The hawker centres, fine dining spots, and cafes that should be on every visitor’s itinerary.
LessThe Coconut Club proves that change can be good as long as the rice remains the same. They recently moved into a bright two-story shophouse, which is a kind of historical building with internal courtyards scattered throughout Singapore, and still execute their excellent nasi lemak (a.k.a. their signature coconut rice dish) along with some nifty additions: a slew of curries, an extensive dessert selection, and an exciting cocktail menu.
Sari Ratu is our pick for the best nasi padang in town. You start with a big plate of rice on a plastic tray and then point at various dishes they have on display. That’s when the staff starts piling food on until you can’t see the bottom of the tray anymore. A list of all the options would be longer than the credits of a Marvel movie, but we like the black-sauce squid, the potato patties, and whatever curry they’re making that day.
Everyone talks about Singapore’s hawker centres (and rightfully so), but the majority of Singaporeans eat at kopitiams (think of them as mini-hawkers hidden in housing estates). In one of those kopitiams in Bishan is where you’ll find Yang Ming Seafood. It’s a zi char, which basically means a small place that encourages communal eating and has a large menu focusing on wok-fried dishes that often originated in home cooking.
You’ll find our favorite local coffee shop, YY Kafei Dian, two blocks away from the famous Raffles Hotel where the Singapore Sling was invented. They serve things like kaya toast, a white bread bun loaded with coconut jam and butter that’s part-sandwich, part-dessert, and claypot noodles loaded with pork, Chinese cabbage, and egg. This small spot on Beach Road makes their kaya and buns in-house before toasting them on a griddle that’s been around forever.
Alexandra Village flies a little under the radar since it’s tucked away behind a row of auto shops, but locals know what’s up at this hawker centre. Highlights include the sliced fish hor fun noodles, spicy claypot laksa, and some legitimately awesome soup dumplings. You can find a large concentration of excellent spots here (like neighborhood favorite Keng Eng Kee or Durian Lab), which makes this one of the better hawker centres around.
While you’re wandering through the Tiong Bahru neighborhood looking at bookstores, ’50s architecture, and tiny antique shops, you’ll need to find somewhere to eat—and that place should be Tiong Bahru Food Centre. Once you make your way to the second floor of the Tiong Bahru Market, you can get roast meats from Lee Hong Kee, prawn noodle soup from Min Nan Pork Ribs Prawn Noodles, rice cakes with pickled vegetables at Jian Bo Shui Kueh, and icy desserts from Liang Liang Garden.
Instead of spending what looks like their entire budget on chandeliers, Violet Oon’s would do just fine with folding tables and blank concrete walls. Because when the food arrives, you won’t be able to focus on anything else. The restaurant serves upscale Peranakan food, and the must-tries are the dry laksa noodles, the beef rendang, and their buah keluak ayam, a stew made with chicken and candlenut that’s infused with fresh root spices.
The historic Gillman Barracks is no longer the military base it used to be, but the folks at Naked Finn clearly didn’t get the memo because their food has some serious firepower. (Yes, that is indeed our best attempt at military humor.) Place your trust in their well-informed waitstaff and you’ll get rewarded with things like a pancake made from squid, littleneck clams with white wine and fish sauce, and rice noodles with sakura shrimp.
Bedrock Origin is an upscale spot on the island of Sentosa on the southern side of Singapore. They do old-school favorites like grilled lobster tail and plenty of steaks, but also serve things like an excellent grilled kingfish collar and a plant-based beef wellington, which puts Bedrock in that rarified air of “steakhouses that actually care about vegans.” The A4 Wagyu ribeye is fantastic, but the tomahawk steak, which can only be described as “Flintstonian,” steals the show.
The Paragon is an upscale mall filled with the type of stores that sell $100 socks, but our favorite way to spend money in the building is at Imperial Treasure. You’ll find some of the best peking duck in the city at this white tablecloth, banquet-style Chinese restaurant. Dinner here feels like an event every night of the week and it’s not uncommon to see a head of state eating next to a family celebrating grandpa visiting from out of town.