From a neighbourhood dinner to a table worth reserving, discover places to eat across Singapore.
Typical spend per person, in Singapore dollars.
Serangoon Gardens' night-shift hawker centre: shutters up after 4pm, barbecue smoke by dinner and a Hokkien mee worth crossing the island for. Bring a group and a table-holder.
Two blocks, two clocks: breakfast and the wet market in Block 91, lunch to supper in Block 90. Get the building right, go early and check your stall's trading days first.
The place to eat after the Botanic Gardens: nasi lemak sets named after poker hands, plus Bib Gourmand mutton soup and prawn noodles, in one low building by the flyover.
Newton has a reputation and five stalls on the 2025 Bib Gourmand list. Both are earned, so order from the list and agree the seafood price before anything hits the wok.
Peanut soup since 1947, army boots upstairs and Peranakan home cooking in the basement. Order the claypot rice first, then take a slow lap of Beach Road's most overlooked hawker centre.
Chinatown's lunch hawker centre: a Bib Gourmand char kway teow from 6am, a curry chicken noodle rivalry split by floor and a third-generation wanton mee. Go late morning or after 1.30pm.
The CBD's canteen: a Bib Gourmand fish soup, a Michelin-listed ramen and curry puffs in a paper bag, all fitted into a lunch hour by people with lanyards.
Singapore's largest hawker centre, with more than 220 stalls and a layout that defeats first-timers. Pick three stalls, start with Lian He Ben Ji's claypot, and check the revamp first.
The east side's hawker argument, settled under one roof: three Bib Gourmand stalls, a Hokkien mee that sells out and a runway nobody remembers.
Gelato infused with real flowers, herbs and spices, in a house-made thyme-scented waffle cone, from the Katong original of a seven-shop brand. Get the cone; it's half the point.
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.
The Martin Road flagship that made a quiet street near Robertson Quay a brunch address in 2013. Sit at the bar early for the coffee; budget for brunch. Cashless.
Meals worth putting in the calendar, from Peranakan cooking to French dining and Singapore-led tasting menus. Settle the occasion first; the right table follows from it.
The answer when nobody agrees on lunch. Everyone browses, everyone orders their own, everyone meets back at one table; keep a second choice in case your stall is shut.
Singapore food in three registers: a hawker meal, a heritage-led restaurant or a tasting menu. If you only do one, start at the hawker centre; the others are riffing on it.
Dempsey is best done as one booked meal with time either side. Peranakan, French or an open kitchen, chosen for the company; don't rush the wander around it.
New Bahru works best if you decide what you're eating before you arrive: breakfast, Sri Lankan cooking or pizza. Book the table, then wander afterwards.
The small plan suits Tiong Bahru best: lunch at the market or a bakery stop, then a slow wander. Check which bakery branch you mean before you set off.
