Singaporeans love Japanese cuisine, and that has led to Japanese restaurants of every shape and form sprouting up across the country. We have all-you-can-eat buffets, kaiten sushi chains, affordable ramen joints, chirashi specialists, and high-end Michelin-starred restaurants—the list goes on.
While we wish we could dine at Michelin-minted establishments every time the Japanese food craving strikes, we also know that quality doesn’t have to come at a high price. Here are 20 of the best Japanese restaurants in Singapore to dine at any time your palate feels like taking a trip to Tokyo. As a bonus, all of these are affordable and won’t burn a hole in your wallet.
P.S.: We have a guide for halal Japanese dining destinations too!
Table of Contents
Gyukatsu Kyoto Katsugyu, Japan’s largest gyukatsu specialty restaurant with more than 70 outlets worldwide, has an excellent outpost at Raffles City Shopping Centre. The most premium beef cutlet you can get here is the A5 Miyazaki Sirloin Gyukatsu Zen ($55++), which features incredibly tender and buttery Wagyu, with crispy breading perfectly complementing the overall texture. If you’d like to try more than one cut of beef, consider a “Half & Half” option such as the Sirloin and Beef Tongue Gyukatsu Zen ($32++), both of which are also incredibly succulent cutlets.
Read our Gyukatsu Kyoto Katsugyu review.
Address: 252 North Bridge Road, #B1-63/64, Raffles City Shopping Centre, Singapore 179103
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 3pm, 5pm to 10pm
Website
Gyukatsu Kyoto Katsugyu is not a halal-certified eatery.
Singapore has plenty of unagi don eateries, but Unatoto is one of the newest kids on the block. The brand hails from Japan, and is known for being a chain that serves affordable unagi dishes. Here, you can find Japanese grilled eel all over the menu, from appetisers such as Umaki ($3+), where tamago is studded with a morsel of eel, to mains such as their Unagi Don, priced at $9.50+ for a single portion. If you’re looking for a more substantial meal, add on $4+ for a Value Set A, which comes with a soup of the day and an appetiser of your choice from their menu of nine.
Read our Unatoto review.
Address: 7 Wallich Street, Guoco Tower, #B1-03, Singapore 078884
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 11am to 10pm, Sat-Sun 11am to 9pm
Website
Unatoto is not a halal-certified eatery.
You may be familiar with Tsujihan, the famous kaisendon eatery from Japan. Kappo Shunsui offers their own rendition of this kaisendon, one that very much stands on its own. We recommend the Snow Fujiyama Kaisen-Don, part of the Shunsui Special Kaisen Don Set which comes in three sizes: Nami ($19.80++), Jo ($$24.80++), and Tokujo ($29.80++). Each bowl comprises a wide variety of seafood, including tuna, white fish, salmon, whelk, roe, snow crab, and sea urchins. You can’t go wrong with Kappo Shunsui’s omakase courses, too, though they are on the pricier side—the most basic option will set you back $129++.
Address: 17 Hong Kong Street, #01-01, Singapore 059660
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 11:30am to 3pm, 5:30pm to 11pm, Sat-Sun 5:30pm to 11pm
Website
Kappo Shunsui is not a halal-certified eatery.
Omakase places are such a treat, but they don’t always have to break the bank—Haku Sushi is one such example. While prices can vary depending on the season, you’ll find that the restaurant has various lunch menus that are under $70++, many of which feature superb sushi made with high-quality seafood. Do note that Haku Sushi is one-half of a dual-concept restaurant; the other half is Kou Teppan, with a first-of-its-kind personal teppan, plus wallet-friendly teppanyaki omakase sets that are reasonably priced.
Address: 1 Kim Seng Promenade, #B1-134, Great World, Singapore 237994
Opening hours: Daily 11:30am to 3pm, 6pm to 10pm
Tel: 6235 1645
Website
Haku Sushi is not a halal-certified eatery.
The Sushi Bar began as a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Far East Plaza but has since expanded to Ngee Ann City and Tampines1. The franchise specialises in a wide array of Japanese dishes made with fresh, quality ingredients, available at price points that don’t break the bank.
They have a wide variety of menu items, from appetisers to grilled yakimono dishes, but a meal here isn’t complete without some sashimi or chirashi. The former is sliced to order and starts at $28.90++ for a 3 Kinds Sashimi Platter. For chirashi, you can enjoy different combinations of fish with your rice, but the classic go-to is the Kaisen Chirashi (from $27.90++), which comes with salmon, tuna, yellowtail, aburi salmon belly, tamago, scallop, and ikura.
Website | Full list of locations
The Sushi Bar is not a halal-certified eatery.
Sen-ryo is famous for its wallet-friendly, but gourmet Japanese fare. Their flagship restaurant at ION Orchard always requires reservations, any day of the week.
Order the Sen-ryo Premium Bento ($25.80++), which comes with nine different top-tier bites, including unagi, fatty otoro, and salmon belly. Another hot favourite here is the Zuwaigani Soy Nabe ($48++), a nabemono hotpot with a broth made from Japanese soybeans, served with a whole snow crab leg.
Read our Sen-ryo review.
Address: 2 Orchard Turn, #03-14, Singapore 238801
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 10pm
Tel: 6974 6782
Website
Sen-ryo is not a halal-certified eatery.
Wagyu donburi bowls under $30 are what you get when you dine at Waa Cow! They have multiple locations islandwide, giving diners easy access to their delicious, smoky Wagyu-topped donburi bowls, each served with an onsen egg and pickled radish. The Original is priced at $22.90++, but you can get bowls zhnged-up with additional sauces, like Mentaiko ($24.90++) and Truffle ($26.90++).
While beef is the signature here, diners who prefer seafood can opt for their Chirashi (from $19.90++), or Teriyaki Chicken Don (from $16.90++).
Read our Waa Cow! review.
Website | Full list of locations
Waa Cow is not a halal-certified eatery.
Unagi don is delicious, but it doesn’t come cheap. That is unless you’re at Una Una, where a hitsumabushi starts from just $16.80++. As one of the best places to get unagi don in Singapore, Una Una has quality and flavours that rival that of Michelin Bib Gourmand unagi eatery Man Man, with prices being a tad bit cheaper here. The eels here are also air-flown from Japan.
For those who aren’t familiar, Hitsumabushi is a dish that hails from Nagoya, and sees grilled, smoky eel served atop pearl grain rice, with a medley of condiments on the side. A dashi broth accompanies the portion, and you’re meant to eat the don four ways: on its own, with the condiments, with the dashi, and however you like.
Read our Una Una review.
Website | Full list of outlets
Una Una is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @soraasidoremi
A dining experience one can’t miss in Japan is spending an afternoon at a yakitori joint, having a variety of skewered chicken parts grilled to order before your eyes. Nanbantei Japanese Restaurant gets you as close without having to board a plane. They have been around for almost 40 years, with over 640,00 sticks of yakitori sold since.
Start off your meal with their yakitori skewers, priced from $5.50. If you’re dining between two, you can opt for their Double Course, which feeds two for $79++. The menu includes 10 yakitori sticks, either a niku tofu or kimchi tofu hotpot, and your choice of grilled mackerel or salmon.
Website | Full list of outlets
Nanbantei is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @kazusumiyakirestaurant
Cuppage Plaza is a haven for Japanese restaurants, and a popular one for kushiyaki, AKA skewers, is Kazu Sumiyaki. You’ll find quite the crowd of Japanese expats here, especially when seasonal produce arrives from Japan and appears on the menu. The restaurant has also been operating since 1993.
You can get skewers under $5, and sashimi under $10, but do note that each is charged per piece. Apart from the small bites here, the eatery also serves carbs under $10 to accompany your meal, so try out their Ochazuke, Tori Zosui porridge, and more.
Address: 5 Koek Road, #04-05, Cuppage Plaza, Singapore 228796
Opening hours: Tue-Sat 6pm to 10pm
Tel: 6734 2492
Website
Kazu Sumiyaki is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @yulifesingapore
If you’re in a mall and craving quality Japanese food but don’t want to settle for the usual handful of chain restaurants, then pay a visit to Tomi Sushi. They have several outlets islandwide, and 21 in Japan, operating since 1954.
While they are nigiri sushi specialists, we also recommend coming down for lunch so you can enjoy their affordable bento sets, priced around $20++ to $30++. Each contains the A-Zs of a meal, with appetisers, small bites, a main, and fresh fruit. The Nigiri Sakura ($32++) is one to try if you’d like a sampling selection of their best sushi, served with a side of tori karaage.
Website | Full list of locations
Tomi Sushi is not a halal-certified eatery.
Located in Tanjong Pagar, Sabar is Singapore’s only mackerel specialty restaurant, highlighting this popular Japanese seafood dish. They serve fatty toro saba, a premium version of mackerel that weighs up to 550g a fish.
You can expect a wide range of saba dishes here, starting with sushi, to the standard combination of grilled mackerel, rice, and miso soup. Apart from the classics, you also get interesting spins on saba at this restaurant, including a Saba Katsu Curry ($16.80++), mackerel Histumabushi ($25++), and Fish & Chips ($13.80++).
Address: 100 Tras Street, #03-14, 100AM, Singapore 079027
Opening hours: Daily 11:30am to 3:30pm, 5:30pm to 9:30pm
Tel: 6443 8827
Website
Sabar is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @hungryybearr
En Sushi is a multi-award-winning contemporary Japanese restaurant in Bras Basah that has a menu chock full of dishes. There is every category here, from handrolls to hot don bowls, and price points are friendly, with most dishes going below $30++. If you’re overwhelmed by choices, their Chirashi Don ($26.40++) is a good place to start, as each bowl comes with fresh, thick slices of fish atop well-seasoned pearl rice.
They also have a wallet-friendly omakase option here too, starting from five courses. Price differs according to the produce available.
Address: 12 Middle Road, #01-00B Midland House, Singapore 188970
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 11:30am to 3pm, 6pm to 10pm, Fri-Sun 11:30am to 3pm, 5:30pm to 10pm
Tel: 6259 8548
Website
EN Sushi is not a halal-certified eatery.
Ganko Sushi hails from Osaka, where it was first established as a family-run restaurant in 1960. They have since expanded to Singapore with an outlet at Dhoby Ghaut, which doubles up as their first-ever Southeast Asian outlet.
The produce here is air-flown from Japan three times a week, so you’re really getting the freshest sashimi on your table. Experience this with their Sushi Platter ($50++), which comes with nine types of sushi, including uni, unagi, and ikura. They also have a wide variety of aburi items and ala carte dishes to go with their sushi. Try their Tempura Set ($28++), which comes with a mix of airy, crisp tempura items.
Read our Ganko Sushi review.
Address: 9 Penang Road, #01-01, Singapore 238459
Opening hours: Sun-Thurs 11:30am to 2:30pm, 5:30pm to 9:30pm, Fri-Sat 11:30am to 2:30pm, 5:30pm to 10pm
Tel: 8828 2280
Website
Ganko Sushi is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @tiffany.foodie_
Izakayas are another major pillar of Japanese dining culture. These watering holes are where people congregate after hours to unwind over simple, tasty fare, usually skewers and small bites, along with beers, sake, and a highball or two. Head down to The Public Izakaya to experience that on home soil.
We highly recommend getting the Okonomiyaki ($13++) to accompany your drinks, as this thick okonomiyaki is a tasty, savoury counterpoint to all that boozing. Each pancake comes with the usual suspects of cabbage and sprouts, but contains chewy squid and earthy soba noodles too. The Omakase Oden Set ($22++) is another one to try if you feel like comfort food. Each order comes with six oden pieces, and a simple, but soul-warming broth.
Website | Full list of locations
Public Izakaya is not a halal-certified eatery.
For DIY okonomiyaki, head down to Ajiya Okonomiyaki Restaurant. This Beauty World restaurant is small and cosy, with only eight tables, so be sure to head down early to nab a seat. You can choose the type of ingredients you want to go into your pancake, or choose from fixed combos, such as the Meat Lover ($16++), packed with pork belly, bacon, and cheese.
No visit is complete without an order of their Potato Cheese Mentai ($11++), a hotplate of grilled potatoes doused in torched mentaiko sauce, as well as shredded mozzarella.
Read our Ajiya Okonomiyaki Restaurant review.
Address: 104 Jalan Jurong Kechil, Singapore 598603
Opening hours: Tue-Fri 12pm to 2:15pm, 5:30pm to 9:15pm, Sat-Sun 12pm to 2:15pm, 5pm to 9:15pm
Tel: 6463 3461
Website
Ajiya is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @singapore.solofoodies
Another big component of Japanese dining is youshoku fare, or Western-Japanese cuisine. Tonkatsu by Ma Maison is one of the best Japanese restaurants for youshouku dining, especially if you’re looking for tonkatsu. The eatery has been open for 37 years now, serving up over 20 different types of katsu dishes.
Prices differ depending on the outlet you visit, but you can expect most of their offerings to be priced under $20++. Look forward to their Tonkatsu Omurice sets, Katsu Curry, and even Katsu Sandos.
Website | Full list of locations
Tonkatsu by Ma Maison is not a halal-certified eatery.
Popular chirashi chain Omote is well-known for their affordable Japanese food overall. Most of the menu costs under $30, spanning appetisers to generously portioned mains. We are big fans of their famed Tamago Mentai Chirashi, served with chunks of raw and lightly torched fish, as well as tamago dressed with seared licks of mentai mayonnaise. If you order a main and you’re feeling extra peckish, Omote now has a Power Up add-on, which lets you add 10 different side dishes, including a dessert, to your main.
Read our Omote review.
Address: 252 North Bridge Road, #B1-44C Raffles City Shopping Centre, Singapore 179103
Opening hours: Wed-Sunday 11:30am to 2pm, 5:30pm to 9pm, Mon 11:30am to 2pm
Tel: 9450 1020
Website
Omote is not a halal-certified eatery.
Alexandra Central Mall might be the last place one expects to find some of the best Japanese food in Singapore, but Minami Maki proves us wrong. The humble Japanese eatery on the second floor of the mall offers unique maki rolls, such as their Signature 1 ($14.80), rolled with tempura prawns, avocado, and crab stick. They also have a Bara Chirashi bowl that’s just $12.80, topped with fresh, seasonal fish. Everything here is simply done, but executed well, and wallet-friendly to boot.
Read our Minami Maki review.
Address: 321 Alexandra Road, #02-43 Alexandra Central, Singapore 159971
Opening hours: Tue-Fri 11:30am to 2:30pm, 6pm to 9pm, Sat-Sun 12pm to 3pm, 6pm to 9pm
Tel: 9366 8199
Website
Minami Maki is not a halal-certified eatery.
For many a student, Sunshine Plaza brings about memories of printing stores and school assignments. It also happens to be home to Ichi Tei, a hidden gem Japanese restaurant that has been around for over a decade now. The casual Japanese eatery offers most of its dishes under $20, but quality is never sacrificed. Their Emperor Unagi Tamogoyaki Kani Don ($22), for example, sees a comforting bowl of rice served along with a full fillet of unagi, grilled in a sticky-sweet tare. For something more premium, get their Emperor Chirashi Don ($25), a loaded donburi bowl full of fresh sashimi.
Read our Ichi Tei review.
Address: 91 Bencoolen Street, #01-51, Sunshine Plaza, Singapore 189652
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 11:45am to 7:45pm
Website
Ichi Tei is not a halal-certified eatery.
Here is a comprehensive list of the best Japanese restaurants in Singapore to dine at the next time you want to head out for a good meal.
If you’ve still got an appetite for other types of Japanese dishes, then check out our soba restaurants guide, our list of the best ramen in Singapore, the best teppanyaki restaurants, and our yakiniku restaurants guide.
Featured image adapted from @fatty,png, and @gnimochi.
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