The best new restaurants in Singapore 2026

What is it? Sio Pasta – the casual offshoot of Tokyo’s Michelin-recognised restaurant Sio Aoyama, which has been featured in the Michelin Guide Tokyo for six consecutive years – just opened its very first international outpost at Raffles City Shopping Centre.

Why we love it: The idea is straightforward: Italian food made with characteristic Japanese precision, but priced and paced for everyday meals, not just once-in-a-while splurges. Look forward to over 10 varieties of fresh pasta, priced from $13.80. Must-orders include the fried egg, cheese and salted kelp ($13.80) combination, which is hearty yet surprisingly light. The self-named 'Best Mentaiko Pasta' ($16.80) is equally addictive, with al dente strands coated in an umami-rich mentaiko cream sauce. But our winner is the pork belly and mushroom pasta ($16.80), which includes one of our favourite Japanese condiments – yuzu kosho.

Time Out tip: Beyond pastas, Sio Pasta also offers sides like baguettes with fig or mentaiko butter ($4.80), black garlic pepper fried chicken (from $4.80) and eight-inch pizzas for sharing.

Address: 252 North Bridge Rd, Raffles City Shopping Centre, #B1-16, Singapore 179103
Opening hours: Daily 11am-10pm

What is it? This new standing burger bar is cut from the same cloth as its predecessor, Scarpetta, located just three doors down. No reservations, a tight menu, reasonable CBD prices and a fuss-free 'in and out' dining experience. 

Why we love it: Smash Street keeps things simple and sharp with just two burgers and three sides on its menu. The patties are a blend of Australian Black Angus brisket, chuck, short rib and dry-aged trimmings, with a good fat-to-meat ratio. Behind the counter, head chef Reisuke Kiyose presses down, almost smearing the patties over the griddle for guaranteed crispy edges. The classic burger ($14) features two of those patties, sandwiched between buttered potato buns. It's then topped with cheese, pickles and a house-made smoked pickled jalapeño sauce. The house burger has more heft and structure. At $17, it comes with three patties, cheese and your choice of pickles or jalapeño. 

Time Out tip: A new cocktail bar is also in the works. In a few weeks' time, you'll be able to visit Blind Tiger, the pocket-sized Prohibition-inspired drinking den on the second floor.

Address: 50 Amoy Street, Singapore 069876
Opening hours: Daily 11.30am-2.30pm, 6pm-10.30pm

What is it? After a year off, Chef Tomoo Kimura of the former 22-seater Sushi Kimura returns to Singapore. In its place is an intimate eight-seat counter where every piece of sushi is made by chef Tomoo himself.

Why we love it: Forget the stiff, near-silent sushi temples where even the shuffle of a chair feels like a faux pas. Chef Tomoo runs a far warmer room, picking up on stray questions and giving short spiels on where the various ingredients come from. The main event is 10 pieces of perfectly crafted sushi. Each piece is presented on a glass counter with a mirrored underside – a setup that lets you inspect the sushi from every angle. The shari is the standout. Too often, sushi rice is either packed too tightly or falls apart at first touch. Here, it lands squarely in the middle – structured enough to hold, loose enough to dissolve gently on the palate. Some of our favourite pieces from the evening were the impossibly sweet cockle clam, meltingly tender chutoro, expertly prepared aji and luxuriously soft anago.

Time Out tip: If you can gather a group of eight, take the whole counter. The layout – six seats directly in front of the chef and a couple tucked to the side – works best when it’s a private session. Oh and if the ankimo (monkfish liver) is available as an optional add-on, get it.

Address: 1 Cuscaden Rd, Conrad Singapore, #01-03, Singapore 249715
Opening hours: Wed-Fri & Sun 12.30pm-2.30pm, 7pm-9.30pm; Tue & Sat 7pm-9.30pm

What is it? Expect traditional Spanish dishes to be given a creative twist and dressed up several notches at this new restaurant along buzzy Amoy Street.

Why we love it: We like how the juicy barbecued oysters ($10 each) glide smoothly, with a deeply savoury escabeche sauce masking their usual brininess – a very different but surprisingly pleasant take on oysters. When the crew brings out the long-stemmed glasses to our table, our first thought is that dessert must have arrived a few courses too early. Little did we know, the parfait-like dish is one of the signatures at Amor, called Happy Eggggg ($18). Pumpkin purée, truffle sabayon, a 65°C onsen egg, crispy Jamón chips and brown butter sourdough croutons come together in a tantalising medley that we polish off far too quickly. 

Time Out tip: Amor also offers a wallet-friendly $38 lunch set that includes four tapas, a main and a dessert. 

Address: 107 Amoy St, Singapore 069927
Opening hours: Mon-Sat noon-3pm

What is it? Barrel takes izakaya dining to the next level with whisky-infused dishes and Singapore's most expensive chicken rice.

Why we love it: Backed by Suntory and said to be the first Hibiki-focused concept outside of Japan, this new restaurant on Cecil Street elevates the after-work drinking experience, adding polish and style beyond the usual beers and fries. At Barrel, the sauces are layered and sometimes whisky-infused – with Hibiki, of course – while the dishes, though still casual and snackable, are dressed up a notch. We prefer the aburi wagyu donabe to the chicken rice, Folded with cured egg yolk, plenty of green onions and nori, each bite is textural, buttery and highly addictive. 

Time Out tip: To quench your thirst, flip through the drinks menu, where you'll find everything from whisky by the glass to Hibiki flights, whisky-infused cocktails and more. Simpler profiles pair beautifully with food, like the Hibiki mizuwari or highball ($18 each).

Address: 19 Cecil St, Singapore 049704
Opening hours: Mon-Sat noon-11pm

What is it? Chef Bjorn Shen's latest F&B venture is Jellyfish Sushi, a restaurant-in-a-restaurant that sits within Artichoke and beside Small's in New Bahru.

Why we love it: If Small's is Shen's experimental R&D playground, Jellyfish Sushi carries that same ethos, except with a sharper focus on sushi-like creations and raw or lightly-treated ingredients – particularly seafood. At launch, the intimate 10-seater is serving a 12-course bread sushi omakase ($165 per person), where instead of shari (vinegared rice), it's bread that takes centre stage. Our favourite is the third course: red sea bream aged between sheets of kombu – a traditional method called kombujime to achieve a greater depth of flavour – dressed with garlic oil, spring onions, pickled ginger, sesame seeds and lemon zest. Think yu sheng but savoury rather than sweet. Rocket leaves and pistachio pesto are added, and the salad-like dish sits above a piece of thin, fluffy top crust. 

Time Out tip: As only ten seats are available, we recommend booking early.

Address: 46 Kim Yam Rd, New Bahru, Artichoke, #01-02, Singapore 239351
Opening hours: Tue-Sat 6pm-10.15pm

What is it? French technique, Japanese sensibility and Southeast Asian flavours come together in a thoughtful tasting menu set inside one of Singapore’s oldest mansions. 

Why we love it: Rather than treading familiar French-Japanese ground, what chef Shusuke Kubota does at Loca Niru is far more thoughtful, and far more compelling. French technique and Japanese sensibility still form the foundation here, but the real spark comes from his reimagination of Southeast Asian flavours in an elegant eight-course tasting menu ($298). And then there's the gorgeous architecture, preserved with its original wooden trusses; the Teochew carvings and decorative mosaics made from porcelain bowls on the mansion’s roof; and Japanese craft details that keep the space feeling distinctly wabi sabi.

Time Out tip: For a new joiner, Loca Niru sits at the same price point as Singapore’s most ambitious fine-dining restaurants, inviting inevitable comparisons. What you’re paying for here is premium Japanese produce, meticulous technique and a level of presentation that’s clearly labour-intensive.

Address: 101 Penang Rd, House of Tan Yeok Nee, #02-01, Singapore 238466
Opening hours: Tue-Sat 6.30pm-11pm

What is it? Eurasian eateries are few and far between in Singapore, save for a few rare gems like Quentin’s and Doris’ Devilishly Delicious Curry. And even these might soon face extinction, which is why the opening of Gilmore & Damian D’Silva is very much a silver lining in our culinary scene.

Why we love it: You might already know Chef Damian D’Silva from his stint on MasterChef Singapore as a judge, and from his restaurant Rempapa. What you probably don’t know is the inspiration behind his cooking and his shared history with the National Gallery Singapore. This new 68-seater restaurant is Chef Damian D'Silva's unabashedly personal tribute to his grandfather Gilmore D'Silva, the first and only custodian of the former Supreme Court for 21 years. The menu is a spread of traditional Eurasian staples and several Chinese dishes inspired by Gilmore D'Silva's home cooking. 

Time Out tip: The Christmas Debal is a must-try, featuring 'leftover' festive ingredients like roast pork and cocktail sausages in a rich gravy made of a proprietary rempah, and served with rempah and achar on the side.

Address: 1 St Andrew's Rd, National Gallery Singapore, #01-02/03, Singapore 178957
Opening hours: Daily 11.30am-10pm

What is it? Udon Shin, the popular noodle house from Japan with hour-long queues, is finally open in Singapore.

Why we love it: The joint is known for noodles that are freshly kneaded, cut and boiled daily, with a distinct slippery and chewy texture. The signature carbonara udon ($24) is what attracts long lines to its store in Shibuya, Tokyo. This bowl features kamaage udon cooked in dashi and topped with parmesan cheese, butter, pepper, spring onions, a raw egg, and a strip of tempura bacon. Break open the yolk and mix in the toppings till each strand is glistening and nicely coated in the creamy, buttery sauce. Despite how indulgent it all sounds, the dish is surprisingly light, balanced and doesn't get cloying over time.

Time Out tip: Expect long queues as this is the first and currently only Udon Shin outlet outside of Japan. While the restaurant has 60 seats, it can get cramped during peak hours, so we recommend dining in small groups.

Address: 391 Orchard Rd, Takashimaya S.C., #B2-32, Singapore 238872
Opening hours: Daily 11am-10pm

What is it? Steak frites – it doesn’t get better than that. La Vache!, literally ‘the cow’ in French, but also an expression for ‘holy cow!’, brings the classic entrecôte steak and fries pairing to Singapore from Hong Kong, in a vibrant setting reminiscent of a Parisian brasserie.

Why we love it: For $68 per person, you are served baguettes with butter from Brittany and a salad, plus 280 grams of USDA ribeye and unlimited fries. The steak is succulent and well-seasoned without being too cloying, and is best paired with a tiny dab of a Bearnaise-inspired sauce on the side. Meanwhile, the fries are deep-fried in beef fat and finished with a generous dusting of a top-secret seasoning similar to chicken salt. Desserts are rolled out in grandiose fashion on a display trolley, featuring house-made pastries and rotating specials – treats like vanilla ice cream-stuffed profiteroles, fig tarts and gelato from the cult-favourite Aussie brand Messina.

Time Out tip: Careful not to load up too early on the free baguettes and salad, and save space for the ribeye slabs. Complete the experience with a glass of house red to wash down each bite. And if you find the fries too salty, fret not, as the team brings around freshly fried batches with less seasoning for those who prefer it.

Address: 40 Gemmill Ln, #01-03, Singapore 069269
Opening hours: Tue-Sun noon-2.30pm, 6pm-10pm