Best Food & Restaurants in South Singapore: Homejourney Local Guide

The Best Food and Restaurants in to South area of Singapore stretch from the CBD and Tanjong Pagar down to Sentosa and HarbourFront, combining everyday hawker gems with destination dining by the sea.

As someone who has lived and eaten in South Singapore for years, this guide focuses on real places locals return to, what to order, rough prices, and how to plan safely and efficiently—whether you are here for a short trip, a recce for relocation, or scouting Singapore property with Homejourney.

How this cluster fits into Homejourney’s travel & property pillar

This article is a focused companion to Homejourney’s main international travel and lifestyle pillar, helping overseas visitors understand what daily life tastes like in the South of Singapore—one of the most desirable areas for both tourism and property investment.

Use it together with broader guides like the Ultimate 2-Week Pakistan Itinerary (North to South) Ultimate 2-Week Pakistan Itinerary (North to South) | Homejourney Guide if you are planning a wider Asia trip that combines food, culture, and future investment research.

South Singapore overview: Why foodies should base here

South Singapore covers districts around Tanjong Pagar, Outram, Telok Blangah, HarbourFront and Sentosa—areas popular with expats, tourists and investors because you get serious food variety within a 10–15 minute MRT or Grab ride.

From a practical standpoint, basing in the South means you are close to major business districts (Raffles Place, Tanjong Pagar), VivoCity (a key mall and transport hub) and Sentosa’s resort dining, all connected by fully air-conditioned MRT and bus networks managed by LTA.

Best time to visit for food

Singapore is hot and humid year-round, so food timing matters more than seasons:

Breakfast (7–10am): Best for kaya toast, kopi and lighter hawker dishes before the day heats up.
Lunch (12–2pm): Hawker centres can be packed with office workers—arrive by 11.45am or after 1.30pm.
Dinner (6–9pm): Ideal for waterfront dining around Keppel Bay or Sentosa and night-time hawker vibes.
Late night (after 10pm): Limited but still decent options around Tanjong Pagar and Keong Saik, especially for Korean and izakaya spots.

Getting to South Singapore from the airport (and the region)

From Changi Airport, take the MRT (about 45–60 minutes, 2–3 line changes) to stations like Tanjong Pagar (EW15), HarbourFront (NE1/CC29) or Outram Park (EW16/NE3/TE17).

By taxi or Grab, budget around 25–35 minutes to Tanjong Pagar and 30–40 minutes to Sentosa, depending on traffic.

If you are planning a wider Asia journey—such as a 2 weeks Pakistan or multi-stop Pakistan itinerary followed by Singapore—you will usually connect through Changi on major carriers, then transfer directly into the city via MRT or taxi.

Currency and payment tips

Singapore uses the Singapore Dollar (SGD). Hawker stalls usually accept cash and increasingly PayNow/NETS, while restaurants nearly always take major credit cards.

Homejourney supports multi-currency awareness for international buyers—including those coming from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia or Hong Kong—so when you explore Singapore property on our property search page Property Search , you can benchmark prices relative to your home currency for better planning.

For day-to-day food spending, a typical budget in the South might look like:

Hawker meal: SGD 5–10
Café brunch: SGD 18–30 per person
Mid-range restaurant dinner: SGD 35–70 per person (excl. alcohol)
Destination / fine dining: SGD 120+ per person

Best hawker centres and everyday eats in South Singapore

If you want to understand how locals really eat, start with hawker centres—open-air food courts with stalls specialising in one or two dishes, inspected and regulated by Singapore authorities for hygiene and pricing.

1. Tanjong Pagar & Anson: Lunch-time hawker heaven

This is my go-to area for a realistic working-day food crawl, especially if you are staying in an office hotel or short-term serviced apartment nearby.

Amoy Street Food Centre

Location: 7 Maxwell Road; about 5 minutes’ walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT (Exit G).

Expect two packed floors of stalls serving everything from traditional fish soup to trendy rice bowls, plus some outlets featured in local food guides and the Michelin Bib Gourmand list.[1][3]

Typical prices range from SGD 4–8 for noodles and rice dishes, and I usually set aside 30–45 minutes including queueing at peak lunch hour.

Maxwell Food Centre

Location: Corner of South Bridge Road and Maxwell Road; 8–10 minutes’ walk from Tanjong Pagar or Chinatown MRT.

Home to famous stalls like Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice, a must-try for visitors who want to benchmark Singapore’s chicken rice against what they may have had in Hong Kong or Kuala Lumpur.[1][4]

Insider tip: Go before 12pm or after 2pm to avoid the longest queues; if Tian Tian is too busy, neighbouring chicken rice stalls are usually 80–90% as good with far shorter waits.

2. Bukit Merah & Alexandra: Older heartland flavour near the city

Just a short bus ride from Tanjong Pagar, these estates feel more residential and give you a taste of what everyday life (and potential HDB living) looks like, especially if you are exploring property via Homejourney’s projects directory Projects Directory .

Alexandra Village Food Centre

Location: 120 Bukit Merah Lane 1; about 10–12 minutes’ walk from Queenstown MRT or a quick bus from Tiong Bahru/HarbourFront.

You will find excellent char siew (barbecued pork), claypot dishes and local desserts; prices stay friendly at SGD 4–7 per plate.[6][8]

Insider tip: Pair your meal with a visit to the nearby furniture and car showrooms—many expats who rent or buy nearby pop over here on weekends after errands.

Tiong Bahru Market (on the fringe of the South)

Although technically closer to central, Tiong Bahru is a natural food stop for anyone staying in the South, just one or two MRT stops away.

Look for stalls like Hong Heng Fried Sotong Prawn Mee and Jian Bo Shui Kueh, both long-standing local favourites recognised in multiple food guides.[1][6]

This is also where many property seekers get a feel for pre-war walk-up apartments and conservation blocks before checking actual listings on Homejourney’s projects page Projects .

Best restaurants in South Singapore: From casual to destination dining

Beyond hawkers, South Singapore has a deep bench of restaurants in and around Tanjong Pagar, Keong Saik, Telok Blangah, Keppel Bay and Sentosa.

3. Tanjong Pagar & Keong Saik: After-work and late-night options

This is where I usually bring visiting friends who want to experience modern Asian dining, craft cocktails, and Korean or Japanese food in a walkable grid of shophouse streets.

Modern bistros and wine bars along Keong Saik Road and Jiak Chuan Road, offering tasting menus or small plates from around SGD 20–40 per main.[2][5]
Korean BBQ clusters on Tanjong Pagar Road, popular with office crowds and open late; plan for SGD 40–70 per person depending on cuts and drinks.
Japanese izakayas and ramen shops tucked into side streets; these are ideal if you want to eat after 10pm when hawkers are mostly closed.

Insider tip: Many shophouse restaurants here are compact and fill quickly on Fridays and Saturdays, so book ahead—especially if you are trying to fit dinner between property viewings and a night stroll.

4. HarbourFront, VivoCity and Keppel Bay: Waterfront dining

Head to VivoCity (linked directly to HarbourFront MRT) and Keppel Bay for accessible yet scenic meals by the water, without Sentosa’s island entry fee.