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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.
The decor at this chic sumiyaki restaurant celebrating Japanese charcoal-grilling is as authentic as the food. It’s styled after traditional Japanese izakayas, with bar seating where you can watch the chefs delicately fan the meat and vegetables cooked over open coals. Dishes like pork belly with miso and octopus yuzu salad are washed down with an excellent selection of sake drawn from the different prefectures of Japan.
Inspired by the food of the Mediterranean, Lolla’s small plates menu combines flawless technique with seasonal, high-quality ingredients. Perched on Ann Siang Hill, the restaurant belies its status with a lively atmosphere that makes you feel instantly welcome. Chef Johanne Siy has a serious fine-dining pedigree, so it’s no surprise that dishes are exemplary, like the signature sea urchin pudding with squid ink custard. Note that only tasting menus are served on Fridays and Saturdays.
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.
With creations like Heart Attack Fried Rice (rice stir-fried in beef drippings and served with U.S. Angus beef cubes on the side) and foie-gras satay, this Michelin Bib Gourmand listee specializing in creative Singaporean food is decidedly not for those on a diet. This sleek city outlet is the fanciest of the restaurant’s three locations (the other two stay true to its heartland roots), but the ability of its delicious and creative zi chars (Chinese "cook-and-fry" dishes) to induce food comas is consistent.
Like jade itself, this upscale restaurant in a historic hotel has both exquisite and intriguing attributes. Inside you'll find a contemporary design that follows an eclectic Asian thread, with Vietnamese hanging lamps and Chinese calligraphy. Similarly, the food is fundamentally Chinese, but with creative modern accents, such as in the rich cocoa-flavored pork ribs with spinach in a raspberry vinaigrette. Jade's lavish weekend dim sum buffet is a Singaporean institution; reservations are a must.
This corporate executive favorite encased by floor-to-ceiling windows serves up mod Italian food with a side of sweeping Marina Bay views. Wine aficionados can pair their meals with a selection from more than 200 premium Italian wines and collection of vintages.
Look for the fabric-covered doorway opposite the HSBC building on Claymore Hill to find this sleek Japanese restaurant. Inside, there are counters made of hinoki wood, a Zen minimalist design, and elegant, kimono-clad servers. The beautifully presented cuisine here includes sukiyaki (skillet-grilled beef and veggies), shabu shabu (hot pot), and sake sherbets. Aoki also presents kaisekis (formal banquets) in which each dish looks prettier than the last, as well as pricey omakase courses, in which the chef chooses the food for you. Fish is flown in from Tokyo's huge Tsukiji fish market several times a week.
Take your taste buds on a tantalizing tour of Italy with chef de cuisine Natalino Ambra. The classy eatery, located in the iconic Raffles Hotel, is complete with an open kitchen retrofitted with a wood-fired rotisserie and pizza oven and serves up bold food, including a flavorful octopus with white beans and pancetta ham; prime charcuterie; and pizzas spruced with 36-month aged Parmesan. Their "Tentazioni" tasting menus allow you to taste a wide range of delicacies, from vitello tonnatto to beef tenderloin to a delicious hazelnut chocolate mousse.
Hotpot meals are a big part of modern local culture, as the communal dining experience is considered a convenient way to celebrate special occasions with family and friends. Homegrown chain Beauty In The Pot is one of the country’s most popular, serving up tasty collagen-infused broth into which you can dip gourmet cuts of meat, handmade noodles, and other ingredients.
Frangipani perfumes the air as you ascend the steps to this former colonial house among the well-manicured gardens of Fort Canning. The menu, which changes with the season, includes homemade breads and a hearty selection of international dishes, such as seared scallops, pan-fried foie gras, rack of lamb, and lobster. Opt for a seat on the balcony, where you can admire the garden, which twinkles with soft lights at night. The easiest way to get here is to enter the park through the Singapore Philatelic Museum's parking lot.
Featuring a sumptuous interior inspired by the glamour of 1930s Shanghai, this lively restaurant offers a near-encyclopedic menu of Shanghainese classics: there are multiple varieties of soups, noodles, seafood, meats, and dim sum. Some selections, such as the suckling pig, must be ordered at least a day in advance, so call ahead if you have a taste for a specific delicacy and want to make sure it's available.
This upscale, rooftop, Marina Square restaurant is within a tranquil garden replete with a koi pond, stone lanterns, bamboo, and a pavilion. Keyaki's attentive staff is dressed in kimonos and happi coats, and the menu includes what is perhaps Singapore's best teppanyaki, a mix of meat and vegetables stir-fried right at your table, as well as delicious sushi and sashimi and good-value bento lunches.
Located within the Civic District's historic Chijmes building, Singapore's branch of Hong Kong's Lei Garden is known for having one of the best dim sum spreads in the city (prixe-fixe and à la carte menus are also available). It's packed with lunching office workers on weekdays and with families on weekends, but the jostle is worth it to savor such standout dishes as Peking duck, grilled rib-eye beef, and scallops with bean curd in black bean sauce.
At what's billed as "the world's highest urban craft brewery," the pricey platters of meat and seafood served in the slick indoor dining area are beside the point. Instead, get here no later than 6 pm on a clear day, hunker down in one of the too-few outdoor deck tables, and bask in the stunning panoramas over the marina, with the spaceship-like pool deck of the Marina Bay Sands hotel to your right and the impressive CBD skyscrapers to your left.
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.
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