With nearly 6 million people living among 280 square miles, it’s no surprise that Singapore has plenty of great bars to choose from. Home to four of the Top 50 Bars in the World (2020), the cocktail community is tight-knit and friendly. We learned of many great places to try through conversations with bartenders. In one case, a bar owner walked us to the next bar on our list because he didn’t want us to get lost. Over six days in September 2019, we visited many neighborhoods and sampled delicious drinks. Here’s my list of the amazing cocktail bars in Singapore you need to visit.
This post was originally published in September 2019 and was updated in June 2021.
1. ATLAS
- Address: 600 North Bridge Road, Singapore, 188778
- Hours: Monday-Thursday 10am-1am | Friday 10am-2am | Saturday 3pm-2am | Closed Sunday
- Scores:
- Hospitality: 5.0, so excellent and professional
- Atmosphere: 5.0, this has to be the most gorgeous bar I have ever been in, despite how fancy it was, you felt completely welcome, even though we’d been walking around in street clothes all day
- Drinks: 5.0, amazing drinks
Parkview Square was built in 1999 and opened in 2002. In addition to housing some of the most expensive office space in the city, its lobby contains the eighth best bar in the world. The Art Deco-style shows up throughout the building.
ATLAS is SO impressive, and was primarily gin, so that’s a plus. This bar has vintage gins on their menu dating back to the 1910’s. And, see the box at the top of the photo? That is a harness that used to be used by a “wine fairy” to collect bottles for use by the bartenders. Brian was highly amused by this video of it in action. ATLAS is currently ranked number 4th in the world for Best Bar.
I think it’s safe to say that I was very happy with this choice – both the bar and my cocktail. The current menu is based on the Art Deco period of the 1920’s and 30’s. The Rose-Colored Glasses is a mixture of Japanese gin, elderflower, Greek vermouth, Palo Cortado sherry, and orange bitters. Pure excellence.
2. Native
- Address: 52 Amoy Street, Singapore 069878
- Hours: Monday-Saturday 6pm-midnight | Closed Sunday
- Scores:
- Hospitality: 5.0, great service, little samples of fun spirits kept coming our way
- Atmosphere: 5.0, when the bar’s founder is warmly greeting guests at the door, that’s just a classy start to making the place feel inviting
- Drinks: 5.0, hands down some of the most interesting, inventive, and exotic cocktails I’ve ever had
We were lucky enough to randomly meet Vijay, the founder of Native, at a bar in Bali. It was already on our list for our trip to Singapore, but it was nice to have a personal invite to visit. They took great care of us when we were there. Native is currently ranked the 18th best bar in the world. They feature local spirits and foraged ingredients in their drinks which leads to a very unique and special menu. The second floor features an in-house lab where they create distillates, kombuchas, bitters, and more.
Everything the bar uses is locally sourced and sustainable, including the glassware, spirits, and garnishes. This includes the inspiration for the flavors in the cocktails as well. We tried most of the current menu because of how delicious and light the drinks are. A few favorites, from left to right:
- Concrete Jungle (nutmeg leaves distillate, wild torch ginger, local mead, spring water, and pepper leaves);
- Sarapan (coconut distillate, toasted bread crumbs, butter roasted coffee, soy gula meleka, pandan egg strings); and
- Medini (Bidens pilosa distillate, pine kombucha, and mangrove wood smoke).
3. Manhattan
- Address: 1 Cuscaden Rd, Level 2 Regent Singapore, Singapore 249715
- Hours: Sunday-Thursday 5pm-midnight | Friday, Saturday 5pm-2am
- Scores:
- Hospitality: 5.0, the fact that they keep complimentary snacks coming is the way to my heart, and the staff were very friendly, helping us navigate the menu based on preferences
- Atmosphere: 5.0, gorgeous and luxurious space with a swanky vibe and crowd
- Drinks: 5.0, all the cocktails we had were created perfectly
Last, but certainly not least, is Manhattan. Currently ranked the fourteenth best bar in the world, this bar is located inside the Regent Singapore hotel. It is so dark and swanky but the staff were very friendly and helpful with drink selections. Also, every drink came with a little sandwich and BBQ-seasoned popcorn.
Featuring sumptuous seating, custom clear ice, and a never-ending bowl of fresh bbq popcorn, this place was fantastic. It was the perfect location for a final night in town.
The wild salmon ceviche tacos and crispy golden cauliflower with blue cheese, pomegranate, tahini, and pistachios.
This is maybe the finest cocktail I’ve ever had. The Princess Cut was not only gorgeous but it was absolutely delicious. Made with G’Vine Floraison gin, June Fleur de Vigne liqueur, hibiscus syrup, lemon, rose water, champagne, and egg white. It was quite impressive.
4. Tippling Club
- Address: 38 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088461
- Hours: Monday-Friday noon-midnight | Saturday 6pm-midnight | Closed Sunday
- Scores:
- Hospitality: 4.0, in their defense, we did come in early but they were pretty business-like
- Atmosphere: 5.0, slick and cozy at the same time, beautiful space
- Drinks: 5.0, I have had dreams about their cocktails since, very memorable menu
Tippling Club is a highly innovative restaurant with a highly regarded bar inside it. They received high praise from every bartender we talked to locally. While we didn’t dine in the restaurant, we did enjoy two of the best cocktails we had while in Singapore.
The menu we experienced was based on the life and work of famed French chef, Auguste Escoffier. I had the Bombe Glacée (left) made with vetiver, fig leaf, bee pollen, vanilla, tequila, soda, citrus, and served with a matcha meringue. It was unique and by far one of the most interesting cocktails I’ve ever had. Brian had The Golden Pheasant. Made from scotch, pink pepper, grapefruit, champagne cordial, and served with an orange custard. In celebration of the menu, drinks were served with cinnamon french bread and melted rum butter.
5. Operation Dagger
- Address: currently operating as a pop-up
- Hours: see Instagram for current details/hours
- Scores:
- Hospitality: 4.8, nice staff willing to explain the concept to us
- Atmosphere: 4.5, very basic but effective
- Drinks: 4.5, super unique concept but hard to pick what you would actually like based on the concept of the menu
Operation Dagger used to be hidden behind an unmarked door off a quiet part of the street. Since it closed its permanent home and became a pop-up bar, they have added “The Dagger Lab” to their offerings. All of the bottles have a cryptic chemistry-lab labels and drinks are mixed in beakers. The burned out lightbulb ceiling is a quite a piece of artwork.
The menu lists the flavor profile of the drinks, and not the spirits inside them. I had the Gomashiho which highlighted flavors of toasted sesame, cucumber, and ginger and the spirit was a sesame-infused vodka. The experience was interesting and the drinks were great.
6. Bitters & Love
- Address: 18 Telok Ayer Street, Singapore 068587
- Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 6pm-1am | Friday 6pm-2am | Saturday 7pm-2am | Closed Sunday, Monday
- Scores:
- Hospitality: 5.0, they made you feel like a friend who’d come over for drinks
- Atmosphere: 5.0, dark and inviting, packed with guests
- Drinks: 5.0. the menu was so good that we had to try a lot and it wasn’t easy to choose
Bitters & Love was easily one of our favorite bars and made me wish we’d had enough time to go a second time. In addition to a creative menu, the staff was warm and welcoming. One of the owners, Fiona, wouldn’t let us leave at the end of the night until we’d done cocktail shots with her.
It’s hard to judge a bar on just one drink, so between Brian and I, we tried four drinks. I had the Signor Aspro which is made with gin, calamansi, citrus, egg white, and grapefruit bitters. My second drink was the Makan at Midnight (right). It was a spicy and citrusy mixture of basil-infused gin, chili-infused Aperol, lime, sugar, bitters, saline solution, kaffir lime, and BKT bitters. This is a great “night out” bar in Singapore, I could’ve stayed all night.
7. platform.
- Address: #01-01 19 Amoy Street, Singapore, 069854
- Hours: Monday-Saturday 12pm-midnight | Closed Sunday
- Scores:
- Hospitality: 5.0, they were so friendly and attentive, they even walked us to our next location so we wouldn’t get lost
- Atmosphere: 5.0, it felt like you were in a gallery
- Drinks: 4.5, a small selection of delicate drinks
Open for just two months, platform. is already drawing positive attention in Singapore. Named one of the Top Ten New Bars in the city, platform. serves coffee, tea, cocktails, snacks, and mocktails. I had the Orange Blossom which is a blend of mezcal, orange blossom honey, grapefruit, salt, and maraschino cherry. It was light and refreshing.
The bar is super minimal and sleek. We also enjoyed a light dinner of portobello sandwiches and a charred brussel sprouts salad. The food was really good, especially considering it was prepared in a very basic kitchen.
More Cocktail Bars in Singapore
There are so many incredible cocktail bars in Singapore that a week is not enough time. I will definitely be back for another visit soon. When I go, I will visit these bars first.
- Jigger & Pony – currently ranked ninth in the world. I was so sad to have missed this place on our first trip.
- No Sleep Club – this bar began as a pop-up and went on to win the Campari “One to Watch” Award in 2020. They serve coffee in the morning and dinner at night, along with incredible drinks. The owners came from Operation Dagger and 28 HongKong Street.
- 28 HongKong Street – this speakeasy has become a landmark of Singapore. They play hip hop music from the 90s and serve up amazing cocktails in a laid-back atmosphere.
- Barbary Coast – does it get better than two bars in one? There’s a laid-back bar on the ground floor where the drinks are names by color. And upstairs you’ll find a fancier bar with cocktails and snacks.
- D.Bespoke – featuring Spanish sherries, French Calvados, and vintage rums alongside bespoke cocktails. The attention to detail and service are of upmost importance in this beloved bar.
- The Old Man – named after the literary masterpiece of Ernest Hemingway’s, this bar uses his legacy to inspire their menu. From snacks and drinks Hemingway loved, you’ll be surrounded by his spirit.
I hope you enjoyed this virtual tour of some amazing cocktail bars in Singapore that you need to visit. Did I miss any spots that you love? I would love to hear from you!
