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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.
Slow-food champion Sam Wong runs this private dining experience from his vintage-furnished terrace house, at the back of which sits his wildly untamed fruit and vegetable garden. You’ll have to book months ahead for a table, but the wait for his painstakingly made food—like a signature roast duck that undergoes three days of preparation and features homemade spices—is worth it. The price is per head for an eight- to ten-course meal.
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.
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.
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.
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