Whether you're a cocktail connoisseur or just looking for a chill spot to unwind, these hot new bars in Singapore promise to shake, stir, and pour their way into your hearts.
Singapore’s vibrant nightlife has just welcomed a dazzling array of hot new bars that are set to elevate your drinking experience to a whole new level. From hidden gems with secret entrances to places where mixology meets artistry, we’ve scoured the Lion City to bring you the freshest additions to its buzzing bar scene. Give it up for Singapore’s hot new bars in March.
Hot new bars in Singapore: April 2024
Higher Ground
Take your dining experience to new heights with Higher Ground, the latest venture from the masterminds behind Thugshop. Situated atop Boat Quay, this rooftop bar and diner offers more than just stunning panoramic views of the Singapore skyline. Come here for elevated cuisine, carefully crafted drinks and one helluva good time. Have your fill on acclaimed wines, craft beers, and a decent spirit collection.
Indulge in dishes like the locally-inspired bak kut teh spring rolls, the salmon rillette brioche or the hand-stretched pizzas if you’re feeling peckish. But it’s not just about the food and drinks – Higher Ground exudes an understated charm with its industrial-chic decor and hybrid seating.
Higher Ground, Level 4, 64 Boat Quay, Singapore 049852
Lobby Bar at Amara Singapore
Warm, intimate, and elegant – you won’t want to leave the Lobby Bar at Amara Singapore. This day-to-night spot welcomes guests at (almost) any hour. Take your business meetings over a coffee or tea in the morning before moving on to wines at night. The bar boasts a curated selection of vino from Grand Vin, featuring winemakers like Domaines Barons de Rothschild and Domaine Faiveley. For those that love bubbly, you’re in for a treat. Lobby Bar also houses Singapore’s most extensive collection of Champagne Louis Roederer.
Lobby Bar at Amara Singapore, 165 Tanjong Pagar, Singapore 088539
Altro Zafferano
Italian rooftop restaurant Altro Zafferano wants us to reimagine classic Italian aperitivos with its new menu. Inspired by both traditional Italian flavours and modern trends, the menu is packed with elevated aperitivo staples like the classic Negroni ($28) and Americano 2.0 ($22), alongside reinvented favourites like the Nutty Nut ($28) – a delicious twist on the Old Fashioned, boasting bourbon, frangelico, fresh lemon, simple syrup, chocolate bitters, and almond milk.
Feeling adventurous? Try the Sunset Martini ($24), a fiery blend of chilli-infused vodka, Aperol, bitter melon, and fresh lemon, capturing the essence of a stunning sunset. And if you’re craving something exotic, sip on our Mango Tango ($20), a mix of chilli vodka, mango puree, lemon juice, and Indian tonic, offering the perfect fusion of spice and refreshment. Pair them with artisanal snacks like crescentine ($22), whipped mortadella and pistachio, and Cantabrian anchovies ($24), with alpine butter, bread and confit lemon. Yup, not your average bar snacks, for sure.
Altro Zafferano, Level 43, Ocean Financial Centre, 10 Collyer Quay, Singapore 049315
Cat Bite Club
Agave aficionados, elevate your spirits knowledge with Cat Bite Club’s Agave La and Rice Academy masterclasses. Priced at $75 per person and available for groups of two to eight, these immersive sessions delve deep into the world of agave and rice distillation. Led by the expert team at Cat Bite Club, each 45-minute tasting session features four unique products paired with delightful light bites. Explore a wide range of flavour profiles, production methods, and cocktail applications while earning a personalised certificate of completion. Class in session!
As for its new menu, the Negroni iterations are retiring, paving the way for three new cocktails. First up is the classic Chrysanthemum ($26), boasting Avallen Calvados, Absinthe, dry vermouth, and Benedictine. For those craving a taste of the tropics, dive into the Desert Island ($27) with its potent blend of Patron Blanco tequila, Sotol Texano, and hints of St. Germain Elderflower liqueur ($27), pine, and grapefruit bitters.
Feeling adventurous? Try the Martini Peas ($28), featuring The Hachi Rice Shochu, snap pea, aquavit, and blanc vermouth.
Cat Bite Club, 75 Duxton Road, Singapore 089534
Hot new bars in Singapore: March 2024
New bar: Cha Chaan Teng
Cha Chaan Teng brings the charm of 1990s Hong Kong cinema and the delectable flavours of cha chaan tengs to the heart of Jalan Besar. Enter the nondescript entrance as you’re welcomed by founders Mirul and BK. The cocktail menu, inspired by the golden era of Hong Kong, offers highballs on tap and craft cocktails cheekily named after popular movies and Cantonese phrases.
We started light and easy with the aptly named Sup Sup Sui (it translates to “no big deal”, $18), a crisp thirst-quencher with gin, soursop, calamansi, soda and tonic. Next, Tong Pak Fu ($18) brings out smoky and umami notes, thanks to roasted duck fat trimmings (repurposed from the duck breast dish), rum, smoked plum and Coke.
If an herbaceous concoction is calling out to you, how about a tea egg-inspired concoction? Mo Wan (named after Tony Leung in the HK classic In The Mood for Love, $25), combines rye, pineapple liqueur and bitters, and tea-egg foam. Yat Gau Gau (meaning simply gibberish, $23), wakes you up with a hit of rum, Irish whiskey, coffee Campari, almost-burnt bread, and espresso. Take its name seriously ‘cos the gau is gau-ing hard.
Save for Yat Gau Gau, we found the cocktails to be a little light on the booze, but the fab dinner menu won our hearts. The Hong Kong cuisine with modern twists had us going for seconds. Be sure to order the siu yuk (roasted pork belly, $13.90), har cheong tin gai (fried frog legs doused in fermented shrimp paste, $13.90), hung siu hgau yuk (slow-braised beef brisket, $15.90), and chun gyun (open-faced spring rolls, $10.90).
Have them with zyu jau bun faan ($3.90), fried rice served with a generous portion of crispy pork lard. Oh, and ordering the wu tau gou ($8.90), yam cake served in the form of fries with hae bee hiam salt, for the table is a must.
Cha Chaan Teng, 284 Lavender Street, Singapore 338802
New menu: Nutmeg & Clove
The celebrated Singaporean bar consistently rocking the charts on the World’s and Asia’s 50 Best Bars is gearing up to celebrate its 10th anniversary in May 2024. To mark its journey, it’s unleashing a brand new look, along with a fresh cocktail and food menu. Dubbed Ten, the revamped cocktail menu offers 25 crafted drinks ($25 each) by head bartender Gavin Teravasan, taking you on a trip down memory lane to recall key events and crowd favourites over the past decade.
The Agnes’ Requiem (named after the woman who bred Singapore’s national flower) steals the show with floral, dry, and fruity notes, shaking things up with Monkey 47 gin, raspberry brandy, rhubarb, galangal, orchid, jasmine and lemon. The aromatic and refreshing Oriental 50 features Johnnie Walker Gold Label scotch whisky, dried mandarin orange peel, ginger flower, and hibiscus, and a splash of carbonated water for that extra kick. Plus, there’s a selection of Bartender’s Choice to add an extra sprinkle of fun to your evening.
Nutmeg & Clove, 8 Purvis Street, Singapore 188587
New bar: Exit Stage Left
A swirl of romance and history with a dash of local spirits – that’s Exit Stage Left for you. The new immersive bar concept is created by OH! Stories as a unique final stop on its Jalan Besar audio tour, New World’s End. Of course, you can also visit the watering hole as a standalone and head back in time to the 1960s, where the decor is eclectic and the vibes are mysterious. Inspired by stories from this era, the joint is the first in Singapore to only use locally distilled spirits from Tanglin Gin, Brass Lion Distillery, Compendium Spirits, and Singapore Distillery.
Step through the hidden bar’s alleyway entrance and let the allure of the space embrace you. The bartenders are friendly and happy to recommend you a tipple of your liking. We loved the Haw House Sour ($22), a light, citrusy mix of Tanglin gin, hawthorn berries, nutmeg pericarp, preserved orange peel, and lemon.
For something bolder and darker, try The Song Bird ($24). It’s a tropical blend of Compendium dark rum, Campari, pineapple and mango wine, Infidel lime, grapefruit, and a spice medley. Other drinks on the menu include G&Ts, a gin tasting flight, and mocktails for the teetotallers in your group. P.S. if you’ve got the munchies, dole out $6 for free-flow kacang puteh that you can grab from self-serve containers by the bar. It’s all pretty casual and fuss-free, so you know where to go for your next chill session!
Exit Stage Left, 85 Desker Road, Singapore 209646
New bar: Trifecta
Hold on to your boards, because Trifecta Bar is making waves at Orchard Road as the ultimate surf-snow-skate hangout. Nestled within Trifecta Singapore, it’s the wild child of the Trifecta family and the creative minds behind Butter by Two Men Bagel House.
Ritz Ang, the maestro behind the bar and former co-founder of Golden Mile’s iconic Enclave, leads the charge with a drink program that’s as rad as it gets. Think house-crafted cocktails, signature sips, and crowd favourites. Try the whisky sour Smoke & Mirrors ($20) for an infusion of heated whiskey. Or Blood and Sand ($20), a concoction of Monkey Shoulder Whiskey with cherry liqueur, sweet vermouth and orange.
The bar is also teaming up with local legends like art collective Gofy and music maestros EmonightSG and Eatmepoptart for some seriously fun parties, so watch this space.
Trifecta, 10A Exeter Road, Singapore 239958
New menu: Club 5
Club 5 is turning the spotlight onto the talented masters behind the bar with their new Bartenders’ Choice of Cocktails. True to its name, it’s all about the bartender’s personal touch, with three unique concoctions that mirror the personalities and vibes of the creative minds.
Meet the genius trio: head bartender Richard Li serves up the Choco Sesame ($25), a martini riff infused with chocolate and sesame; Rino is the mastermind behind the rum banana Old Fashioned ($24), a blend of premium rum, banana saccharum, and bitters; and Amy is the magic maker behind Hawthorn ($25), a premium gin mix with herbs and hawthorn. These new additions join the ranks of the existing cocktail line-up, featuring delights like Chrysanthemum ($18), Kaya Pandan ($18), Okinawa Winter Flower ($20), and Fizzy Tiger ($22).
Club 5, ParkRoyal on Beach Road, 7500 Beach Road, Singapore 199591
New menu: White Shades
White Shades, the four-storey modern cocktail and dining haven on Boon Tat Street, welcomes its new drinks menu: Colours. Inspired by the venue’s name, ‘white shades,’ Colours brings 22 drinks to life, each a vibrant expression like strokes on a canvas. Founder Jiawei Bai and the team infuse individual hues into four themes: Clear, Mark, Mood, and Flavours.
In the Clear realm, sip on Clear Yellow, a masterpiece blending Maker’s Mark bourbon, sweet corn, and a milk-washed mango corn leather that pays homage to the local sweet corn mango dessert. Venture into the Mood section and indulge in Fresh Pink, a refreshing tequila concoction featuring rhubarb and sparkling pink coconut water, garnished with a crunchy stick of rhubarb.
Flavours, the playful influencer, offers Sparkling Pearl, a champagne-based briny cocktail with pickled onion, fruits, and herbs. For a warm and earthy experience, Woody Cedar beckons with whisky, dry vermouth, agave, and Hinoki, offering flavours of green vetiver.
But that’s not all – Level 2 now boasts a thoughtfully curated wine selection, including a delightful prosecco rosé from Scavi & Ray and robust options like a velvety pinot noir from New Zealand’s Central Otago region. A perfect match for your alfresco dining experience.
White Shades, 25 Boon Tat Street, Singapore 069622
New bar: Fura
Cricket dukkah and grasshopper crumble, anyone? Don’t deny it before you try it. After a successful run with Mallow, the innovative gastrobar, spearheaded by power couple Christina Rasmussen and Sasha Wijidessa, continues to revolutionise sustainable dining. It utilises ingredients that have a low carbon footprint, are abundant in nature, or are out of balance in the ecosystem.
The cocktail menu, with a bonus of not-your-ordinary bar bites, focuses on fermentation and pickling. Sip on the whimsically named Beans, Beans, the Musical Fruit ($24), a delightful concoction featuring Soka, tonka bean, peas, and peas vermouth, accompanied by house-made butter bean koji. The opulent Caviar Papi ($28) boasts black garlic caviar and tantalising kombu ice cream.
Jellyfish Martini ($25) is a futuristic cocktail which transforms invasive ingredients like jellyfish into a delicious solution. Crafted with gin, jellyfish, fish leaf, spirulina, dry vermouth, and a hint of kombu oil, the Jellyfish Martini plays with your taste buds and, quite honestly, your mind.
Pad your stomach with inventive delights like Peas in Threes ($15), a refreshing blend of hydroponic pea shoots, sweet peas, silken tofu dressing, and peanut and cricket dukkah. For a hearty indulgence, savour What Would Mirko Do? ($24), a pasta masterpiece by chef Mirko Febbrile of Fico, complemented by lacto-fermented romesco tomato sauce, smoked almonds, and yeast garum cream.
Fura, 74A Amoy Street, Singapore 069893
Bombay Sapphire launches a new spirit with a citrusy twist
Bombay Sapphire introduces a new party starter – the Premier Cru Murcian Lemon. Crafted to perfection, this premium gin takes you on a journey to the vibrant region of Murcia in Spain, home to the world’s zestiest citrus. With bright notes of mandarins and sweet Navel oranges, it’s an upgrade for any occasion, especially in Singapore’s tropical weather.
Bombay Sapphire Premier Cru Murcian Lemon, available at Amazon and Lazada
So, which one of these new bar openings in Singapore will you visit next?