11 Best Restaurants in Bugis and Kampong Glam

Although now boasting several other branches across Singapore, Bumbu’s original location on Kandahar Street in the middle of Kampong Glam remains the best. Quite stunning from both outside and in, Bumbu’s design team seem to have followed the same route as their Thai-Indonesian menu, with royal Siamese teak furnishings mixed in with classic colonial Indonesian artwork and antiques.

Bumbu is a no fusion restaurant though, with both their Thai and Indonesian dishes being kept more or less apart from one another. For Thai, try the chicken and cashew nuts, tom yam soup, green chicken curry or mango salad. For Indonesian, go for the beef rendang or buah keluak chicken. Many dishes here come in at under S$10 – affordable for a lunch or dinner with friends.

For a little slice Germany right in the centre of Singapore, look no further than Stuttgart Blackforest Boutique S-Cafe. Walking distance from both Bugis and Bras Basah MRT Stations, this German cafe-cum-bistro serves up some feel-good German affair with an emphasis firmly on the meat, including juicy sausages, meatloaf, meat platters, and their centrepiece: pork knuckle served with sauerkraut and potato salad.

It’s not just the food the gives a tip-of-the-hat to Bavaria; Stuttgart Blackforest Boutique S-Cafe is decked out with some nice wooden touches giving it that ‘log cabin’ kind of feel, whilst staff are clad in traditional German attire. They also sell imported beer and cigars to take away – so it’s worth a visit even if you’re not dining.

Whilst Singapore is home to many glamorous Thai restaurants, there’s no better – or cheaper – place to taste the real thing than at the Golden Mile Complex, as long as you aren’t put off by the slightly worn-out surroundings. Often dubbed as ‘Little Thailand’, this collection of restaurants, grocery stores, bars, and Thai discos welcomes Singapore’s ever-expanding Thai community with open arms, as well as a splattering of locals, expats and tourists wanting to get in on the fun.

For the best tom yum goong, pad Thai, papaya salad or thick massaman curry around, head to Nana Thai or Dindin Leluk Thai Restaurant (both within the main Golden Mile Complex) or try the Golden Mile Food Centre located on the other side of the road.

Man Fu Yuan inside the Intercontinental Hotel is a long-running Cantonese restaurant, ranked amongst the best of its type in Singapore. A stop here wouldn’t be complete without sampling their dim sum, while their stir-fried scallops and ever so light lobster noodles hit the spot perfectly.

The surroundings are bright and fresh and considering you’re dining in a 5-star hotel restaurant, the prices at Man Fu Yuan aren’t too bad either. Check out the chef’s signature dishes such as the deep-fried lobster with egg floss, asparagus, and Asian cream sauce, or crab bisque with pumpkin and braised premium bird’s nest.

Flying the flag for Türkiye in what is Singapore’s main Arab enclave is Alaturka Restaurant, a compact little eatery tucked away down Bussorah Street. If you’re into your Turkish food, the size of the menu at Alaturka means that they’ll probably have what you’re looking for. Unlike some restaurants that boast thick menus, quality is definitely not sacrificed.

Most of the delicious appetisers here are vegetarian-friendly, with their falafel and flatbreads particularly outshining some of the meat options on the menu. As for mains, try their marinated lamb chops, succulent eggplant casserole or go for their selection of kebabs and you won’t leave disappointed.

Liang Seah Street is a quaint old Chinese road that has so many great ‘hotpot’ restaurants. At a hotpot restaurant, you usually pay a set price for a buffet which includes a range of fresh ingredients such as vegetables, meat, fish, seafood, eggs, etc. (although some will charge per dish). You’re then presented with a big bowl of boiling water to toss in your raw food to cook yourself.

You can also get pre-cooked noodles and rice as well as a range of Korean and Chinese sources to spice up your meal. The best of the bunch on Liang Seah Street includes Xian De Lai Shanghai, Tanyoto, and Ting Yuan Hotpot. Most charge S$20-40 for a set lunch or buffet.

The buffet at Park Royal’s impressive Ginger presents a quality selection of premium seafood, which comes both cold and raw or cooked and warm. Several live cooking stations dot the restaurants, with diners able to pick out their fish, crab, lobster or any other type of crustation that takes their fancy.

You can choose how you want your catch to be cooked and which sauces you want. Don’t forget to look out for Ginger's featured themed buffets, which in the past have included crab festivals as well as massive meat carveries.

Many cheap bars in Singapore are located in backpacker hostels, and Working Title in the Arab quarter is one of the coolest of the bunch. Big with local hipsters, fashion-conscious expats, and the budget backpackers staying in one of the rooms upstairs, this artsy cafe/bar specializes in two things: ales and coffee. Bottles of often difficult-to-find ales and ciders go for as little as S$7 and they have an ever-changing selection coming straight from a micro-brewery.

The food menu, just like the seating options, is sparse but interesting. You can get homemade pies, custom made sandwiches and a generous slice of their ultra-cheesy pizza all for around S$5. You can find Working Title on the middle of Kampong Glam’s busting Arab Street.