The 8 Best Restaurants in Chinatown (2026)

Updated November 2026 · 8 picks

The best restaurants in Chinatown in 2026 include Spring Court for classic Cantonese-style Chinese cooking in a 1929 family restaurant, Kok Sen for Keong Saik zi char, The Blue Ginger for Peranakan food, Cumi Bali for Indonesian grills, and Whole Earth for plant-based Peranakan-Thai.

Chinatown's restaurants stretch beyond the souvenir streets to Keong Saik Road, Tanjong Pagar Road, Tras Street, Club Street and Telok Ayer Street, all within a short walk of Chinatown or Tanjong Pagar MRT. This list is deliberately sit-down restaurants, from a long-running zi char kitchen and a Peranakan favourite to a Michelin-starred Korean tasting menu. For stall food, use our hawker centres guide (Chinatown Complex, Maxwell and Amoy Street are all nearby), and for splurges see fine dining and cocktail bars.

1. Spring Court — Chinatown (Upper Cross Street)

A fourth-generation Chinese restaurant in a four-storey heritage shophouse, founded in 1929.

$$$ Upmarket

Spring Court's own website describes it as Singapore's oldest Chinese restaurant, founded in 1929 by self-taught chef Ho Loke Yee, and now run by the fourth generation of the family. It occupies a four-storey shophouse with a lift, opposite the Chinatown Point carpark and a short walk from Chinatown MRT (exit E).

The menu is classic Singaporean-Chinese with Cantonese flavours: the site lists crispy roast pork belly, half roasted chicken and duck, yam ring with mixed vegetables and prawns, and steamed live soon hock among its signatures, plus handmade mooncakes in season. Promotions on the site change, so check prices when you book.

Good to know: At weekends and on public holidays it runs two seatings for lunch and dinner, so book ahead and keep to your slot.

52-56 Upper Cross Street, Singapore 058348

Google Maps Website

2. Kok Sen Restaurant — Keong Saik

Michelin-listed Cantonese zi char on Keong Saik Road, loved for its big prawn hor fun.

$$ Mid-range

Kok Sen is a long-running Cantonese zi char restaurant on Keong Saik Road that Eatbook says has operated for about five decades and has appeared in the Michelin Bib Gourmand. It reopened in late 2022 in air-conditioned premises just down the road from its old open-air home, which some regulars say lost a little old-school charm.

Eatbook's review points to the big prawns hor fun, the claypot yong tau foo and a weekend golden dragon chicken stuffed with prawn paste. Dishes are shared plates, and Eatbook's December 2022 listing put most between S$15 and S$57, so expect prices to have moved since.

Good to know: Come early or off-peak: queues are common, and the restaurant is closed on Mondays. It is not halal-certified.

2-4 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089112

Google Maps Website

3. The Blue Ginger — Tanjong Pagar

Peranakan sharing plates on three floors of a narrow Tanjong Pagar shophouse; a Michelin Bib Gourmand listing.

$$ Mid-range

The Blue Ginger serves Peranakan (Nyonya) food in a narrow house across three floors decorated with work by local artists. The Michelin Guide, which lists it as a Bib Gourmand restaurant, calls it one of the most popular little gems in Chinatown and says it has operated for over 20 years.

The restaurant's own site says it was inspired by the owners' memories of family feasts at their grandmother's home. The Michelin Guide names ngo hiang (five-spice meat rolls) and chendol among the dishes regulars return for, and portions are generous and made for sharing.

Good to know: Open daily for lunch and dinner. Book through its website for dinner, and order several dishes to share.

97 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088518

Google Maps Website

4. Cumi Bali Indonesian Restaurant — Tanjong Pagar (Tras Street)

Indonesian grills built around its namesake chargrilled squid; a Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient.

$$ Mid-range

Cumi Bali's website calls it a Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient and names the house favourite as the restaurant's namesake: lightly chargrilled squid. It also highlights ikan bakar (grilled fish topped with an 18-spice paste), Javanese-style sate madura served without peanut sauce, and cendol for dessert.

It has been on Tras Street since 2021, after earlier sites at Duxton Hill and Tanjong Pagar, according to Eatbook, and the shophouse is a short walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT.

Good to know: Open daily including public holidays, with lunch and dinner services. Its website does not state halal certification, so ask if that matters.

50 Tras Street, Singapore 078989

Google Maps Website

5. Whole Earth — Tanjong Pagar (Peck Seah Street)

Plant-based Peranakan-Thai cooking, open since 2003 and Bib Gourmand listed.

$$ Mid-range

Whole Earth is a Peranakan-Thai plant-based restaurant that its own site says opened in 2003. It describes itself as Singapore's first and only plant-based restaurant to be awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand since 2016.

Its listed signatures include the Penang rendang, Enchanted Forest, Sambal King, olive rice, crispy golden oats and XO rice. It sits in Heritage Court on Peck Seah Street.

Good to know: Open daily for lunch (last order 2.30pm) and dinner (last order 9pm); reserve by phone or on its website.

76 Peck Seah Street, Singapore 079331

Google Maps Website

6. Revolver — Tanjong Pagar (Tras Street)

A modern Indian open-fire grill on Tras Street, cooking over wood, smoke and tandoor.

$$$ Upmarket

Revolver describes itself as a bold open-fire grill restaurant that blends modern Indian cooking with international flavours, using a wood-fire grill, a smoker and a tandoor. It occupies a Tras Street shophouse and offers a tasting menu, a business lunch, Saturday brunch and an a la carte menu.

Michelin's Tanjong Pagar dining feature picked out its chicken curry and sardine puffs, though that article is from 2022 so ask about the current menu.

Good to know: Closed on Sundays; last orders are 2.30pm at lunch and 9.45pm at dinner. Book through its website.

56 Tras Street, Singapore 078995

Google Maps Website

7. Bochinche — Club Street

A modern Argentine steakhouse on Club Street cooking over a Jarrah wood-fired griller.

$$$ Upmarket

Bochinche is an Argentine steakhouse and bar on Club Street that serves tapas and premium steaks using traditional Argentinian flavours with contemporary techniques. Its website highlights steaks dry-aged for 35 days and Asado-style cooking over a Jarrah wood-fired griller.

Its site lists lunch every day (from noon on weekdays and 11.30am at weekends) and dinner Monday to Saturday, with Sunday dinner closed.

Good to know: Reserve on its website for dinner, especially on Fridays and Saturdays.

27 Club Street, Singapore 069413

Google Maps Website

8. Nae:um — Telok Ayer

A one-Michelin-star Korean contemporary tasting menu on Telok Ayer Street.

$$$$ Splurge

Nae:um shows a Michelin one-star badge on its website, and the Michelin Guide describes it as Korean contemporary cooking from chef Louis Han, with a seasonal, episodic menu drawing on Korean food culture and memories of home.

Its site lists dinner menus at S$288++ and lunch menus at S$198++ and S$288++ at the time of writing. Dinner seatings are at 6, 7 or 8pm Monday to Saturday, and lunch seatings run Thursday to Saturday. It is dine-in only.

Good to know: Bookings open online 60 days ahead and need a credit card; there is a S$150 per diner fee for no-shows and late cancellations (72 hours' notice needed).

161 Telok Ayer Street, Singapore 068615

Google Maps Website

Frequently asked questions

What is the best restaurant in Chinatown, Singapore?

It depends on the occasion. Spring Court (52-56 Upper Cross Street) is the heritage pick, with its own website describing it as Singapore's oldest Chinese restaurant, founded in 1929. Kok Sen on Keong Saik Road is the zi char favourite, The Blue Ginger and Cumi Bali are Michelin Bib Gourmand picks, and Nae:um on Telok Ayer Street holds a Michelin star.

Where can I eat Peranakan food in Chinatown?

The Blue Ginger at 97 Tanjong Pagar Road serves Peranakan (Nyonya) food across three floors of a narrow shophouse, and the Michelin Guide lists it as a Bib Gourmand restaurant. Whole Earth on Peck Seah Street cooks a plant-based Peranakan-Thai menu. For more Peranakan cooking beyond Chinatown, see our laksa guide for Katong.

Are there vegetarian or plant-based restaurants in Chinatown?

Yes. Whole Earth at 76 Peck Seah Street is a fully plant-based Peranakan-Thai restaurant that describes itself as Singapore's first and only plant-based restaurant to be awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand since 2016. Check with each restaurant before booking if you need a particular dietary requirement.

Do I need to book restaurants in Chinatown?

For Nae:um, Spring Court on weekends, Revolver and Bochinche, yes: all take reservations through their websites. Nae:um opens bookings 60 days ahead and asks for a credit card. Kok Sen, according to the Chinatown Singapore listing, takes reservations only for parties of six or more, and queues are common, so go early.

Is Chinatown food halal?

Mostly not. Many Chinatown restaurants serve pork, and most of the places here do not state halal certification. Check each restaurant's own site or call ahead, and look for the MUIS halal certificate on the premises if halal matters to you.

How much does dinner in Chinatown cost?

Roughly S$20 to S$40 a head at a zi char place such as Kok Sen when sharing dishes, around S$50 to S$100 at mid-range restaurants, and S$288++ per person for Nae:um's dinner menu as listed on its site at the time of writing. Prices change, and most restaurants add 10% service charge and GST.

1. Spring Court — Chinatown (Upper Cross Street)

2. Kok Sen Restaurant — Keong Saik

3. The Blue Ginger — Tanjong Pagar

4. Cumi Bali Indonesian Restaurant — Tanjong Pagar (Tras Street)

5. Whole Earth — Tanjong Pagar (Peck Seah Street)

6. Revolver — Tanjong Pagar (Tras Street)

7. Bochinche — Club Street

8. Nae:um — Telok Ayer

Frequently asked questions

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