Where to eat in Singapore?

As Singapore is very diverse in terms of culture, it is just equally diverse in terms of food. You can find any cuisine you want and it will be delicious. As always there are some spots that are too touristic which aren’t necessarily the best which is why I want to recommend some of my favourites that I go to every single time I come (and I also discovered them because of my local friends)

Of course there are a lot of Asian restaurants and I myself also mostly eat Asian here.

There is one restaurant in particular that has a very local atmosphere and a colonial style which is “Chopsuey”. It mainly has Chinese dishes but also serves some signature Singaporean dishes like the chilli crab with rice buns (a must try there) and the Singapore fried noodles. I always go with my family the day I arrive because it is a very casual but delicious restaurant located at Dempsey Hill which is a very calm and friendly area in Singapore with plenty of restaurants.

Another restaurant from this chain which is the perfect lunch place and it has more than 10 outlets is PS CAFE and it also serves a lot of local Singaporean dishes but also some healthy European ones. My favorite is the thai chicken and basil bowl and the Laksa which is a signature soup here that is quite spicy and has noodles and prawns. This restaurant is a great place to go to in between excursions or tours also because you will find one somewhere next to you.

Again from this chain… is a Japanese restaurant with a beautiful view of Marina Bay Sands and the whole bay called “Jypsy”. I suggest to go for dinner because it is at the bay walk and there is a very nice lively outdoors atmosphere in the evening time. The menu is quite big and has many twists to the traditional Japanese cuisine. My favorites are the cabbage salad, tomato salad, oyster shots (the only place I have seen that does these), salmon seaweed tacos, and beef sliders. Honestly, I tried almost the whole menu and everything is delicious. I highly recommend to come here for dinner and then have a walk around the marina and even go to the Gardens by the Bay because it is pretty close and the perfect place for a post dinner evening walk.

If you want some traditional Chinese I recommend going to Imperial Treasure which has multiple locations and serves a huge variety of traditional Chinese dishes including fried vegetables, abalone, peking duck, and many other dishes.

As I mentioned previously, Singapore has many different cuisines and that includes very good South American restaurants. One of my favorites is Lucha Loco which is a very lively and casual Mexican restaurant with the best quesadillas I have ever tried. I recommend getting tacos, quesadillas and the chicken to share. I have never been to Mexico so it is hard to compare but I have been to a lot of Mexican restaurants around this world and this one has the best food and cultural atmosphere.

A lot of local Singaporean cuisine consists of seafood and fish because of its geographic position and one of their famous national dishes are crabs which come mainly in two sauces: the black pepper and the chilli pepper sauce. My family always divides in those that prefer black pepper and those that prefer chilli, it’s never both. I recommend trying both for the first time because they are so different and so delicious. You can find them in a lot of places around Singapore but one place I always go to if I am craving crabs is Jumbo Seafood. This restaurant has more than 10 locations and they are all so so different. Some are located in malls so they are very modern, others around the river valley which have plastic chairs and huge queues. The first time I went was to the Riverside one and it was a very simple restaurant but the food was to die for. I think this specific location brings out a very authentic experience of Singapore.

The supermarkets in Singapore are like a museum because they have so many interesting products that aren’t available in other countries. It is definitely a place I recommend going to just to see the differences between your local supermarket and Singaporean ones (specifically the one in Takashimaya). Takashimaya is a shopping mall which has a food court and there you can find anything you want, from sushi to bubble tea and so many other things. I always go to eat sushi there directly from the supermarket because I know it is the freshest and best quality always. You can eat right inside the store but there are only 8 seats and it is first come first serve but it is worth trying. There are so many kinds of fish, seafood and types of sushi which is the perfect place to try out everything and have a quick lunch or dinner.

Last but not least is Hawker Centre which a lot of people might have heard of and seen in movies like “Crazy Rich Asians” (which is a movie I totally recommend watching because it is very fun and captures Singapore’s beauty). Hawker centres are like huge food courts with many different stalls of food and a general area to sit in, and they are usually located outdoors. One of the most popular ones is the Maxwell one which has many different kinds of Asian food. I definitely recommend going to a hawker centre at least once even if it is very crowded on weekends.