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Traditional Chinese dialect restaurants in Singapore

Whether you’re Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese or Hakka, we’ve got your family dinner plans sorted

Nicole-Marie Ng
Written by
Nicole-Marie Ng
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  • Restaurants
  • Chinese
  • Tanjong Pagar

There are split moments where you’ll feel as if you’re dining in a teahouse within a Chinese garden. Named after a classic Chinese phrase, Yue Bai describes the colour of moonlight and it mirrors the moon in the graceful interiors of the modern Chinese restaurant. In the kitchen is chef and co-owner, Lee Hong Wei, and he presents refined Chinese heritage dishes that seamlessly weave in the nourishing benefits of traditional Chinese dietary therapy (shi liao). And the cooking? Let’s just say it is equally as tasty as it’s good for your body.

Xin Cuisine Chinese Restaurant
Photograph: Xin Cuisine Chinese Restaurant

Xin Cuisine Chinese Restaurant

Nested in the Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium, Xin Cuisine presents modern Cantonese delicacies in an exquisite setting that is worthy of both your loved ones and esteemed business associates. With menus expertly crafted by master chefs from Hong Kong, expect fine creations such as the baked sea perch with Japanese miso sauce ($20), seafood poached rice in superior stock ($16) and the well-kept secret of crispy roast pork with mustard dip ($18). The signature of the home-style roast duck with tea leaves (from $38) is a dish not to be missed – think amber-hued crispy crackling skin infused with aromatic tea smoke and juicy succulent meat.

Aside from the a la carte lunch options, the Cantonese restaurant also plates up extravagant afternoon dim sum fare featuring perennial favourites of steamed barbecued pork bun, salted egg yolk custard bun and shrimp dumpling with fish roe. And if you’re thinking of bringing your own bottle to impress your guests, you’d be glad to hear that corkage fees are waived.

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  • Restaurants
  • Chinese
  • Tanglin

The 51-year-old Shang Palace needs no further introduction. Its delicacies speak volumes, evoking a familiar warmth and sense of place to reminiscent memories many find comfort in. Now, the refreshed menu consists of acclaimed Hong Kong Chef Daniel Cheung's exquisite take on time-honoured classics with subdued traces of contemporary creativity. Of course, apart from Cheung’s new dishes, guests will still be able to enjoy the one-Michelin-starred restaurant’s renowned – and tightly guarded – nostalgic dishes that had been enjoyed across generations in the resplendent space.

  • Restaurants
  • Chinese
  • Sentosa

Food here is worth the journey. Acclaimed executive chef Alan Chan flexes his 30 years of culinary experience and explores Haute Cantonese cuisine by adding his own unique flair to time-honoured recipes. His food reflects a deep appreciation for his roots in Cantonese cuisine. The best part? It could all be summed up in a stunning six-course signature menu ($188). The atmosphere is equally as stunning.  Designed by renowned architect André Fu, luxuriate in the comforts of ornate chairs, elegant wallpaper, and exquisite trinkets steeped in elegant contemporary charm. Don't sleep on the double-boiled soups, they are chef Alan's forte.

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Yellow Pot
  • Restaurants
  • Chinese
  • Tanjong Pagar

You already know Chinese restaurants are a dime a dozen in Singapore but we've yet to come across one like Yellow Pot. Dishing out traditional favourites with a modern twist that are genuinely prepared with a healthier approach, sink your teeth into the signature roast duck ($38) with shatteringly crisp skin and a silky braised sweet and sour eggplant ($18). Each and every one of your five senses will be piqued as you dine in the luxed-up interiors curated by the deft hands of acclaimed British designer Anouska Hempel, rounding up the gastronomical journey at Yellow Pot.

  • Restaurants
  • Chinese
  • Orchard

Min Jiang has long been a household name. The beloved establishment has been serving up refined Cantonese and Sichuan cuisine since 1982; it's quality unfailing over the years. But now, after 38 years, it’s finally time for some change. It begins with the aged interior. After undergoing refurbishments, the new Min Jiang boasts a sleeker, brighter environment. The food has similarly been updated to celebrate the restaurant’s new chapter. Sample newly created dim sum, which includes the steamed pumpkin ball ($6.20 for three) and homemade squid tofu with XO sauce ($7.80 for three), or try the latest offerings of deep-fried stuffed dough sticks with shredded abalone and enoki mushroom ($36) and roasted chicken skin with prawn paste in sesame pockets ($36). In keeping with traditions, Min Jiang continues to offer the dim sum pushcart service during lunchtimes – a rare sight in Chinese eateries these days. 

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  • Restaurants
  • Chinese
  • Orchard

At Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant, you’ll be tucking into both traditional Cantonese classics and modern Chinese interpretations. Helmed by Executive Chef Brian Wong, there are several culinary masterpieces. A clear star of the show is the Spanish suckling pig wrapped with wok-fried glutinous rice and Chinese sausage ($508). Another must-try is the Irish Peking duck served with thin Chinese crepes (from $65), making for a truly delectable bite with its light, crisp skin. Continue savouring exquisite Cantonese fare by ordering the double-boiled boneless quail broth ($98) for each – it comes filled generously with bird’s nest.

  • Restaurants
  • Chinese
  • City Hall

Helmed by chef Cheung Siu Kong, Summer Pavilion is a one-Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant. The Cantonese joint offers lunch and dinner sets (from $108), which feature dishes made with lavish ingredients of pan-fried sea perch, poached rice with lobster, double-boiled chicken soup with sea whelk, and more. 

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  • Restaurants
  • Chinese
  • City Hall

Singaporean chef Jeremy Leung might have left our shores some 16 years ago, but he has set up multiple successful restaurants and even appeared as a judge in MasterChef China. Now, he’s back on home grounds with a Chinese restaurant at the Raffles Hotel. Art and excellence come through in the space – and the food. A thousand individually strung floral strands greet you as you enter. Each dish that’s served is just as elegant, from the Hundred-ring Cucumber and Poached Sea Whelk ($26) to the Golden Roasted Duck ($48/$88) dusted in gold powder and served with rainbow pancakes.

  • Restaurants
  • Chinese
  • Changi 

Taste the flavours of Southwestern China at the largest Yunnan food and beverage chain in the world. Yun Nans has over 150 outlets in China and is making Singapore, and Jewel Changi Airport, its first international outpost. The restaurant brings most of its ingredients in fresh from the province to make its signature dishes like the Steamed Pot Chicken Soup ($23.90), which uses steam and condensation to create a heady chicken broth best eaten with a plate of cold rice noodles, chicken, vegetables and egg tossed in a vinegary sauce. If you're up for a spicy challenge, get the beef stew in copper pot ($24.90), an intense beef broth filled with beef shin, tendon and offal peppered with a generous amount of chilli.    

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