Singapore's food scene ranges from iconic hawker culture (UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage) to fine dining, with excellent vegan/vegetarian options available throughout the city.
Good to know
Good to Know
- Hawker culture is UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (2020); expect queues at famous stalls but lines move quickly.
- Dishes typically cost SGD 2–8 (USD 1.50–6) at hawker centres, representing world's best food-value ratio.
- GrabFood and Foodpanda accept cash and card; many hawker stalls are cash-only, so carry SGD notes.
- Most mid-range restaurants and all fine dining require reservations; book ahead for Michelin venues (book weeks in advance for 3-star).
- Tipple is not expected at hawker stalls; tip 10% at restaurants with table service.
- Peak lunch hours are 12–1:30 PM and dinner 6–8 PM; visit hawker centres outside these times to avoid long queues.
- Street food and hawker meals are completely safe, clean, and inspected by health authorities.
- Vegetarian and vegan options are abundant; Buddha Tooth Relic Temple (Chinatown) has an affordable vegetarian dining hall in the basement.
- Plant-based milk (oat/soy) at cafes typically incurs a small surcharge; Starbucks and Coffee Bean Tea Leaf offer it.
- Many hawker stalls specialize in single dishes perfected over decades; don't expect variety at one stall.
- Alcohol: beer and spirits widely available; no restrictions on dining area alcohol consumption.
- Air-conditioned restaurants and malls are common; hawker centres are open-air but well-ventilated.
Supermarkets
- Note
- Central area supermarkets serve the CBD and downtown neighbourhoods within ~10 min of city centre.
Stores
Cold Storage
- Focus
- General grocery; premium selection
- Location
- Multiple locations including City Hall, Marina Bay areas
FairPrice Finest (NTUC)
- Focus
- General grocery; value option
- Location
- Multiple locations including central CBD
Don Don Donki
- Focus
- Japanese supermarket with ready-to-eat meals and snacks
- Location
- City Square Mall, Orchard Central
CS Fresh
- Focus
- Premium gourmet grocery; international wines and meats
- Location
- Raffles City Shopping Centre, Bugis Junction
Sheng Siong
- Focus
- Budget-friendly; fresh seafood and produce
- Location
- Multiple island-wide locations (limited central options)
Budget
Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice
- Price Range
- SGD 4.00
- Neighborhood
- Maxwell Food Centre, Chinatown
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Hainanese Chicken Rice
Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle
- Price Range
- SGD 6.00
- Neighborhood
- Hill Street, Chinatown
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Pork Noodles (Bak Chor Mee)
PastaMania
- Price Range
- SGD 13
- Neighborhood
- Multiple locations island-wide (17 outlets)
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Pasta, Pizza, Fusion Noodles
Mai Kitchen
- Price Range
- SGD 8.00
- Neighborhood
- Balestier
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Vietnamese (Banh Mi, Pho)
High End
Odette
- Price Range
- SGD 338
- Neighborhood
- National Gallery Singapore, Downtown Core
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Modern French Fine Dining
Les Amis
- Price Range
- SGD 400
- Neighborhood
- Downtown Core
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Contemporary French (Three Michelin Stars)
Candlenut
- Price Range
- SGD 180
- Neighborhood
- Dempsey Hill
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Peranakan (One Michelin Star)
Summer Pavilion
- Price Range
- SGD 138
- Neighborhood
- Sentosa (The Ritz Carlton)
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Cantonese Fine Dining (One Michelin Star)
Mid Range
Tipo Pasta Bar
- Price Range
- SGD 18
- Neighborhood
- Multiple locations (Fully booked—reserve ahead)
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Handmade Fresh Pasta
Les Canons
- Price Range
- SGD 22
- Neighborhood
- City Gate, Beach Road
- Cuisine Or Dish
- French Bistro (Steak au Poivre, Duck Confit, Beef Bourguignon)
Nolita
- Price Range
- SGD 20
- Neighborhood
- Lentor
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Japanese Spaghetti House
Hikiniku To Come
- Price Range
- SGD 28
- Neighborhood
- VivoCity
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Charcoal-Grilled Hamburg Steak (Japanese)
Delivery Services
Services
GrabFood
- Notes
- Covers virtually every restaurant in Singapore with reasonable delivery times; app includes 'Open Now' real-time filter.
Foodpanda
- Notes
- Wide restaurant coverage across Singapore; competitive delivery options.
Deliveroo
- Notes
- Premium option with curated selection of restaurants.
Michelin Restaurants
Odette
- Stars
- 3
- Cuisine
- Contemporary French
- Location
- National Gallery Singapore
Les Amis
- Stars
- 3
- Cuisine
- Contemporary French
- Location
- Downtown Core
Zén
- Stars
- 3
- Cuisine
- Contemporary French-Nordic
- Location
- Downtown Core
Cloudstreet
- Stars
- 2
- Cuisine
- Ingredient-driven Contemporary
- Location
- Amoy Street
Shoukouwa
- Stars
- 2
- Cuisine
- Omakase Sushi
- Location
- Multiple locations
Candlenut
- Stars
- 1
- Cuisine
- Peranakan
- Location
- Dempsey Hill
Burnt Ends
- Stars
- 1
- Cuisine
- Modern Australian Barbecue
- Location
- Dempsey Hill
Summer Pavilion
- Stars
- 1
- Cuisine
- Cantonese
- Location
- Sentosa (The Ritz Carlton)
Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle
- Stars
- 1
- Cuisine
- Pork Noodles (Hawker)
- Location
- Chinatown
Restaurant Fiz
- Stars
- 1
- Cuisine
- Modern Southeast Asian (Green Star for sustainability)
- Location
- Tanjong Pagar
Local Must Try Dishes
- Overview
- Singapore's hawker culture is world-renowned, featuring dishes born from the culinary fusion of Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Peranakan traditions.
Dishes
Hainanese Chicken Rice
- Where To Find
- Maxwell Food Centre, Chinatown Complex, Tian Tian stall at Maxwell
- Description
- Singapore's national dish: tender poached chicken served with fragrant rice cooked in chicken broth, accompanied by chilli sauce and ginger paste.
Laksa (Katong-style)
- Where To Find
- Katong area; multiple hawker centres
- Description
- Rich, creamy noodle soup made with coconut milk, spices, and seafood; short-cut noodles eaten with spoon.
Char Kway Teow
- Where To Find
- Hill Street, Hong Lim Market & Food Centre, Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee
- Description
- Smoky stir-fried flat rice noodles with eggs, Chinese sausage, prawns, and bean sprouts cooked with strong 'wok hei' (charred aroma).
Satay
- Where To Find
- Lau Pa Sat (night satay street); C.M.Y. Satay; Chomp Chomp Satay
- Description
- Charcoal-grilled skewers of chicken, beef, or lamb served with chunky peanut sauce, ketupat (rice cakes), cucumber, and onion.
Bak Kut Teh
- Where To Find
- Song Fa Bak Kut Teh; Founder Bak Kut Teh; multiple hawker centres
- Description
- Pork rib soup with pepper, garlic, and herbs in a clear or dark soy broth; served with rice or noodles.
Bak Chor Mee (Minced Meat Noodles)
- Where To Find
- Tai Hwa Pork Noodle; 58 Minced Meat Noodle; hawker centres
- Description
- Yellow noodles and rice vermicelli tossed in sambal chilli, vinegar, soy sauce, and topped with minced pork, braised mushrooms, and crispy fried shallots.
Chilli Crab
- Where To Find
- Newton Food Centre; Alliance Seafood; seafood restaurants
- Description
- Mud crab or blue crab smothered in a sweet, spicy, and slightly tangy sauce; traditionally messy to eat.
Hokkien Mee
- Where To Find
- Multiple hawker centres island-wide
- Description
- Yellow noodles and rice vermicelli stir-fried with prawns, squid, and egg in a rich seafood broth.
Kaya Toast with Eggs
- Where To Find
- Breakfast stalls at hawker centres; cafes
- Description
- Thinly sliced toasted bread smeared with coconut jam (kaya) and salted butter, traditionally served with soft-boiled eggs.
Chwee Kueh
- Where To Find
- Bedok Chwee Kueh; Bedok Interchange Food Centre
- Description
- Steamed rice cake topped with preserved radish (chai poh) and chilli sauce; traditional Teochew breakfast.
Vegan Vegetarian Dining
- Overview
- Singapore has a thriving vegan and vegetarian dining scene with Buddhist vegetarian restaurants (allium-free options), Indian vegetarian establishments, and modern plant-based concepts.
Venues
nomVnom
- Price Range
- SGD 16
- Neighborhood
- Eu Tong Sen Street (Multiple outlets)
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Plant-based burgers with handmade buns (mushroom, tempeh, konjac, OmniMeat patties)
Warung Ijo
- Price Range
- SGD 10
- Neighborhood
- Tai Seng (MacPherson Road, Grantral Mall)
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Vegetarian Indonesian (allium-free, 99% vegan)
Herbivore
- Price Range
- SGD 18
- Neighborhood
- Middle Road (Fortune Centre)
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Fully Japanese Vegetarian Restaurant (mock salmon, unagi, katsu curry)
Gokul
- Price Range
- SGD 12
- Neighborhood
- Little India
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Vegetarian North and South Indian (chaat, dosa, mock meats)
Yi Xin Vegetarian
- Price Range
- SGD 8.00
- Neighborhood
- Chinatown
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Chinese Vegetarian (economy rice, curry laksa, satay)
Kailash Parbat
- Price Range
- SGD 13
- Neighborhood
- Multiple locations (Changi, Little India, Sentosa)
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Vegetarian North Indian (Tandoor, Biryani, Chaat)
Halal Dining
- Note
- Singapore has excellent halal-certified dining throughout the city. Specific halal-certified venues are documented at individual restaurants listed above (e.g., PastaMania, Big Fish Small Fish). Most hawker stalls are operated by Muslim vendors with clear halal options.
International And Regional Cuisine
- Overview
- Singapore's multicultural makeup means authentic Thai, Indonesian, Indian, Korean, Japanese, Italian, and Western cuisines are readily available alongside local fare.
Examples
- Authentic Thai cuisine at multiple hawker stalls
- Indonesian food at IndoChili (River Valley)
- North and South Indian at multiple dedicated restaurants
- Korean BBQ venues across the island
- Japanese restaurants from casual ramen to omakase
- Italian pizza and pasta throughout the city
- Western fine dining at Marina Bay and Dempsey Hill
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this food & dining research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
- 1.mysingaporediary.com
- 2.eatbook.sg
- 3.eatbook.sg
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- 5.guide.michelin.com
- 6.danielfooddiary.com
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- 10.thesolotravelinstyleblog.com
- 11.rambletravelers.com
- 12.klook.com
- 13.drinkteatravel.com
- 14.sg.trip.com
- 15.guide.michelin.com
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- 17.guide.michelin.com
- 18.sassymamasg.com
- 19.timeout.com
- 20.thehoneycombers.com
- 21.guide.michelin.com
- 22.theurbanlist.com
- 23.en.wikipedia.org
- 24.timeout.com
- 25.sassymamasg.com
- 26.heyroseanne.com
- 27.wazwu.com
- 28.veganfoodquest.com
- 29.veganhaventravel.com
- 30.happycow.net
- 31.happycow.net
- 32.handfulofleaves.life
- 33.pelago.com
- 34.thehoneycombers.com
- 35.thesmartlocal.com
- 36.goodmigrations.com
- 37.timeout.com
- 38.supermarket.sg
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.