Backdoor Bodega

Touted as "the most elusive of George Town's speakeasies" by Lonely Planet, Backdoor Bodega started as a passion project by Shen, a clothing brand proprietor and cocktail enthusiast, in his hometown of Penang, Malaysia. Opened discreetly with zero fanfare in November 2016, this owner-operated cocktail bar with a small team of self-taught bartenders initially marketed itself as an “overpriced pin shop” — where patrons can purchase uniquely-designed lapel pins in exchange for free cocktails, in true speakeasy fashion. While the bar focuses less on marketing gimmicks and more on its cocktail programme these days, Backdoor Bodega still proudly sticks to its roots of being an actual pin shop — complete with its own merchandise retail space and a full-fledged webstore featuring collections of pins, apparel, and bottled cocktails that are delivered nationwide, and has since been recognised as one of the city’s top cocktail bars, becoming the first ever Penang bar to be listed among 100 of Asia’s best bars by Asia’s 50 Best Bars in 2022. For more on Backdoor Bodega, visit or connect via: E-mail: hello@backdoorbodega.com Instagram:@backdoorbodega Facebook: Backdoor Bodega Address: 37, Jalan Gurdwara, 10300 George Town, Penang, Malaysia