Here's the edited review:
There was a great Cantopop live band and an awesome spin.
The place is clean and smoke-free! Food is great too.
Totally enjoyed the night.
Hester Koo Kee
1
I recommended this bar to my daughter for her birthday, as I've had good experiences. However, she shared that during her experience, a staff member, Ivy, was disrespectful toward her, dismissing her when she first entered the restaurant and later when she tried to order. This was extremely disappointing. She left because of the treatment from this staff member.
Dora Koh
5
A very caring and attentive waiter named KIERAN. An enjoyable place to spend time listening to retro music.
I come every week and have brought friends. They like the place too.
Sandra Lim
5
I like the vibes at TinBox Clarke Quay. Vincent Wong, even with such busy hours, always remains professional and helpful. His dedication and quality of service truly stand out.
Wang Jun Kiat
5
This was my first time visiting Simply Retro by Tin Box at Clarke Quay. The live band here is famous for Cantopop, but I find it a bit dated. The second and third sets had fewer Cantopop songs, making the first set my favorite, with mostly songs from my era. Despite this, the overall quality is still excellent with a 10-person band, and two songs even featured dancers, which was quite impressive. I will give them another chance to see if the song selection improves, as I still prefer the vibe at Simply Live.
Lawrence Koo
1
Visited on June 21st, 2025. The vocalists were great, especially Jason & Wardy. The songs they sang really rocked; they were so good.
However, an incident occurred that ruined the experience.
Let's start with Simply Retro's service. They will just take your empty glass away once you've completed your pint. They will not even ask if you want another glass or another alcoholic drink. Next, if you want to order another pint of beer when your current one is finishing, it's challenging. There are a lot of staff, but they are all stuck at one corner, chatting, looking at the regulars, and doing nothing. I had to go to the bar counter (on the left of the stage) to personally order another pint of beer after raising my hand for more than 5 minutes (5 minutes, 20 seconds to be exact). The bartender (at the counter) even shook his head when I said there was no staff available for me to order. Well, all of this is fine as it's a Saturday; perhaps the staff were a little tired, hence the lack of service, which I can tolerate as I've worked in the service industry before.
Then came the billing time. I submitted my credit card, and the staff member (named Simon) took it. He came back after 5 minutes, stating he did not see any credit card, which I explained I *did* submit, and that he must have lost it. He disagreed and said he could check if we submitted it by viewing the CCTV, which I told him to go ahead and check. His tone was condescending and insulting, as if my friends and I were trying to "cheat" on the bill. I thought, 'Whatever, he's just doing his job, and perhaps it's a bad day for him, hence his foul mood.' He came back 20 minutes later, stating he had checked the CCTV and confirmed we hadn't submitted our card, and demanded we pay for what we ate and drank, which I duly did. My wife thought this was ridiculous, wondering why, as customers, we were treated like beggars, especially since this is Tinbox, which is well-known! Hence, she approached the bouncer and requested to speak with the manager. Fast forward 10 minutes later, Simon came back to me with my credit card and said, "Well, things happen; it was found on the floor," followed by a lot of explanation justifying that it wasn't his fault. There was not even an apology from him, and worse, when I questioned why I needed to be talked down to like that when he requested me to pay, there was no explanation from him.
He (Simon) did offer to buy us a few beers, which I respectfully rejected, as it would have just aligned with his thinking that we were a bunch of cheapskates trying to cheat Tinbox for a few beers. My friends, who were first-timers to Tinbox (due to my recommendation after visiting Simply Live), were disgusted, specifically wondering why anyone would treat customers like cheapskates and offer not a single apology when it was clearly proven to be their mistake!
Nevertheless, putting aside Simon and the service standard, the performance was good, and the songs were awesome. I was certainly impressed with Jason and Wardy. They sang "Hong Ri," which was awesome! I would suggest anyone visiting Simply Retro at Clarke Quay to pay at the counter or via cash. The performance is good, so if you can overlook the service standard you'd expect from a basic restaurant and the insulting behaviour from some of their staff, it is still worth going.
Reena Ong
1
Very disappointing. I booked weeks ago, but was given a table blocked by a huge pillar. There shouldn’t be a table here at all. I asked to change, but was told they were fully booked. Not a pleasant experience for my first visit.
Carol Jacob Lee
5
I just love spending my time at Simply Retro. All the singers are super talented, heartwarming, and connect well with their audience. Simply outstanding! The DJs are awesome with their selection of retro tracks. The service from the crew is awesome too, especially Shaun & Vincent Wong.
My happy place where I find simple joy with good entertainment and outstanding customer service. Thumbs up Simply Retro! 💕🤣
Angela Cheong
4
My second time here. Simply Retro never fails to impress. The live band here was very engaging and entertaining on New Year's Eve! The food is great too! I had a great day here, and I will be back for more of the retro music!
NG GERRY
1
I'm very disappointed. Why is there no DJ every Wednesday and Thursday? It's been over a month, and when the DJ was here, they made the place feel alive and happening.
When there is a DJ, it's different, and we can hear 80s and 90s retro music.
This should come back soon and make the place lively and happening.
🍻🍻🍸🍸🥃🥃🍾🍾🥂🥂