Top 5 Places to Eat in Singapore

 Wondering where to eat in Singapore? Well, the beauty of the city-state is that you have an almost limitless number of options for dining! Singapore is big on food - in a way that its size might belie.

Now, because there are so many great restaurants and food stalls here, we can’t possibly cover them all. But for the gastronomic enthusiast’s first time checking out places to eat in Singapore, this list might serve as a good starter!

1. Tian Tian

A lot of people are actually familiar with Tian Tian now, thanks to at least two Western celebrity chefs. Anthony Bourdain once vouched for its Hainanese chicken rice and Gordon Ramsay challenged its cooks to a Hainanese chicken cook-off (and lost). 

If this hasn’t made it clear yet, the top reason to go to Tian Tian is to get a great Hainanese chicken meal. The rice here is famously fragrant, just as the chicken is known for being very succulent. 

The stall is located at Maxwell Food Centre and is open from 10am to 5.30pm daily, so feel free to grab either lunch or dinner here. 

2. The Banana Leaf Apolo

If what you’re craving is South Indian food, The Banana Leaf Apolo is hard to beat. Located along Race Course Road and near the (of course!) Little India MRT, the restaurant has been serving up South Indian classics since 1974. 

As you may expect, food is served on banana leaves at this restaurant. If you’re a bit of a messy eater, though, don’t worry: the leaves are actually placed on square plates. 

The food itself is quite good if you fancy authentic South Indian cuisine. Be sure to try the fish head curry and tandoor dishes on their menu. Finally, note that they’re open from 10.30am to 10.30pm daily.

3. Candlenut

Candlenut is a fascinating restaurant that’s definitely worth a stop if you want to try Peranakan cuisine. What makes it unique is that it’s perhaps the only Peranakan restaurant in the world that has a Michelin star.

In case you’re not sure what Peranakan is, it refers to a culture and people with Chinese and Indonesian/Malay roots. 

You can see that in the menu, which sports elevated takes on satay, beef rendang, ngoh hiang, and sambal. You’ll see things like fermented shrimp, pickled pineapples, charred octopus, and more.

Found along Dempsey Road, the restaurant also does takeaway, although we strongly encourage dining in for the atmosphere. It’s nicely relaxing.

H2: 4. Odette

If you want a full-on fine-dining experience, Odette is among the easiest places to recommend on the island. At the moment, it’s one of only three restaurants (along with Zen and Les Amis) that have three Michelin stars in Singapore.

The cuisine here is French contemporary, with a touch of Singaporean thrown in due to Chef Julien Royer’s insistence on fresh and seasonal produce. The taste is… well, to die for. There’s a reason the place has three Michelin stars!

In order to get three stars, everything in a restaurant must be impeccable, from the food to the atmosphere to the service. Odette certainly doesn’t disappoint in any of those things, so it’s a must-try if you can afford it. 

5. Hawker Chan

Once known as the place with the cheapest Michelin-starred meal in the world, Hawker Chan may have been left out of this year’s Michelin guide, but we believe it’s still worthy of a star. 

This famous stall serves up some amazingly tasty traditional food for affordable prices. You can get everything from their signature soy sauce chicken noodle dish to classic char siew. 

Overall, Hawker Chan still punches well above its weight in food, so we’re definitely recommending it as a place to eat when in Singapore.