The best rooftop bars in Singapore

It’s little surprise that Singapore – a city brimming with skyscrapers – boasts some of the highest and hippest rooftop bars around. They come in a wide assortment, too – some offering brunch and bubbly at dizzying heights with panoramic views of Singapore’s skyline, others offering respite and refreshment from the hustle and bustle just a few floors below. While all promise a rooftop perch to while the hours away, no two venues are alike; quite the feat for a tiny island nation. From sky-high locales to low-slung haunts, these are the best rooftop bars in Singapore to get your fill of stunning vistas, balmy weather and first-class cocktails. Continue with a visit to one of Singapore’s best restaurants, or explore the city’s pulsing nightlife.

1-Arden Bar

Best for: A prime showcase of The Garden City
Location: 88 Market Street, Level 51, CapitaSpring, Singapore 048948
Price: Cocktails from 18 SGD (~13 USD)

Part of the 1-Arden collection of venues split across various floors of the towering CapitaSpring building in downtown Singapore, 1-Arden Bar is a rooftop with a birds-eye view of the CBD. What makes it extra special is that it is sited right beside the 1-Arden Food Forest – a living forest found atop the building. Many of the ingredients used at the bar are gathered from here. The idea is to showcase sustainability – specifically that of a circular economy – in action. Order the Garden Night Out for a cocktail made using kaffir leaves harvested from the living, breathing forest right beside you.

Altro Zafferano

Best for: Views of Marina Bay from on high
Location: 10 Collyer Quay, Level 43, Ocean Financial Centre, Singapore 049315
Price: Cocktails from 20 SGD (~15 USD); Wines from 18 SGD (~13 USD) per glass

Part restaurant, part rooftop bar, Altro Zafferano – smack in the middle of Singapore’s CBD – is the place to be for top-notch modern Italian cuisine as well as fine wines and cocktails with a view. The terrace area offers a distinct menu, which is what we’re most interested in, eschewing the fine dining of its restaurant for a more casual menu of snacks and cocktails. With Singapore’s famed Marina Bay as a backdrop, start with the Negroni 2.0 for the quintessential Italian cocktail taken up a notch with fruity, savoury undertones. Or peruse its wine list for one of the largest selection of Italian producers anywhere in town.

HighHouse

Best for: Dining, drinking and dancing in one spot
Location: 1 Raffles Place, Level 61-63, One Raffles Place, Singapore 048616
Price: Cocktails from 20 SGD (~15 USD)

If modern pan-Asian cuisine and draught cocktails (we highly recommend the tangy and crisp Triple Lime Sling) while progressive beats play in the background sounds like a dream, then this is the place for you. Nouveau establishment HighHouse is a place to see and be seen, thanks in no small part to the 360-degree panoramas offered here at the highest rooftop spot in Singapore. Ascend to the 63rd floor to find the true pinnacle of the three-storey venue. Here, breathtaking views stretch in every direction while DJs keep the mood upbeat. Once you’ve had your fill of fresh air, seek out the dancefloor below to keep the party going.

Lady Wu

Best for: Letting loose after work
Location: 11 North Canal Road, Attic Level, The Offshore Building, Singapore 048824
Price: Beer from 13 SGD (~10 USD) per glass; Cocktails from 17 SGD (~13 USD)

This Boat Quay rooftop hideout is an institution: a spot for the after-work crowd to let loose and unwind with all manner of inebriations – beer, wine, spirits or cocktails, you name it. Noise, whether from the busy streets a few floors below, or from the raucous crowd all around you, all forms part of the cacophony that is the heartbeat of Lady Wu. So come early, chope (meaning “reserve” in Singlish) a spot by the coveted alfresco area, and go with the flow in this beautiful tumult of a place.

Lantern

Best for: Sprawling views of Marina Bay just a few floors below
Location: 80 Collyer Quay, Roof Level, The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore, Singapore 049326
Price: Cocktails from 26 SGD (~19 USD)

This bar takes its name from the red lanterns that used to hang from the pier below to guide ships entering the harbour. Today, Lantern is where you want to be for front-row seats to take in the whole of Marina Bay. At six floors up, the rooftop bar is high enough to be above any obstructions, while low enough for the sights and sounds to feel visceral. Try the range of Singapore Sling renditions, especially the fruity and floral Fullerton Sling, for the full experience. Be sure to hang around till 8pm or 9.30pm to catch the complimentary Marina Bay Sands Light and Water Show every evening.

Las Palmas

Best for: Holiday vibes in the centre of Singapore
Location: 99 Irrawaddy Road, Level 33, Courtyard Marriott Singapore, Singapore 329568
Price: Cocktails from 22 SGD (~16 USD)

While most rooftop venues are centred in the south of Singapore, this Palm Springs-inspired spot is towards the centre of the island nation; this means the sweeping views from Las Palmas uniquely feature the entirety of Singapore stretching in every direction. But it’s the Californian charm this place exudes that draws people in – think soft pastel colours, poolside frolicking and cabanas to while the hours away. Order up a Nifty Fifties for a blast from the past made using a base of shochu and cachaca mixed with tea, citrus and pink dragon fruit syrup. Don’t miss out on the food, too. The Juicy Kiss Angus beef brisket sandwich with Swiss cheese and caramelised onion is sure to keep hunger pangs at bay.

LAVO Singapore

Best for: Glamming it up
Location: 10 Bayfront Avenue, Tower 1, Level 57, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore 018956
Price: Cocktails from 23 SGD (~17 USD); Wines from 22 SGD (~16 USD) per glass

Living the high life doesn’t get much better than at the Singapore outpost of TAO Group’s American-Italian restaurant and rooftop bar, LAVO. Expect the brand’s signature vibe dining and drinking at the tippy top of Singapore’s world-renowned Marina Bay Sands, where LAVO’s alfresco terrace area has formed the backdrop to many a postcard-perfect photo, often with a champagne flute in hand. From this vantage point, find the entirety of Singapore sprawling beneath you. Once done with the gawking and photo taking, order The Meatball and feast on one of the best meatballs in town (which goes perfectly with reds).

LeVel33

Best for: Beers, views and more beer
Location: 8 Marina Boulevard, Tower 1, #33-01, Marina Bay Financial Centre, Singapore 018981
Price: Beers from 16.90 SGD (~12 USD)

A microbrewery 33 floors up sounds like a crazy idea, but that’s exactly what the people behind LeVel33 have done. We won’t go into detail about how they used a skycrane to transport the brewing tanks up when they first opened more than a decade ago – what’s important now is how amazing the beers are (all brewed onsite, of course). The selection is but a handful, but what you get is well executed – the blond lager never fails to impress, and the wheat beer is tastefully refreshing. Definitely have a full meal here, too, if you feel so inclined – the kitchen team dishes out a full contemporary menu that caters to any palate.

Mortar & Pestle

Best for: Cocktails in the heart of buzzing Chinatown
Location: 269 South Bridge Road, Level 4, Singapore 058818
Price: Cocktails from 24 SGD (~18 USD)

This hidden gem is a place you’d want to bring all your best friends to, but not let anyone else know about. Chill, low-slung, and spacious (a rarity for Singapore), Mortar & Pestle has thankfully remained under the radar for the benefit of those in the know. It’s a hideaway where you can feel the buzz from the bustling streets of Chinatown below, yet detached enough so you and your crew can form your own little bubble. It’s especially lovely to roam about the roomy terrace with the fresh, gin-based Real Barry Rickey cocktail in hand – perhaps making a few new friends while you’re at it.

Mr Stork

Best for: That glamping feeling
Location: 5 Fraser Street, Level 39, Andaz Singapore, Singapore 189354
Price: Cocktails from 27 SGD (~20 USD); Wines from 20 SGD (~15 USD) per glass

For a dose of innocent fun, head up to Mr Stork. Teasing out the children in us are a number of teepee tents pitched atop the sprawling rooftop bar and gardens, serving as alternative seating areas. Cosying up with friends inside not only gets everyone instantly giggling, but are actually pretty comfortable. There’s even a table in the middle of the tent to place your drinks. Normal bar seats and tables are available, too, for those who prefer basking under the night sky. Come during twilight to avoid Singapore’s scorching heat while enjoying gorgeous sights.

Smoke & Mirrors

Best for: Artsy, stylish nights in town
Location: 1 St. Andrew’s Road, #06-01, National Gallery Singapore, Singapore 178957
Price: Cocktails from 28 SGD (~21 USD)

Found at the rooftop of the National Gallery, Smoke & Mirrors is a cocktail bar as classy as the building it is situated in. Each of its signature cocktails are wonderful creations worth admiring. The gin- and whisky-based A Wish, for instance, is inspired by the Trevi Fountain in Rome and serves as a miniature ‘fountain’ replete with an accompanying Smoke & Mirrors minted coin for you to toss into the vessel and make a wish. Pick a seat by the edge of the terrace for unobstructed views of the civic district and The Padang – a large field where Singapore’s annual National Day parade is traditionally held.

White Shades

Best for: Draught cocktails on the roof; serious highballs downstairs
Location: 25 Boon Tat Street, Level 4, Singapore 0696227
Price: Cocktails from 15 SGD (~11 USD)

Each floor of White Shades houses a different concept. Ascend to the fourth level to find their rooftop space, where cocktails on tap, soju cocktail towers and other fun ways of imbibing await. Start with the Elderflower’s Dew for a floral tea-based tipple served with bubbles. This rooftop den is a great launch pad to begin a night of bar hopping, as many of Singapore’s top mixology spots are a stone’s throw away from here, including White Shades’ own craft cocktail space on the second floor. Want more? Head to White Shades’ first level for a groovy highball bar that exudes just the right amount of warmth and cosiness.