CBD & Boat Quay

The Central Business District and the Boat Quay riverfront are the historic home of Singapore's pub scene. Singapore's first Irish pub opened on Circular Road in the mid-1990s, and the stretch of shophouses along the river still has some of the island's most traditional British and Irish bars, with dark wood interiors, stout and ale on draught and outdoor tables looking across to the skyscrapers of Raffles Place.

Expect a busy after-work crowd from 5pm on weekdays, and rugby and football fans at weekends. The area is a short walk from Raffles Place and Clarke Quay MRT stations, and most pubs serve fish and chips, pies and bangers and mash alongside happy-hour deals.