What to Eat in Singapore: A Food Guide

What to eat in Singapore

• Hainanese chicken rice

  The national dish — Tian Tian (Maxwell) and Boon Tong Kee are the classics.

• Chilli crab & black-pepper crab

  Jumbo Seafood and Long Beach are the tourist icons; No Signboard is local favourite.

• Laksa & char kway teow

  Katong Laksa and Outram Park CKT are two-buck bowls worth queuing for.

• Kaya toast & kopi

  Ya Kun and Killiney kopitiams — colonial-era breakfast institutions.

What to drink

Tap water is safe and excellent. Tiger and Singapore Sling are the local classics; craft cocktail bars at Atlas and 28 HongKong Street rank in Asia's 50 Best.

Dining etiquette and practicalities

• Return your tray at hawker centres — enforced since 2021.

• Tipping is not customary; a 10% service charge is often added.

• Do not eat, drink or chew gum on the MRT — fines are enforced.

Where to eat in Singapore

• Marina Bay

  Iconic skyline — Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay, ArtScience Museum. Best for first-time luxury.

• Chinatown / Tanjong Pagar

  Heritage shophouses, Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, Maxwell hawker centre, boutique heritage hotels.

• Orchard Road

  Central shopping strip — every major mall, luxury hotels and cheap hawker underground.

• Sentosa

  Beach resort island — Universal Studios, S.E.A. Aquarium, Palawan Beach. Best for families.