Apartment Coffee
Ranked first in Asia by The World's 100 Best Coffee Shops two years running, from a white room on Selegie Road. Sit at the counter, order the filter and leave the laptop at home.
- Where: Little India
- Price: Under S$30
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Singapore Restaurants
From a neighbourhood dinner to a table worth reserving, discover places to eat across Singapore.
Your selection
Map viewTypical spend per person, in Singapore dollars.
Chye Seng Huat Hardware
The Jalan Besar roastery the neighbourhood's cafés get measured against: a wraparound bar, beans roasted on site and a courtyard that pours beer after five. Sit at the bar.
- Where: Jalan Besar
- Price: Under S$30
Killiney Kopitiam (Killiney Road)
The first Killiney Kopitiam, still trading on the road that named it, a short walk from Somerset. Come for an early kaya toast and the backstory; the menu is the one the branches serve.
- Where: Orchard
- Price: Under S$30
Chin Mee Chin Confectionery
The Katong bakery-kopitiam that closed in 2018 and came back in 2021 with its marble tables, cream horns and charcoal-toasted buns intact. Go early, before the good bakes go.
- Where: Katong
- Price: Under S$30
Lau Pa Sat
Open 24 hours under Glasgow ironwork, with more than 80 stalls and satay smoke on Boon Tat Street from 7pm (3pm at weekends). Better than its tourist-trap reputation, if not the cheapest.
- Where: CBD
- Price: Under S$30
Tekka Centre
Little India's market, where banana-leaf meals, North Indian, Malay and Chinese vegetarian stalls sit steps apart. The food centre to choose when your group can't agree.
- Where: Little India
- Price: Under S$30
Tiong Bahru Market
Tiong Bahru's old town hall, now its breakfast: chwee kueh since 1958 and three Bib Gourmand stalls. Come early and order across stalls; many are done by early afternoon.
- Where: Tiong Bahru
- Price: Under S$30
Maxwell Food Centre
103 stalls beside Maxwell MRT, and the famous chicken rice queue is one of them. Go mid-morning, before the CBD lunch crush, and note the whole centre shuts for cleaning on 14 December 2026.
- 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
JUMBO Seafood Riverside Point
Chilli crab by the river for the relatives who keep asking for it, with five private rooms for the big table. Agree the crab first and ask the price before it is cooked.
- Where: Clarke Quay
- Price: S$60 and above
Plain Vanilla Tiong Bahru
Tiong Bahru's linger-friendly bakery café, with a skylight, its own grocery label and cupcakes still the headline. Hot food stops at 3.50pm, and nobody takes bookings.
- Where: Tiong Bahru
- Price: Under S$30
Tiong Bahru Bakery
The croissant that started Singapore's bakery boom, now in 18 places. The Eng Hoon Street original is still the one worth getting up for; the mall branches are for emergencies.
- Where: Across Singapore
- Price: Under S$30
Restaurants by type
Restaurants worth planning around
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.
- 6 picks
Food centres
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.
- 4 picks
Restaurants by cuisine
Singapore flavours
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.
- 5 picks
Restaurants by neighbourhood
Eating in Dempsey
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.
- 3 picks
Eating at New Bahru
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.
- 3 picks
Tiong Bahru cafés and market
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.
- 3 picks