Cover Sun Kim, chef-owner of Meta, and Hongseob Kim, general manager of the restaurant, receive the Restaurant of the Year award from Stephanie Tay (centre) at the Tatler Best Awards (Photo: Terrix Lim)
Sun Kim, chef-owner of Meta, and Hongseob Kim, general manager of the restaurant, receive the Restaurant of the Year award from Stephanie Tay (centre) at the Tatler Best Awards (Photo: Terrix Lim)
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From standout restaurants to boundary-pushing bars and experience-led hotels, the second edition of the Tatler Best Awards in Singapore spotlighted the people and places shaping the local hospitality scene today
On April 13, Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay became a gathering point for the people who define how Singapore eats, drinks and travels. More than 400 hoteliers, bartenders, chefs and restaurateurs filled the Garden Ballroom for the second edition of the Tatler Best Awards 2026 – Singapore, an evening that marked not just a celebration, but a quiet shift in how excellence in hospitality is being framed.
Once centred on dining alone, the awards—evolved from the Tatler Dining Awards—now cast a wider net. Restaurants remain at the heart of it, but hotels and bars have stepped firmly into the spotlight, reflecting an industry where the experience extends far beyond the plate.
Stephanie Tay, executive managing director of Tatler Singapore and Thailand, captured that ambition in her opening address, describing Tatler’s role as a guide to “the very best in dining and hospitality, with amazing experiences”. The awards, she noted, have become a “gold standard for excellence”—a phrase that rang true in a room filled with the very people raising that bar.
That sense of expansion carried through the evening. As Dudi Aureus, Tatler Singapore’s senior dining and travel editor, pointed out, this year’s lineup—from the Best 20 Bars and Restaurants to the Best-in-Class honours—was shaped by a curated panel of industry experts attuned to a rapidly evolving landscape. This is reflected in the addition of the Best 10 Hotels category this year.
Honourable Mentions
Best 10 Hotels in Singapore
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The evening unfolded with the the Best 10 Hotels, an unranked list that balanced legacy and new energy. Familiar names such as Capella Singapore, Shangri-La Singapore and Raffles Hotel Singapore held their ground, while newer entrants including Raffles Sentosa Singapore and The Singapore Edition hinted at changing expectations—towards stays that feel more immersive, more intentional.
From there, the focus shifted to the bar. Presented by editor-in-chief Dana Koh, the Best 20 Bars captured the breadth of Singapore’s cocktail culture today, where stalwarts sit comfortably alongside more experimental players. Names like Jigger & Pony, Nutmeg & Clove, Manhattan and Stay Gold Flamingo underscored a scene that continues to evolve without losing its edge.
Restaurants followed, anchoring the evening in familiar territory while still leaving room for surprise. The Best 20 Restaurants brought together stalwarts such as Odette, Nae:um, Burnt Ends and Meta, alongside newer entries that signal where the conversation is heading. Among them, Na Oh—celebrity chef Corey Lee’s Korean restaurant in Jurong—stood out as a noteworthy debut.
Music artist Yaung entertained the crowd at the Tatler Best Awards 2026 - Singapore
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Between awards, the room softened into something more celebratory. A joint performance by rapper and songwriter Yaung and DJ-producer Eden shifted the tempo, while guests moved between glasses of Tequila Komos and Suntory The Premium Malt’s, and plates from Bottega di Carna, The Coach Restaurant, Gordon Grill and others. Dessert, as always, lingered—Messina’s collaboration with Kaluga Queen caviar drawing particular curiosity.
Recognising the Best in the Industry
Above Best New Hotel, Bar and Restaurant awardees with Stephanie Tay and Calvin Chow (centre), Mastercard’s director of Priceless Platform Customer Engagement, Asia Pacific
Best New Hotel, Bar and Restaurant awardees with Stephanie Tay and Calvin Chow (centre), Mastercard’s director of Priceless Platform Customer Engagement, Asia Pacific
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If the earlier segments mapped the landscape, the Best-in-Class Awards zeroed in on momentum. The segment kickstarted with the Best New Hotel, Bar and Restaurant categories, presented in partnership with experience partner Mastercard. The awardees were places barely 18 months old, yet are already shaping conversation around their respective industries. Raffles Sentosa Singapore took Best New Hotel for its reimagining of luxury, while Hup San Social Club’s win for Best New Bar affirmed the appetite for bold, idea-driven drinking.
There was also a sense of continuity. Damian D’Silva’s Best New Restaurant win for Gilmore & Damian D’Silva felt less like a debut than a reaffirmation—of a career spent championing Eurasian cuisine, now finding a new stage at the National Gallery Singapore.
Best-in-Class Hotel awardees
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From there, the awards became more intimate in their focus. Design, service, city presence—each category revealing a different way excellence can take shape. Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree’s biophilic approach, Four Seasons Hotel Singapore’s enduring service ethos, and Marina Bay Sands’ continued dominance as a city icon all spoke to different facets of the same idea: hospitality as both craft and identity.
In bars, that identity felt particularly sharp. Temper’s design-led approach, Bar Somma’s service, and Aki Nakata’s recognition as Rising Star all pointed to a scene that continues to invest as much in people as in concept. Jigger & Pony’s Bar of the Year win, meanwhile, felt almost inevitable—a nod to its enduring role in placing Singapore firmly on the global cocktail map.
The restaurant awards carried that same duality between craft and personality. Jin Ting Wan’s Song dynasty-inspired interiors and Odette’s polished service highlighted the importance of detail, while individual honours—Jeanette Ow as Best Pastry Chef, Marcus Leow as Rising Star, and Ocean Kang as Best Sommelier—shifted the focus to the people shaping the experience from within.
In case you missed it: Inside Marina Bay Sands’ Jin Ting Wan: how sommelier Joe Yang is redefining Chinese fine wine in Cantonese dining
Above Sun Kim receives the Restaurant of the Year award for Meta at the Tatler Best Awards 2026 - Singapore
Sun Kim receives the Restaurant of the Year award for Meta at the Tatler Best Awards 2026 - Singapore
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By the time the final award was announced, the room had settled into a kind of collective recognition. Meta’s Restaurant of the Year win was not just about a single restaurant, but about its role in shaping the narrative of Korean fine dining in Singapore—a cuisine still evolving, still finding new expression.
What lingered, ultimately, was less about who won and more about what the evening represented. The Tatler Best Awards 2026 – Singapore felt like a snapshot of an industry in motion.
