9 Cozy Rooftop Bars With The Best Views For A Chill Night

Nothing too fancy, but we all deserve a good view sometimes.

When you mention rooftop bars, you’ll probably think of those fancy bars at the top of mile high buildings with sprawling views. We all love feeling like a million bucks on top of the world, but sometimes it’s not always about the height. We’ve put together our top picks of rooftop bars in the city with homely vibes for a chill night. Oh, and a good view.

Pandora’s Garden

Holed up in Ann Siang Hill is Pandora’s Garden, a paradise for rosé lovers has just opened its doors for business.  Designed around a frangipani tree with a roofless garden which opens up into the night sky, it’s all about the pink drink here. The collection of 33 rosé wines has some gems in it: more specifically the Whispering Angel’s L’Esclans Gamus named “The Greatest Rosé” ever by influential wine critic James Suckling. Other rare rosés are the Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé and 2007 Krug Rosé that’ll cost you $1,888 and $888 respectively.

If none of those names mean anything to you, get a regular glass of rosé from $12 a glass, or more affordable but still pretty decent magnums.

The best selection of rosé in town

Sometimes you just want a girl’s night out with your best buds and cheap thrills like pink drinks. On Wednesdays, dress in pink to fit in with the pink theme on their weekly Blush Ladies Night, where $30+ will get you free flow Bach Rosé, Anna Sparkling Rosé, Aperol Spritz, Pimms and Sangria from 6pm-8pm.

28 Ann Siang Road, Ann Siang House S069708

FRY Rooftop Bistro & Bar

@frybistro/ Instagram

This cosy rooftop bar is the kind of respite from the boisterous bars lining Club Street and Ann Siang Hill if you want a chill night but still want to be near all the action. From FRY, you get a bird’s eye view of Club Street below.

If you’re lucky, you might even score one of the few tables along the right side of the bar with a view of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple which looks absolutely stunning when it lights up at night. Our drink of choice? A pint of Mac’s Great White with a guava Fruit Drop for a refreshing beer to wind down the night.

@wanderlust_jinh/ Instagram

FRY also holds Bingo Night every Wednesday, whilst Ladies Night is on Thursdays, and the fairer sex gets $10 martinis from 9pm till late. For eveyrone else, Happy Hour is from 5.30pm to 9pm and you get 20% off bottled beers, wines, housepours and cocktails. Still sounds pretty good to us!

96B Club Street S069464

LOOF

If you didn’t Instagram it, you weren’t there. Loof is playful, almost whimsical, and designed to bring out the kid in you. The almost iconic 风和日丽 neon sign can be spotted in both locals’ and tourists’ Instagram feed, and is a reminder of the Chinese idiom that all kids have used to start their composition at least once in their lives.

We also can’t forget the Mama Shop set up just outside the entrance, stocked up with various snacks and knick-knacks that you can only find in those convenience stores in the heartlands. When you’ve finally got over how ingenious the whole concept is, head inside for what you came here for: the drinks.

Kaya Lumpur

The cocktails are infused with local flavours, with concoctions like Stylo Milo (a spiced rum and milo cocktail), Kaya Lumpur (a cocktail made from pineapple rum, kaya, citrus and soda) and Little Pink Dot (an interesting mix of marshmallow gin and  mandarin rice wine).

If you’re not up for some experimental cocktails, make full use of their awesome happy hours. From Monday to Friday, get $5 drinks from 5pm, $6drinks from  6pm, $7 drinks from 7pm, and $8 drinks from 8 to 9pm. Situated in the middle of City Hall, Bugis, and Bras Basah, it’s also a pretty convenient bar for mid-week drinks!

331 North Bridge Rd, #03-07 Odeon Towers Extension Rooftop, S188720

Oxwell And Co. Rooftop Garden & Bar

Make then climb to the top because there’s a British rooftop garden bar waiting for you. Complete with a green telephone box and an urban herb garden, the tiny rooftop overlooks the CBD area. Since all the tables are packed in tightly, it can get quite noisy.

And since the British love their tea, you can have a cuppa. Be warned, it’s actually gin cocktails, all made with Hendricks Gin. The Hendrick’s Iced Tea is a refreshing blend of breakfast tea infused with Hendrick’s and tonic water, and the T.G.B. is a more interesting cocktail that is made with pandan, mint and ginver. For more cheap thrills, get Bathtime, which is actually just a regular gin and tonic but served in – get this – a bathtub. Drinking out of the bathtub just got cool again.

96 Club St, S069464

Kinki Restaurant And Bar

Yet another bar out of the hundreds peppered around the Raffles Place area, Kinki sits on the second floor of Customs House overlooking the Marina Bay. The kinky (pun intended) bar is shadowed by a quirky mural by Miami Ink’s Chris Graver, and has a decent selection of Japanese sake and drinks available, making it a popular spot for Friday night drinks. Occasionally, PopTart is also hosted at the bar, and National Day and New Year’s Eve make it a popular choice because of its prime fireworks viewing spot.

We also cannot resist their happy hours, where you can get a bucket of five beers for $50 from 6pm to 9pm or one-for-one housepours from 5pm to 8pm.

70 Collyer Quay, #02-02 Customs House S049323

Sum Yi Tai

Another respite from the CBD – this time for whisky lovers. Of course, there are wines and cocktails if you’re more into that. With decorative screens and rattan all around to create a more intimate vibe, the Hong-Kong inspired rooftop bar is only open to invited guests or by reservation with a minimum spend requirement. And while you’re there, tuck into Sum Yi Tai’s carrot cake – it’s delicious.

25 Boon Tat Street S069622

Maison Ikkoku

Okay, this one isn’t exactly a bar persay, but we had to include it because the view is amazing. Maison Ikkoku’s bar is up on the second floor, but on the way up is this little pocket of sunshine overlooking the Masjid Sultan. The only downside is that this is a smoker’s area (you’re in luck, smokers!), and with this view, we’re pretty tempted to stay longer for just a picture. If only they would convert this area to a little outdoors bar – and it would be perfect.

As for drinks, Maison Ikkoku is a bespoke bar, and they’ve got two excellent bartenders who’ll whip you up something that’ll satisfy your tastebuds. And if you’re into hot stuff, you might want to try their Jalapeño vodka which they brew themselves.

20 Kandahar Street, S198885

The Rooftop @ Potato Head Folk

Sitting on top of one of Keong Saik’s iconic buildings is the rooftop bar of Potato Head Folk. Lit with fairy lights and overlooking Chinatown, the casual tiki bar is brimming with plants and tropical cocktails. Try Hyde And Seek, a refreshing gin based cocktail with watermelon juice and lime juice. For something stronger, the Zombie #36 is so potent that each person is only limited to two because of the blend of  7 rums. Basic kids can have a beer, or play it safe with a classic cocktail. After all, its the ambiance and the views that you’re here for.

36 Keong Saik Road S089143

Lantern

Chances are you probably can’t afford a room at the Fullerton Bay Hotel, but you can enjoy the same gorgeous views of the Singapore skyline from Lantern. Equally parts swanky and chill, you can even catch the Marina Bay Sand laser light show if you get a good seat at the low slung bar.

80 Collyer Quay S049326