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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.
Nestled among the exotic flora of the Botanic Gardens and in a colonial house named after an important 20th-century botanist, Corner House is chef David Thien’s “ode to Asia with French undertones." The setting is exceptionally romantic, matched only by the omakase experience and curated wine list. The menu uses French techniques to present Asian ingredients in innovative ways, and each dish comes with an accompanying note to expand on the chef’s inspiration.
The inventive dishes at this seafood-centric, Michelin-starred restaurant reinvent Singaporean classics with local produce. Within its five-course lunch and nine-course dinner menus, chicken rice is packaged into dainty dumplings, chilli crab is transformed into ice cream, and kaya toast is elevated with caviar—but the flavors stay distinctively Singaporean.
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.
Perched at the top of The Outpost Hotel, this rooftop bar, day club, and restaurant serves up crowd-pleasing modern Asian dishes like soft shell crab pasta and platters like the "Taste of Archipelago" (including tasting portions of nasi biru, tempeh goreng, and papa gulai chicken) offer a sampling of Southeast Asian flavors. Sundown sessions are particularly popular (weekdays 5–8 pm) for unobstructed views of the Singapore Straits; at the Sunday pool parties, DJs spin from 3 to 10 pm. On weekends and holidays, there’s a minimum per-person spend.
The Peranakan-style cuisine here is delicious and fiery, so be sure to specify exactly how tongue tingling you'd like your order to be. Signature dishes include bakwan kepiting (minced crab and pork soup), assam fish head (in spicy gravy), ayam sio (chicken with coriander), and udang masak nenas (prawns cooked with tamarind and pineapple). Save room for dessert.
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.
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.
Decked in a charming mix of modern-meets-colonial—think vintage brown leather padded chairs, wooden tiles, hanging metallic wire lamps, and a minimalist bar that resembles a British Malayan colonial pub—the Esplanade branch of this classy yet casual franchise has breathtaking views over the bay and a menu that fuses English and Malaysian staples. Wagyu beef flank Wellington, cone trios rillette, and fish & chips pair with local chicken percik and an assorted selection of satay to help bring the “talk, makan, and chill” tagline to life.
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