11 Best Restaurants in Singapore

Sunset Way is a residential area in Clementi and home to some of the West’s best-kept secrets, including this restaurant popular with fans who travel across the island to bag a table at this pioneering seafood spot. Seafood prices are based on market price, and there’s a huge à la carte menu of local classic dishes, such as seafood hor fun (thick rice noodles) and kong bak pau (braised pork buns). The kitchen is famed for its crab in golden sauce, made with pumpkin and chilli padi. Order with mantou (fried buns) to mop up the golden gravy. The restaurant was one of the first in Singapore to allow diners to pick their meal from the large tanks that display the day’s catch, and that process continues today.

This atmospheric East Coast Seafood Centre staple is the perfect place to crack into a chilli or black pepper Sri Lankan crab, a glorious, delicious mess of a dish that's a true Singaporean specialty—be sure to order it with sides of fried buns to sop up the sauce. Prices are by the kilogram; some crabs are large enough to feed up to four people, but smaller ones for two are also available.

Cracking into a black-pepper or chilli crab is one of those signature Singapore dining experiences, and there are few places that do it better than Long Beach. There are four restaurant locations across Singapore, including the main branch on the East Coast, near where it first opened in 1946, but this Dempsey Hill branch stands out for its convenience and outdoor seating deck (plus you can stop for a pre-dinner pint or two of tasty microbrews at the nearby RedDot Brewhouse). Long Beach has other seafood specialties, including golden-stripe lobster and steamed razor clams with garlic, but the crab is the thing to go for—you won't be sorry, especially if you order it with fried mantou buns to sop up the sauce.

It may be rough around the edges, it's in the red-light district of Geylang, and the cost of a full meal would make some fine-dining establishments blush, but there's good reason why the late food magnate Anthony Bourdain named Sin Huat one of the "10 places to eat before you die." Chef Danny's rich, gooey, briny, magnificent crab (or prawn) bee hoon (vermicelli-like rice noodles) is a stunning dish. Pair it with on-the-shell scallops slathered in black bean sauce and a plate of kailan (fresh greens) with garlic for a meal to remember.

This neighborhood favorite may be in a quiet residential area, but it’s almost always packed at night. As you may expect, fish is the order of the day, with an all-encompassing menu that ranges from freshly-sliced sashimi to whole dover sole. The wine list is well-curated, and servers are happy to recommend a good pairing. Signature lobster bisque is a must to start.

Jumbo more than makes up for its lack of polish through competitive prices on some of the best fresh seafood on the island. This East Coast Seafood Centre staple is the perfect place to crack into a chili or black-pepper Sri Lankan crab, a glorious, delicious mess of a dish that's a true Singaporean specialty—be sure to order it with sides of fried buns to sop up the sauce. Prices are by the kilogram; some crabs are large enough to feed up to four people, but smaller ones for two are also available. Jumbo's spacious outdoor seating area is ideal for families. Jumbo's has several other branches, including one at Blk 11 #01-16 Dempsey Road.

This bright spot by the river at Robertson Quay offers outdoor tables and a large menu of seafood and other Chinese dishes. The signatures here are the iconic Singaporean dishes of chilli crab and black pepper crab, which the restaurant invented in the 1950s. Make sure to order a portion of mantou (fried buns) to mop up the addictive sauce. Aside from the à la carte menus, the restaurant has different set menus that are a good way to taste a range of local dishes, including razor clams, prawns, and duck.

This seaside branch of one of Singapore’s most long-standing seafood restaurant chains lets you pick your own fish, crab, lobsters, and more from tanks, then have it cooked the way you like. Whatever you choose, don’t miss the black pepper crabs; Long Beach is the creator of the now-iconic Singaporean dish, and its version is still tops.

In a quiet, unpretentious building in Gillman Barracks, this seafood lover’s delight focuses on simple preparations of fresh fish centered around the day’s catch. The menu is ever-evolving, and though there are nods to local flavors (like spicy sambal sauces), the fish is always the star of the show. Japanese influences come through in some of the high-quality seafood and the well-curated wine and sake list.

A lively seafood specialist opposite Qi Tian Gong Temple, Ting Heng’s outdoor tables fill up quickly in the evening with locals indulging in the signature fish head steamboat (hot pot). The menu also offers a range of local delicacies, including bamboo clams, salt-baked chicken, and an extensive menu of rice and noodle dishes.

A step above the island's more rough-and-ready seafood centers, Tung Lok Seafood lets you feast on daily catches that include everything from Alaskan king crab to Australian barramundi and lobster, or follow the locals' lead and grab a cracker to break into a succulent chili or black-pepper crab. Wasabi-mayo prawns, another of Tunk Lok's signature dishes, are highly recommended. A buffet with more than 50 items is served daily for dinner, as well as for lunch on the weekend.