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Cheers on a Budget: Top Bars for Cheap Drinks in Singapore
In Singapore’s bar scene, tourists often envision upscale lounges, rooftop vistas, and pricey bottles of spirits and champagne. Locals beg to differ, as there are many hidden spots around the city that offer good wine and a good time for cheap!
And no, they’re not always in hawker centres or in markets.
So, if you’re on a budget and want to cool off with some cheap drinks in Singapore, here’s a list of bars and pubs with the best Happy Hour promos to take advantage of!
The Secret Mermaid
Address: 10 Collyer Quay, B1-09 Ocean Financial Centre, Singapore 049315
Contact Details: +65 6634 8593
Operating Hours: Monday to Friday, 5:00 pm to 11:00 pm
The Secret Mermaid is a hidden bar located at the heart of Collyer Quay. Don’t let the swanky-looking cocktails and interiors fool you, though, as this bar offers booze for as low as $12 a pop!
Happy Hour here runs from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm, so you have ample time to reach the sweet spot with your friends if you snag a table right after work! Their cocktail collection is originally priced at $20 each, but will only set you back $15 during Happy Hour!
Wines by the glass cost $12 with choices like prosecco, chardonnay, and shiraz. If you’re unsure, we recommend trying the Bloody Bella (mezcal, red bell pepper, fermented pineapple, chilli salt) or the Dracola (mermaid spiced rum, cola, soda).
Tip: Feeling hungry after all that wine? Drinks aren’t the only items on The Secret Mermaid’s Happy Hour menu. From 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm, you can order oysters at only $3 per piece if you get a regular-priced drink. Prices vary between oyster variants with fresh oysters being the cheapest option ($3). You can also get mentaiko oysters ($5), ikura oysters ($7), and tobiko oysters ($7). Note that you can only order up to six oysters per regular-priced drink during the Happy Hour! |
Levant
Address: 32 Tras St, Level 4, Singapore 078972
Contact Details: +65 6304 3298
Operating Hours: Monday to Sunday, 5:00 pm to 12:00 am
As night falls, Tanjong Pagar’s shophouses come alive with Levant Bar offering a vibrant rooftop party scene. Known for its Mediterranean cocktails and lively ambience, it’s perfect for a fun night out with friends while on a budget.
Enjoy weekly boozy deals with $12 classic cocktails (Old Fashioned, Whisky Sour, Gimlet, and Moscow Mules) on Mondays and Tuesdays, ladies’ 1-for-1 $20 martinis on Wednesdays, discounted whiskies on Thursdays, and $16 cocktails at Sunday brunch.
Regular Happy Hour promos run every Tuesday to Thursday from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. You can get gin, vodka, tequila, whisky, rum, and more starting at $12 a pop during these hours if you like taking your booze neat.
Tip: At Levant Bar, it’s important to note that it operates as a fully cashless rooftop establishment. Remember to load funds onto your digital wallets or have your cards ready for payment! |
Ice-Cold Beer
Address: 9 Emerald Hill Rd, Singapore 229293
Contact Details: +65 6735 9929
Operating Hours: Monday to Thursday, 3:00 pm to 2:00 am, Friday, 3:00 pm to 3:00 am, Saturday, 2:00 pm to 3:00 am, Sunday, 2:00 pm to 2:00 am
Ice-Cold Beer has been a go-to beer spot among students from Lee Kong Chian School of Business for over 20 years. This casual American-style bar offers a wide selection of international and local craft beers, stored in ice tanks to keep them ice cold.
Their draught beer collection features Stella Artois, Little Creatures Pale Ale, Hoegaarden, and Tsing Tao. They also have Guinness, Carlsberg, Corona, Heineken, and other local beers by the bottle.
To get your favourite beers for cheap, visit Ice-Cold Beer from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm to enjoy icy cold drinks at Happy Hour prices. Beers by the pint will only cost you $11 a pop, but some international brands might start at $12!
Tip: There’s limited seating inside Ice-Cold Beer, so reservations can be tricky if you want to drop by during Happy Hour. |
Altico Lounge and Bar
Address: 2 Orchard Turn, ION Orchard, #56, #01, Singapore 238801
Contact Details: +65 8028 1489
Operating Hours: Monday to Sunday, 5:00 pm to 12:00 am
If you’ve visited ION Orchard’s observation deck, chances are you’ve been treated to welcome drinks at Atico Lounge. Next time, why not extend your stay and savour more cocktails and craft beer while taking in the city skyline?
Ascending 56 storeys shouldn’t deter you from enjoying a Happy Hour from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Embrace the challenge and conquer any fear of heights while indulging in the bar’s $16 cocktails (or drink a couple more to gain extra confidence!).
Popular choices include the Tom Collins, a gin and lemon soda concoction, the classic Old Fashioned blending whiskey and bitters, and the bubbly and sweet Aperol Spritz. Beer buckets of 5 bottles are also discounted at $60 per order!
Tip: Altico Lounge hosts Femme Fatale Ladies Night nightly for female guests. Punch bowls will only cost $68, and groups of 5 or more get free sides of their choice. If your group is less than five, you can still enjoy discounted bottles of sparkling wine starting at $70! |
Gibson Bar
Address: 20 Bukit Pasoh Rd, #2nd Floor, Singapore 089834
Contact Details: +65 9114 8385
Operating Hours: Monday, 6:00 pm to 12:00 am, Wednesday to Thursday, 6:00 pm to 1:00 am, Friday to Saturday, 6:00 pm to 2:00 am, Sunday, 6:00 pm to 12:00 am
Gibson Bar’s sophisticated interiors and craft cocktails are deceiving. Most of what they offer on their Happy Hour menu is actually reasonably priced with drinks starting as low as $10 a pop!
Their signature cocktail is the Mini Gibson, which is a concoction of Roku gin, homemade sake and vermouth, and a dash of pickled onion. For a drink that only costs $10, it packs a lot of punch that’ll get you into the sweet spot in no time.
Other cocktails under $20 are the Coconut Cobbler, which is a mixture of Tio Pepe Fino sherry, vanilla, cardamom, and coconut water, and the classic Old Fashioned, a blend of bourbon, dark sugar, and bitters.
Tip: Gibson Bar’s Happy Hour promo runs daily from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Included in the promo are their oysters, which will only set you back around $3 per piece. You will need to order a minimum of 6 pieces in order to avail the promo price, however. |
Southbridge
Address: 80 Boat Quay, Level 5, Rooftop 049868
Contact Details: +6568776965
Operating Hours: Monday to Sunday, 5:00 pm to 12:00 am
Looking for more spots to enjoy cheap drinks in Singapore? Make your way to the Quayside and head to Southbridge for speciality cocktails, refreshing beers, and an abundance of oysters.
Their 1-for-1 Gin and Tonic promotion runs from Sunday to Thursday, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Enjoy two servings of Botanist Gin, Peddlers Rare Eastern Gin, or Hendrick’s Flora Adora for the price of one!
Furthermore, their Happy Hour deal extends to oyster platters as well. Every Monday to Thursday until 8:00 pm and all day every Sunday, pair your drinks with fresh oysters and revel in the delightful offerings of Southbridge.
Tip: Regrettably, it’s not possible to combine two promotions per table. If you’re dropping by as a large group, you can only reserve for up to 10 guests via Southbridge’s online portal. Any more than that, you’ll have to give them a call! Moreover, entry to the Southbridge bar is restricted to guests aged 21 and above. They might ask you to show identification cards as proof of age, so don’t try sneaking in if you’re below that age requirement. |
The Good Beer Company
Address: 3 Pickering Street, Nankin St, #01-30 KLOUD Great Eastern Centre, China Square Central, Singapore 048660
Contact Details: +65 8120 5060
Operating Hours: Monday, 3:00 pm to 10:30 pm, Tuesday to Thursday, 3:00 pm to 11:00 pm, Friday, 3:00 pm to 11:30 pm
Nestled in the heart of Chinatown is The Good Beer Company, a local pub that mainly uncles and elderly Singaporeans visit to enjoy pints of cold craft beer. If you’re really on the run for money, you’ll be happy to know that beers here will set you back $6 a pop.
For drinks that cheap, it’s no wonder older locals keep coming back. They offer a wide range of local and international beers with some of the pricier brands only costing an average of $14 a bottle.
Moreover, The Good Beer Company’s beers on tap start as low as $10 per pint during their Happy Hour every Saturday night. On regular days, rates range between $13 and $20 for a pint (prices vary depending on the type of beer).
Tip: The Good Beer Company is located near Hong Lim Market and Food Centre, a well-known hawker centre in Chinatown. If you want to save up on food while drinking, we recommend buying your bar snacks or food from the hawker centre! The Good Beer Company has limited seating with most tables situated outdoors. It can get pretty hot once 12:00 noon strikes, so we highly recommend dropping by in the late afternoon (there’s no air conditioning or fans there either). |
Xiao Ya Tou
Address: 6 Duxton Hill, #01-01, Singapore 089592
Contact Details: +65 6226 1965
Operating Hours: Monday to Thursday, 11:30 am to 11:00 pm, Friday to Saturday, 11:30 am to 11:30 pm, Sunday, 11:30 am to 10:00 pm
Xiao Ya Tou is another local favourite hidden gem, offering zi char dishes and cheap drinks in a casual setting. Despite its unassuming appearance, don’t be deceived; its food and drinks are far from ordinary.
Draught beer featuring Tiger and Guinness cost only $14 and $16, respectively, while beers by the bottle all cost $14. Wines and spirits by the glass will set you back between $13 and $15, which are some of the cheapest drinks you can find in the city.
Their cocktails, priced between $18 and $23, feature imported alcohol, and offer great value for money. A few popular cocktails include the Suntory Highball (Suntory whisky, soda, ginger, lemon juice) and the Soju Bomb (soju, Tiger beer, lemonade).
Tip: Xiao Yu Tao also offers cocktails good for sharing between two to four people, starting at $48 per order. Their biggest sharing cocktail, Five of a Kind, can be shared between 5 people and is priced at $78. They also offer promotions on shots, starting at 2 shots for $20, and 6 shots for $48. You can choose up to two types of alcohol for this promotion! |