The Whiskey Library & Jazz Club
Red velvet, a golden elephant and more than 1,000 whiskies in a Jacques Garcia room in Little India. Book Thursday to Saturday, when the house quartet plays.
- Where: Little India
- Price: S$60 and above
Bars with live music
Rooms with a band or a piano, not a playlist.
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
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
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
How to choose
Two of these are listening rooms. Cool Cats in the Civic District opens on Fridays and Saturdays only, and the room is built for listening, so be seated before the first set and save the conversation for afterwards. The Whiskey Library & Jazz Club in Little India has its music nights from Thursday to Saturday; Sunday to Wednesday is the quieter bet if you want to talk.
Lantern, on a Marina Bay rooftop, is the odd one out: go at sunset for the view, and expect DJs on its music nights, not a quartet.
For the two jazz rooms, reserve, arrive early and order before the band starts. Some shows are ticketed, so check the venue’s own page for the night you have in mind.