Best restaurants in Singapore to visit
Wherever you are in Singapore, there will always be restaurants nearby but not many can earn the title of “Best”. While these best restaurants in Singapore that opened in 2019 may not boast winding queues like at Shake Shack or Man Man Unagi when it first opened, they have ticked all the right boxes and are the noteworthy 10 best restaurants in Singapore that made it into Eatbook’s Top 50 Awards—and we have tried quite a bit. Here are the restaurants to visit the next time your friend asks you the aged-old “What to eat?” question.
1. JAM at Siri House
You won’t regret spending your bottom dollar at JAM at Siri House. The kitchen is helmed by Chef Ming Tan from Park Bench Deli, and you will find good soul food gracing the menu.
Melting in your mouth with rich chicken notes is the Chicken in a Biscuit ($12++), which features a crumbly cookie base made from chicken fat drippings. Topping it is a swirl of garlic and ginger-spiced cream cheese, along with chopped chicken skin.
For mains, get their Pappardelle ($38++) that is full of umami crustacean flavour from the bisque-like sauce. The addictive sauce is made from roasting prawn and lobster heads in butter, then cooking in a cream and mirepoix for eight hours.
Read our full review of JAM at Siri House.
Address: 8D Dempsey Road, #01-02, Dempsey Hill, Singapore 249672
Opening hours: Mon 6pm to 10:30pm, Tue-Sun 11:30am to 2:30pm, 6pm to 10:30pm
Tel: 9667 0533
Website
Menu
JAM at Siri House is not a halal-certified eatery.
2. UnaUna
The unagi hype is still going strong. Here to make it more accessible for foodies on a budget is UnaUna with its $9.80++ Hitsumabushi.
Despite its cheap price tag, the quality of the grilled unagi here is as good as the O.G. Man Man Unagi, with plump eel coated in a savoury tare. If you do not have a small appetite, it is better to order the regular bowl at $14.80++, which is still way cheaper than most hitsumabushi on the market.
A good ambience makes for a finer dining experience. UnaUna’s atmosphere also excels, thanks to its wooden fixtures and booth seats with tatami—you will feel like you’ve been transported to a rustic restaurant in Nagoya!
Read our full review of UnaUna!
Address: 201 Victoria Street, #04-10, Bugis+, Singapore 188067
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 11:30am to 3pm, 5pm to 10pm, Sat-Sun 11:30am to 10pm
Tel: 6835 7056
Website
UnaUna is not a halal-certified eatery.
3. The Feather Blade
Starting out as a pop-up early this year, The Feather Blade became so popular that they are now a permanent fixture at Club Street. They are best known for The Feather Blade Steak ($21++), which follows a similar recipe as London’s famous Flat Iron Steak; the 27-year-old founder did a one-year stint at the restaurant. What makes it special is the spritz of brown butter and a smattering of smoked salt that help to bring out the robust beefiness of the steak.
The menu has expanded since its pop-up, with hearty beef rice bowls that are topped with fatty foie gras to cater to the lunch crowd. Prices start from $14++ for The Feather Blade Gyūdon , which gives you charred slices of the flat iron steak dressed in a sukiyaki marinade over a bed of rice. It is accompanied by caramelised onions, furikake, garlic chips and an onsen egg, and you can top up $11++ for a huge slab of French foie gras.
Read our full review of The Feather Blade!
Address: 90 Club Street, Singapore 069458
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 11:30am to 2:30pm, 5:30pm to 11pm, Fri 11:30am to 2:30pm, 5:30pm to 11:30pm, Sat 5:30pm to 11:30pm
Website
The Feather Blade is not a halal-certified eatery.
4. Sama Sama by Tok Tok
Jewel Changi Airport is home to many restaurants, but one of two that top the list is Sama Sama by Tok Tok. The Indonesian restaurant impressed us with punchy flavours in each and every dish. Delivering an explosion of flavours is the juicy Ayam Bakar Taliwang ($29++) that’s marinated in a blend of shrimp paste, garlic, chilli, and black peppercorns.
The Nasi Langgi ($17++) is a must-order too with its kaleidoscope of sweet, sour and spicy flavours. Here, a tower of coconut rice is surrounded by Javanese curry chicken, beef rings, beef stew, and tempeh.
Read our full review of Sama Sama by Tok Tok here!
Address: 78 Airport Boulevard, #03-225/226, Jewel Changi Airport, Singapore 819666
Opening hours: Daily 10am to 10pm
Tel: 6904 3971
Website
Menu
Sama Sama by Tok Tok is a halal-certified eatery.
5. Charcoal-Grill & Salad Bar Keisuke
It is safe to say that Keisuke Takeda is a genius when it comes to bringing Japanese concepts to Singapore. Almost all his restaurants are marked by long queues, and Charcoal-Grill & Salad Bar Keisuke is no different.
Putting traditional Japanese cuisine in the spotlight through charcoal-grilled fish, the restaurant features a total of 12 fish dishes. Savour the rich, buttery flavour of salmon in the Charcoal Grilled Teriyaki Salmon Belly Set ($19.90++), where the flesh floods your palate with a creamy texture. Each set comes with an onsen egg, rice, and miso soup, as well as access to the free-flow salad bar.
Read our full review of Charcoal-Grill & Salad Bar Keisuke!
Address: 60 Paya Lebar Road, #B1-16, Paya Lebar Square, Singapore 409051
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 11:30am to 2:30pm, 5:30pm to 10pm, Sat-Sun 11:30am to 10pm
Tel: 6241 8588
Website
Charcoal-Grill & Salad Bar Keisuke is not a halal-certified eatery.
6. Burger & Lobster
There are many lobster roll joints in Singapore, but none can hold a candle to Burger & Lobster. The taste of the Original Roll ($40++) is sublime, right down to the toasted buttered brioche bun that holds the juicy chilled lobster meat. The lobster is dressed in a zesty Japanese mayo that uplifts the sweetness of the Canadian lobster, and pairs well with the toasty bread. Each roll is served with fries, salad, and the restaurant’s signature lemon and garlic butter to give you the ultimate meal.
Cast your money worries aside and treat yourself to the Singapore-exclusive Sambal Glazed Lobster ($65++). You will be served 680g of lobster that’s swimming in a pool of piquant sambal sauce, which you can mop up with toasted slices of brioche.
Read our full review of Burger & Lobster!
Address: 78 Airport Boulevard, #05-203, Jewel Changi Airport, Singapore 819666
Opening hours: Sun-Thur 10am to 12am, Fri-Sat 9am to 1am
Website
Menu
Full list of outlets
Burger & Lobster is not a halal-certified eatery.
7. Enishi
Quietly entering into our dining is Enishi, a Michelin Bib Gourmand ramen joint back in Japan. Despite choosing to avoid aggressive marketing tactics, Enishi still manages to pull in a good crowd for their tasty dry ramen, such as the Dan Dan Noodles ($17.90++).
The colourful dish is made with shredded chashu, minced pork, white diced onions, fried onions, pickles, mizuna, and a side of onsen egg which you are advised to pour in after mixing the noodles together. The taste is nothing like maze soba, with a burst of scrummy flavours from each ingredient.
Do note that queueing is to be expected as the restaurant only has nine seats. They also call it a day once they sell 100 bowls, so it’s best you head there early.
Read our full review of Enishi!
Address: 10 Anson Road, #02-85A, International Plaza, Singapore 079903
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 11am to 3pm, 6pm to 10pm (last order at 9:30pm), Sat 11am to 3pm
Website | Menu
Enishi is not a halal-certified eatery
8. You Kee XO Restaurant
You Kee XO Restuarant hails from Johor Bahru, and brings with it succulent roast meat. While they have a menu full of your usual zi char dishes such as Handmade Signature Beancurd ($8.80) and Steamed Fish with “Teochew Style” ($21.80), it is their roast meats that are a must-get.
Order the BBQ Pork Belly “Char Siu” & “Siu Yok” with Noodle ($7.50) for best of both worlds. The char siew has a honeyed coating and melts in your mouth with tantalising sweetness. The siu yok, on the other hand, is extremely crispy and has a nice salty and peppery taste. Even the noodles—which are coated in a scrummy oyster sauce— are good, having no alkaline taste.
Read our full review of You Kee XO Restaurant!
Address: 43 Joo Chiat Place, Singapore 427767
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 10:30am to 3pm, 5pm to 9pm, Sat-Sun 10:30am to 9pm
Tel: 9116 8868
Website
You Kee XO Restaurant is not a halal-certified eatery.
9. Jok Jok Mor
Veering away from the usual tom yum and green curry is Jok Jok Mor, which specialises in Thai claypot porridge. You are invited to customise your own porridge by first choosing from three broths—tom yum, see ew kao (light soya sauce), and mak kum (tamarind)—as your base before topping it up with proteins such as chicken, pork, and seafood.
Our pick is the Tom Yum Seafood Porridge ($16.90), which is marked by a massive tiger prawn and clams. Slurp it up and be greeted with a tart and spicy kick from the lime leaves and chillies. Thanks to the mussels, squid, fish, and prawn, the gruel has an intense umami flavour too. If you’re a fan of noodles, you can opt to switch your porridge to instant noodles at an additional $1.
Read our full review of Jok Jok Mor!
Address: 129 Rangoon Road, Singapore 218407
Opening hours: Sun-Thur 12pm to 10pm, Fri-Sat 12pm to 11pm
Tel: 6721 9038
Website
Jok Jok Mor is not a halal-certified eatery.
10. Kiwami Ramen
A5 Miyazaki wagyu beef is known to be expensive, but you can get a taste of the premium cut at $12.80++ with Kiwami Ramen’s Miyazaki Wagyu Garlic Fried Rice. Here, the smoky garlic fried rice is dotted with many pieces of wagyu chunks that burst in our mouth with an explosion of marbled fats and juice. They paired well with the smoky notes of the fried rice, and the shredded spring onions that gave a sharp zing.
Kiwami also has a scrumptious Hokkaido Snow Crab Fried Rice on Tonkotsu Gravy ($13.80++). The interesting dish reminds us of a grainy fried porridge, thanks to the delicate and creamy tonkotsu gravy. The crab ensures the dish isn’t too salty, with its sweet, seafood flavour.
Read our full review of Kiwami!
Address: 1 Wallich Street, #B2-10, Guoco Tower, Singapore 078884
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 10pm
Tel: 6246 6630
Website | Menu
Kiwami is not a halal-certified eatery.
Our best restaurants in Singapore for 2019
Trust us when we say, these are the best restaurants in Singapore that won’t make you feel like you paid too much, or had to settle for second best. Aside from these best restaurants in Singapore, check out our pick for the best cafes and hawkers in Singapore!
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