Bugis food guide: 13 best restaurants, from Japanese to Singaporean fare

Setsuri Ishinomaki in Guoco Midtown is the first Japanese restaurant in Singapore to feature four grilling styles under one roof, tinkered up by the sake-loving folks behind the Ishinomaki Group. The air is thick with the intoxicating aroma of binchotan charcoal and burning rice straw in this 50-seat heritage sanctuary. In the open-concept kitchen, the four ancient grilling techniques of genshiyaki, warayaki, robatayaki, and rogama are all on display. At the helm is executive chef Chi Pin Han, a Singaporean who’s 39-year-long culinary career saw him earn his stripes in the luxury hotel Meguro Gajoen in Tokyo, and Keyaki at Pan Pacific Singapore.

TRY While the robatayaki and rogama, often used to grill chicken wings, fatty pork collar, and minced chicken meatballs, are familiar favourites, consider fresh seafood such as plump prawns, salmon and cod, slow-cooked over the genshiyaki hearth or the hay-smoke warayaki grill; an experience that is worth the wait.

Setsuri
Address: 120 Beach Road, #01-03 Guoco Midtown House, S(189769)

For those who appreciate both aesthetics and excellent libations, Taan Iza-Bar is a must-visit. This trendy Japanese izakaya on Liang Seah Street elevates the traditional experience with a modern twist. Beyond its expertly grilled yakitori skewers and authentic Japanese fare, the bar is renowned for its inventive, photogenic cocktails. The decor—with its rugged walls and individual art pieces—creates a chic ambiance, making it a perfect spot for a stylish night out.

Taan Iza-Bar
Address: 1 Liang Seah St, #01-03/04 Liang Seah Place, Singapore 189022

Singapore’s first Wagyu ramen restaurant offers signature ramen dishes and exclusive flavours inspired by chef-owner Hisato Hamada’s favourite local fare. The casual 1,600 sq ft ramen restaurant is located at Guoco Midtown, dressed in bright yellow and cheeky monkey motifs, making it hard to miss.

TRY The signature tsukemen presents delicate noodles cooked to your preferred firmness and served with an addictive bone broth made with Kobe and Ozaki beef bone stock. Complete your meal with Wagyu gyozas, spring rolls and siu mai.

Mashi no Mashi
Address: 124 Beach Road, #01-04 Guoco Midtown, S(189771)

Situated in Duo Galleria, Yen Social is the casual sibling of Yen Yakiniku, serving various cuts of beef sourced from Japan, Australia and the US. Guests are encouraged to relish the joy of grilling thinly sliced cuts themselves while professional yakiniku chefs assist with grilling the thicker and more difficult-to-grill cuts like the ribeye steak. Arrive in groups and consider the Yen Social Butcher Platters, comprising must-try cuts such as thick-cut karubi, chuck eye roll, chuck short ribs and Australian Wagyu ribeye. 

TRY Connoisseurs would know to order a serve of Taiwanese head chef and co-owner Jones Chen’s Wagyu beef noodle. It is essentially a rich soup simmered with soy sauce, garlic and spices and tossed with noodles, Wagyu beef chunks and beef tendons.

Yen Social
Address: 7 Fraser Street, 01-25/26 Duo Galleria, S(189356)

Japanese pizzaiolo maverick Eddie Murakami, who trained at the highly rated Pizza Strada and Pizza Studio Tamaki in Tokyo, Japan, now makes excellent Tokyo-Neapolitan pizzas at Beyond the Dough in Kampong Glam. He makes a special dough that is fermented for over 30 hours before it is baked in a wood-fired oven; the result is a crust that eats light and a tad bit chewy with some crunch from the crisp edges.

TRY Classics such as the margherita, 5 formaggi, and bismarck are tasty. But for something unique, go for the Singapore rampage, boasting a base of chilli and shrimp, inspired by the Singapore prawn noodle soup.

Beyond the Dough
Address: 150 Arab Street, S(199832)

For modern Asian cuisine

While not a new opening, The Coconut Club has expanded its presence to the Bugis area with a new, contemporary outlet on Beach Road. This restaurant has long been celebrated for its elevated, new-gen Singaporean cuisine, and its Bugis location continues this tradition. Offering a menu that puts a sophisticated spin on local classics like nasi lemak and other Peranakan delights, it's a perfect example of how heritage food can be both a nod to the past and a taste of the future. It’s a stylish and vibrant spot to enjoy Singaporean flavours with a refined touch. 

The Coconut Club Beach Road
Address: 269 Beach Rd, Singapore 199546 

Middle Child Bar is a Southeast Asian-inspired grill house that promises a punchy and playful dining experience. Tucked away on Middle Road, this bar is known for its shareable plates, an ever-changing menu, and a vibrant atmosphere fuelled by good music and great company. Perfect for those who appreciate bold flavours and a little unpredictability on a casual night out. 

Middle Child Bar
Address: 200 Middle Road, #01-03, lyf Bugis, Singapore 188980

Malaysian chef Kevin Wong opened Seroja in 2022 with the aim of highlighting the diverse flavours of the Malay archipelago through a modern lens. Trained at some of the world’s top tables, he mastered the art of using classic European techniques to present the region’s classic dishes, while staying true to their authentic taste. He sources most of his ingredients from across Asia, using them to craft dishes like the roti paung served with Johorean milk butter and housemade wafers made with sweet corn from Cameron Highlands. 

TRY The tasting menu format ensures a conceptual journey which ensures one gets a taste of signatures such as the mangrove wood charred scallop with laksa leaf sauce; crispy tilefish with sarawak white pepper gulai; and Bbq lamb percik with crispy traders rice and lauk pauk (sides). For the best seats in the house, request middle seats, in close proximity to Wong and all the action.

Seroja
Address: 7 Fraser St, #01-30/31/32/33 Duo Galleria, S(189356)

Nested on the 25th floor of Andaz Singapore, 5 on 25 is a loving ode to modern Cantonese cuisine coupled with sprawling city views. Helmed by head Chinese chef Lim Hong Lih, who boasts two decades of experience working in lauded kitchens like Summer Pavilion, the modern Chinese restaurant is beautifully fitted with chestnut and wood accents, contrasted with textures of jade, velvet, and leather. Signatures include the Cantonese-style roasted Cherry Valley duck, Hong Kong-style braised fish soup with black cod, and the crowd favourite lobster pao fan.

TRY The refined yet approachable yum cha experience. A take on a beloved Cantonese ritual that includes usual suspects of scallop siew mai, xiao long bao, and steamed beetroot dumplings. There are even nourishing soups to choose from, including clear double-boiled chicken soup and vegetarian hot and sour soup. Then come the signatures of golden, addictive deep-fried duck roll, braised pork belly and other flavourful wok-fried dishes. 

5 on 25
Address: 5 Fraser Street, Level 25, Andaz Singapore, S(189354)

Named after an overlooked Indigenous fruit, Belimbing finds home along Beach Road, above The Coconut Club restaurant. With Singaporean chef Marcus Leow at the helm, he describes the cuisine here to be “new-gen Singaporean”, where it isn’t necessarily nostalgic like how our grandparents remember, nor does it aspire to be. Expect reasonably priced tasting menus with imaginative locally-inspired dishes and an a la carte selection that encourages sharing.

TRY Starters of five-day aged kanpachi with a cold curry of coconut milk, mussel jus, and galangal; and grilled firefly squid starring in a rojak-inspired dish that included picked jambu, young torched ginger and an Argentinian prawn shell caramel. For mains, consider wok-fried nasi ulam, or a fatty black Angus rib finger with black garlic percik.

Belimbing
Address: 269A Beach Road, S(199546)

Founded by Singaporean chef Akmal Anuar, Harrumanis is a Malay restaurant that is a personal tribute to his family and heritage food made with love. His dishes seek to champion their fervently local identity, rejecting the universality of intercontinental fine sherry-seasoned oak casks dining fare. Harummanis, named by Anuar’s mother after the fragrant harumanis mango beloved in Malay culture, was also the name of the family’s 32-year-old nasi padang hawker stall in the residential estate of Teck Whye.

TRY For seafood lovers, tuck into a smoky udang galah, featuring Australian jumbo prawns grilled with curry leaves and crisp peppercorns. Also available on the menu is a communal sharing dish, satay with chopped bell peppers and spring onion. For dessert, try the timeless childhood favourite kuih bahulu drenched in sweet syrup and topped with ice cream.

Harrumanis
Address: 37 Sultan Gate, S(198485)

Recently celebrating its 11th anniversary, this colloquial cocktail bar isn’t known solely for its progressive cocktail menu that celebrates Singapore’s heritage. The folks here know that the key to keeping locals and fervent fans from returning to the bar is to plate up mouth-watering nosh without gimmicks. As we usually say, always arrive hungry, as the modern Asian plates do enough to warrant a second serve.

TRY Snack on crispy rojak-glazed brussel sprouts, lifted with pickled ginger flower, pomegranate, chopped peanuts, and shaved parmesan; fatty har cheong Borrowdale free-range pork collar bites; fried carrot cake with bacon jam and fiery sambal; and ikan pedas, where crispy sea bass and young jackfruit arrive in assam pedas beurre blanc. 

Nutmeg & Clove
Address: 8 Purvis Street, S(188587)

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For European cuisine

Swapping the National Museum of Singapore location for an equally charming space within Guoco Midtown House, Flutes is where Australian executive chef Peter Rollinson showcases deft technical mastery on seasonal ingredients. The warm and hospitable service offers a solid stage for each delicately plated degustation course to shine, helping this spot punch well into the fine dining ranks.

TRY The table d’hôte menus highlight perfectly roast vegetables, shatteringly crisp fish skin, deep velvety soup, a well-balanced pavlova and buttery, moreish mushroom pastry. A big bonus is the whimsical addition of local ingredients, like curry oil on corn soup, kueh pie tee with beef tartare, sambal butter over cod fillet, rojak flower macarons and chilli-infused sauce for Wagyu skewers.

Flutes
Address: 120 Beach Road #01-02, Guoco Midtown House, S(189769)

Zouk Group’s latest venture into the restaurant game is a 70-seat love letter to French comfort food. The nightlife provocateurs engaged two-Michelin-starred chef Lorenz Hoja to present approachably rustic French fare that won’t bleed the pockets. Set within Guoco Midtown’s gleaming towers, this brasserie trades Michelin pretension for genuine pleasure. To appease folks in search of a casual business lunch spot or nifty weekday date night, The Plump Frenchmen’s Menu de Canut offers customisable course meals that are attractively priced.

TRY Rotisserie-roasted demi poulet paired with sriracha for some Southeast Asian infusion, and perhaps save space for sweet endings of a classic cherry clafoutis.

The Plump Frenchmen
Address: 20 Tan Quee Lan Street, #01-20, S(188107)

Making buffets great again is Luce at the Intercontinental Singapore. Now, this isn’t your typical hotel spread; it’s southern Italian cuisine on steroids. At the helm is Pugliese chef Giuseppe Di Gaetano, whose two-decade odyssey started in his mother’s kitchen, evolving through Singapore’s demanding culinary landscape since 2011 and now culminating in Luce. The new menu is 20 per cent larger than its predecessor, promising signature pasta on the parmesan cheese wheel, Mediterranean-inspired seafood soups, orecchiette with pork sausage and baked tomato and the show-stopping Sicilian-style baked branzino with capers. 

TRY Don’t skip the Asian delights, featuring a lavish spread of fresh Japanese sashimi, fork-tender hong shao Iberico pork belly, piquant assam seabass curry and Intercontinental’s signature laksa.

Luce
Address: 80 Middle Road, Intercontinental Singapore, S(188966)

A household name in Bugis, Gunther’s is well-respected chef Gunther Hubrechsen’s quintessential modern French fine dining restaurant. The Art Nouveau interiors are home to just a handful of tables in an intimate dining room that’s stark and quiet. Alongside enduring French classics, Hubrechsen’s famed cold angel hair pasta still attracts, especially when diners see that it is garnished with a generous spoonful of oscietra caviar. 

TRY Gunther’s set lunch menus are the perfect way to enjoy a dining experience without costing a fortune—and it changes each month. Its Express Lunch is available from Monday to Friday, while the Chef’s Seasonal Lunch Menu is available daily and offers both three and four courses.

Gunther’s
Address: 36 Purvis Street, #01-03, S(188613)

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