Cool Cats
Behind an unmarked wooden door at the old NCO Club on Beach Road, a 60-seat room built for listening to a band. A better date than another dinner. Book, and arrive before the first set.
- Where: Civic District
- Price: S$60 and above
Cocktail bars
The rooms where the drinks list is the point, with what each does best and when to go.
Southbridge
Five floors above the Boat Quay menu-wavers, a shophouse rooftop with the river bend, Parliament House and a half-dozen dressed-up oysters. For two, not for a birthday.
- Where: Boat Quay
- Price: S$30–60
Lantern
A rooftop at The Fullerton Bay Hotel named after the red lamps that once lit Clifford Pier, with the bay switching on in front of you. Go at sunset, book ahead; the pool is for hotel guests.
- Where: Marina Bay
- Price: S$30–60
Offtrack
A listening bar on North Canal Road built around two restored Klipsch La Scalas, now No. 16 in Asia. Come for the records, and book dinner early; the kitchen stops first.
- Where: Clarke Quay
- Price: S$30–60
Manhattan
Golden Age New York at Conrad Singapore Orchard, with more than 100 oak barrels ageing drinks out of sight. Order a classic, then its barrel-aged twin, and give it the whole evening.
- Where: Orchard
- Price: S$30–60
Origin Bar
The Shangri-La's lobby bar rewrites its menu every couple of years, from pepper plantations to Lego. Go to hand the decision to the bartender; the room is handsome, not theatrical.
- Where: Orchard
- Price: S$30–60
Long Bar
The Singapore Sling's home, and a drink designed to pass for fruit juice. Walk-in only: go at 11am, mid-afternoon or late on a weekday, have one Sling and drop the shells.
- Where: Civic District
- Price: S$30–60
Live Twice
A Bukit Pasoh dive bar reborn as a 1960s Tokyo cocktail lounge: about 40 seats, original Falcon armchairs and a four-ingredient rule. A date bar; book the armchairs.
- Where: Bukit Pasoh
- Price: S$30–60
Gibson
Bukit Pasoh's ten-year-old martini bar, for a pair or a small group. Order the house Gibson, with pickled pomelo and a smoked quail egg, then the martini made for fries.
- Where: Bukit Pasoh
- Price: S$30–60
Jigger & Pony
The only Singapore bar in the 2026 world top 20 and Best Bar in Singapore again. Start with the yuzu whisky sour, read the menuzine, and check you've booked the right bar.
- Where: Tanjong Pagar
- Price: S$30–60
Native
No classic cocktails, only the region: Thai rum, Sri Lankan arrack, foraged herbs and, famously, ants. The Amoy Street bar for a curious pair, not a birthday crowd.
- Where: Chinatown
- Price: S$30–60
Nutmeg & Clove
The Purvis Street bar that tells Singapore's story in cocktails, now with drinks named after what you say when the bill comes. Bring the friend who thinks the Sling is the whole story.
- Where: Bugis
- Price: S$30–60
ATLAS
Parkview Square's Jazz Age lobby bar, for a date or a visitor who needs impressing. Let the staff choose your gin, look up at the tower, and leave the shorts at home after 5pm.
- Where: Bugis
- Price: S$30–60
A date with something to talk about
Friday-late Peranakan Museum, then one bar chosen by mood: fermentation at Native, a hushed 40-seat Tokyo lounge at Live Twice or vinyl at Offtrack. Book the museum; skip the restaurant.
- Where: Across Singapore
One good bar, a whole evening: six rooms that take you elsewhere
Book one bar and stay: ATLAS for an occasion, Nutmeg & Clove for dinner and drinks together, Offtrack with a non-drinker, Le Bon Funk for an easy bottle. Eat early; kitchens close first.
- Where: Across Singapore
More bars collections
Bars for conversation
For a night of talking rather than shouting: grand rooms, bars with a local story, music or wine. Choose the mood, book one bar and stay put.
- 6 picks