The 9 Best Peranakan Restaurants in Singapore (2026)

Updated November 2026 · 9 picks

The best Peranakan restaurants in Singapore in 2026 are Candlenut and Pangium for Michelin-starred modern Peranakan cooking, True Blue Cuisine and The Blue Ginger for classic Nyonya dishes, Violet Oon's National Kitchen for a grand setting, and Guan Hoe Soon in Joo Chiat, which has served Peranakan food since 1953.

Peranakan, or Nyonya, cooking comes from the Straits Chinese families of Singapore and Malacca, mixing Chinese ingredients with Malay spices. Order ayam buah keluak (chicken braised with black keluak nuts), babi pongteh (pork braised with fermented beans), beef rendang, kueh pie tee and chap chye, and share everything. Many restaurants add a small per-person charge for rice and sambal, and most quote prices "++" (plus 10% service and 9% GST). For the neighbourhood with the most Peranakan heritage, see our Katong restaurants guide.

1. Candlenut — Dempsey Hill

Michelin-starred modern Peranakan cooking in the green of Dempsey.

$$$$ Splurge

Candlenut at COMO Dempsey is the restaurant that put modern Peranakan food on the fine-dining map, and it holds a Michelin star. Chef-owner Malcolm Lee's "ah-ma-kase" tasting menu works through the classics, refined but still bold, and a smaller à la carte menu lets you order the hits.

The buah keluak dishes are the reason to come, and the wagyu beef rendang is a regular favourite. It suits a celebration meal or a first serious taste of Nyonya cooking.

Good to know: Order à la carte at lunch for a lower bill than the tasting menu.

Block 17A Dempsey Rd, Singapore 249676

Google Maps Website

2. Pangium — Botanic Gardens

Malcolm Lee's second Michelin-starred kitchen, serving a Peranakan banquet in a garden bungalow.

$$$$ Splurge

Pangium sits in a colonial bungalow at the Gallop entrance of the Singapore Botanic Gardens and serves Peranakan cooking as set menus, including a tok panjang ("long table") feast. It has a wine cellar and a quieter, more formal mood than Candlenut.

It is the place for a long, special lunch or dinner, and it only seats guests within set arrival windows.

Good to know: Check opening days before you book; it serves only a few lunches and dinners a week.

11 Gallop Rd, Singapore Botanic Gardens, Singapore 259015

Google Maps Website

3. True Blue Cuisine — Armenian Street

Classic Nyonya dishes in a shophouse filled with Peranakan antiques.

$$$ Upmarket

True Blue Cuisine sits next to the Peranakan Museum on Armenian Street, in a shophouse dining room furnished with heirloom furniture, porcelain and beadwork. The cooking is traditional: ayam buah keluak, ayam pongteh and bakwan kepiting soup.

It has been a Bib Gourmand regular, and pairs naturally with a visit to the museum next door. It uses no pork or lard.

Good to know: It closes on Sundays and public holidays.

47/49 Armenian St, Singapore 179937

Google Maps Website

4. The Blue Ginger — Tanjong Pagar, Chinatown

A long-standing Bib Gourmand favourite in a Tanjong Pagar shophouse.

$$ Mid-range

The Blue Ginger serves home-style Peranakan dishes from a narrow shophouse on Tanjong Pagar Road, with a second outlet at Great World. Beef rendang, ngoh hiang, babi pongteh and Nyonya fish head curry are the orders.

Prices are fair for the quality, and it is an easy dinner before or after drinks in Tanjong Pagar.

Good to know: Expect a small per-person charge for rice, achar and sambal belachan.

97 Tanjong Pagar Rd, Singapore 088518

Google Maps Website

5. National Kitchen by Violet Oon — Civic District, Marina Bay

Singapore and Nyonya classics in a grand room inside the National Gallery.

$$$ Upmarket

Violet Oon, a food writer turned restaurateur, runs three restaurants, and National Kitchen in the National Gallery is the most impressive room. The menu mixes Nyonya dishes such as ayam buah keluak and kueh pie tee with Singapore favourites like dry laksa and beef rendang.

It is a good choice after a gallery visit, and its weekend high tea is popular. The Dempsey and ION Orchard outlets serve similar menus.

Good to know: High tea at National Kitchen runs Friday to Sunday only; book ahead.

#02-01 National Gallery Singapore, 1 St Andrew's Rd, Singapore 178957

Google Maps Website

6. Guan Hoe Soon — Joo Chiat, Katong

Peranakan food in Joo Chiat since 1953, at neighbourhood prices.

$$ Mid-range

Guan Hoe Soon says it has served Peranakan food since 1953, which makes it one of the oldest Nyonya restaurants in Singapore, now on Joo Chiat Road. Dishes come in small and large sizes, which makes it easy to try several.

It is the down-to-earth counterpoint to the starred restaurants: family cooking, families eating, and the buah keluak and babi pongteh done the traditional way.

Good to know: Order the extra buah keluak nuts on the side if you love the dish; they are sold individually.

#01-01, 200 Joo Chiat Rd, Singapore 427471

Google Maps Website

7. Godmama — City Hall

A modern Peranakan all-day restaurant with crowd-pleasing twists.

$$ Mid-range

Godmama at Funan serves Peranakan dishes based on the founder's family recipes alongside playful brunch twists such as otak otak Benedict and durian pengat pancakes. The crayfish Nyonya yellow mee and babi assam are signatures.

It is an easy, casual introduction to the cuisine, and a good-value weekday set lunch. There is a second outlet at Parkway Parade.

Good to know: Dinner runs in two seatings; book the earlier one if you want to linger.

#04-07 Funan, 107 North Bridge Rd, Singapore 179105

Google Maps Website

8. PeraMakan — Boat Quay, Clarke Quay & the River

Homely Nyonya cooking at fair prices, near Boat Quay.

$$ Mid-range

PeraMakan serves traditional Nyonya dishes in a relaxed setting on Hong Kong Street, with a second branch on Owen Road. Ayam buah keluak comes in medium and large portions, and there are lunch bowls and sampler sets for one.

It is a good lunch option for office workers and visitors near the river who want proper Peranakan food without a big bill.

Good to know: Try the sampler set at lunch if you are eating alone.

41 Hong Kong St, Singapore 059680

Google Maps Website

9. Chilli Padi Nonya Restaurant — Joo Chiat, Katong

A long-running Joo Chiat favourite for family-style Nonya meals.

$$ Mid-range

Chilli Padi has been a Joo Chiat fixture for years, serving family-style Nonya dishes such as cabbage rolls, honey belachan chicken wings and ayam buah keluak, and it also runs catering.

It suits families and groups in the east who want a reliable Peranakan meal near the Katong shophouses.

Good to know: Pair dinner with a walk around Koon Seng Road's Peranakan terraces, a few minutes away.

#01-03, 11 Joo Chiat Pl, Singapore 427744

Google Maps Website

Frequently asked questions

What is Peranakan food?

It is the cooking of the Peranakan Chinese, or Straits Chinese, of Singapore, Malacca and Penang, combining Chinese techniques and ingredients with Malay spices, coconut milk and tamarind. Well-known dishes include ayam buah keluak, babi pongteh, Nyonya laksa, kueh pie tee and colourful kueh.

Which Peranakan restaurants in Singapore have a Michelin star?

Candlenut at COMO Dempsey and Pangium in the Singapore Botanic Gardens, both from chef-owner Malcolm Lee, hold Michelin stars. True Blue Cuisine and The Blue Ginger have been listed as Bib Gourmand picks for good-value cooking.

What should I order at a Peranakan restaurant?

Ayam buah keluak is the signature: the black nut is scraped out and eaten with rice. Add babi pongteh or beef rendang, a vegetable such as chap chye, kueh pie tee to start, and chendol or kueh for dessert.

Are there halal Peranakan restaurants in Singapore?

Few are certified. True Blue Cuisine says it uses no pork or lard and buys meat from halal suppliers but is not halal-certified. Ask the restaurant directly or check the MUIS halal directory.

Where can I try Peranakan food in Katong and Joo Chiat?

Guan Hoe Soon on Joo Chiat Road and Chilli Padi Nonya Restaurant on Joo Chiat Place are two long-running choices, and the area's kueh shops and laksa stalls are close by.

1. Candlenut — Dempsey Hill

2. Pangium — Botanic Gardens

3. True Blue Cuisine — Armenian Street

4. The Blue Ginger — Tanjong Pagar, Chinatown

5. National Kitchen by Violet Oon — Civic District, Marina Bay

6. Guan Hoe Soon — Joo Chiat, Katong

7. Godmama — City Hall

8. PeraMakan — Boat Quay, Clarke Quay & the River

9. Chilli Padi Nonya Restaurant — Joo Chiat, Katong

Frequently asked questions

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