Best Restaurants in Singapore 2026

Hainanese Chicken Rice

Singapore's unofficial national dish: poached or roasted chicken served over fragrant rice cooked in chicken stock, with a trio of sauces — chilli, ginger, and dark soy. Seemingly simple but endlessly debated.

Where to try: Tian Tian Chicken Rice, Maxwell Food Centre; Boon Tong Kee, Balestier Road

Price: SGD 5-12

Chilli Crab

Mud crab cooked in a thick, tangy, slightly spicy tomato and egg gravy — one of Singapore's most iconic dishes and the subject of national pride. Order with fried mantou buns for dipping.

Where to try: Long Beach Seafood, East Coast Road; Roland Restaurant, East Coast; Jumbo Seafood, Riverside

Price: SGD 60-120 for a whole crab

Laksa

Spicy coconut milk noodle soup combining Malay and Chinese elements in a uniquely Peranakan creation. Katong laksa (short noodles eaten entirely with a spoon) is the most famous Singapore style.

Where to try: 328 Katong Laksa, East Coast Road; Sungei Road Laksa, Jalan Berseh

Price: SGD 5-8

Char Kway Teow

Wok-fried flat rice noodles with prawns, Chinese sausage, bean sprouts, eggs, and chives in a dark soy and lard glaze. The 'wok hei' (breath of the wok) charred smokiness is essential.

Where to try: Outram Park Fried Kway Teow, Hong Lim Market; Hill Street Char Kway Teow, Bedok

Price: SGD 4-8

Satay

Skewered marinated meat (chicken, beef, mutton, or pork) grilled over charcoal and served with a rich peanut sauce, compressed rice, and cucumber. Best on Lau Pa Sat's satay street in the evening.

Where to try: Lau Pa Sat Satay Street, Raffles Place (evenings); Newton Food Centre

Price: SGD 0.70-1 per stick

Burnt Ends

Dave Pynt's acclaimed restaurant at Dempsey Hill featuring open-kitchen barbecue cooking with premium ingredients. One Michelin star. Reservations essential weeks in advance.

20 Tek Lim Road, Dempsey Hill, Singapore 088391

Candlenut

World's first Michelin-starred Peranakan restaurant serving authentic Straits Chinese cuisine with modern refinement. Must-try for cultural food experience.

17A Dempsey Road, Block 17, Singapore 249676

Ya Kun Kaya Toast

Iconic kopitiam chain serving traditional kaya toast, soft-boiled eggs, and local coffee since 1944. Perfect for authentic Singapore breakfast experience.

18 China Street, Singapore 049560

Maxwell Food Centre

Iconic hawker center in Chinatown housing legendary stalls including Tian Tian Chicken Rice. Must-visit for authentic hawker food experience.

1 Kadayanallur Street, Singapore 069184

Common Man Coffee Roasters

Specialty coffee roasters with multiple locations serving exceptional coffee and all-day brunch. Modern industrial design and quality food. Coffee enthusiast favorite.

22 Martin Road, #01-00 Seng Kee Building, Singapore 239058

Odette

Three Michelin-starred restaurant by Chef Julien Royer at National Gallery. Sophisticated French cuisine with Asian influences in elegant art-filled setting.

1 St Andrew's Road, #01-04 National Gallery, Singapore 178957

The Coconut Club

Cult favorite specializing in nasi lemak with fragrant coconut rice and crispy fried chicken. Modern casual setting. Often long queues but worth the wait.

6 Ann Siang Hill, Singapore 069786

Old Chang Kee

Popular chain famous for curry puffs and local snacks. Singapore comfort food institution since 1956. Multiple outlets island-wide.

Various locations

Kaya Toast Set

Toasted bread with coconut-egg kaya jam and cold butter, served with half-boiled eggs in dark soy and white pepper alongside kopi or teh. The quintessential Singapore breakfast ritual.

Find it at: Yakun Kaya Toast (multiple outlets), Killiney Kopitiam, any traditional kopitiam

Roti Prata

Crispy pan-fried flatbread of Indian origin, served with fish or mutton curry. Available plain, with egg, cheese, or banana. A staple at 24-hour Indian Muslim restaurants throughout Singapore.

Find it at: Mr and Mrs Mohgan's Super Crispy Roti Prata, Springleaf; The Roti Prata House, Upper Thomson Road

Murtabak

Stuffed pan-fried bread filled with spiced minced meat and egg. A Singapore Muslim speciality descended from Indian paratha. Zam Zam on North Bridge Road has been making it since 1908.

Find it at: Zam Zam Restaurant, North Bridge Road, Kampong Glam

Popiah

Fresh spring roll with turnip, bean sprouts, egg, prawns, and crushed peanuts wrapped in a thin flour skin — a Teochew and Nonya staple. No frying involved, making it refreshingly light.

Find it at: Kway Guan Huat Joo Chiat Popiah, Joo Chiat Road; Seng Thor Coffee Shop, Beach Road

Ice Kacang / ABC

Shaved ice dessert loaded with red beans, grass jelly, corn, cincau, attap chee, and sweet coloured syrup. A refreshing and beloved Singapore classic. Only SGD 2-4 at hawker centres.

Find it at: Any hawker centre dessert stall; Kim Choo Kueh Chang, East Coast Road

Maxwell Food Centre

Legendary hawker centre in Chinatown with over 100 stalls serving some of Singapore's most iconic dishes including Tian Tian Chicken Rice and Zhen Zhen Porridge. Always busy, justifiably famous.

Hours: Most stalls 8AM-9PM; some close Monday

Old Airport Road Food Centre

Massive and historic hawker centre in Geylang considered by many food critics to have the highest concentration of outstanding stalls in Singapore. Worth the MRT + walk journey specifically for food.

Hours: 7AM-midnight; most stalls close by 9PM

Lau Pa Sat (Telok Ayer Market)

Victorian cast-iron octagonal market structure (1894) in the CBD, now a food court with hawker stalls by day. Famous for its outdoor satay street where grills fire up every evening from 7PM-1AM.

Hours: 6AM-midnight; satay street 7PM-1AM

Tekka Centre

Multi-storey complex in Little India combining a wet market on the ground floor with an upstairs hawker centre renowned for South Indian banana-leaf rice, biryani, and roti prata breakfasts.

Hours: Wet market 6AM-9PM; hawker stalls 7AM-8PM

Tiong Bahru Market

Charming two-storey market in Singapore's oldest HDB estate. Beloved morning destination for chee cheong fun, char kway teow, and the best carrot cake (chai tow kway) in Singapore.

Hours: 6AM-2PM; select stalls open until 9PM