particular moment I keep returning to. It’s dusk over Collyer Quay, the light softening from gold to something deeper, and I’ve just stepped out of the day and into a dark, art-heavy room where the water glimmers through the glass. Outside, the financial district hums its evening hum. Inside, a geisha watches from the wall, and the first slice of salmon has just arrived, glistening under low light.
That, to me, is the essence of Kinki Restaurant + Bar. It doesn’t ask you to sit in reverent silence. It asks you to loosen your shoulders, order something bold, and let the evening carry you upward, quite literally, from the table to the sky.
Leaving Preconceived Notions at the Door
Kinki Singapore lives inside Customs House, that low colonial building perched between Raffles Place and the Marina Bay waterfront. It’s a two-level concept: the restaurant on Level 2, the rooftop bar on Level 3. And from the moment you enter, it makes clear that it has quietly set aside the usual grammar of a Japanese restaurant.
The interior leans into a gritty, contemporary geisha aesthetic rather than the pale wood and hush you might expect. Murals by Sean Dunston watch over the dining room; up on the roof, graffiti by local artist ANTZ sprawls across the walls in colour and defiance. It’s the kind of space that plays with your preconceived notions, a new age twist on tradition, where neon and brushstroke share the same breath.
I found the dim lighting seductive, though I’ll be honest: at one point I tilted the menu toward the window just to read it. If your eyes prefer brightness, know that going in.
The Table on Level 2
I like to think of Kinki’s menu as a slow current. It begins with sashimi and signature maki, then drifts into claypot rice, donburi, grilled meats and contemporary Japanese dishes that wear their modernity proudly.
The fresh sashimi is where I’d start. Salmon, tuna, scallop, cut thick, cool to the tongue, the fish clean and quietly confident. It set the tone for everything that followed.
That opening plate is also why Best Izakaya includes Kinki in its wider look at sushi-led Japanese dining in Singapore, where the fish is only one part of how the evening finds its rhythm.
Then came the rolls, which are really Kinki’s love letter to itself. The Golden Age (S$32++) is the one I’d order again without hesitation: seared salmon draped in creamy mentaiko, lifted by sweet mango, the salmon soft enough to melt as it met the warmth of the sauce. It’s indulgent, a little theatrical, and utterly memorable.
The AC/DC Dynamite brings crunch and heat, a deep-fried seafood roll crowned with raw seafood and a house sriracha-sweet dressing. The Cowabunga, layered with wagyu and cream cheese and finished with torched striploin, is the roll for the person at the table who says they don’t usually like sushi. It’s rich, meaty, gloriously unconventional.
For something warmer, the Unagi Claypot (S$38++) stayed with me longest. Smoky, charred eel over rice that had caught a little colour at the edges, the eel soft, the smoke lingering like the memory of a grill. Comfort and craft in one clay pot.
Not everything soared equally. A few of the fried items can lose their crispness, and certain dishes offer gentler value than the rolls. But the highs here are genuinely high.
The Bottomless Brunch
If you want the fullest picture in a single sitting, come for the Bottomless Brunch (S$68++ per person), served on Saturdays and public holidays with seatings at 11:30am and 1:45pm. It’s two hours of unlimited sashimi, signature maki and selected mains, thick sashimi slices arriving in waves, the rolls returning as often as you dare. A two-hour free-flow alcohol package adds S$38++, covering wine, beer, sake, prosecco and highballs. Reservations are required, so plan ahead.
It’s the rare kind of brunch where the value quietly resolves itself. Order the same spread à la carte and the arithmetic simply won’t compare.
Rising to the Kinki Rooftop Bar Singapore
Here is the part I love most, the ascent. When dinner winds down, you climb one floor to the Kinki rooftop bar Singapore, and the room opens onto Marina Bay itself. After dark, the skyline glitters, Marina Bay Sands looming across the water like a lit ship.
Up here, the mood shifts. The graffiti feels louder, the cocktails blend Eastern and Western spirits, and from Wednesday to Saturday the DJ programming turns the space toward nightlife. It’s exhilarating, though if you’re seeking a quiet nightcap late in the week, the music may be more than you bargained for.
That progression, table to sky, sushi to cocktail, is Kinki’s finest storytelling.
A Few Honest Notes
Service was warm and attentive on the whole, the kind that offers recommendations without hovering. I’ll note, fairly, that some diners have waited longer than they’d like when the floor fills, worth a gentle patience on busy nights.
And Kinki sits firmly on the premium side, especially once cocktails, sake or wagyu enter the order. This is an occasion place, not an everyday one.
A few practicalities: the restaurant opens Monday to Saturday, 12pm–3pm and 6pm–10:30pm, and closes on Sunday. It’s an easy walk, roughly four minutes from Raffles Place MRT, five from Downtown. The dress code is smart casual; no singlets, no flip-flops.
The Final Pour
What lingers with me isn’t a single dish, though the Golden Age comes close. It’s the shape of the evening, the way Kinki lets you begin in the dark hush of the dining room and end beneath an open sky, drink in hand, the bay shimmering below.
It isn’t a traditional izakaya, and it never pretends to be. It’s a contemporary Japanese restaurant and bar with graffiti on its walls and Marina Bay in its windows, built for nights you’ll want to remember. Come with someone you like. Order boldly. Stay for the climb upstairs. And let the last of the evening dissolve into the lights across the water.
Before the Evening Ends at Kinki Restaurant and Bar
Where is Kinki Restaurant + Bar located?
At 70 Collyer Quay, #02-02 Customs House, Singapore 049323, about a four-minute walk from Raffles Place MRT and five from Downtown MRT.What should I order at Kinki?
Start with fresh sashimi, then the Golden Age roll (S$32++), AC/DC Dynamite, Cowabunga, and the smoky Unagi Claypot (S$38++).How much is the Kinki Bottomless Brunch?
It’s S$68++ per person, served Saturdays and public holidays at 11:30am and 1:45pm, with an optional S$38++ free-flow alcohol package. Reservations are required.What are the opening hours?
The restaurant opens Monday to Saturday, 12pm–3pm and 6pm–10:30pm, and is closed on Sunday. The rooftop bar runs later, with DJ nights from Wednesday to Saturday.Is there a dress code?
Yes, smart casual. Singlets and flip-flops aren’t permitted.
