“Food heaven” Singapore has so much to offer for foodies. All kitchens of the world are represented: Indian, Japanese, Chinese, French, African, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Vietnamese and you can even find a Dutch snackbar in Singapore. And of course there is the fusion kitchen, combining all flavours.
With almost 5.000 restaurants in Singapore it’s very hard to decide which one is the best (for both food quality and atmosphere). However, I would like to give it a shot with my favourite restaurants, which are also quite friendly for your wallet:
Tip: Click the layers on and off in this map with the square button (with the arrow) on the left in the grey beam.
Tip: Make a reservation for your dinner party far in advance to avoid disappointment.
1. Le Bon Funk
This list does start with Le Bon Funk with a reason: this is my favourite restaurant when it comes to the menu. Every dish is a little party on a plate! The concept is shared-dining, which gives you the opportunity to try even more culinary delights. Some of my definite favourites are the Cedar Jelly and Foie Gras Toast, Beef Tongue and Gribiche Sandwich and the Livingstone Wagyu Tartare fermented mushrooms and fries. The foie gras is frozen and shredded on top of a hot brioche. Eat this brioche directly when it’s served. It melts in your tongue! The Beef tongue is extremely tender and the combination on the sandwich is delicious and for this tartare you can wake me up in the middle of the night!
Other great dishes are the super fresh sourdough bread, the whole artichoke, burrata with pumpkin seeds gremolata, stuffed zucchini flower, Don Bocarte Anchovies and Boquerones and the vegetable crudite with dips. Save some space for the Carrot cake with ricotta ice cream.
Location: 29 Club Street, Singapore 069414, website
2. Humpback
Did someone say seafood?! Humpback is the place to go for your weekly portion of oysters. An oyster tasting with a choice of 4 kinds of oysters, most of them from the USA. Or just try all of them during oyster happy hour (daily until 6:30 PM). The rest of the menu is also a party for the fish foodie. The menu changes regularly, but don’t miss out on the shrimp croquettes!
The interior is simple and fresh. And besides the delicious seafood the staff is also very friendly and helpful. Humpback is one of my top favourites!
Location: 20 Bukit Pasoh Rd, Singapore 089834 (Outram MRT Exit H), website
3. Xiao Ya Tou
In this colourful restaurant you feel instantly happy. You can find Asian dishes with a twist on the menu like truffle fried rice with duck, brussels sprouts with a super delicious sauce (we have tried to copy this sauce at home with like a thousand different sauces and we almost made it), lobster kueh pie tee, truffle roast duck, XYT pork dumplings and a lot more exciting combinations.
Another plus at this restaurant are the (reasonably priced) beers from the tap.
Location: 6 Duxton Hill #01-01, Singapore 089592, website
4. Chopsuey Cafe Dempsey Hill
Dempsey Hill is one of my favourite places for coffee, lunch or dinner outside the hectic city centre. Here are some colonial black-and-white houses with breezy verandas transformed into restaurants and boutique shops.
Enjoy delicious dim sum in the middle of the jungle at Chopsuey Cafe. The dim sum dishes here are the more fancy option compared to the dim sum at the Hawker stalls. The ingredients are more sophisticated and it’s so tasty!
Tip: Love dim sum? Get some more dim sum inspiration in Singapore from my blog Dumplings & Dim Sum.
Don’t skip the rest of the menu, because there is so much other great food on the menu! I like to go here with more people so you can share and taste even more from the extended menu.
Tip: Don’t forget your anti-mosquito stick if you want to sit outside (day and night)!
Location: Block 10, Dempsey Road, #01-23, Singapore 247700, website
5. Bar-celona
Bar-celona is a relaxed Spanish oriented cava and tapas bar: think about oysters, tapas, prosecco free-flows and fun staff to serve you. Must-tries are the baked camembert with truffle, oysters, padron peppers, jamon and truffle croquettes. And cava of course!
Tip: Almost every weekend there is a special like free-flow prosecco, oysters for 50% offs, etc., so check the website or ask the staff for the special of the day.
When I lived in Singapore, Bar-celona was located at the dead-end road Duxton Hill. According to the website Bar-celona at Duxton Hill does not exist anymore, but there are now 2 new Bar-celona locations and one of them is at a great spot alongside the river (location Robertson Quay). I have not been at those locations myself.
Locations: 44 Bukit Pasoh Road en op 30 Robertson Quay, #01-10/11, Singapore, website.
6. Latteria Mozzarella Bar
At the nice dead-end road Duxton Hill you can find Latteria Mozzarella Bar. Latteria has a nice garden/outdoor area with Italian vibes. If it rains, there is a huge awning keeping you dry. You can go here for lunch, dinner or an extensive sunday brunch.
Foodwise the name of the restaurant gives it away: there are a lot of dishes with cheese, mainly mozzarella. Enjoy delicious Italian food. If you are quite hungry or in the mood to share a dish, pick the pumpkin mac & cheese: the pasta is served in a whole pumpkin!
Location: 40 Duxton Hill, Singapore 089618, website
7. Birds of a Feather
If you like the spicy Szechuan kitchen, you’re at the right address in this hipster restaurant. The vibe is relaxed, the staff is nice and helpful and the food is good! Take a seat at the large bar in the middle of the restaurant and share your dishes. If you can’t handle spicy food very well, ask the staff to advise you 🙂 Order the superdelicious chocolate bomb Le Royale (Chocolate Mousse Cake) to finish your dinner.
Location: 115 Amoy St, #01-01, Singapore 069935, website
8. Caffe Fernett
Caffe Fernett is a must-visit especially for the views at the Marina Bay and Marina Bay Sands (that very famous building with the boat on top) with a refreshing cocktail in your hand. But since the terrace outside opens only after lunch, don’t show up too early if you want to enjoy your glass on the edge of the water (and yes, that is what you want!).
Besides the fact that Caffe Fernett is a great location for after work drinks with cocktails, the food is also very nice. Caffe Fernetts own description is that they have a “New-Italian Cuisine”, combining original Italian dishes with local ingredients. The spicy vodka rigatoni pasta is my favourite dish here! But the grilled octopus is also high on the list.
Location: Customs House, 70 Collyer Quay, #01-05, Singapore 049323, website
9. Publico Ristorante
Fancy a really good Italian pizza from the wood oven next to the river? Publico has a spacious terrace near the water at the always good for people watching Robertson Quay. Grab a seat on the terrace and enjoy a wine with Italian snacks, a cheese platter, fresh salad or a pizza from the wood oven. All dishes are worth a try at Publico.
If you are looking for a place for your weekend brunch, this is a really good option.
Location: 1 Nanson Road, Singapore 238909, website
10. National Kitchen by Violet Oon Singapore
There are multiple locations of Violet Oon in Singapore. National Kitchen by Violet Oon Singapore is located in the iconic and historical National Gallery and is the most beautiful spot of them all. I recommend Violet Oon if you want to explore the melting pot of Singaporean cuisine, like kueh pie tee, ngoh hiang, gado gado and beef rendang.
Location: 1 St. Andrew’s Road #02–01, National Gallery Singapore (City Hall Wing), Singapore 178957, website
11. Neon Pigeon
Ohlala! The cocktails at this place are goohood! And no, I did not write this article right after my visit and still tipsy at Neon Pigeon 😉 The scenery is hip with a lot of graffiti, neon colours and very loud music. If you intend to have a good conversation this might not be the right spot for the night. But if you want great food (and cocktails) this is the place to go.
A small selection of the mouth-watering shared-dining dishes: soft shell crab bao, bone marrow & uni peanuts, foie gras & unagi, pork & langoustine dumplings, miso roasted asparagus, New Zealand cod katsu and truffle mushroom rice. But I could actually write down the whole menu because it’s all so good!
Location: 36 Carpenter Street #01-01, Singapore 059915, website
12. Ginett
Restaurant and winebar Ginett is one of the places where they have reasonably priced wines and tasty French bistro food. Alcohol in Singapore is expensive, so it’s really nice if you can still afford some food after you have ordered a glass of wine (at Ginett from 6 SGD per glass). And it’s good wine too!
Location: Hotel G Singapore, 200 Middle Road, Singapore, website
13. MeatSmith Little India
In the middle of the vibrant heart of Little India the chef of 1 Michelin-star restaurant ‘Burnt Ends’ opened this low-key Indian barbecue restaurant. You can have a look in the open kitchen with barbecue grills situated almost on the street. Alongside the balustrade are some of the tables and the rest of the tables are in the restaurant upstairs. Don’t expect a fancy restaurant, but a rough, cool vibe and staff in baggy shirts and baseball caps.
All dishes have an Indian twist. The Bombay butter naan doesn’t only look very pretty; it’s super tasty too! We chose the shared meat platter, making sure that we could taste a lot of the menu; surprisingly delicious tandoori stuffed chicken wings, very tender pork cheeks and ribs – the meat practically falls off the bone. A big recommendation for the carnivore! The side dishes to balance all this meat were a refreshing mango salad and coco cashew rice.
Location: 21 Campbell Lane, Singapore, 209894, website
The water runs in my mouth while writing this blog; oh man, you’re spoiled with choice for delicious food in Singapore! The restaurants in this article are still reasonably priced. I will publish a blog with my favourite high-end restaurants and the best lunch spots in Singapore soon on TeppieTravels. So stay tuned 😉
Need more inspiration for your stay in Singapore? Read my blog “Singapore’s hawker culture“, which was recently added to the UNESCO Cultural Heritage List, my tips about the best rooftop bars or best beach clubs in Singapore. Get some more dim sum inspiration in Singapore from my blog Dumplings & Dim Sum. Love dim sum, but don’t like Singapore? Then you might like my tips for Hong Kong and the island Lantau.
If you would like to know more about my expat-life in Singapore, I refer to my blog about the first months as an expat and my experience on the Cruise to Nowhere.
Subscribe with your email address and you’ll receive updates when there’s a new post on TeppieTravels:
