142 Best Restaurants in Singapore

The lines outside this small noodle shop on a weekday at lunchtime speak for themselves. Owned by a Malaysian restaurant group, Restoran Super Kitchen, with locations also found in Kuala Lumpur, the simply-fitted, compact restaurant is often crowded, but turnover is quick. Try the dry chilli pan mee (noodles with egg, minced pork, dried anchovies, and spring onion) and adjust the spice levels to your palate. There’s a range of add-on extras, including rice dishes, soft drinks, and tea and coffee to complete your meal.

Singapore’s vibrant third-wave coffee scene owes a lot to to Chye Seng Huat Hardware, one of the first specialty coffee spots in the area. The former hardware store turned hip coffee space is rarely empty, and regulars swear by both the brews and the robust brunch menu. Inside, the two-story complex includes a coffee school, retail space stocked with coffee gadgets and gear, and a roastery.

Chef Rishi Naleendra’s Cloudstreet is rooted in both his Sri Lankan heritage and his training in Australia. The menu promises to “champion ingredient-driven cuisine,” and there’s always a heavy focus on seasonality in the creative tasting menus. The chef’s counter allows diners to engage and interact with the team as they move through the menu, delving deeper into the inspiration behind the elegant dishes. There’s also a great curated wine list, featuring wines from independent winemakers from all over the world.

At this kid-friendly hangout, adults can unwind over pizza and watch the little ones take a dip in the shallow water or play with the restaurant's sand toys. Expect a laid-back vibe here with sunbeds and deck chairs for customers. Families will like the diaper changing stations and high chairs. For a taste of local food, order the chilli crab dip with a baguette, or sticky, finger-licking Coastes chicken wings.

The Joo Chiat outlet of this Singaporean ethical coffee franchise established in 2013 offers what they boast as the "best brunch in Asia"—a true statement, judging by the lines waiting by the door. The popular organic eggs Benedict (runny poached eggs served along with braised ox cheeks, chive hollandaise, and artisanal sourdough bread) is the explosion of tastes you need to power charge your day. The coffee, sourced from organic farms and served by their own trained baristas, is also brewed to perfection. 

With nearly 50 outlets (and counting) across Singapore, chances are you'll always be within a short walk of this wildly popular Cantonese chain. For a few years, the chain has been awarded a Michelin star, though fortunately it doesn't have Michelin-star prices to match. Order by number from a small paper menu that's 150 selections strong, including deep-fried bean curd in spice salt, sticky-rice dumplings, and crab dumpling soup. Sundays are always packed with families feasting on dim sum, so be prepared to wait. The decor is simple, but the food is always fresh and cooked to order, and the staff is almost too attentive.

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.

Celebrating Singaporean heritage dishes across 27 different vendors, this basement food court's stalls sell everything from crispy fried carrot cake to spicy prawn noodles and rich chicken satay. The food court takes its design inspiration from the British colonial decor of the early 1890s, with a light blue, ivory, and copper-gold palette, and lush green plants.

For a serious cup of coffee near Somerset, drop by this pristine-white café that is usually full of coffee aficionados sipping on in-house roasted brews. You can also pick up fresh beans and coffee-making accoutrements to take home.

Join the power-lunchers at this swanky, Michelin-starred hotel dining room for what has been described as "maverick Hong Kong cuisine." Alongside an impressive selection of conventional dim sum delicacies you'll also find more adventurous Cantonese dishes, like crispy prawns with walnuts or golden crispy chicken stuffed with glutinous rice. Both prix-fixe and à la carte menus are available for lunch and dinner.

Reminiscent of the hip Melbourne café scene, this CBD lunch spot is a great place to grab a healthy snack. The veggies are always fresh, the meat high-quality, and there’s a great range of tasty bowls like chicken breast, quinoa, mushrooms, and cucumber pickle. Coffees and soft drinks are also available.

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.

You'll enjoy sweeping views of Singapore from most tables at this contemporary Cantonese restaurant, curated by Hong Kong Chef Ricky Leung, high up in the Pan Pacific hotel. Dim lighting, carved wooden screens, and waitresses in cheongsams (Chinese-style dresses with Mandarin collars and side slits) all contribute to the restaurant's distinct sense of place. Expect familiar—and very tasty—Cantonese dishes and dim sum on Hai Tien Lo's prix-fixe and à la carte menus.

If you can splurge on just one meal in Singapore, Iggy's is worth considering. Hailed as one of the top restaurants in Asia, this intimate Euro-Japanese fusion spot has mouthwatering dishes like A5 Miyazaki Wagyu beef and Maine lobster, as well as one of the best wine lists on the island. Multi-course tasting menus are available for lunch and dinner, with separate dishes designed for vegetarians.

Located just outside Chinatown near Robertson Quay, Imperial Herbal is not your average Chinese restaurant: the enormous menu is packed with everything from braised crocodile tail and quick-fried eel to stewed deer tendon and deep-fried frogs. If, however, such unusual dishes aren't to your liking, you can order classics like glazed spare ribs or juicy pork dumplings. Service can be hit or miss, but the experience of eating at the large round tables in the huge open-plan dining room is always fun.

This kitsch concept of combi vans and food trucks offers everything from lobster rolls to fish and chips and yakitori sticks for east grab and go eating. Located next to the Wings of Time show, spend a minimum of S$5 to enjoy the best views of Sentosa SkyJet and the Sentosa Musical Fountain performance. 

Both the exceptional views and cuisine at JAAN, proud holder of two Michelin stars, are a perfect option to splash some cash in style. The highly curated and choreographed three-hour-long dining experience showcases Chef Kirk Westaway's take on contemporary British dining from the vantage of Raffles City's 70th floor. Choices of three- or five-course menus can pair with flights of three or five wines. 

Partly a casual café and partly an upscale grocery, Jones the Grocer is packed with expat families during the weekend brunch, but on the quieter weekday evenings, you'll likely share this roomy, industrial-style space with just a handful of others. Salads, sandwiches, pastas, and light seafood platters are among the foods on the seasonal menu (the concept hailing from Woollahra in Sydney, where the first branch opened over two decades ago). The shop also stocks coffees, chocolates, wines, craft beers, and other delicious goods. You should head straight to the back of the store, grab a baguette at the bakery, and pick out a few hunks of imported cheese from the refrigerated cheese room—the selection is impressive.

Specializing in hearty, juicy Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches (come early as they sell out fast) and mackerel otah (with a mix of fish paste and flavorsome spices), this simple yet popular spot with tables spilling on the five-foot way is perfect for people-watching and a quick lunch fix.

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.

In operation since 1947, this is one of Little India's best-known stops for northern and southern Indian vegetarian cuisine. Most plates come with curries, rice, dhal, condiments, Indian breads, or special sauces; for dessert there's a well-stocked counter of sweets. Busy days tend to be very busy, so plan on sharing a table in the downstairs dining room; upstairs it's slightly quieter and more spacious.