Sep 6, 2024
Singapore’s food scene has something for everyone, to suit every budget and palate. From critically acclaimed fine dining restaurants serving Peranakan cuisine or inventive modern European fare to street-food style hawkers offering Chilli Crab to the cheapest Michelin starred meal in the world!
Here's our guide to eating out in Singapore....
Lau Pa Sat
This octagonal shaped hawker market located bang in the CBD has seen many relocations and facelifts and the result is a smart airy building (non-aircon) with soaring arches, fretted eaves and Victorian columns complete with whirring fans. Choose from a myriad of cuisines from Indian to Korean. It’s worth seeking out the healthy Thunder Tea rice dish of brown rice, green tea soup and vegetables, the fried carrot cake (no carrot or cake within but delicious nonetheless), Singaporean rojak salad, and the chicken and beef satay that goes so well with an ice cold beer.
18 Raffles Quay
Singapore 048582
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Makansutra Gluttons Bay
Makansutra Gluttons Bay offers an atmospheric way to indulge in hawker fare (satay, oyster omelette and char kway teo noodles) thanks to its open-air balmy waterfront location that looks on to the bay.
8 Raffles Ave, #01-15
Esplanade Mall
Singapore 039802
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Satay by the Bay
One of the more convenient hawker markets to dine at if you are heading to Gardens by the Bay.
18 Marina Gardens Drive, #01-19
Singapore 018953
Tel: (+65) 6538 9956
Hawker Chan
If you’d prefer slurping your noodles in an air-con environment how about that cheapest Michelin starred meal we told you about? Head on over to Hawker Chan, (a spin off from the original hawker stall Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle, at Chinatown Complex). Hawker Chan is an unassuming minimalist restaurant where you can chow down on Hong Kong soya chicken with rice or noodles for around S$2!
78 Smith Street
Singapore 058972
+65 6272 2000
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Singaporean Signatures
It’s hard to pin down what exactly Singaporean cuisine is given Singapore is a relatively new country and prides itself in being a melting pot of cultures. Typically Singaporean fare could be anything from Peranakan dishes to Chilli Crab. Unlike the causal vibes of a hawker market, these upmarket restaurants give you a flavour of some of the most renowned signature dishes from Singapore all in a sophisticated setting.
Violet Oon Satay Bar & Grill: Satay
Named after the famous chef-owner icon Violet Oon herself, Violet Oon’s Satay Bar and Grill at Clarke Quay serves stellar satay. Beef, chicken, prawn, pork and even tripe satay is grilled with perfect ‘char’ till tender and served with Violet Oon’s famous house made sauces. The menu here spans Singapore’s blended family of Indian, Peranakan and Singaporean classics from Rendang curry to Garam Assam Barramundi with Pineapple and Ginger Flower and chendol for dessert.
3B River Valley Road
Unit #01-18 Clarke Quay
Tel: (+65) 9862 6002
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Red House Seafood: Chilli Crab
You can’t leave Singapore without trying the signature Chilli Crab. Sit alfresco at Red House Seafood Restaurant along the riverfront at Robertson Quay and order up sharing plates of Chilli Crab (with steamed or fried mantao buns) or the Black Pepper Crab and Seafood Combination Curry. Red House Seafood also does dim sum at lunchtime –the classic Cantonese meal of small dumplings and buns best enjoyed with hot Chinese tea.
Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel (Level 2)
392 Havelock Rd,
Singapore 169663
Tel: (+65) 6735 7666
Candlenut: Peranakan
Candlenut is the first Peranakan restaurant in the world to have received a Michelin star. Chef-Owner Malcolm Lee offers refined Peranakan classics like his Nyonya mother used to make. Spice pastes are made from scratch and dishes are slow-cooked the traditional way. From signature black nut Buah Keluak Wagyu Beef to Yellow Coconut Crab Curry of blue swimmer crab, turmeric, galangal, and kaffir lime leaf – all served in the pretty surrounds of a sophisticated restaurant in leafy Dempsey.
Block 17A Dempsey Road
Singapore 249676
Tel: 1800 3042288
There’s no end to fine dining options offering Western cuisine in refined restaurant settings in Singapore. To name a few:
Spago
Located at Sands SkyPark at the top of Marina Bay Sands, the restaurant overlooks the famous Infinity Pool and offers spectacular views of the city skyline. A Wolfgang Puck restaurant with chef de cuisine Greg Bess at the helm, bringing a wealth of experience and a fabulous international menu. Many come for the views but leave raving about the food. Top of the Singapore bucketlist.
10 Bayfront Avenue L57,
Sands SkyPark,
Hotel Tower 2,
Marina Bay Sands
6688 9955
Nouri
Borderless Inventive Cuisine Michelin starred Chef-Owner Ivan Brehm has created a menu at Nouri that showcases “cross roads cooking” - creative fine dining dishes with influences from around the globe. There is an omakase lunch (featuring whatever the chef decides to serve) and a tasting menu for dinner as well as an à la carte menu. Dishes might include Afro Brazilian fritter with turmeric and coconut sauce, Grass-fed Wagyu rump cap with fermented jalapeño pepper paste, aromatic oils, and panzanella and Raymond’s Grouper with burnt pepper and jalapeno salsa.
72 Amoy St
Singapore 069891
Tel: (+65) 6221 4148
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JAAN: Modern European & Views
Perched high up on the 70th floor of the iconic Swissôtel The Stamford with uninterrupted city views, is one Michelin-starred modern-European fine dining restaurant JAAN. Request a window table for the best experience. JAAN was recently awarded 44th place at the annual Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards. The modern European menu (Irish Oyster with artichoke foam and ‘Oscietra’ caviar, and mains of Turbot & Crayfish Tails and Carrot Puree) is French-influenced with dishes that evolve with the seasons under the guidance of British Chef Kirk.
Level 70, Equinox Complex
2 Stamford Rd, Singapore 178882
Tel: +65) 6837 3322
Odette: Modern French
Housed in the National Gallery Singapore, two Michelin starred Odette offers refined fine dining by Chef Julien Royer (previously at JAAN) in an elegant setting within the National Gallery so you can take in some culture before or after your meal. Modern French food is artfully presented using seasonal produce from France to Japan. Dishes include the artfully presented signature 55' Rosemary Smoked organic egg cooked sous vide at 65.3 degrees for 55 minutes and Mushroom Tea served in a teapot with Homemade Brioche.
1 Saint Andrew's Road
#01-04, National Gallery
Singapore, 178957
Tel: (+65) 6385 0498
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The English House, By Marco Pierre White
Elegance and simplicity, inspired by colonial Singaporean heritage, the English House is set in a beautiful shop house close to the river. Inspired by an era of classical food and drink, presented simply; orchestrated and conducted by England’s greatest chef Marco Pierre White.
The English House is the preservation of a golden age; with a whisper of ostentatious eccentricity. Amazing Sunday roasts! Check out the awesome art collection too!
Open Farm Community
Open Farm Community in Singapore is a sustainable restaurant that embraces a farm-to-table approach. With on-site gardens providing fresh produce and a focus on organic cultivation and minimal waste, they lead the way in eco-friendly dining, inspiring patrons to adopt greener practices.
130E Minden Rd,
Singapore
248819
Singapore has more than its fare share of rooftop bars to admire the view from. Our favourites include sky high Level 33 for views of Marina Bay Sands and the even higher positioned Ce La Vi for views of the bay from Marina Bay Sands. Lantern offers a low-level rooftop view (complete with stunning pool) that is equally worth a visit. While 1-Altitude in the CBD affords 360 degree views and is the highest alfresco bar in the world.Atlas Bar is the only non-rooftop bar that makes our shortlist. This Gatsby style bar boasts over the top gold and bronze décor styled after Art Deco Europe and is beautiful in its opulence and grandeur.
Ce La Vi, CÉ LA VI
1 Bayfront Avenue,
Marina Bay Sands Tower 3
Singapore 018971
Tel: (+65) 6508 2188
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LeVel 33
8 Marina Boulevard 33-01
Marina Bay Financial Centre Tower 1
Singapore 018981
Tel: (+65)6834 3133
Lantern
The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore
80 Collyer Quay
Singapore 049326
Tel:(+65) 6597 5299
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ATLAS
Parkview Square
600 North Bridge Road
Singapore, 188778
Tel:(+65) 6396 4466
For more great bars check out Timeout's top 50 bars in Singapore HERE
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