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The Most Famous Restaurants in Singapore

Summer Pavilion restaurant by Cherylsh from

Singapore, a city of superlatives, is one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in. Still, when it comes to dining out, the food-obsessed Little Red Dot surprises with a plethora of options ranging from cheap to staggering — you could pay as little as 4 Singapore dollars for a plate of chicken rice or as much as 450 Singapore dollars for a tasting menu.

The 277.6-square-mile city-state (and setting for 2018’s Crazy Rich Asians) is and has been experiencing an eating boom. What may come as a surprise is that the city’s bar culture is equally as lively. It’s challenging to take in all of the dining and drinking in one spot, but this list of the 10 must-try foods and restaurants is a fantastic place to start.

1. Keng Eng Kee Seafood

Noodle stir fry with chicken by jeffreyw from

Keng Eng Kee is a third-generation tzechar (stir-fry) establishment that provides cooked-to-order wok-fried meals such as coffee pork ribs, moonlit hor fun (wok-fried flat noodles with a raw egg), and Singapore’s most excellent claypot pig liver. The ancient but airy kopitiam (coffee shop) in Bukit Merah Lane 1 is generally crowded to the gills, so make a reservation in advance. Insider tip: In the same location, the proprietors maintain a tight but air-conditioned dining room; if you prepare beforehand, you may be able to grab a seat in this cool, desired place.

2. Burger Labo

Simpson Burger by Guilhem Vellut from

The BB.11, Singapore’s 11th burger from Burger Labo, is possibly the most meticulously crafted burger in the city (formerly Nekkid). Its centrepiece is an all-beef patty constructed from Black Angus beef neck, Aomori ribeye, and Toriyama wagyu A4 tenderloin.

This pedigreed burger, stacked between buns slathered with bone marrow and the usual trinity of tomato, lettuce, and American cheese, isn’t cheap, but it’s definitely worth the premium.

3. Candlenut

Only one Michelin-starred Peranakan restaurant exists in the world, and it is Como Dempsey’s spacious atmosphere with a tall ceiling and massive hanging lighting. Candlenut is best enjoyed through chef-owner Malcolm Lee’s carte blanche menu, affectionately known as the Amahkase menu (“amah” meaning grandmother in Hokkien dialect). If you want to order a la carte, start with the unrivalled pork neck satay.

4. Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak

Some fried hot wings by PDPhoto from

In Singapore, stalls providing nasi lemak (coconut milk-infused rice served with condiments) abound, but this Adam Road Food Centre staple, a purported favourite of the Sultan of Brunei, is the only one that uses long-grained basmati rice.

Serve your fluffy rice with otak-otak (spiced grilled fish cake), fried chicken wings, fried kuning fish, or, better yet, all three. Allow around an hour for waiting due to the ever-present snaking line.

5. Corner House

Chef Jason Tan uses his green fingers to exhibit his unique “Gastro-Botanica” cuisine in a vintage black-and-white house that harkens to the city’s colonial history in the Singapore Botanic Gardens, which is presently classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The “Discovery Menu,” which includes veggies with Maine lobsters, New Zealand fish, and magnificently mottled A4-grade Japanese Toriyama beef, is the most comprehensive of the several taste experiences available.

6. Open Farm Community

For much of land-scarce Singapore, farm-to-fork is a faraway ideal, but it comes to life at Open Farm Community on Dempsey Hill, where a 3,000-square-foot plot grows basil and makrut lime for the restaurant’s daily usage.

For dishes like his Pulau Ubin-farmed barramundi, which is delivered within six hours of harvest, served steamed in dashi butter with black rice Japanese furikake seasoning, cassava, and butterfly pea flower from the property, as well as pea shoots and peas from local farms, head chef Oliver Truesdale-Jutras collaborates with a community of local growers.

7. Sushi Kimura

Sushi by Yumi Kimura from

Sushi Kimura presents a delectable interpretation of the Japanese seasons as seen through the eyes of a sushi chef. Tomoo Kimura, the chef-owner, has 21 years of sushi-making experience, and it shows: from his sushi-pressing choreography to the artisan ingredients he advocates (such as made-in-Kyoto Fujisu vinegar and Aritaya-brewed organic Hokkaido soy sauce), to his parade of in-season Japanese small plates and sushi (think boiled shirako with ponzu and wakame as well as the winter sushi delicacy of Hokkaido shark skin halibut). There’s a lot of rivalry for tickets now that this restaurant has a Michelin star.

8. Les Amis

Despite the influx of new restaurants, Les Amis, a French fine-dining institution, continues to attract the upper crust. Is its allure? Executive chef Sebastien Lepinoy’s procession of caviar- and truffle-topped classical French meals.

The thinly sliced whole-roasted Vendee foie gras served in a moated pool of truffle and celeriac consommé is the French chef’s most decadent entrée yet from the a la carte and traditional tasting menus. In the same building, the firm also runs Tarte by Cheryl Koh, which serves some of the city’s best French tarts for breakfast.

9. Imperial Treasure Fine Shanghai Cuisine

Shoppers in Ngee Ann City who are hungry should stop by Imperial Treasure Fine Shanghai, where the cooking is robust and the tastes are a touch out of the ordinary. Sautéed river shrimp with honey peas and truffles, as well as glutinous rice with sauteed mud crabs, are signature dishes. To describe the braised pork belly served with steamed buns as tender is an understatement.

10. Tanuki Raw

Tanuki Raw by Kawahara tasuku from Wikimedia Commons

Tanuki Raw, a popular hangout for young Singaporeans, offers an array of budget-friendly chirashi, beef bowls, rice rolls, and oysters, all washed down with your choice of beer or cocktail. Come between 5 and 8 p.m. for happy-hour bargains, and plan to line after 6 p.m.

Why visit a restaurant in Singapore? There are more delicacies in Singapore than you can eat in a lifetime. This is where you can sample everything from Michelin-starred delicacies and exotic cuisines to delectable creations by local chefs and classic hawker favourites.

Discover different flavours, new environments, and the dedication that goes into creating each meal.