The greatest bars and restaurants in Singapore

The greatest bars and restaurants in Singapore offer a tantalizing array of dining experiences, from chic rooftop bars with panoramic views to hidden gems serving authentic cuisine. Indulge in innovative cocktails, delectable dishes, and vibrant atmospheres that define Singapore’s dynamic culinary scene.

The greatest bars and restaurants in Singapore

The greatest bars and restaurants in Singapore The little island nation of Singapore is well-known for its haute cuisine temples and hawker centers. Since its establishment eight years ago, the restaurant industry has seen a tremendous transformation due to the diverse mix of individuals from other countries, faiths, cultures, and backgrounds. The bar scene is great, and the culinary scene has improved. The Singapore Sling is one local cocktail you simply must taste.

The food scene in Singapore is flourishing, with chefs, mixologists, and restaurateurs creating innovative dishes and delivering cutting-edge ideas. 2020 saw the Singapore debuts of Alain Ducasse and Anne-Sophie Pic, while Rishi Naleendra debuted two new restaurants in 2019. Singapore’s global exposure enhances its dining and drinking options. For the first time, the nation hosted the Asia’s 50 Best Bars and the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards, demonstrating its status as a hub for sophisticated dining ideas.

Singapore’s best restaurants

Shoukouwa

Shoukouwa, the only two-star Japanese restaurant in Singapore, offers sophisticated sushi to patrons who are fortunate enough to secure one of the eight seats at its hinoki wood bar. From there, chefs create delectable dishes like fatty blackthroat sea perch from Tsushima, monkfish liver with uni, and uncommon treats like golden ikura (Yamame trout roe). The ideal complement are high-quality junmai daiginjo sakes from brewers like Hakurakusei.

Odette

Odette, a blush-pink, brass-accented restaurant in Singapore’s National Gallery, has experienced a stratospheric climb, earning two Michelin stars in the year after its 2015 inauguration and the top spot on the list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2020. For his innovative cooking, which draws inspiration from his background in the south of France, Julien Royer deserves recognition, as do his seasoned sous chefs. Heirloom beetroots, Hokkigai clams, or rosemary smoked eggs—whatever is in season and fresh tastes great. “Because I’ve been in Asia for more than 10 years, it is French cooking in its DNA, but we slowly have incorporated Asian influences,” Royer explains.

Jaan by Kirk Westaway

The restaurant offers breathtaking views from its 70th-floor location atop Swissôtel The Stamford, matched only by its immaculate design. Since 2015, Devon-born chef Westaway has been focusing Jaan’s culinary offerings on contemporary British cuisine. He begins every dinner with a cup of warm, roasted potato soup and updates the classics with a light, polished touch. A new menu features Westaway’s favorite dishes, such as squab pigeons and saffron spaghetti, along with sweet treats like pear turnover with whisky caramel.

Nouri

Brazilian-European chef Ivan Brehm specializes in “crossroads cooking” at Nouri, which debuted on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2019 and was included again in 2020. Chefs prepare “familiar mixed with the unfamiliar” in the communal open kitchen to create meals like beef marmalade with a bueh keluak mole sauce and strawberry and kimchi served with oscietra caviar.

Les Amis

The roster of chefs that have come out of Les Amis is an absolute who’s who of Singapore’s finest, including Justin Quek, Jason Tan, and Janice Wong, to mention just three. Opened in 1994, it was the first freestanding French restaurant, showcasing French products prepared with precise Gallic methods. The exquisite décor, discreet service, and impressive wine list have made numerous business deals possible. Executive chef Sebastien Lepinoy adds, “We want to be understated, but oozing sophistication that will never go out of style.” Like a crisp white shirt.” Last but not least are the desserts, which are made by Tarte by Cheryl Koh’s creator, Cheryl Koh.

Singapore’s best bars

Atlas

Atlas is an opulent, art-deco fantasy featuring an equally striking assortment of gins—more than 1,300 kinds, all on display in a tower that rises to a height of eight meters. You can taste the ancient (a London dry gin from the 1910s) and the new (Moldovan gins). Furthermore, arrive for the gin, and stay for the 20 premium whiskies (Karumawa single malts) or the 250-label-strong, Heidsieck & Co Monopole-filled champagne collection. Interestingly, this champagne costs S$190,700 (HK$1,090,000) a bottle and was recovered from the Baltic Sea. Moreover, it matches the champagne served on the Titanic.

Native

As the bar that forced Singaporeans to ingest foraged weaver ants mixed with rum, tapioca, and coconut yoghurt, Native gained notoriety. Vijay Mudaliar’s innovative drinks, ranked 18th on 2020’s 50 Best Bars list, also honor the local flavor of Peranakan culture. These drinks include a jackfruit rum infusion made with laksa leaves, palm sugar, goat’s milk, and a jelly made of coconut pandan and blue pea flowers. Moreover, local ingredients such as mango, turmeric, and cinnamon appear on the new menu as well.

28 Hong Kong Street

28HKS doesn’t work for fads. Nestled behind an unremarkable façade of a shophouse from the 1960s, this establishment defies the norm by shunning social media and relying instead on the reputation of its artisanal spirits, a strict drink menu, as well as off-menu favorites and comfort food favorites like deep-fried macaroni and cheese balls from America. This is one of the greatest spots for a nightcap because of the excellent beverages and the hip-hop soundtrack, which is as authentic and boisterous as the service.

Gibson

Gibson creates hilariously wonderful cocktails; if you peek behind the bar, you’ll notice that the bartenders, dressed in bow ties and jackets, also happen to be wearing shorts. Moreover, drinks like the handcrafted Philippine mango fermented like a Pedro Ximénez sherry (Mango PX), the Malaysian white guava combined with tequila and ulam raja (a local medicinal plant), and the coconut-infused Botanist gin sorbet with sparkling sake (Always Summer) are prime examples of how local ingredients are incorporated into cocktails. Additionally, try the Gibson, which features a smoked quail egg, pickled wasabi leaves, and a pickled pearl onion. The Gibson was made using a specifically commissioned vermouth from a Kansai sake brewery.

Manhattan

The Manhattan in the Regent Singapore hotel, which won Best Bar in Asia at the 2018 World’s 50 Best Bars, also boasts the distinction of having the first in-hotel rickhouse in history, where more than 100 oak barrels age whiskies and other spirits. There are 150 kinds available in the America Whiskey Embassy program, including uncommon treasures like Pappy van Winkle’s Family Reserve 20 Years. Although the bar’s new trolley service, where personnel mix punchbowls tableside, and its adult-only Sunday Cocktail Brunch are other popular offerings, the solera-aged Negroni has long been a best-seller.

Tippling Club

Since the 2008 debut of its British chef-owner Ryan Clift, Tippling Club has blazed a trail for creative cocktail matching. It debuted on the list of the World’s 50 Best Bars and now stands at number 17 among Asia’s 50 Best Bars as of 2020. Head bartender Andrew Loudon collaborates with Clift on imaginative ideas, such as the menacing-sounding Blood & Sand (Old Perth whiskey, vermouth, cherry, and orange) and The Campfire (gin, citrus, and hickory).