13 Best Restaurants in Chinatown Singapore

One of the oldest hawker centres in Singapore, Maxwell Road Food Centre stands at the corner of South Bridge Road and Maxwell Road. Picking a dish here can be difficult; there are over 100 stalls and everything looks so tempting, so turn up hungry!

The locals flock here for some of the best hawker food in town, such as chicken rice, tapioca pastries, meat fritters and pork porridge. Gordon Ramsey raves about Tian Tian Chicken Rice, which is said to be one of the best versions of this Hainanese favourite in the city. Lunchtime can be intimidating with long queues for food, so arrive outside peak hours if you can.

Australian barbeque joint Burnt Ends is an unusual concept in Singapore. For this reason, alongside their delicious food, Burnt Ends packs in the crowds almost every night. At the centre of this restaurant is a large double-door oven that burns apple and almond wood, adding a smoky flavour.

If you’re coming in a group with less than 6 people you can sit on the long counter, a front-seat view of the action. There’s everything from pulled-pork burgers to a whole char-grilled redfish, and even a smoked ice-cream for dessert. They don’t encourage bookings so you might have to wait, but if you’re a meat lover then it’s really worth it.

If you fancy steak and fries the Parisian way then L'Entrecôte is a great choice. Located in a small shop house, the thin restaurant has a bistro feel to it with grey polished floors and a line of tables and chairs along one side.

The steak and fries come with a traditional walnut salad, but the rest of the menu is also full of time-honoured French dishes including foie gras, snails and a fabulous dark chocolate mousse to finish the meal. You can make reservations by calling the restaurant directly, sending them an email, or through third party reservations platforms.

Closed to traffic at dusk, Smith Street takes on a gregarious personality to the delight of visitors. Traditional Chinese lanterns the streets, and the busy area has a genuine buzz to it thanks to the crowds who come for supper, sitting on the small plastic stools that line the road.

Navigate your way through more than a dozen stalls under iridescent neon lights and take your pick of popular street favourites. There’s plenty to pick from fresh seafood, wok-fried noodles, crispy duck and steamed dim sum. Not only is the food extremely tasty but the prices are extremely affordable (starting at S$3 a dish), so you can try a bit of everything.

Kaya Toast cafés are a mainstay of the Singapore local dining scene and serve one of the most popular breakfasts in this thriving city-state. A typical serving consists of thick toast with kaya jam (a mix of sugar, coconut milk and butter) liberally applied, with some soft-boiled eggs on the side, which you are expected to crack into a bowl and then dunk the toast into.

Ya Kun Kaya Toast is a popular franchise in Singapore, but at this China Street branch, you’ll most likely be surrounded by old aunties and uncles getting their morning fix of kaya toast and strong tea or coffee.

Yixing Xuan Teahouse sits behind one of the picturesque old-fashioned shop-house fronts in the heart of Chinatown, offering some of the finest Chinese tea and appreciation classes to those who want a taste of days gone by. Staff members are welcoming and will give you a much deeper understanding of the history and culture of tea drinking and its ceremonies.

The small restaurant alongside the tea room makes great dim sum and a decent variety of Chinese dishes including the extraordinary tealeaf chicken – a great way of turning their highlight. Be sure to try their house tea, ‘Beauty of the East’ which is fresh and light. You can also admire pictures of Queen Elizabeth whilst you dine. She made a stop here in 1991 on her state visit.

An unpretentious eatery, Jing Hua Xiao Chi is the place to go to for noodles and dumplings at down-to-earth prices.

A short menu but oozing with delicious dishes of which the highlights are xiao long bao (steam dumplings with soup), gyoza, and red bean paste pancake. Dumplings are made from scratch and service can be surly but efficient.

For all-day dining in the heart of Chinatown, Yum Cha is the place to go. On the second level of an old shophouse, Yum Cha, which means ‘drink tea’, is the quintessential experience for a Chinatown dining experience.

Besides the fried beef noodles, champagne pork ribs, spicy lamb rack and other specials, it is known for its dim sum dishes which are also offered in a daily high tea buffet.

Tiong Bahru Market is famous for being one of the best hawker centres in Singapore for breakfast and brunch. Some of the stalls here open as early as 7am and close quite early too, meaning it’s the ideal spot for your first meal of the day.

That said, you might want to wait until lunch time to indulge in the best of what Tiong Bahru has to offer as it’s mostly meat based. Go for the roasted duck, pork ribs with noodles, boiled pork leg or stick with a simple Hainanese chicken over rice and you can’t go wrong. Prices are cheap too, with basic noodle and rice dishes starting from S$S3.00.

The rebirth of Duxton Hill has created a new foodie street in Chinatown. New restaurants have opened in quaint shop houses and cool bars keep springing up in a neighbourhood whose reputation used to be far from squeaky clean. It’s now a real pleasure to walk around Duxton Hill, down tree-lined lanes where you will also find independent boutiques and quirky cafes.

Despite being so popular, it really has a village feel to it and makes a great place for a night out. Head up the hill to the end of the road, this area is cobbled and car-free. The restaurants here include an Italian trattoria, seafood specialist and French steakhouse, and have outdoor seating.