Lantern Rooftop Bar at Fullerton Bay: Drinks From S$10

Lantern is the rooftop pool bar of The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore, 80 Collyer Quay, Singapore 049326, and it opens at 3 pm. Sunday to Thursday it closes at 1 am, and Friday, Saturday and eves of public holidays it closes at 2 am. On weekdays from 3 pm to 6 pm, the Skive Life happy hour sells selected drinks starting from S$10++.

The hotel's own page explains the name. Lantern takes it from Clifford Pier's historic Chinese name, Red Lantern Pier. The pier was the key landing point for Singapore's early immigrants and seafarers, and red lanterns lit the shoreward journey along Marina Bay. The bar overlooks the revitalised pier today, which dates from 1933.

The beverage menu adds the Hokkien name, Ang Teng Beh Tao, and describes a custom-designed circular bar counter shaped like a lantern with bronze metal fins. That counter is the design anchor of the roof. Around it, an infinity lap pool and green landscaping frame the panoramic view of Marina Bay and the city skyline.

From Sunday to Thursday, Lantern is open 3 pm to 1 am, with last food order at 11.45 pm and last drinks order at 12.15 am. On Friday, Saturday and the eves of public holidays, it is open 3 pm to 2 am, with last food order at 11.45 pm and last drinks order at 1.15 am.

The kitchen therefore stops before the bar does, which matters for a late arrival. If you reach the roof at midnight hungry, you will find drinks but no plates. Plan dinner for before 11.45 pm, then stay for the last round. On weekdays, a pool-view drink at 3 pm is also the cheapest way to use the space, because the Skive Life window starts at the same time as the doors.

The Skive Life runs Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays, from 3 pm to 6 pm, with selected drinks starting from S$10++. It is the entry point for anyone who wants the Marina Bay view on a budget. Ladies Night, Golden Beats, City Lights, is every Tuesday from 7 pm, with two hours of free-flow drinks for ladies from S$58++.

Brazilian Funk BBQ Sundays run from 5 pm to 9 pm every week, with a live samba performance on the last Sunday of each month. A resident DJ plays from 7 pm to 11 pm on Wednesday and Thursday and again on Friday and Saturday. Tuesday and Sunday are therefore the themed nights, and Wednesday to Saturday are the music nights.

Lantern's cocktail menu is built around the sling. The Fullerton Sling, a reimagined Singapore Sling with Lime Garden gin, cherry liqueur, Dom Benedictine, mandarin orange liqueur, calamansi, pineapple and rose syrup, is S$32. The Sydney Sling, created in 2019 to mark the debut of The Fullerton Hotel Sydney, is S$30, and the Sweet Passion Sling and Peach Berry Sling are S$28 each.

Other picks include the Heritage Negroni and a 45-day aged Manhattan at S$28 each, the Red Lantern with Don Julio Blanco, watermelon and cucumber at S$26, and the Classic Mojito at S$26. Heineken 0.0 is S$10 and the sober Whisky Sour is S$20. A glass of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label is S$35. All prices are subject to service charge and government taxes, and drinks arrive in polycarbonate glasses because of the pool.

The sling is the order here, because the hotel built its identity around the Singapore Sling and Lantern gives it room to be creative. The Fullerton Sling is the most distinctive pour and the most expensive of the four slings at S$32, so if you want one drink with a local story, take that and skip the generic mojitos. A group splitting a jug-style round on Sundays gets better value than ordering singles.

Skip the Wagyu short rib unless you are three or four people, since it is priced for sharing. A pair is better off with a pizza and a plate of wings. The mocktail list is serious, with three sober cocktails at S$20 and three at S$16, which makes Lantern a decent choice for a mixed group where some people are not drinking.

The kitchen is bar-food ambitious. A Philly steak sandwich is S$48, the grilled lobster quesadilla is S$46, mini Wagyu beef sliders are S$34 for three, and a sausage platter is S$42. The Wagyu beef short rib, for three to four people, is S$138 and needs 20 to 25 minutes of preparation. The Margherita pizza is S$36 and the prosciutto with sliced black truffle is S$48.

Truffle fried wings are S$28, classic fries are S$16, and the cheese and charcuterie platter for two is S$58. On Sunday evenings, the Brazilian barbecue menu offers three skewers for S$38 with tortilla wraps, with extra skewers at S$15 each, and cocktail jugs at S$78. If you want just a snack, share the fries and the wings, and save the short rib for a group.

The dress code is smart casual. A credit card authorisation hold may be required to guarantee a reservation. The hotel charges 100 percent of the held amount within 24 hours of the reservation time and 50 percent within 48 hours, so cancel early.

Parking at the hotel is complimentary with a minimum spend of S$100 in a single bill. For some dates, the roof can be limited by private events, with designated areas reserved for in-house guests. When that happens, table requests are accommodated by availability, so request your table early and say whether you want a pool-side or bar-side seat.

Lantern sits at the mouth of the Singapore River, a short walk along the waterfront from the Merlion. The promenade runs past Clifford Pier, the building whose lamp gave the bar its name, so you can see the namesake before you go up. Walk the waterfront first, then go up and watch the bay turn from afternoon to dusk.

If Lantern is crowded, the nearest alternative is the CÉ LA VI Sky Bar on top of Marina Bay Sands, which charges a walk-in cover of S$38 nett before 10 pm. For a livelier, cheaper night, the Southbridge rooftop at Boat Quay opens at 5 pm with a nightly promotion. Lantern's trade-off is simple: the view is excellent, and the best deal is the weekday 3 pm happy hour.