15 Best Restaurants in Singapore

A stretch of Smith Street that is closed to traffic, this outdoor eating area packed with stalls is the only place you'll find real "street food" in Singapore. Though it isn’t totally open-air (there is a high-ceiling glass canopy in case of rain), it makes a welcome change from the often hot and sweaty hawker centers. You would imagine a spot like this would be a big tourist trap, but it manages to deliver good food in a novel setting, albeit at slightly higher prices. Stroll up and down before making a choice of where to eat—Tiong Bahru Meng Kee Roast Duck is a good bet, as are the Sultan of Satay skewers. You can sit where you like, regardless of which stall you purchase from. Occasionally, there will be beer table service; they don’t take a commission so feel free to order your beer through them.

Be warned: The line for this one-Michelin-star eatery rarely lets up, but the wait is worth it. After just one spoonful of the juicy minced meat and springy egg noodles dressed in a secret recipe of chilli and black vinegar, you’ll understand why locals have kept this no-frills eatery a well-guarded secret for years. Best of all, it's probably the cheapest Michelin-starred meal in town. Opt for the larger bowl; you won't be sorry.

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.

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.

Traditional Cantonese dishes are presented with modern flair in an understated setting at this award-winning Chinese restaurant. Plush banquettes and elegant wallpaper by designer Andre Fu grace the dining room, and an outdoor seating area overlooks lush grounds. For a sampling of the best Cassia has to offer, order Chef Chan's 6-course Signature Set that can be paired with wine or tea at an additional cost.

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.

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.

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.

The extensive menu at this contemporary Szechuan and Cantonese restaurant includes dishes designed to be xian (salty), tian (sweet), suan (sour), la (hot), xin (pungent), and ku (bitter). Specialties include thinly sliced beef rolls with garlic sauce, spare ribs in honey sauce, and spicy rice noodles with diced chicken; dim sum and six- to eight-course prix-fixe menus are also available.

Among the heaving mass of eateries in Lau Pa Sat food center, this locally-renowned stall serves an exemplary version of thunder tea rice, a rice dish topped with peanuts, chilli, and anchovies and served alongside herby, green tea soup. The dish is a specialty of the Hakka people—one of Singapore’s largest Chinese dialect groups—and is apparently named after the sound the ingredients make when being pounded to make the soup. Unlike many other specialties found in hawker centers, thunder tea rice is high in fiber, low in fat, and low in cholesterol, making it a popular choice for those looking for a healthier lunchtime option.

Don't be fooled: soup is hardly the only thing on the menu at this popular Cantonese chain. It's an excellent spot to taste a variety of Chinese-style cuisine, from double-boiled pork ribs and dried scallops to tofu prawns and chicken rice, perhaps the most popular dish in Singapore. There are now more than ten Soup branches across the island—and all of them tend to be packed, particularly on Sundays.