11 Best Restaurants in Singapore

Background Illustration for Restaurants

Welcome to Singapore, one of the world’s great food destinations, where eating—and eating well—is a time-honored national pastime.

Here you can splurge on haute cuisine from Michelin-starred chefs in some of the best fine-dining restaurants in Asia, or dig into fragrant bowls oflaksa (a spicy noodle soup) and heaping plates of char kway teow (stir-fried rice noodle strips) at one of the island’s famous hawker centers. The wide range of food and restaurants is what brings many travelers to Singapore in the first place, and few leave disappointed. In most cities the plan of attack is to map out must-see sights to pack in as much as possible; in Singapore it's often more about maximizing your meals and eating until it hurts—and then trying to fit in some more.

You hardly ever have to go far to find one of Singapore’s casual eating houses and hawker centers, which are fun, budget-friendly places to taste as many local specialties as your stomach can handle. The city-state’s indomitable megamalls are loaded with mid-range restaurants, sprawling food courts, and snack stands. Many of the island’s more upscale restaurants are tucked away in posh hotels, and many of the newer and trendier places are inside restored Chinese shophouses and once-abandoned colonial buildings. Note that upscale restaurants often close in the afternoon between lunch and dinner—from 2:30 to 6:30, for instance.

Chin Huat Live Seafood

$$$ | Clementi Fodor's choice

Sunset Way is a residential area in Clementi and home to some of the West’s best-kept secrets, including this restaurant popular with fans who travel across the island to bag a table at this pioneering seafood spot. Seafood prices are based on market price, and there’s a huge à la carte menu of local classic dishes, such as seafood hor fun (thick rice noodles) and kong bak pau (braised pork buns). The kitchen is famed for its crab in golden sauce, made with pumpkin and chilli padi. Order with mantou (fried buns) to mop up the golden gravy. The restaurant was one of the first in Singapore to allow diners to pick their meal from the large tanks that display the day’s catch, and that process continues today.

Jumbo Seafood Restaurant

$$ | East Coast Park Fodor's choice

This atmospheric East Coast Seafood Centre staple is the perfect place to crack into a chilli or black pepper Sri Lankan crab, a glorious, delicious mess of a dish that's a true Singaporean specialty—be sure to order it with sides of fried buns to sop up the sauce. Prices are by the kilogram; some crabs are large enough to feed up to four people, but smaller ones for two are also available.

Long Beach Seafood

$$$ | Dempsey Hill Fodor's choice

Cracking into a black-pepper or chilli crab is one of those signature Singapore dining experiences, and there are few places that do it better than Long Beach. There are four restaurant locations across Singapore, including the main branch on the East Coast, near where it first opened in 1946, but this Dempsey Hill branch stands out for its convenience and outdoor seating deck (plus you can stop for a pre-dinner pint or two of tasty microbrews at the nearby RedDot Brewhouse). Long Beach has other seafood specialties, including golden-stripe lobster and steamed razor clams with garlic, but the crab is the thing to go for—you won't be sorry, especially if you order it with fried mantou buns to sop up the sauce.

Recommended Fodor's Video

Sin Huat Eating House

$$$$ | Geylang Serai Fodor's choice

It may be rough around the edges, it's in the red-light district of Geylang, and the cost of a full meal would make some fine-dining establishments blush, but there's good reason why the late food magnate Anthony Bourdain named Sin Huat one of the "10 places to eat before you die." Chef Danny's rich, gooey, briny, magnificent crab (or prawn) bee hoon (vermicelli-like rice noodles) is a stunning dish. Pair it with on-the-shell scallops slathered in black bean sauce and a plate of kailan (fresh greens) with garlic for a meal to remember.

659/661 Geylang Rd., Singapore, 389589, Singapore
6744–9755
Known For
  • Crab noodles
  • On-the-shell scallops
  • Edgy neighborhood

Greenwood Fish Market

$$ | Bukit Timah

This neighborhood favorite may be in a quiet residential area, but it’s almost always packed at night. As you may expect, fish is the order of the day, with an all-encompassing menu that ranges from freshly-sliced sashimi to whole dover sole. The wine list is well-curated, and servers are happy to recommend a good pairing. Signature lobster bisque is a must to start.

Jumbo Seafood Restaurant

$$$

Jumbo more than makes up for its lack of polish through competitive prices on some of the best fresh seafood on the island. This East Coast Seafood Centre staple is the perfect place to crack into a chili or black-pepper Sri Lankan crab, a glorious, delicious mess of a dish that's a true Singaporean specialty—be sure to order it with sides of fried buns to sop up the sauce. Prices are by the kilogram; some crabs are large enough to feed up to four people, but smaller ones for two are also available. Jumbo's spacious outdoor seating area is ideal for families. Jumbo's has several other branches, including one at Blk 11 #01-16 Dempsey Road.

Long Beach Seafood

$$ | Robertson Quay

This bright spot by the river at Robertson Quay offers outdoor tables and a large menu of seafood and other Chinese dishes. The signatures here are the iconic Singaporean dishes of chilli crab and black pepper crab, which the restaurant invented in the 1950s. Make sure to order a portion of mantou (fried buns) to mop up the addictive sauce. Aside from the à la carte menus, the restaurant has different set menus that are a good way to taste a range of local dishes, including razor clams, prawns, and duck.

Long Beach Seafood Restaurant UDMC

$$ | East Coast Park

This seaside branch of one of Singapore’s most long-standing seafood restaurant chains lets you pick your own fish, crab, lobsters, and more from tanks, then have it cooked the way you like. Whatever you choose, don’t miss the black pepper crabs; Long Beach is the creator of the now-iconic Singaporean dish, and its version is still tops.

1202 East Coast Pkwy., Singapore, 449881, Singapore
Known For
  • Live seafood
  • Black pepper crab
  • Seaside location
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted

Naked Finn

$$$ | Bukit Merah

In a quiet, unpretentious building in Gillman Barracks, this seafood lover’s delight focuses on simple preparations of fresh fish centered around the day’s catch. The menu is ever-evolving, and though there are nods to local flavors (like spicy sambal sauces), the fish is always the star of the show. Japanese influences come through in some of the high-quality seafood and the well-curated wine and sake list.

39 Malan Rd., Singapore, 109442, Singapore
6694–0807
Known For
  • Unpretentious seafood cooking
  • Local flavors and ingredients
  • Japanese-imported ingredients
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.

Ting Heng Seafood Restaurant

$$ | Tiong Bahru

A lively seafood specialist opposite Qi Tian Gong Temple, Ting Heng’s outdoor tables fill up quickly in the evening with locals indulging in the signature fish head steamboat (hot pot). The menu also offers a range of local delicacies, including bamboo clams, salt-baked chicken, and an extensive menu of rice and noodle dishes.

Tung Lok Seafood

$$$ | Orchard

A step above the island's more rough-and-ready seafood centers, Tung Lok Seafood lets you feast on daily catches that include everything from Alaskan king crab to Australian barramundi and lobster, or follow the locals' lead and grab a cracker to break into a succulent chili or black-pepper crab. Wasabi-mayo prawns, another of Tunk Lok's signature dishes, are highly recommended. A buffet with more than 50 items is served daily for dinner, as well as for lunch on the weekend.