A list of great SG restaurants and eateries for local or international dishes
Published by admin on 21 Sep 2020
•Last Updated on 18 Jun 2024
Having lived, explored, and eaten here for over 3 decades, we compiled a list of our favourite dining places, starting with Local Foods, then International Cuisine (sorted alphabetically). This list is continuously updated, so stay tuned!
General pricing as follows:
[$] is S$1–10
[$$] is $10–20
[$$$] is $20–30
[$$$$] is $30–50
[$$$$$] is above $50 (Usually Michelin Star Restaurants)
SINGAPOREAN & LOCALIZED FOODS
BAK KUT TEH
Old Street Bak Kut Teh (Chain) [$$]
BKT is a pork rib dish cooked in a peppery broth. There are a few decent but pricey BKT chains in SG, Old Street being one of them.
BREAKFAST - TOAST, COFFEE & TEA
Ya Kun Kaya Toast (Chain) [$]
This local chain serves a hearty local breakfast, including kaya butter hard toast, teh (tea) or kopi (coffee), and soft-boiled eggs (usually for dipping your bread in or can be eaten neat).
Toast Box (Chain) [$]
Similar to Ya Kun, but with subtle differences such as soft toast, matter of personal preference.
BAK CHOR MEE
You Xiang Teochew Noodles (Bukit Panjang Hawker Center) [$]
The bak chor mee here is very good and consistent, and they have other teochew dishes which are also great. Often has a wait of 10-20 minutes.
CARROT CAKE
Ghim Moh Carrot Cake (Ghim Moh Food Center) [$]
Many good carrot cake stalls abound in SG and this is right among the best. The black variant is more popular due to its savory and sweet taste.
CHAR KWAY TEOW
Feng Ji Char Kway Teow (Beauty World Food Center) [$]
Decent fried kway teow, though on the pricey side.
CHICKEN RICE
Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice (Food Center Chain) [$]
The meat is firm and delicious, plus the rice is excellent. Slightly smaller portions than TFF (below) though.
Tong Fong Fatt (Food Center Chain) [$]
This chain's flagship stall at Ghim Moh is the only outstanding outlet, with an excellent balance of fragrant rice and tender, boneless meat. However, standards of all their stalls are fluctuating of late.
CLAYPOT RICE
Bao Fa Traditional Food Claypot Chicken Rice (Tong Lai Eating House) [$]
Tasty claypot rice dish with generous portions.
DUCK RICE/NOODLES
Chuan Kee Boneless Braised Duck (Food Center Chain) [$]
Serves a delicious braised duck rice set or ala carte, with choices of noodles and porridge.
DUMPLING NOODLES
Kong Shang Hua Wanton Noodle (Ghim Moh Food Center) [$]
Big, crunchy, and sweet prawn dumplings make this stall worthwhile to visit (their wanton noodles is quite ordinary though).
FISHBALL NOODLES
Thye Hong Handmade Fishball Noodle (Ghim Moh Food Center) [$]
The sweet fishballs and fishcakes are fresh and handmade daily, making it one of the best fishball noodles I’ve eaten. Sells out very early, before 10:30 AM, and has inconsistent opening days.
HAINANESE CURRY RICE
Hai Nan Hometown Curry (Chain) [$]
This small chain serves delicious Hainanese curry rice and other curry-related dishes.
HK SOYA SAUCE CHICKEN NOODLES/RICE
Hawker Chan (Chinatown Complex Food Center) [$]
This stall is famous for its signature chicken noodles dish, but a major drawback is the long wait. Note that the spin-off restaurant franchises are not as good and much more costly.
Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Noodle Rice (Beauty World Food Center) [$]
Perfect alternative to Hawker Chan with much shorter wait, value for money, and also excellent. Conveniently located near Beauty World MRT station.
HOKKIEN MEE
Ho Huat Hokkien Mee (Boon Lay Food Village) [$]
Very tasty fried hokkien mee with a rich and generous broth (I prefer the wet versions as opposed to dry hokkien mee as I think it gives a richer taste and the noodles isn't dry).
Xie Kee Hokkien Mee (Bukit Timah Food Center) [$]
Another good (wet) hokkien mee option, although standard has somewhat dipped as of late.
KOLO MEE Lao Gai Mee (Beauty World Food Center) [$]
This old-school Malaysian noodle dish has a unique taste and texture different from most others, and is nostalgic for some locals. This stall does it well, albeit portions are not so big as before.
LAKSA
The Original Katong Laksa (Janggut Laksa) (Chain) [$]
This Singaporean variant features a rich, creamy broth, and is value for money.
LOR MEE
Lor Mee 178 (Tiong Bahru Food Center) [$]
Famous stall with a thick, rich broth and generous ingredients.
NASI LEMAK
Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak (Chain) [$]
Delicious nasi lemak, visit their flagship hawker stall at Boon Lay Food Village for best and cheapest servings!
Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle (Tai Hwa Eating House) [$]
Tasty but big drawbacks are inaccessibility, long queue, and quite expensive price tag.
PRAWN NOODLES
Adam Rd Noo Cheng Big Prawn Noodle (Adam Rd Food Center) [$$]
This prawn noodles is tasty, with a unique option of adding bak kut (pork ribs) to your dish.
ROASTED MEAT RICE
Jiu Jiang Shao La (Ghim Moh Food Center) [$]
Famous for its excellent shao rao (roasted pork), char siew (stewed pork), and roasted duck.
SATAY
Chomp Chomp Satay (Chomp Chomp Food Center) [$]
The key to good satay is finding those stalls that make their own satay with delicious marination (those bulk buyers of frozen satay from the distributor are usually not outstanding).
SATAY BEE HOON
Sin Chew Satay Bee Hoon (Bukit Timah Food Center) [$]
Excellent satay bee hoon, but be prepared to queue at least 15 mins. Plus limited opening hours and only opens four days a week.
SEAFOOD ZI CHAR
Sin Chew Huat (Mei Xiang) Hotplate Stingray (Boon Lay Food Village) [$$]
Decent and affordable BBQ sting ray and related dishes.
WANTON MEE
Pontian Wanton Noodles (Chain) [$]
Classic and springy wanton noodles, although its char siew is expectedly underwhelming (like 99% of wanton mee restaurants). Have not been able to find the perfect wanton noodles store which blows my mind yet.
YONG TAU FOO (HAKKA VERSION)
Handmade Hakka Yong Tau Foo (Boon Lay Food Village) [$]
Crunchy, delicious, and value for money yong tau foo delights! However, beware the inconsistent opening days and hours (stated as Mondays to Fridays, starting at 7:30 PM, but you never know).
INTERNATIONAL FOODS
AUSTRALIAN BBQ
Burnt Ends (Chinatown) [1 Star Michelin] [$$$]
Famous restaurant with a wide range of Australian-themed dishes. Famous for their steaks and other quirky dishes.
BURGERS
Black Tap (Specials: Crazy Milkshakes) [$$$]
Value for money burger chain with unique varieties and big portions (suffered slightly due to recent shrinkflation). Sweet tooths can indulge in their crazy humongous milkshakes!
SOUTHERN/TEXAS BBQ
Meatsmith (Chain) [$$$]
Perfect for those craving their Texas BBQ, with awesome brisket, pulled pork, and more.
CHINESE HOTPOT & MALA
Divine Chicken Pot (Wisma Atria Food Republic) [$$]
Satisfying Sichuan style mala hot pot. A convenient and decent choice right smack in Orchard Road.
Hai Di Lao (Chain) [$$$]
Famous chain known for pampering customers with their outstanding services and mini-performances. On the pricey side.
CHINESE PUTIAN
Putien (Chain) [$$$]
Putian cuisine from Fujian is signified by its unique yet tasty soups, stews, and claypot cooking.
CHINESE & HK CONGEE
Zhou Pin (Bukit Timah Food Center)
Cheap and fantastic congee.
Mui Kee Congee (Specials: Zhar Leong) [$$]
Decent congee in town area though food quality seems inconsistent. Try the sumptuous Zhar Leong (You Tiao wrapped in Chee Cheong Fun), an authentic HK snack.
CHINESE & HK DIM SUM
Swee Choon Tim Sum Restaurant (Chain) (Late Night Dining) [$$]
The main outlet is a famous eatery offering late night dim sum and other excellent Hong Kong fare at affordable prices.
FRENCH BISTRO
Bistro du Vin (Orchard Road) (Specials: Beef Cheek) [$$$$]
Authentic french bistro with a great set-meal option. Beef cheeks are a must try!
Poulet + Brasserie (Orchard Road) [$$]
A value for money bistro serving delicious French-inspired food with generous portions. Get their 3-course set lunches for best bang for your buck!
FRENCH FINE DINING
Les Amis (Orchard Road) [3 Star Michelin] [$$$$$]
Formal fine dining ambience with exceptional food.
Odette (City Hall) [3 Star Michelin] [$$$$$]
Fine dining in a casual setting, with emphasis on a multi-sensory experience and not particularly taste.
Rhubarb Le Restaurant (Duxton Hill) [1 Star Michelin] [$$$]
An excellent restaurant with exceptional cooking techniques and interesting flavours.
INDIAN
Springleaf Prata Place (Chain) [$]
Causal dining restaurant with outlets all over Singapore in the heartlands, with decent and affordable Indian cuisine. Besides usual crowd pleasers like roti prata and butter chicken, try their signature dishes like Prata Blaster!
INDONESIAN
Bebek Goreng Pak Ndut (Chain) [$$]
Great tasting and affordable indo food such as Ayam Penyet, but often with a long queue at their outlets, especially their main outlet at Lucky Plaza in Orchard Road.
JAPANESE DON/RAMEN
Aburi-EN (Chain) [$$$] (Specials: Chestnut Pork, Yakiniku Don)
Rich, delicious quasi-decadent offerings for rice and ramen dishes, such as chestnut pork, wagyu beef, and foie gras Yakiniku don
JAPANESE SUKIYAKI/SHABU-SHABU
Azmaya Honten (Orchard Road) [$$$]
Delicious free-flow of meats and sashimi with free side dishes, at a decent price point.
JAPANESE MAKI
Koh Grill & Sushi Bar (Specials: Shiok Maki) [$$]
This restaurant in Orchard Road is known for their pricey but uniquely rich and tasty makis, and other comfort dishes.
KOREAN
Ajumma's (Chain) [$$]
Classic, delicious Korean food. Try their many signature stews and Beef Kalbi.
O.BBa Jjajang (Chain) [$$]
Excellent Chinese-Korean food, with a wide selection available including BBQ or classic Korean fare.
MALAYSIAN
Nanyang Dao (Chain) [$$]
A wide variety and tasty Malaysian-Chinese food, without blowing your budget.
Shan Cheng (Chain) [$]
Found mostly in heartland malls, Shan Cheng serves authentic, tasty, and affordable Malaysian classics such as Ipoh Hor Fun.
Sanpoutei Ramen (Chain) [$$]
A big hit with its rich broth and freshly made noodles.
Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King (Chain) [$$]
Excellent ramen with free flow of bean sprouts and hard-boiled eggs. Beware the long queues.
SUSHI
Sushi Express (Chain) [$$]
Budget option for your sushi fix, with branches in many malls all over SG.
THAI
Thai Tantric (Orchard Road) [$]
Top Thai eatery serving affordable, authentic, and tasty food. A must visit for Thai lovers!
VIETNAMESE
Co Chung (Plaza Singapura) [$$]
Delicious Vietnamese dishes at affordable prices. Downsides are portions are not so big as before and be prepared to wait during peak periods.
WESTERN
Astons/Andes by Astons (Chain) [$$]
Budget option for decent western fare. A wide range of classic dishes to choose from, such as ribeye steaks, chicken chops and more.
The Ship Restaurant & Bar (Chain) (Specials: Pork Ribs) [$$]
Value for money and popular for its 3 course meals. BBQ pork ribs and fish soup are highly recommended! Flagship outlet at Shaw Centre in Orchard Road is the most consistent and higher quality.
TCC: The Coffee Connesieur (Chain) [$$$]
Boutique restaurant specialising in coffee drinks and desserts, while its main dishes are also delightful, such as the signature Wagyu Beef Burger set.
WESTERN BISTRO
Nassim Hill Bakery Bistro Bar (Orchard Road) (Specials: Savory Waffles, Shakshuka) [$$$]
Known for its signature wide range of sweet or savory waffles and interesting fusion dishes. Great tasting at slightly premium prices.
WESTERN STEAKS
Jack's Place (Chain) [$$$]
This old steakhouse chain still serves top steaks and other special dishes such as the Grandma's Stew, albeit at a higher price range. But their filet mignon is melt in your mouth delicious!
XIAO LONG BAO
Din Tai Fung (Chain) [$$$]
Situated at tourist areas and renowned for their hand-made Xiao Long Baos. Other excellent dishes are their Zhajiang Mian and Pork Chop Fried Rice. Drawbacks are a higher price point and long queues. Also many eateries around SG now serves their various signature dishes at same quality but much lower prices.
Paradise Dynasty (Chain) [$$$]
Famous for their expensive multi-coloured variety of XLBs.
You Peng Noodle Dumpling House (Beauty World Food Center) [$]
Want your ZJM and XLB fix but cheaper and faster? This place is the perfect alternative.
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