Where to eat in Chinatown Singapore? — 10+ best places & best restaurants in Chinatown Singapore

August 15, 2023

Whether you’re new to Singapore or curious about one of the city’s oldest and thriving neighborhoods, you have to check out Chinatown, especially its delectable food. So, where to eat in Chinatown Singapore and what to eat in Chinatown? Let’s check out our top rated 10+ best places to eat in Chinatown Singapore and best restaurants in Chinatown Singapore (Chinatown Singapore best restaurants) as well as best food in Chinatown Singapore as follows!

| best restaurants in chinatown singapore

Chinatown is the most popular neighborhood in Singapore, with distinctive traditional features such as heritage shophouses, lining the winding roads while traditional lanterns zigzag above the streets. Around every corner, the sounds of sizzling woks and smells of fresh ingredients fill the air, tempting you for a taste. Buckle up for our complete guide to Chinatown, here are the 10 best restaurants in the precinct.

Maxwell Food Center (# best restaurants in chinatown singapore)

Address: 1 Kadayanallur Street, Chinatown, Singapore
Hours: 8:00 am–2:00 am daily
Phone: +65 6225 5632

One of the oldest hawker centers in Singapore, Maxwell Food Center is located on the corner between South Bridge Road and Maxwell Road. The center comprises over 100 food stalls, ranging from some Chinatown noodle restaurants to popular dim sum makers, which often make the tourists scratch their heads as to which dish they should try.

Tian Tian Hainanese chicken rice, the national dish of Singapore | best restaurants in chinatown singapore

The area attracts countless locals and visitors who flock here daily for some of the best, tastiest hawker food in town, such as chicken rice, tapioca pastries, fried meat, and congee pork. The Tian Tian Chicken Rice is fragrant, and the chicken is succulent. They are the most popular chicken rice stall in Singapore known to locals and tourists. If you come here during lunch and dinner time, you may have to wait in long lines to buy food, so try to go outside of peak hours if you can.

Burnt Ends (# where to eat in chinatown singapore)

Address: 20 Teck Lim Road, Singapore 088391, Singapore
Hours: 6:00 pm–12:00 am from Tuesdays–Thursdays, 11:45 am–2:00 pm from Fridays–Saturdays, closed on Sundays and Mondays
Phone: +65 6224 3933

Burnt Ends is a modern Australian-style barbecue restaurant, situated within a cute little shop house along Teck Lim Road. This Michelin-star eatery also happens to be the only establishment in Singapore to make it into the exclusive World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2018 list. Everyone comes here for Burnt Ends’ impossibly delicious Sanger Burger, flavourful moist slow-cooked pulled pork, crunchy coleslaw, and layers of melted cheese stuffed between fluffy brioche buns.

A fork-tender grilled version of a short-rib steak | best restaurants in chinatown singapore

The burger with well-spiced flavors, cheddar, and slaw piquancy from its succulent pulled pork core | best restaurants in chinatown singapore

With a focus on cooking only the best market fresh produce-the menus at Burnt Ends are composed daily-inclusive of signature and popular dishes that generally remain available daily | best restaurants in chinatown singapore

This life-changing pork burger is seriously worth the average three-month waiting list. From their specialty, the pork burger to some succulent grilled fish, the place boasts a wide collection of scrumptious delicacies.

A modern Australian barbeque offering casual dining with seating at a countertop table looking directly into the open kitchen | best restaurants in chinatown singapore

Every evening, the Burnt Ends restaurant is regularly packed with crowds. In the middle of this restaurant, there is a large two-door oven that burns apples and almond wood, creating a warm atmosphere for the restaurant.

L’Entrecote

Address: 36 Duxton Hill, Singapore
Hours: 12:00 pm–3:00 pm, 5:00 pm–10:0 pm from Mondays–Fridays and Sundays; 5:30 pm–11:00 pm on Saturdays
Phone: +65 6690 7561

If you love steak and fritters by Parisian standards, then L’Entrecote is a great choice. Housed in a small boutique, this restaurant has a bistro-style with gray polished floors along one side. L’Entrecote focuses on the best steak doused in legendary vinaigrette sauce, with unlimited crispy, golden fries, and accompanied by our fresh green salad with mustard dressing and walnuts. This Tajima Wagyu Rump steak is made with a rich, rich beef tenderloin that melts in your mouth like high-quality Wagyu beef.

Duck foie gras | where to eat in chinatown singapore

Dark chocolate mousse | where to eat in chinatown singapore

The rest of the menu is also full of French dishes including foie gras, snails, and a great dark chocolate mousse to round off the meal. Pair your steak with a glass or bottle from the Signature Collection of wines, exclusive to L’Entrecôte The Steak and Fries Bistro. You can make reservations by phone call or online in advance for your perfect meals.

Chinatown Food Street (Smith Street)

Address: 335 Smith Street, Chinatown, Singapore
Hours: 11:00 am–10:00 pm daily
Phone: +65 8686 6913

After a revamp, the iconic Chinatown Food Street reopened to the public in 2014. The 100-meter-long street features an impressive internal spot cooling system and a tall glass shelter – so that patrons can dine al fresco rain or shine. The variety of food offered at these 24 hawker stalls is as diverse as Singapore’s population. Look forward to freshly grilled satay skewers, fragrant char kway teow, crispy roti pratas, dried chili frog porridge, and more.

Chinatown Food Street-best-place-to-enjoy-food-in-singapore5 — | where to eat in chinatown singapore

Frog Porridge | where to eat in chinatown singapore

Roasted duck and pork noodles | where to eat in chinatown singapore

Along with Maxwell Road Food Centre, Chinatown food street is also very welcome by locals and tourists who love street food. Closed to traffic at dusk, Smith Street is loud and crowded with diners who visit for dinner, right on small plastic chairs at the diner lining the road. Under the lights of Chinese lanterns and iridescent neon lights, you will easily find and choose your favorite dishes on the popular street.

Some hawker stalls on Chinatown food streets made history to be awarded a Michelin star | where to eat in chinatown singapore

The revamped Food Street has more than 20 hawker stalls and six shophouse restaurants operating under a new glass shelter with unique fans to keep the atmosphere cool. There’s plenty to choose from from fresh seafood, fried noodles, deep-fried duck, and steamed dim sum.

Ya Kun Kaya Toast (# best places to eat in chinatown singapore)

Address: 18 China Street, Far East Square #01-01, Singapore
Hours: 7:30 am–6:30 pm from Mondays–Fridays, 8:30 am–5:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays
Phone: +65 6438 3638

Started its business in the 1920s, Ya Kun Kaya Toast is one of the richest history and most popular kaya toast chains in Singapore with more than 40 outlets across the country. A typical breakfast set consists of thick toast with kaya jam (a mixture of sugar, coconut milk, and butter) some soft-boiled eggs, and a hot drink of coffee or tea, all of which will give you energy and inspiration to start the day.

A semi-open kitchen looks quite retro | best places to eat in chinatown singapore

The set meal including crispy toast comes with soft-boiled eggs | best places to eat in chinatown singapore

Yixing Xuan Teahouse

Address: 78 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore
Hours: 10:00 am–8:00 pm Mondays–Thursdays, 10:00 am – 9.30 pm Fridays–Saturdays, 10:00 am–7:00 pm Sunday & PH
Phone: +65 6224 6961

Yixing Xuan Teahouse is located behind a picturesque old-fashioned shop in the heart of Chinatown, where some of China’s finest tea tasting and evaluation classes are available for those who want to learn and experience. Experience the art of Chinese tea. The staff will greet you and will enthusiastically introduce you to a deeper understanding of the history and culture of Chinese tea drinking and its rituals.

Learn the history and culture of tea as you are taught how to traditionally brew the delicious drink | best places to eat in chinatown singapore

The small restaurant along the teahouse produces excellent dim sum and a rich array of Chinese dishes including the extraordinary chicken tea leaf. Be sure to sample their homemade tea, titled “Beauty of the East” which is refreshing and soothing. You can also admire pictures of Queen Elizabeth while dining. She stopped here in 1991 during a state visit to Singapore.

Yum Cha (# chinatown singapore best restaurants)

Address: 20 Trengganu Street Off, Temple St, #02-01, Singapore
Hours: 10:30 am–10:00 pm from Tuesdays–Fridays, 9:00 am–10:00 pm from Saturdays and Sundays
Phone: +65 6372 1717

Yum Cha Chinatown is one of the rare few places in Singapore where diners can order dim sum in a shophouse setting with marble tables and wooden chairs for a nostalgic feel. Away from the hustle and bustle of city life, Yum Cha Restaurants offer a unique dim sum dining experience, be it for lunch or dinner.

A fill of the usual suspects like spring rolls, wonton, dumplings, congee, and egg tarts, as well as modern creations such as mango prawn sesame fritters and squid ink dumplings | chinatown singapore best restaurants

Stir-Fried Mee Sua with Assorted Seafood | chinatown singapore best restaurants

Braised Yum Cha hot pot | chinatown singapore best restaurants

The restaurant’s traditional ambiance is reminiscent of Hong Kong’s local eateries. Do not leave Yum Cha Chinatown until you have tried their steamed pork dumplings. Also known as xiao long bao, these delicate dumplings filled with soup are served steaming hot in a bamboo basket. Their best-selling custard buns filled with salted egg yolk are another must-try dim sum here. Besides xiao long bao, you can also order fried beef noodles, champagne pork ribs, spicy lamb, and other specials. Yum Cha, which means drink tea, is a great place to experience the culinary essence of Chinatown.

Tiong Bahru Market

Address: 30 Seng Poh Road, Singapore
Hours: 11:00 am–10:00 pm daily
Phone: +65 8686 6913

Tiong Bahru Market is one of the best hawker centers in Singapore for breakfast and lunch. Sandwiches, dumplings and some snacks, and a cup of coffee are quite common for breakfast here.

The beef patty, topped with more shredded cheese, was quite the tasty combination

There are over 100 stalls selling different kinds of food, so you will definitely be able to find something that you like

If you want a more hearty meal at Tiong Bahru Market, you need to wait until lunchtime to enjoy the best here. The popular specialty of Tiong Bahru is mainly meat. From roasted duck, pork ribs with noodles, boiled pork leg or Hainanese chicken and rice are all extremely attractive.

Tippling Club

Address: 38 Tg Pagar Road, Singapore
Hours: 12:00 pm–12:00 am, closed on Wednesdays and Sundays
Phone: +65 6475 2217

Tippling Club is an attractive restaurant and cocktail bar that transports you into a wonderful world with a traditional exterior consisting of three shophouses and a quirky interior design. Stepping into the restaurant, you will be transported to another world with glass bottles hanging from the shimmering ceiling giving the feeling a bit like Alice in Wonderland. There’s plenty of comfortable bistro-style seating around the bar, and behind the bar is one of the city’s top mixologists. This may be one of the oldest cocktail bars in Singapore, but innovation and modernist techniques are the names of the game here, with sustainability also a priority.

The high-quality cocktails are certainly more than just Instagram-worthy | chinatown singapore best restaurants

Tippling Club continues to pair its award-winning cuisine with world-class cocktails, pushing the extremes of ingredients and textures to create an ever-evolving dining experience!

Latteria Mozzarella Bar

Address: 40 Duxton Hill, Singapore
Hours: 12:00 pm–2:30 pm, 6:00 pm–10:30 pm daily
Phone: +65 6025 6025

Located in a historic shophouse, a cozy indoor restaurant comes with a lush alfresco terrace that provides an idyllic setting, perfect for a memorable family-style dining experience.

Latteria Mozzarella Bar offers the freshest Mozzarella and Burrata cheeses interpreted in various ways, as well as extensive traditional Italian cuisine boasting 11 favorite soft cheeses in all different shapes and sizes. Cheese is also incorporated into the delightful Mediterranean menu, especially in eye-catching pizzas in a variety of flavors.

The menu includes Southern-style dishes, including homemade gnocchi with fresh pesto and boiled calamari salad, but the highlight is the dish that bears the name of the restaurant, the creamy mozzarella that gives you a wonderfully delicate taste.

Chinatown is a melting pot of diverse ethnicities and a great way to get familiar with Singapore’s vibrant food landscape. It is also a treasury of the best restaurants including street vendors and even high-class ones, they leave you with so many options to make the most of your vacation in Singapore, Chinatown has it all. Whether it is affordability, taste, or quality, Chinatown restaurants take care of every aspect.

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