Caffe Fernet

What this place is and who it is for

Caffe Fernet runs on the ground floor of Customs House on Collyer Quay, a four-minute walk from Raffles Place MRT and on the same promenade as Lavo and Lantern. It opened in 2018 as the Jigger and Pony group's Italian-aperitivo concept and is the only Singapore bar in their family with a full alfresco footprint along Marina Bay.

The bar works for a 6pm spritz on the terrace with the Marina Bay Sands sightline or a long dinner shift with a Negroni flight indoors. Avoid if the goal is a quiet evening: the terrace runs loud after 7pm and the indoor room is open-plan. Tatler Singapore's 2023 best alfresco bars guide placed Caffe Fernet at number two for “the Marina Bay terrace with the best aperitivo programme.

What the space feels like

Two zones. Indoor, an 80-seat room with a 16-seat marble bar on the north wall, low banquettes along the windows, and tiled flooring in green and white. The terrace runs along the Customs House promenade with 40 seats under cantilevered umbrellas and the Marina Bay Sands sightline directly across the water. Time Out Singapore noted in 2023 that “the terrace at sunset is the closest Singapore gets to a Lake Como aperitivo without the flight.” The bar runs an Italian-vermouth wall behind the counter; 32 labels last counted.

What to order, what to skip

Order the Italicus Spritz (22 SGD) built on Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto and prosecco with a Castelvetrano olive; it is the build the bartenders pour when guests ask for the cleanest aperitivo build on the menu. Pair it with the cacio e pepe arancini (18 SGD). Skip the off-menu cocktail requests; regulars on r/singapore consistently note that the Negroni flight at 26 SGD for three pours, the namesake Fernet Branca highball, and the printed programme are the strong moves. The amaro list runs to 28 labels with the same Italian-importer base as the parent group.

Who shows up and when

Three shifts. From noon to 4pm the room is a CBD lunch crowd from the Marina Bay finance houses and a slow turnover of solo diners on the terrace. From 5pm to 7pm the terrace fills with a post-work CBD crowd and tourists on the Marina Bay loop. From 8pm to midnight the indoor room runs at peak service for dinner-and-drinks. SCMP's 2023 Singapore CBD bar guide called the 6pm Friday terrace shift “the best post-work pour on Collyer Quay.

When to walk in

Caffe Fernet runs three shifts and the right one depends on the goal. The noon to 4pm lunch shift is the easiest walk-in for the terrace and the only window where a table for four lands without a reservation. From 5pm to 7pm the terrace is the iconic Caffe Fernet experience for the Marina Bay sightline at sunset, and a walk-in works if the group is two and is willing to wait 15 minutes. The 8pm to midnight shift runs at peak service for the dinner crowd and requires a reservation 48 hours out for a Saturday. Sunday close is at 10pm. The terrace closes during heavy rain and the indoor bar absorbs the seat overflow.

Three siblings in Singapore