Curator’s statement
In the beautiful garden city of Singapore, I found two of my favorite things — amazing food and my now-husband, Igor. While I recognize I may be overly biased, Singapore continues to be one of my favorite destinations. It is filled to the brim with great food and cocktail bars, and is a great jumping off point for any Southeast Asia adventure as a major airport hub. Singapore is a great mixture of the surrounding regions in an approachable locale. The weather is warm and consistent, the people friendly, the main language is English and the food ranges from the best $5 dinner you can find (at the local outdoor food centers called hawkers) to fine dining experiences. Keep reading for some of my top picks in Singapore from luxurious to local.
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Things to do in Singapore
Gardens by the Bay: Enjoy the beautiful gardens and famous SuperTrees (gigantic manmade trees that light up to represent the connected eco-system of the forest). And stop by the enclosed cloud garden for a unique misty ecosystem specially temperature controlled for the unique plants there.
Singapore Zoo: One of the world's best zoos with joyful animal enclosures and scenic paths. The giraffes are a personal highlight.
Night Safari: Experience the nocturnal side of the zoo — stroll, ride the train and spot the more night-inclined animals active and prowling about! Also a good way to get an activity out of the daytime heat.
Treetop Walk: An aerial walkway offering wonderful city views and big, old forests.
MacRitchie Reservoir: A cool-off spot amid the city hustle.
Singapore City Gallery: Unearth the city's transformation tale, especially its fascinating land-reclamation journey which is the national initiative to expand the limited land area by filling in sea or coastal areas.
Shopping Malls: No really, these are great places to walk around and people watch out of the mid-day heat. From Raffles to Esplanade, the abundant malls house every shop and food choice imaginable.
East Coast Park: Stroll to the East Coast Lagoon Food Village, savor a fresh coconut and delve into the local hawker food scene. More food recs below!
Many great spa and massage offerings across Singapore, from high class/hotel spas to ones in the train station, every one I've been to has definitely been worth a visit!
FYI - Public transit is great! I recommend downloading Grab for getting around via car services (Grab is the Uber/Taxi booking app of choice in Singapore). Or grab an MRT card to ride the extensive train system!
Places to eat & drink in Singapore
Hawker Centers: The heart of Singapore's food culture. A personal favorite, Maxwell Road Hawker Centre provides endless local delights. Try one of the national dishes of choice - Hainanese Chicken Rice, grab endless meat skewers (satay) or chicken wings, flaky roti prata, spice things up with wontons, and refresh with juice from one of the stalls, like an ABC - apple, beet, carrot. Hawker centers around the island have different specialties - Adam Road and West Coast Food Centre, for example, are known for great Malay/Indonesian food and are easy to find great halal options at; if you're craving seafood, East Coast Food Village is a must!
Native: This classy cocktail bar puts a uniquely local spin on mixology. They gather indigenous ingredients across Asia, championing the flavors and culture of its region to create unique cocktails.
Atlas: A shrine to the Roaring Twenties, Atlas offers an art-deco vibe coupled with a fantastic gin-focused cocktail list. It's a beautiful place to enjoy afternoon tea or a mid-day cocktail (hey it is vacation after all!)
Din Tai Fung: Not a Singapore-only restaurant, but an all time favorite of mine for Xiao Long Bao. These are delicious soup dumplings (yes soup in the dumpling!) and I would gladly spend all my money to have an endless supply of their truffle Xiao Long Bao.
Tippling Club: Offers an outstanding cocktail and tasting menu experience. Not quite Michelin star level (and therefore much more reasonably priced.) This is a great, special dining experience with an approachable and fun spin on fine dining. It's an all time favorite of mine.
Odette: A gastronomic pinnacle, this 3-star Michelin restaurant is lauded globally. A splurge here ensures a culinary journey that's worth every cent.
Labyrinth: Michelin-starred restaurant with focus on Singapore classics in a fancy twist. Wonderfully fun and delicious!
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Travel Advisor
Danielle Sadovyi
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For more travel tips, check out Fora Advisor Erin Brundage’s guide, Feast and Explore for 3 Days in Singapore.
This guide is part of our ongoing series on travel to Singapore.