Singapore is known for its incredible bar scene, with speakeasies hidden behind secret doors, sky-high bars that look over the city and watering holes where can enjoy tunes with your tipple.

Great bars are easy to come by in the Lion City, making it no easy feat to narrow the list down to just the stand-outs. Here are 15 of the best bars in Singapore, whether you’re planning a date night, afternoon drinks with friends or late-night cocktails. From music lovers and wine connoisseurs to literary buffs, there’s a bar here for every kind of drinking session.

In short

As far as iconic experiences go, sipping the original Singapore Sling in Long Bar at Raffles Hotel is up there as a must. Or order an award-winning cocktail at Jigger & Pony, which has been named Singapore’s best bar.

1. Atlas

Best for: Date nights

Earning a place in the coveted World’s and Asia’s 50 Best Bar lists, Atlas has become one of Singapore’s best-known bars since opening in 2017. Located on the ground floor of the so-called ‘Gotham City’ building (AKA Parkview Square), this sophisticated 1920s-style bar is an Art Deco beauty with copper and burgundy tones and leather banquette seating, centred around a staggering 15-metre-high gin tower stocked with some 900 bottles from around the world. There’s an extensive selection of alternative spirits and cocktails if you’re not a gin lover, however. With all-day dining, you can linger over an elevated afternoon tea or enjoy late-night grazing.

Address: 600 North Bridge Road, Singapore

2. CE LA VI Sky Bar

Best for: City views

As far as Singapore bars with a view go, you can’t get any higher than this. As you ogle the city from the 57th floor, everyone else is looking up and ogling you, on the tippy-top of Marina Bay Sands. This luxe bar offers both indoor and outdoor spaces, where you can sip on inventive cocktails such as The Italian Job, made with 15-year-old malt whisky, amaro, Campari, sweet vermouth and finished with a truffle spray.

Address: Tower 3, Level 57, Marina Bay Sands Hotel

3. Jigger & Pony

Best for: Drinks with friends

When we’re talking best in the world, ranking number 9 ain’t too shabby. Come and see what the fuss is about at Jigger & Pony, a small dimly lit bar within the Amara Hotel that has become a cultural institution. It’s loved for its hospitality and warm vibes as well as its contemporary cocktails. Its latest menu – which reads more like a magazine – features 21 concoctions, including twists on classics such as the espresso martini complete with rainforest honey and cacao tuile.

Address: 165 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore

4. Long Bar

Best for: Day drinking

An absolute icon, albeit a tourist favourite, Long Bar is a must-visit bar tucked inside the legendary Raffles Singapore. It’s the birthplace of Singapore’s national cocktail, the Singapore Sling, created in 1915 by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon. He allegedly disguised the gin-based drink as a fruit punch for women, who were discouraged from drinking alcohol in public at the time. With its tropical plantation-inspired interiors, complete with rattan furniture, traditional oscillating fans on the ceiling and peanut shells scattered across the floor, Long Bar oozes charm and nostalgia.

Address: 1 Beach Road, Singapore

5. Native

Best for: Pre-dinner drinks

Drinking and dining in places with a genuine sense of place is what travel is all about, and few do it better than Native. This intimate cocktail bar is deeply committed to local and regional craftsmanship, from its ingredients to its tableware, living up to its name in every sense. Cocktails such as the Peranakan, made with jackfruit rum, laksa leaves, goat’s milk, candlenut and gula melaka, showcase Southeast Asian spirits, native botanicals, foraged ingredients and house-made ferments. The result is a menu that embraces zero-waste techniques while telling the rich stories of the region, one inventive drink at a time.

6. The Other Room

Best for: Late night tipples

Within the Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel, this hidden bar is for serious cocktail lovers. Helmed by acclaimed bartender Dario Knox, it houses more than 300 spirits that have each been individually cask-finished exclusively for the venue, making it the only bar in the world to do so. The menu traces the evolution of each cocktail and features creations such as a reimagined Singapore Sling and a Bloody Mary-style cocktail served with an oyster for extra umami.

Address: 320 Orchard Road, Singapore

7. Offtrack

Best for: Music lovers

This music-centric bar serves Pan Asian food and cocktails with a side of cool tunes. One of Asia’s 50 Best Bars, Offtrack is a chilled space to relax with friends and listen to DJs spin vinyl among a rotation of art by local artists and collectives. Food is served family-style to share with a menu of late-night snacks available until 11pm on weekends.

Address: 34 North Canal Road, Singapore

8. Milli

Best for: Late-night tipples

From the founder of Native, Milli is a multi-storey venue within the National Gallery Singapore with two distinct personalities. Upstairs, Sky Dining & Bar pairs inventive cocktails and contemporary Singaporean cuisine with uninterrupted views of Marina Bay Sands and the city skyline. Downstairs, the mood shifts entirely, with a disco ball-lit lounge and dance floor that is kept warm until 4am.

Address: 1 St Andrews Road, Singapore

9. Sago House

Best for: Drinks with friends

Self-described as “raw" with an “unhinged but brilliant team", Sago House was constructed with upcycled materials to create an eclectic space with great music and even better drinks. Some of those on the menu include a palate cleanser with the citrusy Wakizashi – vodka, gin, yuzushu, nori, honey and lemon. As a main, the savoury Antipasto has an intriguing mix of gin, campari, sherry, vermouth, blue cheese, olive and herbs. Finish with the dessert-style Pushcart Punch, with gin, raspberry, vermouth, Campari, fior di latte gelato, pandan and rainbow bread.

Address: 37 Duxton Hill, Singapore

10. The Singapore Martini Club

Best for: Date nights

An ode to one of the world’s most enduring cocktails, The Singapore Martini Club exudes old-world glamour. Hidden within Orchard Rendezvous Hotel, this intimate bar is just as ideal for an aperitif as it is for a nightcap. The 20-plus martini selection goes beyond shaken and stirred, from timeless classics such as a dirty martini to unique interpretations made with tea. The European-inspired menu is just as memorable with bar snacks and tasty tapas on offer.

Address: 1 Tanglin Road, Singapore

11. People People

Best for: Day drinking

Part brewery, part social hub, People People brings energy to Resorts World Sentosa. Housed in an expansive industrial-chic space, the craft brewery pours a rotating lineup of beers, from crisp lagers and easy-drinking pilsners to hop-forward pale ales and seasonal collaborations. It’s the kind of place designed for relaxing afternoons around communal tables listening to live music. The calendar is packed with weekly trivia, meet the maker events and family days.

Address: 26 Sentosa Gateway

12. Parliament

Best for: Drinks with friends

Perched above Teck Lim Road, this irreverent all-American dive bar doesn’t take itself too seriously, combining a cheeky attitude with expertly made drinks and great hospitality. Come hungry and order from the hearty menu which includes US classics such as fried chicken burgers and loaded grilled cheese sambos. Parliament is an unpretentious neighbourhood bar that you’ll be happy to linger in – and perhaps after a few Bulletproof cocktails, you’ll be happy to join in the karaoke, too.

Address: 18 Teck Lim Road, Singapore

13. Le Bon Funk

Best for: Wine lovers

Neighbourhood wine bar Le Bon Funk has become known for its thoughtfully curated selection of natural wines, sourced from small producers around the world. With two venues, at Holland Village and Club Street, the atmosphere at Le Bon Funk is relaxed but elegant, encouraging guests to discover unexpected drops, while the kitchen serves vibrant, seasonal dishes. Whether you’re a seasoned oenophile or simply enjoy a glass or two, Le Bon Funk is a lovely place to while away the afternoon sipping some excellent natural wines.

Address: 29 Club Street and 277 Holland Ave

14. Writers Bar

Best for: Pre-dinner drinks

While most visitors make a beeline for Long Bar, Raffles Singapore is also home to a more intimate venue that celebrates the hotel’s rich drinking heritage. Writers Bar pays tribute to the celebrated authors who have passed through its doors over the decades, with a cocktail menu inspired by literary greats including Joseph Conrad, André Malraux and Rudyard Kipling. Plush furnishings, warm lighting and a gleaming gilded bar create an elegant setting for settling in with an afternoon cocktail steeped in literary history.

Address: 1 Beach Road, Singapore

15. 28 HongKong Street

Best for: Late-night tipples

Hidden behind an unassuming doorway in Chinatown, 28 HongKong Street is a bar you seek out rather than stumble upon. This intimate speakeasy puts the focus firmly on the drinks, serving expertly crafted classics and inventive originals against a backdrop of hip-hop beats, plush booth seating and a moody, understated interior. Known for its warm hospitality and serious approach to mixology, 28 HongKong Street remains a stand-out in Singapore’s cocktail scene, earning a place on both the World’s 50 Best Bars and Asia’s 50 Best Bars lists.

Address: 28 HongKong Street, Singapore