Tembusu is the Botanic Gardens' new pet-friendly restaurant

Lunch in the Gardens, and this time the dog is on the guest list.

If you walk the Botanic Gardens with a dog, Tembusu is the lunch to plan the walk around. It has a separate dining area for guests with pets, so the dog comes in and the people who'd rather not share a table with one aren't bothered either. Without a dog it is a pleasant lunch in the Ginger Garden that you'd choose for the setting; it is too new to have much of a reputation yet. Of the Gardens' three recent newcomers, Bloomhouse by Little Farms, Picnic Basket and Tembusu, it is the one with the clearest reason to pick it.

It has taken over the Ginger Garden space previously occupied by The Halia, which closed in April. Behind it is Fleursophy Group, led by founder Nicole Chen, with executive chef Dome Lim and head chef Lime Koh in the kitchen. It opened officially on 3 September 2026, after a soft launch.

The cooking is what the restaurant calls 'borderless Straits', so expect the flavours of the region rather than strict loyalty to any one tradition. The setting does a lot of the work: you're in the Ginger Garden, surrounded by the kind of planting most of us only see on a postcard, and a short walk from paths that suit a dog as much as a jogger.

Do it in that order. Walk in the morning before the heat sets in and let lunch be the reward. If the dog's coming, take water, say so when you book and ask for the pet area; hours and reservations are worth checking with the restaurant first.

Good to know Tembusu, Ginger Garden, Singapore Botanic Gardens, 1 Cluny Road. Napier and Farrer Road are the nearest MRT stations. Check ahead for opening hours and reservations, and mention if you're bringing a pet.

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Tembusu | Ginger Garden, Singapore Botanic Gardens, 1 Cluny Road, Singapore 259569