Orchard

Eat and meet

Orchard

Anatolia Turkish Restaurant

Excellent Middle Eastern fare

#02-58/59 Far East Plaza, 14 Scotts Rd
T: 6836 3352

This Turkish spot in an old mall off Orchard Road serves some of the most authentic and affordable Middle Eastern fare in the city. With lamb and chicken roasting on a spit, the juicy kebabs are an obvious choice and served on thick pita bread. For a more leisurely meal, take a seat in the small ... read more
Kim Dae Mun

Bargain authentic Korean

100 Orchard Rd, Level 1 Concorde Food Court

Restaurant-quality Korean cuisine at food court prices? It sounds like the stuff of legend, but Kim Dae Mun is the real deal. It's just a stall in an aging food court, but the kitchen turns out sizzling plates of chicken, succulent steamed fish and spicy beef soup at bargain prices of S$4-8. The ... read more
Holland Village

Expat favourite

The dining options in Holland Village are as diverse as the expats who call the area home. After 19:00 traffic is blocked off and the tables from the Middle Eastern, Indian, Japanese, Spanish, Mexican, and Mediterranean restaurants spill onto the road. There are a couple of lively watering ... read more
Killiney Kopitiam

Warming bellies since 1919

67 Killiney Rd
T: 6734 9648

This local cafe has been warming bellies with their famous kopi and curry since 1919. The menu reads almost exactly the same as it did back then with hot drinks, charcoal-grilled toast slathered with kaya (coconut jam), zesty laksa soup and chicken curry served with French bread to mop up the rich ... read more
Ion Food Opera & Food Hall

As swanky as the stores above

Basement 4, Ion Mall, 2 Orchard Turn
T: 6238 8228

Down in Basement 4, Ion Mall's food court is as swanky as the designer stores on the levels above. The 20-some stalls serve mostly Chinese Singaporean dishes like prawn noodles, herbal soup, dim sum, roasted duck, and what is certainly the only mall stall with live seafood (get your chilli crab ... read more
TAB

Refreshingly unpretentious

422 Orchard Rd
T: 6493 6952

Hosting small concerts, singer-songwriter sessions and the occasional comedy night, newish TAB has filled the void of an alternative entertainment venue on Orchard Road. Since the focus is mainly on supporting local musicians, TAB is all-ages until 22:00 and there's rarely a cover charge. If you ... read more
Tawandang Microbrewery

The Bangkok brand expands

Blk 26 Dempsey Rd, #01-01
T: 6476 6742

Yes, this is the same Tawandang Brewery made famous in Bangkok for pairing German-style suds with spicy Thai food. Their three signature beers — all-pleasing lager, fruity Weizen, and malty Dunkel — are brewed on site and you can see the big copper vats behind the bar. In the kitchen ... read more
The Orange Lantern

Midrange Vietnamese standards and twists

73 Killiney Rd
T: 6732 8032

Just five minutes away from Orchard Road, the Orange Lantern serves modern Vietnamese in a cosy shophouse setting. While you can't go wrong with standards like summer rolls and pho noodle soup, the highlights are less traditional dishes like barbecue beef wrapped in betel leaves and vegetable ... read more
4 Fingers Bonchon

Korean Fried Chicken!

2 Ion Turn, #B4-06A Ion Mall
T: 6427 4779

Get your fix of KFC — Korean Fried Chicken — at this basement stall in Ion Mall. Their signature chicken wings and drummettes are perfectly crispy and come with your choice of marinades — spicy or soy-garlic - or enjoy boneless chicken in a wrap or sandwich topped with spicy coleslaw. With prices ... read more
Grandma's Restaurant

Hidden home-style Malay

#01-13 Orchard Parade Hotel, 1 Tanglin Rd
T: 6732 3082

For home-style Malay cuisine in a comfy restaurant setting try this hidden gem near Orchard Road. The chef is from Malaysia and does a mighty fine nasi lemak -- coconut rice with sides of chicken curry, pickled veggies and hard-boiled egg — though it'll cost a few times more than the hawker ... read more
Oriole Cafe & Bar

For a perfect cuppa

96 Somerset Road, Pan Pacific Hotel
T: 6238 8348

Oriole was one of Singapore's best kept secrets until 313 @ Somerset Mall opened and linked it to Orchard Road. Though it's now much busier, Oriole's award-winning baristas still make the perfect cuppa every time complete with latte art and the cheesecake is to die for. Cocktails and beer are ... read more
Chatterbox

Debatable value

333 Orchard Rd, 5th floor Mandarin Orchard Hotel
T: 6831 6288

Despite the price tag of nearly $25, people still rave about the chicken rice at Chatterbox. The boiled chicken melts in your mouth and is served with fragrant rice, herbal broth and three kinds of sauces. Chatterbox serves posh versions of other hawker fare including nasi lemak (coconut rice with ... read more
Botak Jones Burger Stalls

Taste like they were grilled in your own backyard

Orchard Youth Park, 121 Somerset Rd
T: 6735 0225

There's better ways to spend your money than over-priced burgers at Clarke Quay, so satisfy your cravings for Western food at Botak Jones. The setting is pure hawker centre but the American grub like Cajun chicken, gumbo, and chile con carne is the real deal and the burgers taste like they were ... read more
Hard Rock Cafe

The original is the best

50 Cuscaden Rd
T: 6235 5232

It's the original Hard Rock Cafe near Orchard Road — not the new location at Sentosa — that has the best entertainment. The regular bands play a mix of original rock and covers, but the highlight is drag queen comedian Kumar who pokes fun at life in this conservative city state. S/he takes the ... read more
Takashiyama Food Hall

You'll be dizzy with choice

391 Orchard Rd
T: Level B2, Takashimaya Department Store, Ngee Ann C

Like the original in Tokyo, the basement of Singapore's Takashimaya department store is a food hall with a mind-boggling array of sweet and savoury Japanese treats. Nibble on yakitori chicken skewers, sushi, sashimi, waffles that look like fish, and the cutest cakes and dessert puffs you've ever ... read more
The Old Malaya Cafe

Samples from around Malaysia

#B3-10 313@Somerset Mall, 313 Orchard Rd
T: 6634 1123

Sometimes it's hard to draw the line between Singaporean and Malaysian cuisine, but The Old Malaya Cafe makes it clear by specialising in the signature dishes of different Malaysian towns. Sample Penang's famous assam laksa (sour seafood soup), handmade Pontian noodles, and even Melaka style ... read more
Din Tai Fung

Of great dumpling fame

290 Orchard Rd, #B1-03 The Paragon Mall
T: 6836 8336

This Taiwanese restaurant is famous for their dumplings — particularly the xiao long bao filled with pork and herbal soup broth. Better still, you can watch them being hand-made through the glass walls of the kitchen. It takes a few baskets to make a meal (from around S$5), but the heartier Chinese ... read more
Newton Food Centre

Ignore the touts

500 Clemenceau Avenue

Just one MRT stop from Orchard Road, Newton is as famous for overcharging tourists as it is for seafood. Ignore the touts who try to direct you to a table near their stall — you're free to sit anywhere — and browse the catch of the day displayed on ice in front of each stall. While chilli crab is ... read more
McCafe

Um, it's the cheapest

#01-03 Shaw Centre, 1 Scotts Road (by Orchard MRT underpass)
T: 6738 3058

It feels like cheating to list this McDonalds spin-off on Travelfish.org, but it really is the cheapest place to get a proper cup of brewed coffee. Now that McD's uses gourmet beans it tastes quite good as long as you pass on the powdered non-dairy creamer. The cappuccinos cost half the price of ... read more
Dempsey Hill

Escape the city to this lush park

Escape the city at this lush park filled with fine-dining restaurants, cafes, antique shops and gourmet grocers. Many of the restaurants are quite expensive and attract a ladies-who-lunch type crowd, but there are a few exceptions like the Thai-German Tawandang Microbrewery and The Wine Company ... read more