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Singapore’s late-night options have expanded in recent years to include more highbrow lounges with million-dollar views, mixologists shaking up the trendiest ingredients, and bars tapping into some of the beers from all over. After work, professionals and expats typically congregate at watering holes on Club Street and pubs in Boat Quay, as well as at some of the cocktail bars that have been popping up around Chinatown and Haji Lane.
Nightclubs featuring electronic dance music have a massive following here, and that's been true since the opening of Zouk, back in 1996. Additional clubs can be found around Clarke Quay and throughout the CBD.
First-time visitors should be prepared for the exorbitantly expensive prices that clubs charge. Beer guzzlers on a budget are best off sipping on a few at the hawker centers, one of the only places to find reasonable rates.
Be aware that although the once-bawdy Bugis Street has been sanitized, a seedy underworld still exists elsewhere in town. Red-light districts, which are mostly found in parts of Geylang, have buildings that really are lit by red lanterns. Soliciting for prostitution is illegal, but the deed itself isn't; it's actually tolerated, monitored, and contained, with most prostitutes registered and subject to regular medical checks. If karaoke is what you seek, keep in mind that it is common for "KTV" lounges to be a cover for prostitution.
Music industry insiders, club owners, and musicians congregate at this club in the small but busy Pasir Panjang Village entertainment hub. The Saturday night jamming and sing-along action may go into the early hours upstairs, with people leaving the bar to go directly to Mass in the morning. There's no band, but drum sets and guitars are available upstairs. Downstairs, there's a bar and restaurant, though the drinks are better than the food.
This laid-back bar located in the art complex of Gillman Barracks has some serious cocktail credentials. Try Singaporean twists on classics, something a little more adventurous (like the Peranakan-inspired, tequila-soaked Tipsy Nonya), or even one of their bespoke creations. Food ranges from burgers and pizzas to large sharing plates straight from the grill, all good to soak up those boozy drinks.
Set in a 1910 townhouse noted for its Straits-Chinese architecture, this bustling pub attracts expats and locals alike and serves some 60 beers on tap or in bottles (they're "ice cold" from being in vast ice tanks). At the back of the bar, you can play darts; upstairs, you can play pool and arcade games. If you get peckish, the range of international bar snacks includes hot dogs, chicken wings, and mini-burgers.
Once the Killiney Post Office, this Orchard Road landmark is now a spacious two-level indoor and outdoor bar with a great ambience in the evening. Balcony tables upstairs offer views of the traffic whizzing by, while inside the mix of raw concrete walls and steel architecture contrasts with the chill tunes that usually play, often mixed by a local DJ. Tuck into solid local dishes like Hokkien mee or nasi lemak with your beer. Happy hour promotions run every day until 8 pm.
Part beer garden, part taqueria, part art café, this cool hangout is set in a former police barrack in leafy Pearl’s Hill Terrace—a stone’s throw from the bustling streets of Chinatown. The courtyard is a great place to chill with a beer or kultail (Kult Yard cocktail creation) while listening to some live music or checking out the local artwork on display.
This contemporary wine bar, which champions accessible organic and natural wines, is situated in a quiet corner of Holland Village. The European-style food menu changes daily, with a selection of small plates focused on seasonal produce. The outdoor terrace is a relaxing place to sip as the sun sets.
This Caribbean-inspired bar and bistro aims at bringing the laid-back rhythms and flavors of those far-away islands to Singapore's equally slow-paced Katong district. Rum and lime are the lifeblood of signature drinks such as Lime House Punch (spiked with sorrel, spices, honey, and fresh lime juice) and the tropical and refreshing Morris (with coconut water and cane sugar). A menu of Caribbean staples, from tapas to goat curry and sweet plantain lasagne, can be ordered for dinner or even brunch on weekends.
The home of the Singapore Sling cocktail reopened in 2019 after a major makeover and now sports stylized, earthy decor inspired by the Malayan plantations of the 1920s. But some things haven't changed: you can still knock back the original-recipe Singapore Sling and chuck peanut shells on the floor, technically the only place you're allowed to litter legally in Singapore. As you might expect of a bar inside Singapore's best-known and most historic hotel, it's touristy and pricey.
Classic fish-and-chips join the beers, cocktails, and whiskeys at this friendly Irish bar, which was originally built in Ireland before being transported in full to Singapore in 1995. The bar is full of interesting characters and is the closest you'll come to a local joint in the area. There's also live music most nights, TVs screening live sports, and a full menu of pub classics.
Inside Claymore Connect is this Irish pub famed for its wine-and-cheese promotions; Sunday Roast lunches; live Irish-Celtic bands; and beverage selection that includes whiskeys, draft Kilkenny Ale, and Guinness Stout. The bar was actually built in Dublin in 1996 before being reassembled in Singapore. It's one of the most popular spots on Orchard Road to catch live sports, with huge TVs showing rugby, football, boxing, tennis, and more. It also has live-music performances on weekends and Thursday quiz nights.
This small, intimate cocktail bar has the feel of retro Manhattan, complete with leather paneling and low-lit booths. Cocktails are both innovative twists of modern classics and signature creations. Try the signature "Night Hawk," a play on temperature with cold coffee, rum, and vodka layered with warm coconut foam. There’s a small menu of nibbles, but the drinks are the real stars of the show.
Since moving to a new home on buzzy Keong Saik Road, this neighborhood bar-cum-restaurant has gone from strength to strength. Drinks are inventive, the atmosphere cool and welcoming, and the food always hits the spot, with the Sunday roast a highlight among locals.
A low-key, homey gastronomic cocktail bar, a stalwart in the local bar scene, specializes in award-winning artisanal cocktails with creative names inspired by Singapore's history and modern personalities. It’s all explained in their creative menu, "Vol. 6: The Cocktail Diaries," but think about getting the Ramos at Home, which celebrates local singer Kit Chan with its fruity pineapple-and-egg-white-spiked Singaporean take on Gin Fizz. Don’t miss the happy hour deals with a free flow of crispy chicken sandwiches from 5 to 7 pm.
This avant-garde cocktail bar, a regular in Asia's 50 Best Bars, delivers a proudly Singaporean-influenced experience. Drawing inspiration from Singapore's progression from colony to independent metropolis, the extensive cocktail menu uses herbs, fruits, spices, and flora in concoctions that reflect Singapore's history in every sip. Accompanying nibbles are as experimental (and delicious).
Singapore’s love of rooftop bars extends beyond the Central Business District and into Little India with this no-frills, homestyle watering hole decorated with lawn chairs and unvarnished wooden tables. Browse their rotating menu of craft beers from Beijing-style witbiers to classic Belgian pilsners. Keep your stomach lined with local snacks like fishball keropok, and if you’re lucky a tarot card reader might be in residence for the evening.
A busy neighborhood bar perched on the corner of Zion and River Valley roads fills up every evening. Inside tables are good for watching live sports, but the sought-after outside tables are much better for enjoying the evening atmosphere. Regular free-flow drinks promotions are very good value, plus the food menu features a solid choice of bar classics.
Top-quality wine needn’t be the preserve of stuffy lounges and high-cost tasting menus—at least not according to Duxton Hill-based Praelum. Set in a historic shophouse, this fun, lively wine bar serves great wine and French-inspired plates to share with friends. The team is incredibly knowledgeable and always happy to share with guests, so go with an open mind, and you’re sure to drink something new and exciting.
A fairly authentic Irish pub experience—with cold Guinness and friendly locals—this spot offers regular live music, televised sports, and a decent food menu.
Come for the excellent microbrews, stay for the location amid the lush greenery of Dempsey Hill. The food is satisfying—think pizzas, grilled meats, and tapas—but it's the range of delicious beers that take center stage, from IPAs to Czech pilsners. The most commonly served drink is RedDot's own Monster Green Lager, a tall glass of fluorescent beer that gets its hue from spirulina. It tastes better than it looks.
Vinyl records line the walls in specially-built cases at this cool, darkly-lit shochu bar. Unlike its more famous cousin, sake, the Japanese spirit shochu is a lesser-known clear spirit that can be made by distilling any starchy ingredient, most commonly sweet potato, barley, or rice. Popular in the southern part of Japan, the clear nature of shochu makes it an excellent base for many cocktails, which RPM excels at. If you don’t fancy a mix (or if want to get under the skin of this intriguing spirit), you can take a shochu flight or get a recommendation from one of the friendly bartenders for a drink on the rocks. Sip away while listening to a mix of American funk and soul to Japanese jazz.
This raw, pared-back cocktail bar was built almost entirely with upscaled materials, lending a vibe to the place more akin to a friend's house rather than a smooth-operating business. There’s a weekly rotating menu of exciting cocktails that use local produce, and an accompanying menu of tasty bar bites. Climb three stories and look for the iron hand on the shophouse door.
This craft beer bar and bistro at The Rail Mall has a punky, underground vibe with a great selection of Singaporean and International craft ales. The menu offers a decent range for snacking, including wings, tacos, and burgers, and there are live music and trivia weekly.
Boasting one of the best downtown views of Marina Bay in Singapore, this rooftop bar is semi-hidden in a nondescript shophouse on the edge of Boat Quay. There are generous happy hour deals, including 2-for-1 gin and tonics, a decent menu of nibbles and platters (the oysters are a must), and, when the lights go down, a buzzing crowd soaking up the brilliant vista. Ask for seats by the edge when you book to get the best views.
Beloved island-wide for its low prices (deals often include beer priced by the clock, so the earlier you go, the cheaper your drink), this bar in Jurong is a cheap, fun place to have a drink. The location is definitely a little "out there," but there’s a handy shuttle bus service that runs from Pioneer MRT (check the website for timings).
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