Drinking alone gets an unfair bad rap. Rather than the domain of sad, friendless losers, we think it's actually a lost art of self-affirmation that should be practiced not at home in front of the couch, but in Singapore's sexiest bars. (It's also a great chance to chat up cute bartenders.) So if you don't have a squeeze to celebrate this heavily commercialized day, channel your inner James Bond, Don Draper, Samantha Jones, Holly Golightly and go to town. 
 

28 HongKong Street

Sure, it's packed to the gills almost every night of the week, but one of Singapore's most famous bars (and a proud member of the World's 50 Best Bars list) has an uncanny ability to make solo drinkers feel welcome, thanks in part to the friendly crew, the beautiful crowd and all the informal milling about in between tables. If drinking alone for you means finding new people to talk to, it will probably happen here. In the meantime, order up one of their potent and inventive signature cocktails, some of their truffle mac n' cheese balls and survey the room benevolently. 28 HongKong Street, 6533-2001. Open Mon-Thu 6pm-2am; Fri-Sat 6pm-3am.
 

Ah Sam Drink Stall

Ah Sam Cold Drink Stall

No one will bother you at this hidden, retro-themed bespoke cocktail bar, tucked away above a convenience store in otherwise raucous Boat Quay. If you come early in the evening, you might even have the place to yourself. Tell the bartender your preferred spirits and flavor profiles, and they'll whip something up for you. Their classics like Old Fashioneds and Manhattans are tasty and strong, too. Sip them alongside traditional eats like Hokkien mee and char kway teow. 60A Boat Quay, 6535-0838. Open Mon-Thu 6pm-midnight; Fri-Sat 6pm-3am. 
 

Antidote

Hotel bars were made for drinking alone (thanks, Bill Murray circa Lost in Translation!) and you'll never look cooler than when you do it at our favorite one: think dramatic light fixtures, sculptural wall hangings, Peranakan touches and good service. And if you're feeling chatty, you'll have good company at the bar with kindly head bartender Gina Kent or Bannie Kang, who both push out consistently strong and good signature drinks. 1/F Fairmont Singapore, 80 Bras Basah Rd., 6431-5315. Open daily 5pm-2am.
 

The Auld Alliance

The Auld Aliiance

With plush, leather seats that line their cocktail bar, The Auld Alliance is a great place for those who just want to nose their whisky in peace. This place stocks well over 1,000 Scotches on its lofty shelves covering every distillery in Scotland from affordable drops to truly astonishing bottles like the Mortlach 70-year-old, the world’s oldest whiskey (distilled in 1938). The bar also has a number of whiskys from Japan, the US and Ireland, Armagnac, over two dozen absinthes and an impressive Champagne selection. #02-02A Rendezvous Hotel, 9 Bras Basah Rd., 6337-2201. Open Mon-Thu 5pm-1am; Fri-Sat 5pm-2am; Sun 5pm-midnight. 
 

D. Bespoke

With its dim interiors and dark wooden furniture, Bukit Pasoh’s cocktail bar is the perfect retreat if you're a recluse. So careful and theatrical is the Ginza celeb bartender Daiki Kanetaka's whole schtick, it's clear the purpose here isn't to socialize and chat with your buddies but to watch him as he struts about in white double-breasted suits and deploying surgically precise techniques while underlings hand him towels. If not for the theater, come for the focus on sherry, Armagnac and calvados and the bespoke cocktail service. 2 Bukit Pasoh Rd., 8141-5741. Open Mon-Sat 6pm-1am.
 

Gibson

Gibson

You'll want to dress up for a date with yourself and some solid classic cocktails at this stylish and hidden speakeasy on Bukit Pasoh. You'll have to walk through a concrete corridor and up a short flight of stairs before you reach this retro-opulent space. The decor is upscale speakeasy, with marble top tables, a geometric stained glass bar facade and retro-chic glassware. The house cocktail, The Gibson ($23), is a smooth mix of Tanqueray no. 10, Ginjo Sake Vermouth with gari, onion, quail egg and a lemon peel garnish. It comes with a house-pickled onion, of course, along with a quail's egg and smoked radish. Also intriguing is the potent Crimson Bullet ($23), with Don Julio white tequila, Alipus mezcal, fennel-y Kummel, beetroot and lime. Drinks mostly hover around $22-25, except in the Reserve section. $90 Sazerac anyone? Come early to have the place to yourself. 2/F 20 Bukit Pasoh Rd., 9114-8385, Open Mon-Thur 6pm-1am; Fri-Sat 6pm-2am.
 

The Horse's Mouth

The Horse's Mouth

Operation Dagger

Operation Dagger

If you just want to be left alone, this is the place. Unlike other speakeasies in town, Oxwell and Co.’s hush-hush basement cocktail bar is serious about its secrecy. Their website is decidedly minimalist, and their Facebook page has no pictures or updates. All the more reason to feel extra cool when you’re down at the bare-walled, concrete-floored space, knocking back kooky cocktails from their omakase flight. Don’t miss the Egg, made with salted egg, vanilla and caramel. #B1-01 7 Ann Siang Hill, 6438-4057. Open Tue-Sat 6pm-late.
 

The Secret Mermaid

The Secret Mermaid 

One of the best things about this bar is its hidden, hole-in-the-wall approach. If alone doesn't have to mean quiet, you'll like doing your solo drinking among the cozy bustle here. This space is a casual Japanese eatery Shinkansen by day and a liquor retail store and cocktail bar by night. This hidden hangout specializes in rare, small-batch, handcrafted spirits, specifically gin, rum, tequila, vodka and whisky. For cocktails, there are classics like the Spiced Blueberry Mojito, Salted Caramel Old Fashioned, or the Sangria Sour. #B1-08 Ocean Financial Centre, 10 Collyer Quay, Open Mon-Fri 5-11pm.  
 

Vasco

Pretend you're Gabrial Garcia Marquez and hunker down for 100 years of solitude at this South American bar, with leather booths, hanging copper lamps and a focus on mezcal, cachaca, rum, pisco and tequila. The best time to come here would be before dinner where you'll get to enjoy cheekily-named cocktails like the Cusco Puta with pisco, strawberry, capsicum, chili and lime, alongside caipirinhas and pisco sours. The kitchen dishes out empanadas, a few ceviche and heartier offerings like cubanos. Things get busy later at night, in case you feel like looking up from your drink and chatting someone up. 42 HongKong St., 8799-7085. Open Mon-Sat 6pm-1am.

Last year was all about American smokehouse places. Decker and Red Eye Smokehouse opened in quick succession, followed by Camp Kilo Charcoal Club. Since then, the grilled meat scene has diversified, expanding to include Turkish kebabs at Fat Prince, as well as crispy lechon at Iskina Cebu. And with Dave Pynt’s Burnt Ends entering the top 10 at Asia’s 50 Best, barbecue in 2017 has gotten not just ethnically diverse, but also a little bit fancy.

Camp Kilo Charcoal Club

Camp Kilo is all about chill vibes in the great outdoors. Grab a picnic table, head to the window and order things like Thai-style roast chicken, chipotle ribs, lechon and excellent sides like pomelo and mango salad. Pair them with potent punch. #01-01 66 Kampong Bugis.

Decker Barbecue

Decker is a gem, with string lights, picnic tables, a back-lit menu and a giant smoker in the back. The menu highlight is the beef brisket, of course, and tender pulled pork. The sides are equally all-American: brisket beans, mac and cheese and kale salad. Get a craft beer to go with. #01-17 Quayside, 60 Robertson Quay.

Fat Prince

The people who brought you Neon Pigeon draw on Imperial Istanbul for Fat Prince, with its arabesque mosaics and low-hanging lamps. Choose from 10 types of “taco sized” kebabs, like the spicy beef and the modern duck and pistachio kofte. 48 Peck Seah St.

Iskina Cebu

This proudly Cebuano stall previously operating at a Paya Lebar coffee shop serves incredible lechon de cebu (roasted pork), spicy belly chon (slow-roasted pork belly) and inasal manok (grilled chicken). #01-27 73A Ayer Rajah Cres.

Meat Smith

This American smokehouse has plenty of classy touches, like chicken liver parfait and the taramasalata. The stars are the briskey, the Memphis dry rub pork spare ribs and the smoked suckling pig. Wash it all down with the barrel-aged cocktails. 167 Telok Ayer St.

Red Eye Smokehouse

With high ceilings, concrete floors and simple wooden tables, Red Eye’s decor is as no-frills as the food: order at the counter classics like juicy brisket, sausage and wings, and some new additions like brisket tacos. Try the Mezcal Mule, too. 1 Cavan Rd.

Salted & Hung

With prevalent char flavors and Japanese influences, many dishes here are made on the Josper grill, such as the Hamachi collar and the suckling pig, stuffed with chorizo and carabinero. The sides are great, too, as are the Australian craft beers. 12 Purvis St.

Skirt

If you’re less about bibs and barbecue sauce and more about high ceilings, open-concept parrilla grills and nice wine lists, this is the place. W Singapore’s signature grill resto sources sustainable seafood and premium meats like Black Angus and Rangers Valley (you can even do a tasting of five different varieties). W Singapore – Sentosa Cove, 21 Ocean Way.

No guide to casual dining in Singapore would be complete without a salute to that time-honored overeating tradition—the hotel buffet. Enduring stalwarts and decadent Champagne brunches aside, we’re pleased to see how many places are giving due attention to Asian, Singaporean and Peranakan highlights these days.

Basilico

Try not to fill up at the salame, tomato and mozzarella bars, and save room for the pizzas, pastas and meat carving stations. The buffet lunch happens every weekend alongside prosecco and Champagne extravaganzas too. 2/F The Regent Singapore, 1 Cuscaden Rd.

Carousel

It’s hard to believe that such an extensive buffet is halal-certified. Dig in and load up on their Japanese, Mediterranean, Indian and Asian selections, not to mention the enormous fresh seafood display. Royal Plaza on Scotts, 25 Scotts Rd.

Colony

The site of the old Greenhouse does a dazzling seven-kitchen spread that also comes with a cocktail cart. The regular lunch buffet happens Mon-Sat, and the dinner happens every day. Splurge on the vintage Champagne brunch on Sundays. 3/F The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia SIngapore, 7 Raffles Ave.

Edge

Don’t miss the crayfish thermidor and the Peranakan staples here. They also do themed buffets, like the seafood-leaning Hooked@Edge on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and the lavish Veuve Cliquot brunch on Sundays. 3/F Pan Pacific SIngapore, 7 Raffles Blvd.

Flavours at Zhongshan Park

Specializing in a “hawkerlicious” buffet, Flavours serves a rotation of stuff like Hokkien mee and black pepper crab, along with laksa and lok lok stations and local desserts. On weekends, there’s also seafood on ice and Asian burgers. Ramada Singapore at Zhongshan Park, 16 Ah Hood Rd.

Lime

Nothing like a weekday lunch at this sun-drenched spot. With three open kitchens and a big focus on Asian cooking, the buffet’s highlights are the Indian and Peranakan dishes. The Sunday brunch comes with Champagne, a chocolate fountain and a sangria cart. 1/F PARKROYAL on Pickering, 3 Upper Pickering St.

The Line

An enduring legend with a whopping 16 theater kitchens, they whip up Japanese, Chinese, Western and Indian dishes, along with fresh seafood and dessert. On Tuesday and Thursday nights, you can try the seafood-themed Marine Harvest, and the Champagne brunch on Sundays. Lower Lobby, Tower Wing, Shangri-La Hotel, 22 Orange Grove Rd.

One-Ninety

This swanky option is great for when you want a hotel spread, but also want a cozy vibe. The market fresh semi-buffet changes often, but is a mix of Italian and Asian. Top up and get an entrée to go with the buffet—choose from 20 options! Four Seasons Hotel, 190 Orchard Blvd.