Singapore has long had a reputation as one of the world’s top foodie cities—and it’s not just down to our much-loved hawker centres either. Boasting top-class international chefs and armfuls of dining awards, Singapore is home to hundreds of must-visit restaurants that represent pretty much every cuisine you can think of, all with their own army of drool-worthy signature dishes.
So to give you a solid lay of the culinary land and steer you in the right direction, Urban List has rounded up the best restaurants in Singapore right now.
The Best Singapore Restaurants At A Glance
- Best New Restaurant: Tamba
- Best Japanese Restaurant: Zuicho
- Best Italian Restaurant: Pasta Bar
- Best Seafood Restaurant: Marcy’s
- Best French Restaurant: Odette
- Best Koran Restaurant: GU:UM
- Best Farm-To-Table Restaurant: AIR
- Best Steak Restaurant: Burnt Ends
- Best Affordable Restaurant: Dumpling Darlings
- Best Romantic Restaurant: Luke's Oyster Bar & Chop House
- Best Michelin-Starred Restaurant: Cloudstreet
Zuicho
Level 3, Mandarin Oriental Singapore, 5 Raffles Avenue
Image credit: Zuicho | Supplied
The award-winning Kappo restaurant, Zuicho, has officially opened its doors at the Mandarin Oriental Singapore. Set to channel its Michelin success from its Hong Kong and Macau outposts in its new location, Zuicho, which is owned and operated by Wa Creations, has welcomed Kenji Takahashi as the restaurant’s head chef. A celebrated Japanese cuisine maestro with an illustrious background, Takahashi is the visionary mastery behind Tokyo Ginza’s coveted Yoshifuku, for which he earned Michelin stars for over nine consecutive years.
Derived from the Japanese language, ‘Kappo’ means ‘to cut’ and ‘to cook’, represented in a dining format that allows the guests to witness the live preparation of seasonal ingredients, meticulously crafted into artistic dishes prepared by chefs. The interactive exchange and connection between the chef and the guests is paramount in Kappo cuisine, presented in a multi-course menu where dishes are crafted using a diverse range of cooking methods.
Zuicho Singapore will showcase omakase menu options that change monthly and are naturally based on the distinct four seasons of Japan. Highlights include a Fried Miyazaki Wagyu Tenderloin, Uni (Sea Urchin) with handmade Somen Noodles, Snow Crab Hot Pot with Soy Milk,, Cabbage and Konjac noodles, and an exclusive Minced Tuna with Bafun Uni Handroll.
The details
Cusine: Japanese
Expect to spend: Between $250 (lunch tasting menu) and $550 (premium omakase menu) per person.
Tamba
101 Duxton Road
Image credit: Tamba | Supplied
Housed in a two-storey conserved shophouse, Tamba is an intimate and lively enclave that celebrates the vibrant spirit and rich flavours of West Africa.
You can choose from beloved staples such as Jollof Rice with sofrito, Sakura chicken, and smoked pork belly; Tapalapa bread with goat’s milk ricotta, drizzled with house-smoked honey and smoked bacon butter. A house favourite of Head Chef Darren is Suya, a grilled skewer dish made of Angus tenderloin and accompanied by kachumbari (a piquant tomato and onion salad) and a crunchy smoked kuli kuli.
Helmed by award-winning bartender Joma Rivera as General Manager, Tamba’s cocktail menu is split into two parts. The first is inspired by stories from Tamba’s life growing up, and includes savoury tomato cocktail Dry Boney, a tamarind cachaca cocktail, The Next Pele, and a clarified milk cocktail, Vita, made with cacao butter fat-washed Mhoba rum sourced from South Africa. The second, Friends of Tamba, includes Chouti, a cognac-based tongue-in-cheek drink, and agave cocktails Smoker’s Kiss and Get A Room.
THE DETAILS
Cusine: African
Expect to spend: Around $65 per person for one main and one dessert. Cocktails start at $30 each.
AIR
25B Dempsey Road
Image credit: AIR | Supplied
AIR, which stands for awareness, impact and responsibility, is a multi-hyphenated space with one clear purpose—to inspire thought about food. The restaurant, circular campus and cooking club was founded by celebrity chefs Matthew Orlando and Will Goldfarb, and entrepreneur Ronald Akili, and occupies a historical 40,000-sq-ft barracks complex in Dempsey Hill.
Showcasing a farm-to-table concept, The Restaurant is helmed by Chef Matthew Orlando, founder of Amass in Copenhagen, renowned as one of the most sustainable restaurants in the world. Naturally, AIR’s kitchen knows its way around coaxing every last bit of flavour from every piece of produce. More importantly, the food it dishes out is indisputably delicious.
Mains include a Whole Coral Grouper For Two, which is nothing like you’d imagine a whole coral grouper might look like. The dish comprises a fish head rillette. The fillet is confited and drizzled with a green onion and black garlic vinaigrette, and served alongside a lavash made from fish bones. The other parts of the fish are made into a stock, which is later reduced and emulsified with herb oil and citrus to form the base of the vinaigrette. There is also a Roselle Glazed Duck Breast, grilled over charcoal, lacquered with a sticky roselle glaze, and served with cashew cream and smoked chilli oil. The leftover cashew pulp is made into cashew ricotta, which is served with green mangoes and shiso in the Light Bites menu.
For dessert, we recommend The Whole Papaya. Pieces of fresh papaya are swathed in papaya seed cream made by lactic-fermenting papaya seeds and grinding them to a fine powder. This mildly peppery powder is then infused into whipped cream. The papaya skins are also lactic-fermented, blended into syrup, frozen and blitzed to form the accompanying frozen papaya skin granite.
THE DETAILS
Cusine: Southeast Asian and European
Expect to spend: Starters are priced from $16, mains are all around $40 and dessert starts at $18. Cockatils are priced from $22. The chef's choice menu includes five servings plus dessert for $92++.
Luke's Oyster Bar & Chop House
22 Gemmill Lane
Image credit: Luke's Oyster Bar & Chop House | Facebook
Inspired by the timeless and sophisticated seafood houses of America’s Atlantic Coast, Luke’s Oyster Bar and Chop House is known for its selection of oysters, seafood, prime steaks and chops. With it’s sultry brown leather seating, stunning black and white bar and outstanding menu, the Travis Masiero owned joint has singlehandedly defined the quality dining experience.
If you’re in the mood for meat, try the bone-in tenderloin au poivre or the milk-fed Dutch veal chop with anchovy marmite butter. However, the real highlight is a tray of Luke’s oysters, which are sourced from chef Masiero’s hometown of Boston—one of the finest sources of fresh oysters in the world. For dessert, you can’t beat the milk and cookies.
THE DETAILS
Cusine: Seafood
Expect to spend: Snacks and starters from $16, mains from $44 and desserts from $18. Oysters are $57 for half dozenand $114 for full dozen. Luke's famous shrimp cocktail is $54. Cocktails start at $27.
HEVEL
1 Keong Saik Road
Image credit: HEVEL | Supplied
From the team behind Marcy’s and Parliament Bar, HEVEL is a new contemporary European dining experience that has opened its doors on Keong Saik Road. Drawing on 1970s modernist design, the dining room and bar occupy a series of intimate rooms that are anchored by an open kitchen—expect to see lots of marble, buttery suede and gleaming stainless steel.
Helmed by Chef Stefan who is celebrated for his extensive experience in Michelin-starred restaurants with tenures at Spoon by Alain Ducasse (Hong Kong), Terra (Tokyo, Japan) and Cure (Singapore), the menu finds its roots in European cuisine and showcases an array of textures and flavour combinations.
Launching with a six-course tasting menu, the starters include cured mackerel with daikon and passionfruit, potato hash crowned with a pickled leek and mushroom emulsion, and a cloud-like bowl of Piquillo pepper and chorizo. For the main course, you can choose between the porcini-rubbed pork presa or grilled short rib, each served with seasonal accompaniments. Finally, earl grey custard with perilla parfait completes the meal. As for the wine list, you’ll be treated to a host of fortified wines alongside a cocktail pairing menu that is a tribute to fortified wines like vermouth, sherry and port.
THE DETAILS
Cusine: European
Expect to spend: The Chef’s menu is priced at $138++. Wine pairing is an additional $88++ and cocktail pairing is an additional $68++.
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Marcy’s
39-40 Duxton Road
Image credit: Marcy's | Supplied
If you’re a fan of seafood and grandma chic interiors, Marcy’s is the place for you. Founded in 2020, the seafood bistro on Duxton Road takes familiar ideas and presents them in new, satisfying ways. Drawing on the similarities between Latin American and Southeast Asian ingredients, Head Chef Ryan Nile Choo showcases the best local and regional herbs, spices and aromatics, paired with seafood in bold new ways. Highlights include the octopus rigatoni and red prawn mafaldine. For those of you who don’t eat seafood, fear not, the iberico pork chop is a delicious alternative.
Not overly hungry? Their intimate bar is open late and you can join them for a glass of wine or a classic nightcap and small bites instead of a full meal. We recommend grabbing a seat at the counter and ordering a kaffir Pisco sour or jalapeno margarita alongside a plate of crab toast and crispy Brussels sprouts.
THE DETAILS
Cusine: Seafood
Expect to spend: Small plates start at $15 while mains start at $35. Cocktails start at $22.
Dumpling Darlings
44 Amoy Street and 86 Circular Road
Image credit: Dumpling Darlings | Supplied
Got a hankering for dumplings? Dumpling Darlings, which is run by the same team behind Lola's Cafe, is a super popular restaurant in Singapore offering nothing but dumplings and noodles, all made fresh each day. The neon-lit venue’s branding is inspired by the Japanese manga found in Shokudo (casual Japanese eateries), with storylines based on a main character Jo and her pet pig, Pork Chop.
As for the food, we recommend trying the spiced Sichuan dumplings, veggie mandu dumplings and braised pork noodles. To finish, the dessert dumplings, which are stuffed with poached pear, cream cheese, amaretto, vanilla bean and served with Tasmanian ice cream, are a serious game changer.
THE DETAILS
Cusine: Asian
Expect to spend: The lunch deal is $17 while the dinner menu is priced from $8 to $22. Cocktails start at $18.
Cloudstreet
84 Amoy Street
Image credit: Cloudstreet | Supplied
#26 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants last year and awarded two stars in the Michelin Guide in the past two years, Cloudstreet is the result of chef Rishi Naleendra’s vision to create a dining room that exists on the philosophy of true hospitality.
With a tasting menu that champions ingredient-driven cuisine and seasonality, you can expect to be taken on a journey of innovation. Alongside the food, you will find a wine list featuring around 350 natural and classic style wines which pay homage to some greats alongside small, independent winemakers from around the world.
Consisting of two floors, you will first be welcomed into the main dining room, which is complete with a chef’s counter allowing for interactions between you and the chef. After the main course, you will be ushered upstairs to enjoy a luxurious array of dessert courses. This is coupled with a fine selection of cheeses, port wines and handcrafted petit fours.
THE DETAILS
Cusine: French cuisine with some Sri Lankan and Australian influences
Expect to spend: From $248++ for the six course lunch tasting menu to $398++ for the eight course dinner tasting menu.
FYSH at EDITION
38 Cuscaden Road
Image credit: FYSH at EDITION | Supplied
Multi-award-winning chef and author Josh Niland really needs no introduction. Having worked in some of Sydney’s greatest foodie thoroughfares (think Charcoal Fish and Petermen) as well as the UK’s Michelin-starred The Fat Duck, Niland has completely overhauled the way the world cooks, transports, ages and stores fish.
Now, in collaboration with his legendary wife and business partner Julie Niland, the globally acclaimed king of the kitchen is at the helm of FYSH at EDITION, the delicious arm of EDITION Hotels. The ethically-sourced seafood concept clocks in as Niland’s very first restaurant outside of Australia and champions meat and veggie dishes, think a seafood-inspired steakhouse.
Josh and his team have also recently launched a one of a kind communal roast experience. Priced from S$108++ per person and available every Sunday exclusively for lunch, the new FYSH Roast menu features Niland’s boundary-pushing approach to seafood with a showcase of the ocean’s freshest catch, succulent roasts and fresh greens, including the FYSH Trolley, where each day's cuts and desserts are brought to the table for you to choose from.
THE DETAILS
Cusine: Seafood
Expect to spend: Starters are priced from $6 to $38 while the mains are priced from $40 to $84.
Odette
National Gallery Singapore, 1 St Andrew’s Road, #01-04
Image credit: Odette | Supplied
The accolades keep coming for chef-owner Julien Royer’s contemporary French restaurant, including being crowned 2020’s Best Restaurant in Asia by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, being ranked number 18 in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019, and winning a coveted third Michelin star.
Such awards really are no surprise once you’ve tasted the food though, with show-stopping signatures like rosemary smoked organic egg and beak-to-tail pigeon. Named after his grandmother who inspired Royer to cook, Odette represents modern French cuisine at its finest—a celebration of fresh ingredients, artisanal produce, classic technique and refined flavours, all done with the utmost elegance.
THE DETAILS
Cusine: French
Expect to spend: From $348 for a five course lunch tasting menu to $498 for a seven course dinner tasting menu.
Pasta Bar
55 Keong Saik Road, #01-05
Image credit: Pasta Bar | Supplied
An intimate alcove that embodies Italy’s rich culinary history and pays homage to the country’s quintessential diet staple, Pasta Bar is known for its delicious hand-pulled pasta and laidback counter culture.
Nestled in the heart of Keong Saik road, the restaurant is anchored around an 18-seater open kitchen bar-counter where you can watch Michelin-trained Head Chef Ales Donat work his magic. Current menu highlights include the Tableside Carbonara, which is tossed tableside in a large flaming cheese wheel, and the Confit Duck Ravioli, which showcases a little-known dough technique whereby cooked egg yolk is added to raw egg yolks to make an incredibly velvety and creamy pasta casing for the duck filling.
THE DETAILS
Cusine: Italian
Expect to spend: $45++ for a three course set lunch. Mains start at around $35.
Burnt Ends
7 Dempsey Rd, #01-02
Image credit: Burnt Ends | Facebook
They say there’s no smoke without fire—and Burnt Ends brings the heat in the most delicious way. One of the hottest tables in town some seven years after opening, this hip barbeque joint is a tribute to “the magic that comes from cooking with wood”, with a custom-made four-tonne, two-oven brick kiln as its beating heart.
Divinely smoky, full-bodied flavours rule the roost at this Singapore restaurant, with chef-owner Dave Pynt creating new menus daily. Grab a counter seat at the open kitchen to watch the chefs in action, before savouring dishes like their pulled pork Sanger burger and king crab leg slathered in brown butter.
THE DETAILS
Cusine: Steakhouse and barbecue restaurant
Expect to spend: Mains start from around $45 while the tasting menu starts from $110.
Kotuwa
2 Dickson Road, Level 1 Wanderlust Hotel
Image credit: Kotuwa | Supplied
Helmed by chef Rishi Naleendra, who also happens to be the man behind Cloudstreet, Kotuwa pays homage to Naleendra’s Sri Lankan heritage. Named after the Sri Lankan capital’s central business district, it also means “fort” in Sinhalese, a reminder of the ancient landmarks built by Sri Lankan kings and the Portuguese, Dutch and British settlers that have influenced the country’s history, culture and cuisine.
The food is as authentic as you can get outside of the South Asian country with a focus on short eats (stuffed snacks that are usually baked or fried and can easily be eaten on the go), curries and seafood. The lamb shank braised in Sri Lankan red curry and chicken kottu (chopped up rotti cooked with vegetables, eggs and gravy—one of Sri Lanka's famous street food) are two standout dishes. We suggest pairing your meal with one of their signature cocktails, which are named after Sri Lankan mythical creatures and infused with a selection of fruit, herbs and Sri Lankan spirits.
THE DETAILS
Cusine: Sri Lankan
Expect to spend: Snacks and sides start at $8 while mains are priced from $18 (vegetarian) and $32 for meat.
Candlenut
17A Dempsey Road
Image credit: Candlenut | Supplied
The world’s first Michelin-starred Peranakan restaurant, Candlenut shines a light on traditional Straits-Chinese cuisine. Chef-owner Malcolm Lee was originally inspired by his grandmother’s homespun Peranakan cooking, resulting in dishes that perfectly balance authenticity and innovation.
Delivering contemporary verve to tried-and-trusted favourites, Candlenut’s ever-changing “ah-ma-kase” tasting menu is an ideal introduction to Lee’s singular style. Look out for flavour-packed dishes like Wagyu beef rendang, blue swimmer crab curry, and buah keluak ice cream.
THE DETAILS
Cusine: Peranakan
Expect to spend: Starters are priced from $15 while the mains start at $24. The tasting menus start from $108++ per person.
Labyrinth
Esplanade Mall, 8 Raffles Avenue, #02-23
Image credit: Labyrinth | Facebook
Chef Han Li Guang flies the flag for modern Singaporean cuisine at Labyrinth, with a one-of-a-kind menu that showcases exciting new takes on much-loved recipes and traditional flavours from his childhood.
With a focus on highlighting homegrown produce (90 per cent of the restaurant’s ingredients are sourced from local farmers and fishermen), Han is adept at injecting fresh life into familiar dishes, while still paying tribute to his local heritage. Dinner is a tasting menu only affair, where you can expect creative twists on the likes of chilli crab, rojak and chicken rice; the latter is a tribute to his grandmother, who used to cook for a British family, and features her trademark chilli sauce.
THE DETAILS
Cusine: Singaporean
Expect to spend: The lunch tasting menu is $208++ per person while the dinner tasting menu is $298++ per person.
Zén
41 Bukit Pasoh Road
Image credit: Zén | Facebook
Sink your teeth into a seriously delicious slice of Scandinavia at Zén, the Singapore offshoot of Sweden’s only three Michelin-starred restaurant Frantzén. While sophisticated Neo-Nordic cuisine with Japanese flourishes is the order of the day here, the setting couldn’t be more Singaporean—a three-storey shophouse dating back to 1926.
Zén makes thrilling use of its venue too; guests are served pre-dinner drinks and snacks on the first floor, before heading to the second floor for the main act—a beautifully presented eight-course tasting menu that includes the restaurant’s signature truffle-topped French toast. Finally, ascend to the third floor’s cosy living room to enjoy petit-fours, coffee and food coma bliss.
THE DETAILS
Cusine: Nordic with a touch of Japanese
Expect to spend: The lunch menu is 395 ++ per per person while the dinner menu is 580++ per person.
Shoukouwa
1 Fullerton Road, #02-02A
Image credit: Shoukouwa | Facebook
As Singapore’s only two Michelin-starred sushi restaurant, you can trust that you’re in for a truly unforgettable omakase experience at Shoukouwa. Only the highest-grade produce makes the cut here, with all fish and seafood flown in daily direct from Tokyo’s famous Toyosu Market.
The focus here is on nigiri sushi that expertly balances flavour with precision, including rice dressed in a secret blend of vinegars, with two different omakase menus available for dinner. While offerings change with the seasons, past highlights have included the kinmedai (golden eye snapper) and house-made ikura—and with only eight counter seats and a six-seater private room at this intimate spot, bookings are essential.
THE DETAILS
Cusine: Japanese
Expect to spend: From $350 per person for lunch and $520 per person for dinner.
Firangi Superstar
20 Craig Road, #01-03
Image credit: Firangi Superstar | Supplied
With four themed rooms—the Officer’s Club, Old Railway Room, Elephant Palace and Jungle Lodge—all curated to look like film sets, Firangi Superstar is more of a cinematic journey through India than a restaurant. In the kitchen, Head Chef Raj Kumar reworks classic Indian dishes with a unique eye and modern approach.
We recommend the Australian Wagyu bone-in rib, which is marinated in a flavourful nihari marinade and finished on a charcoal grill, resulting in a deliciously succulent interior and charred exterior. Alternatively, the vegetarian version includes three pieces of mushroom kofta, served on a creamy bed of lentils and crowned with sautéed Shimeji mushrooms. The French poulet, which is roasted in biryani spices and filled with stewed dahl, also deserves a special mention. To accompany your meal, the mango garam masala and sandalwood mai tai are both surprisingly refreshing.
THE DETAILS
Cusine: Modern Indian
Expect to spend: The lunch set is priced at $55 per person. For dinner you can expect to pay between $16 to $35 for small plates and $45 to $108 for large plates.
Nouri
72 Amoy Street
Image credit: Nouri | Facebook
Can’t decide what cuisine you’re in the mood for? Well, a meal at Nouri might be the answer. Chef-owner Ivan Brehm, an alumnus of Heston Blumenthal’s famed The Fat Duck, has created a restaurant that revolves around his idea of “crossroads cooking”—essentially, a melting pot of ingredients, techniques and flavours gathered from around the world, resulting in culinary fireworks.
Take a seat at Nouri’s large communal chef’s table to watch the kitchen cook up a storm, working from highly original tasting menus that change weekly. Brazilian, Italian, German, Spanish, French, Japanese and Chinese are just some of the influences you’ll spot in Brehm’s experimental cuisine, as exemplified by a signature dish like Acarjé and Vatapa—an Afro-Brazilian fritter served with turmeric and coconut sauce, salted prawn vatapa (a type of stew) and okra caviar.
THE DETAILS
Cusine: Fine dining
Expect to spend: The lunch tasting menu is $238 while the dinner tasting menu is $328.
Tambi
47 Amoy Street
Image credit: Tambi | Website
If you’ve never tasted Southern Indian and Korean fusion, you need to get yourself over to Tambi. Unsurprisingly the first of its kind, this casual eatery was opened by long-time friends and Michelin-starred chefs Mano Thevar (Thevar) and Chef Sun Kim (Meta Restaurant).
Dining is on the laid-back side, with bar-style seating offering up a front-row seat to all the action. Thevar and Kim have paired up to develop a menu that cleverly fuses their culinary cultures, so expect intriguing dishes like tender wagyu bulgogi in a warm flaky roti, or gochujang red snapper, cooked Pollichathu-style—the traditional Kerala way in banana leaves.
THE DETAILS
Cusine: Southern Indian and Korean fusion
Expect to spend: The two course lunch menu is $28++ while the three course lunch menu is $34++. For dinner you can expect to pay between $18 to $38 for each plate.
GU:UM
29 Keong Saik Road
Image credit: GU:UM | John Heng
GU:UM, which means to grill or to cook over fire, is a brand-new Korean-touched contemporary grill restaurant by NAE:UM Group. Serving Korean flavours with a cosmopolitan twist, the Keong Saik Road venue is housed within a heritage shophouse and dressed in a palette of dark warm hues and wooden accents, creating a chic yet welcoming casual space.
The cuisine at GU:UM is a blend of tradition and modernity, inspired by Chef Louis Han’s international experiences and Korean heritage as well as his fond memories of nostalgic barbecue gatherings.
A departure from the typical Korean grill experience, at GU:UM, the dishes are prepared and cooked at an open kitchen before being served to your table. Seasonal and sustainable ingredients are sourced from around the world, with prime cuts of red meat and poultry seasoned with a selection of house-made marinades, or you can choose to have them ‘ssaeng’ or unmarinated to savour the natural flavours. You can pick from prime cuts such as the Tajima Wagyu Ribeye MBS 8, USDA Prime New York Striploin, and Iberico Pluma.
Made for sharing, the enjoyment of these hearty dishes is amplified by an a la carte menu of starters, vegetable dishes, and sides including house-made kimchi varieties. For a complete epicurean experience, a selection of boutique Korean and international liquors are available, including South Korea’s first craft gin, brewed by a father-and-son duo.
THE DETAILS
Cusine: Korean
Expect to spend: Starters are prcied from $24 while mains range from $48 to $188. Desserts start at $16.
Looking for more? Check out:
- Where To Find The Best Chilli Crab In Singapore
- Singapore’s Best Street Food For Delicious Cheap Eats
- 10 Best Hawker Centres In Singapore For Budget-Friendly Eats
Main image credit: FYSH at EDITION | Supplied
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