Dearborn
A River Valley breakfast with fine-dining technique and a lockdown-granola backstory. Walk-in only, closed Tuesdays and done by mid-afternoon; order the potato and egg.
- Where: River Valley
- Price: Under S$30
From a neighbourhood dinner to a table worth reserving, discover places to eat across Singapore.

Typical spend per person, in Singapore dollars.
A River Valley breakfast with fine-dining technique and a lockdown-granola backstory. Walk-in only, closed Tuesdays and done by mid-afternoon; order the potato and egg.
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.
Rishi Naleendra's Sri Lankan restaurant, now at New Bahru with a proper cocktail bar. Order across the table, say your spice level early, and ignore the old address.
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.
A Pugliese farmhouse on the East Coast Park cycle path, with a Bib Gourmand and a kiosk that turns the park into the dining room. Not cheap, and a car helps.
Jean-Georges's Singapore flagship in a Dempsey barracks: French with Asian accents, dogs on the terrace, and a salted caramel sundae that is the real reason to stay.
Violet Oon's decades of recipe notes, served upstairs at the National Gallery with a verandah over the Padang. Peranakan and the dishes hawker signboards forgot.
Julien Royer's French brasserie in a Dempsey chapel, named after his mother, with her stuffed cabbage on the menu. Rich, generous and built for a table that shares.
LG Han's Michelin-starred tasting menu now digs into Singapore recipes the city has half forgotten. Seafood-led, about three hours at dinner, and strict about diets.
The world's first Michelin-starred Peranakan restaurant, at Dempsey, where the Ah-Ma-Kase menu lets grandma decide. Bring a table big enough to share properly.
Singapore's three-star French room closed for three months at ten and came back warmer and more Asian, chilli crab in a mantou included. Book it for the occasion, and confirm the price first.
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.