328 Katong Laksa
Katong laksa in its spoon-only form: thick coconut-and-sambal broth over noodles cut short. Janggut is across the road, so order small here and compare.
- Where: Katong (East Coast Road)
- Price: Under S$30
Restaurants under S$30
Sit-down restaurants where the typical spend we record is under S$30 a person. The price note on each page says what that buys.
Kok Sen
Fifty-plus years of wok hei on Keong Saik, now air-conditioned and holding a 2026 Bib Gourmand. Bring a group, go at weekday lunch, and order the big prawn hor fun.
- Where: Keong Saik & Duxton
- Price: Under S$30
Springleaf Prata Place
A halal-certified Siglap prata shop with more than 20 versions on the menu, from the eggs Benedict-style Plaster Blaster to a red bean tissue prata. Order one daft one for the table.
- Where: Siglap & Tanjong Katong
- Price: Under S$30
Kai Juan Bak Kut Teh
Teochew bak kut teh in a 1970s corner kopitiam on Balestier: clear, peppery and refillable, which is the whole point. The ribs are the supporting act.
- Where: Balestier & Novena
- Price: Under S$30
Boon Tong Kee (Balestier Road)
The original Boon Tong Kee, a restaurant since 1983 and the branch with the Bib Gourmand (won in 2025, kept for 2026). Order boiled chicken for the table and fill in with zi char.
- Where: Balestier & Novena
- Price: Under S$30
Lor 9 Beef Kway Teow
The beef hor fun people argue about, in a bean-paste and black-pepper gravy with plenty of wok hei. In the 2026 Michelin Guide; bring friends and treat it as a zi char dinner.
- Where: Geylang
- Price: Under S$30
Eminent Frog Porridge & Seafood
Geylang's Bib Gourmand frog porridge, served from claypots into the small hours. Order one spicy, one ginger-and-spring-onion, and pour both over plain porridge.
- Where: Geylang
- Price: Under S$30
Gwanghwamun Mijin
Seoul's 1954 buckwheat noodle shop at Far East Square: chilled noodles with a kettle of seafood broth you pour yourself. Order the signature set or the Singapore-only salmon version, and book.
- Where: Chinatown
- Price: Under S$30
Rumah Makan Minang
A Minangkabau family kitchen on Kandahar Street since 1954, with rendang still cooked over charcoal and a breakfast menu for the early. Point at the rendang first.
- Where: Kampong Glam
- Price: Under S$30
Hjh Maimunah
A Bib Gourmand regular from 2016 until 2025, and still the easy, air-conditioned nasi padang lunch near Bugis. Halal, no booking, so arrive before the lunch rush.
- Where: Kampong Glam
- Price: Under S$30
Ramen-ya
An eight-seat counter in Bedok's East Village where one Japanese chef cooks and serves. Go at opening, alone or in a pair, and start with the Special Shio.
- Where: Bedok
- Price: Under S$30
Swee Choon Tim Sum Restaurant
Dim sum until 4am at weekends across six knocked-through Jalan Besar shophouses. Come for the hour and the fried oddities, not the textbook har gow, and go to the original.
- Where: Jalan Besar
- Price: Under S$30
Mei Heong Yuen Dessert
Chinatown's cool-down stop since 2002: Cantonese almond paste on one side of the menu, Taiwanese snow ice on the other. Order one hot, one cold, and share both.
- Where: Chinatown
- Price: Under S$30
Song Fa Bak Kut Teh
Clear, peppery Teochew bak kut teh, with soup top-ups that arrive before you ask. The Bib Gourmand is for the New Bridge Road original, so go there rather than to the logo.
- Where: Across Singapore
- Price: Under S$30
Artichoke Pizza Parlor
Bjorn Shen's mezze favourite turned pizza parlour at New Bahru, and the menu hasn't settled since. Good for a loud shared dinner; check what it's serving first.
- Where: River Valley
- Price: Under S$30
The Coconut Club
Nasi lemak with a sit-down room and a coconut milk with its own name, in a Beach Road shophouse with a Bib Gourmand. Taste the parts before you mix them.
- Where: Across Singapore
- Price: Under S$30
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Tiong Bahru cafés and market
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- 3 picks