The best Indian restaurants in Singapore in 2026 are Thevar for two-Michelin-star modern Indian cooking, Muthu's Curry and The Banana Leaf Apolo for fish head curry, Komala Vilas for South Indian vegetarian thali, Bismillah Biryani for dum biryani, and Lagnaa for curries at the spice level you choose.
Singapore's Indian food is mostly South Indian and Tamil, served on banana leaves with rice, curries and vegetables, alongside North Indian tandoor cooking, Hyderabadi biryani and a local invention, fish head curry. Little India around Race Course Road, Serangoon Road and Dunlop Street has the greatest concentration of restaurants, and most are affordable. Several close between lunch and dinner or take a weekly day off, so check before you go. Most of the picks below do not hold a MUIS halal certificate, though some are Muslim-owned or use halal suppliers, so check if it matters to you. For the neighbourhood, see our Little India restaurants guide.
Two-Michelin-star modern Indian cooking with European technique.
Chef Mano Thevar's restaurant reinterprets Indian and South-East Asian flavours with European technique as a tasting menu, and holds two Michelin stars. A shorter lunch menu runs on Fridays and Saturdays.
It is Singapore's top Indian fine-dining room, best for a celebration.
Good to know: It is closed on Sundays; book several weeks ahead.
16 Mohamed Sultan Rd, Singapore 238965
The fish head curry Singapore claims as its own, at a Bib Gourmand favourite.
Muthu's Curry on Race Course Road serves a spicy, tamarind-sharp fish head curry that has made it a Little India landmark and a Bib Gourmand pick, alongside chicken chukka and other South Indian dishes.
Come with a group and share a fish head with rice and vegetables. It is open daily from morning to late evening.
Good to know: A fish head feeds three or four; order vegetables and rice on the side.
#01-01, 138 Race Course Rd, Singapore 218591
Banana leaf meals and fish head curry since the 1970s.
Banana Leaf Apolo says it was founded in 1974 and moved to Race Course Road in 1983. Its signatures include fish head curry made to a family recipe, mutton biryani, tandoori chicken and vegetarian banana leaf meals.
It is the classic banana leaf experience for first-timers, a few doors from Muthu's for comparison.
Good to know: Order a banana leaf meal and add one meat or fish dish to share.
54 Race Course Rd, Singapore 218564
A vegetarian institution since 1947 for dosai and thali.
Komala Vilas describes itself as an authentic Indian vegetarian restaurant, established in 1947 and run by the founding family's third generation. It serves dosai, thali meals, idli, vadai and South Indian coffee.
It is one of the best-value meals in Singapore and a fine introduction to South Indian vegetarian food.
Good to know: Come for breakfast dosai and a filter coffee.
76-78 Serangoon Rd, Singapore 217981
Dum biryani sealed and slow-cooked, from a Bib Gourmand shop.
Bismillah Biryani calls itself a heritage restaurant serving dum biryani, where meat and rice are sealed together and cooked slowly, and it describes itself as Muslim-owned and a Bib Gourmand winner. Its menu runs from mutton and chicken biryani to lamb shank and chicken nihari.
The original Dunlop Street shop is the one to visit; there are other outlets in the CBD and at Gardens by the Bay.
Good to know: The Dunlop Street shop closes at about 8.30pm; go for lunch or an early dinner.
50 Dunlop St, Singapore 209379
North and South Indian curries at whatever spice level you dare.
Lagnaa lets you choose your heat on a scale of 1 to 10 and serves both North and South Indian dishes over three floors, with a curry tasting flight and sets for two. It has been a Bib Gourmand pick.
It suits mixed groups with different spice tolerances.
Good to know: It is closed on Mondays; start at level 3 or 4 if you are unsure about spice.
6 Upper Dickson Rd, Singapore 207466
Bengali and Punjabi cooking, rare in Singapore.
Mustard says it is Singapore's first and only Bengali and Punjabi restaurant, opened in 2005 by Chef Radhika Abbi. Michelin's guide recommends the maacher cutlet, a fried fish croquette with house-made mustard sauce.
It is a refreshing change from the South Indian restaurants around it.
Good to know: Order the fish dishes; they are what Bengali cooking is known for.
32 Race Course Rd, Singapore 218552
Banana leaf curries in a breezy Dempsey building since the 1960s.
Samy's Curry has served South Indian curries since the 1960s, with rice on banana leaves and dishes ladled from trays at the table. Fish head curry, masala chicken and Mysore mutton are the favourites.
It is the best-value sit-down meal at Dempsey Hill.
Good to know: It is closed on Tuesdays and shuts between lunch and dinner.
Blk 25 Dempsey Rd, Singapore 249670
A Chettinad specialist for fiery chicken 65 and mutton sukka.
Anjappar specialises in Chettinad cooking from Tamil Nadu, known for bold, peppery spice: chicken 65, mutton sukka varuval, dum biryani and masala dosa, at modest prices.
It suits diners who like their Indian food hot and want something beyond the usual curries.
Good to know: Its Changi Airport Terminal 1 branch is open 24 hours, handy for late flights.
76-78 Race Course Rd, Singapore 218575
Kerala cooking, from Malabar seafood to bamboo biryani.
Swaadhisht says it opened in 2005 as the first restaurant in Singapore serving Kerala cuisine. Its menu covers Malabar seafood, meat and vegetable curries, biryani cooked in bamboo, puttu and kappa.
It is a good place to discover the coconut-rich cooking of India's south-west coast.
Good to know: Try the special fish fry, one of the restaurant's own signatures.
47 Chander Rd, Singapore 219546
Muthu's Curry and The Banana Leaf Apolo, both on Race Course Road in Little India, are the two most famous, and Samy's Curry at Dempsey Hill serves a well-loved version on banana leaf. A fish head is large, so share it with rice and a vegetable side.
A South Indian meal served on a banana leaf instead of a plate: rice with several vegetable dishes, poppadoms and curry gravies, with meat or fish ordered on the side. Eat with your right hand if you like, and fold the leaf towards you when you are finished.
Some are and many are not. Most restaurants in this guide do not hold a MUIS halal certificate, though Bismillah Biryani describes itself as Muslim-owned and Muthu's Curry says it uses halal-supplier meat. For certified options in Little India, check the MUIS register; Sakunthala's Food Palace and Nandhana's are often named.
Thevar holds two Michelin stars, and Muthu's Curry, Bismillah Biryani and Lagnaa have been Bib Gourmand picks for good-value cooking.
Komala Vilas on Serangoon Road, open since 1947, serves dosai, thali and South Indian coffee, and most banana leaf restaurants offer a vegetarian meal. See our vegetarian restaurants guide for more.