The Tatler Best 20 Bars in Singapore for 2026

In the same spirit of “good funk” as its gastronomic wine bar sibling, Le Bon Funk, Bar Bon Funk embraces fermentation, infusion and creative layering across its cocktails. Its tasteful, textural space—styled like a living room with a rotation of DJs on Wednesday and Saturday—is intimate and intentional, offering seating nooks for groups and a bar counter where vinyl records reside alongside bottles of various ferments. The menu is divided into signatures and refined classics; guests might discover “pizza-infused bubbles” in a clarified Bloody Mary or a Negroni aged by sonic vibrations.

Read more: Inside Lo & Behold Group’s new office in New Bahru

Curiosity did not kill the cat at Tatler Singapore’s Bar of the Year 2025. This neighbourhood drinking den, tucked behind a café, invites inquiring palates to explore complex cocktails based primarily on agave and rice spirits. Its Cat Bite Margarita is widely considered the best in town, while the Soju Sprint flies the flag for the Korean distillate. The menu pushes boundaries further with savoury drinks such as the Straight Outta Scallion and Get the MSG?, which features a Sichuan peppercorn and tomato cordial. A newly introduced Spirits Explorer Passport invites guests to record their journey through a collection of more than 200 bottles of tequila, mezcal, sotol, shochu and more.

The irreverent American import celebrates its 10th anniversary. Employees Only Singapore opened in 2016 as the first outpost of the New York original, espousing the same high-energy, spontaneous hospitality in white coats. Guests step through the fortune teller’s booth at the entrance—where tarot card readers and mentalists often ply their trade—to reach the impressive classic bar. Staff here famously make drinks “free-pour” style, without jiggers to measure the spirits. While the EO Gimlet and its proprietary lime cordial are legendary, the menu also features power-packed concoctions from principal bartender William Camcam, such as the Dilly, Don’t Dally. Classic American cuisine is served in the elevated dining room at the back, where the tableside steak tartare and EO Smash Burger remain staples.

Sustainability tastes delicious at Fura, where power couple Christina Rasmussen and Sasha Wijidessa set the stage for envisioning the future of food and drink in a sharp, stylistic second-floor shophouse space. Rasmussen, a former head forager at Noma, shapes the inventive small plates and tends the garden in the back, while acclaimed bartender Wijidessa commands the bar, sharing fascinating ingredients such as cell-cultured Japanese quail, infused into a martini while its leftover tallow is formed into a butter “candle” served with black garlic bread. Each drink, such as 3 Crop Corn and Make Local Tomatoes Great Again, also serve as conversation starters into deeper topics that will intrigue the mind and palate.

Mirroring the playful irreverence of its bartenders—clad in jackets and shorts—Gibson is as serious as its namesake martini and stands as a distinct concept by the Jigger & Pony Group. It celebrates its 10th anniversary this year with a menu named Timeless, an homage to its enduring philosophy of creativity. The MF Martini is a case in point, made in a softer style and carbonated overnight for a velvety texture. Its name is a cheeky nod to “made for fries” as it whets the appetite for more. The Blazer cocktail, prepared tableside, is a Gibson signature as well, and the Onyx Blazer combines cacao, malt and chile liqueur for a memorable flaming show and a cocktail served comfortingly warm.

Singapore’s star bar has held the title of the top Singapore bar in international rankings for several consecutive years. Since its opening in 2012, founders Indra Kantono and Guoyi Gan have raised the industry standard through their ethos of “improved and true” and convivial hospitality. Cocktails are rooted in the classics—always measured with a jigger—yet updated carefully for modern palates. This approach is reflected in its hardcover menus presented in a “menuzine” format, featuring editorials and stories behind the drinks. The latest edition, Bloom, explores themes of hope and growth through serves such as the Basil Smash, which utilises an in-house agar pesto paste to preserve the drink’s striking hue and flavour.

Refreshed and in its fourth year, Last Word keeps its promise of rekindling the romance of classic cocktails. This minimalist Japanese style bar draws a similar audience to its sibling Nutmeg & Clove downstairs, but with very different drinks. The current menu presents cocktails across categories of Highball, Sour, Champagne, Spirit Forward and Sweet, covering all preferences. Bartender’s Choice of Bloody Mary, a fluffy version with wasabi, togarashi and fresh tomato deserves special mention, as does the well structured Barrel Aged Corpse Reviver No. 1. At the back of the bar, a hidden bar-in-a-bar concept called Last Stop offers its own cocktail menu and a casual living room space to chill.

“One life for yourself, and one for your dreams.” This philosophy defines Live Twice, a cinematic bar modelled after mid-century Tokyo with a “West-meets-Japan” sensibility. The space is a midcentury modern dream, furnished with authentic vintage pieces including Sigurd Resell Falcon chairs and Eero Saarinen Tulip stools. The cocktail programme is divided into two distinct paths. “One Life For Yourself” focuses on minimalist, technical classics, evident in the Mizuwari, a precise three-spirit blend of Japanese whiskies and Japanese water. Conversely, “…And One For Your Dreams” features imaginative, seasonal creations inspired by the ephemeral nature of Tokyo’s nightlife.

Opened in 2014, Manhattan placed Singapore on the global cocktail map when it dominated international bar awards in 2017 and 2018. Its menus pay homage to New York through various lenses, including the Big Apple’s most memorable residents and iconic Broadway shows. From its inception, the bar’s on-site rickhouse—the first of its kind in a hotel—has provided barrel-ageing for sophisticated serves such as the Solera-aged Negroni. Still a mainstay for globetrotters, Manhattan continues to innovate through its “Friends of Manhattan” guest shift programme and its legendary boozy Sunday brunches. The glamorous, Old World space also houses a contemporary bar-in-bar concept, East47, which was named Tatler Singapore’s Best New Bar 2025.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Native has been a trailblazer not just in Asia but the world. From the beginning, founder Vijay Mudaliar made all things local, regional and sustainable the heart of the project from the furniture to the music, and in every bottle and ingredient. Iconic classics such as the Tree Of Life uses all parts of the coconut, from distilled arrack to coconut water kefir, nectar and milk. The space comprises a cocktail bar on the second floor and fermentation room on the third floor, where seasonal ferments such as starfruit sake, red rice makgeolli or mango jasmine wine make their way into the menu.

At the 25-seater speakeasy Night Hawk, the retro-futuristic design is inspired by Edward Hopper’s 1942 painting, Nighthawks, which explores the timeless theme of urban alienation. Founded by industry veteran Peter Chua and helmed by head bartender Poh Chuan, the bar is a mainstay for both avant-garde cocktails and “small but loaded” American-inspired plates. The cocktail names follow a distinct formula, combining astrological or cyberpunk terms with common nouns or verbs. This leads to serves such as the Slippery Transistor, which reimagines a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in liquid form. The sole exception is the eponymous Night Hawks cocktail, a hot-and-cold espresso martini that explores the concepts of duality and harmony.

What makes a quintessentially Singaporean cocktail? This is a question Nutmeg & Clove has been answering since 2014, exploring the city-state’s identity through diverse liquid lenses. The team has drawn inspiration from local herbs, monuments, “real and reel” personalities, heritage brands and, most recently, the vibrant national vernacular. The current menu, Singlish, presents 12 new cocktails named after local phrases. Alamak (an expression of shock or dismay) reimagines the Singapore Sling as a Ramos Gin Fizz-style serve, blending soursop, passion fruit and pineapple. Atas (meaning “high class” or “fancy”) offers a sophisticated take on the Espresso Martini, featuring notes of saffron, rose and butterscotch that evoke a refined afternoon tea.

Since 2022, Offtrack has established a magnetic presence within the creative and cocktail communities, fulfilling its purpose as a social hub for music, food and drinks. The acoustically treated space houses two lovingly restored Klipsch La Scala horn speakers, where music directors curate playlists ranging from jazz to soul while championing Asian-centric sounds. A pan-Asian food menu complements the cocktail list, which is best described as a collection of “classics with fun interpretations”. The bar programme is led by head bartender and Jigger & Pony alumnus Joash Conceicao. Expect a lively, youthful audience, particularly when the venue hosts guest shifts from esteemed bars around the world.

Eight years on and going strong, Origin Bar continues to live up to its name with strikingly original menus and a slew of awards. “Journeys” are a core theme here—from the bar’s location within the world’s first Shangri-La hotel (which opened in 1971 and was named after the mythical paradise) to the experiential flavour journeys of its concept menus. In the Point of View menu, Amazonian ants are incorporated into chocolate to garnish a shochu cocktail, while vodka soaked in leftover citrus peels creates an evolving profile in the Compost-politan. Although the bar is designed in rich blues and gold, the atmosphere remains accessible thanks to a personable team led by bar manager Adam Bursik and a menu that embraces every guest’s quirks.

In a low-rise heritage building surrounded by CBD skyscrapers, Pop City x Pony, which opened in 2025, invites guests into a beguiling world of Japanese craft and contemporary culture. Conceptualised by the Jigger & Pony Group in collaboration with The House of Suntory, the cocktail-centric space debuted with a multipart drinks menu. Pop is inspired by Japan’s music subcultures; the Hojicha Espresso Martini—a vodka-based crowd favourite—features smoky mezcal and raspberry powder. City, on the other hand, is defined by design and style, with the Mikan French 75 and the Pop City Sour embodying a sophisticated layering of flavours. Carefully considered small plates, such as mochi cheese nuggets and pork katsu sandos, continue the immersion into Japanese ingredients. To find it, look for the signboard by the Cecil Street back alley and ascend the fire-escape staircase to the second floor.

Few bars can attempt the dizzying feat of changing their cocktail menu every single week for the past six years. Sago House is that bar. Initiated as an attic bar space on Sago Street built by hand by its three founders in 2020, it has since moved to Duxton but kept its scrappy, dive-esque DNA intact. Expect big hellos as you walk in, pretzels to snack on, and the weekly menu written up on a board that resembles its original shophouse windows. Each week presents six new cocktails that span different classic styles inspired by market-sourced ingredients. Check out the food menu, where four signature cocktails have managed to gain immortality, including the best Popcorn Old Fashioned you’ll ever taste.

Take the side door—and find yourself at home. This serene, plant-filled neighbourhood watering hole may not look like a typical bar, and that’s the point. Imbued with warmth and sincerity, Side Door is husband-wife team Tryson Quek and Bannie Kang’s first venture together in Singapore. Both are luminaries; mixologist Bannie shot to fame as the Diageo World Class Global Bartender of the Year 2019, and Quek’s career spans over 15 years in contemporary cuisine and a current successful foray into cocktails. Together, they serve up drinks that look minimalist but are packed with flavour. Asian-centric dishes hit the spot, too, such as the fried chicken with chilli, and impressive desserts such as the earl grey madeleines.

Meet the modern classic bar with a rock ‘n’ roll attitude; but first, you have to find it. Located at the front is Flamingo, a daytime coffee café and nighttime wine bar; tucked behind velvet drapes is Stay Gold. Co-founders Jerrold Khoo and Bai JiaWei have cultivated a strong following over the years, as much for the cocktails as for the music, community and sense of escape within the neon-lit space. The current menu examines the craft of the mixologist. Titled A Bartender’s Diary, it features snippets of stories, recipes and lessons from the bartender’s perspective. Signatures that “stay gold” include the Wild & Fresh Sazerac and Twiggy, a winsome blend of gin, amontillado sherry and umeshu.

Age-old spice mixes and the essences of the Indian subcontinent meet high-tech rotary evaporators and molecular techniques at The Elephant Room. The results are spectacularly delicious, whether in the signature Briyani cocktail—where sake and stone flower complement biryani tincture and cured egg masala—or the now-iconic Champa Fizz, featuring the fragrant champa flower with bourbon and fermented apple. Founder Yugnes “Yugi” Susela and his multicultural team have moved into larger premises on the ground floor of a Tanjong Pagar shophouse, serving as cultural custodians for curious guests and loyal regulars alike. Visitors are encouraged to explore the spice corner, nosh on hot dogs with an Indian twist or work their way through the bold drinks menu.