Illustration by Fig & Ginger, drawn from the review. The venue's own photo is on its way.
Speakeasy cocktail bar in Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur
Penrose
A Quiet Door In Chinatown
Penrose opened in August 2022 and by 2026 Tatler had named it Malaysia's Bar of the Year. That is fast. It sits on Jalan Petaling, the Chinatown street everyone has an opinion on, and it is a hidden speakeasy that does classics with modern twists. Hidden is a word I distrust, since half the bars that use it have a neon sign. This one lives up to it.
The pitch is intimate. A small room, serious technique and a menu that respects the old drinks while nudging them forward. That is the whole discipline of a good cocktail bar: know the classics well enough to mess with them. I have no specific cocktail to recommend, because the sources I could read did not name one. So do what you should do anyway and tell the bartender what you like.
Come early in the evening to get a seat. Chinatown after dark is loud, a bit chaotic and very good, and a quiet room behind a door is a nice contrast. Book if you can and expect to pay cocktail-bar prices for a cocktail-bar room.
- Order this
- The classics, Anything modern the bartender suggests
- The damage
- $$$
- Go
- Early evening, before the crowd
- Find it
- 149 Jalan Petaling, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50000
- @penrose.kl