The best new restaurants in Singapore 2025

This kappo-style restaurant from Ginza, Tokyo has been rated Japan’s number one in the 101 world’s best steak restaurants for two years running. Now, you can taste Nikuya Tanaka’s binchotan charcoal-grilled beef cuts right here in Singapore. Seating is kept intimate, with 10 counter seats and five in a private dining room. Be prepared to fork out at least $350 per person for the basic lunch experience here. The Kobe wagyu steak is the star of the show, featuring carefully selected Chateubriand (a thick-cut filet mignon from the centre of the tenderloin) expertly grilled over binchotan, to reveal a perfect medium-rare centre. Apart from the beef, an unmissable part of the dining experience at Nikuya Tanaka is the kudzu somen served in an ice vessel hand-carved before your eyes. It’s a thing of beauty, with springy, silky somen noodles suspended in a rich, dry bonito dashi broth. 

If Violet Oon is where you go for Chinese New Year or a celebratory meal, then Bibik Violet is where you take your loved ones to for Sunday brunch. The new café-bakery is the first casual concept in the Violet Oon Group, with a full-fledged kueh and cake counter and a selection of take-home goodies. The 54-seater is decked out in rattan furniture, tasselled lamps, batik prints and vintage Peranakan tiles from the 1900s. As for the menu, don't expect a repetition of what's served at Violet Oon. Each recipe is tailor-made for the outlet and distinctly homely in style (read: not just spicy, but unapologetically so). Must-orders include the lady's fingers sambal ($9), ikan panggang sambal ($18) and beef rendang ($19.80). And you must not leave without trying some of the decadent kuehs, which are available in limited quantities each day.

Singapore’s OG natural wine bar RVLT is making a glorious comeback with a new wine bistro in the heart of Bukit Merah. The restaurant has swapped out the grungy aesthetics of its old Carpenter Street digs for a more minimalistic and classy look. Despite the makeover, the borderless and boundary-pushing food and spirit of RVLT live on. Yes, cult-faves have not been taken off the menu. You can still get your fix of the brand’s iconic homemade chicken nuggets ($20) with fermented tomato sriracha, and its wagyu beef patty melt with fries ($28). Other than that, it’s pasta with a local twist that takes centre stage. Think salted egg carbonara ($19.80), hua diao white clams linguine ($19.80) and the like. And if you miss the vino, shimmy up to the bar counter for spot-on recommendations by co-founders and wine geeks Alvin Gho and Ian Lim.  

The only international outpost of the two-Michelin-starred Zeniya in Kanazawa, this refined Kaga kaiseki restaurant now calls Shaw Centre home, joining the ranks of Les Amis Group’s most prestigious concepts. Available for both lunch ($138/$288) or dinner ($288/$388), the menu changes seasonally, as you’d expect. All ingredients are flown in straight from Kanazawa’s historic Omicho Market, except for the water. Uni and kegani (horsehair crab) might open your meal with a burst of briny sweetness against the tang of tozasu vinegared jelly; you might be treated to nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch); and your meal might end with rice doused in kanou-gani (snow crab), cooked in a thick and rich dashi sauce. Whatever ends up on your menu, we’re confident you’ll enjoy it. Sommelier-selected sake of the day is available in 90ml ($30) or 180ml ($58) pours, or opt for the sake pairing for $118 for four glasses. 

The Coconut Club welcomes a sister restaurant above its Beach Road digs – and no, it’s not plates of ayam goreng berampah it’s selling, but a whole new concept: ‘new-gen’ Singaporean cuisine. Instead, the kitchen works with disparate flavours, obscure and long-forgotten ingredients, and a whole lot of creativity to whip up dishes that are noticeably Singaporean, yet delightfully foreign. We like the grilled firefly squid salad, where the iconic pairing of dark soy sauce and jambu in rojak is enhanced with briny – if slightly funky – firefly squid, strawberries, and kailan. For mains, our pick is the wok-fried nasi ulam, where herbaceous additions of ulam raja, ginger flower, and laksa leaves make it way too easy to wolf it all down. The cocktail list sees three exclusive tipples ($21 each) crafted by Side Door’s resident mixologist Bannie Kang. This is where you can sample her signature clarified style in drinks like the Sambal Marg or Pandan Colada.

21 Boon Tat street has gone through many reincarnations – it’s the birthplace of Chef Rishi Naleendra’s Cheek by Jowl, Cheek Bistro, Fool Wine Bar, and now, Station. Think of Station as the fun, funky, and casual offshoot of Sri Lankan powerhouse Kotuwa. Graze on interesting snacks and starters like punchy oysters doused in a tangy lychee acharu granita ($7), or egg roti and chicken liver cooked in Kaliya ($14) – a Sri Lankan Malay curry. Our favourite? The Babath crispy tripe ($7) with a crunchy deep-fried exterior dusted with smoked chilli and a chewy middle. The mains are approachable, traditional, and sure to fill you up. Indulge in the roasted chicken with devilled butter and red onions ($34) or braised beef cheek in blackened coconut gravy ($36), and then have it your way with a range of condiments like the addictive tempered dahl ($8) and eggplant sambal ($5).

Magpie opened its doors early this year in Tiong Bahru, serving up unexpected plates of borderless soul food. The bistro is the project of Kurt Wagner – behind Kafe Utu and Tamba – and New Zealand-born chef Eliot Thomas. You’ll find influences from all over the world here, from India to Italy, China to Fiji, and so on. The menu also changes every few weeks depending on the ingredients available. Start with small plates like fresh tandoor bread ($9), fried zucchini flowers ($16), and the signature Market Haul ($26) – a spicy and tangy Fijian ceviche also known as ‘kokoda’. Then move on to heftier sharing portions ranging from beef skewers and chicken with mole sauce, to the classic lamb t-bone with roasted aubergines. Round off your meal with The Wagner ($19) – a bright spin on an affogato with orange gelato, coffee, and peated whiskey.

For any hot pot lover, Bon Broth is one of the most unique – if slightly pricier – hot pot experiences in Singapore to add to your list. Instead of choosing your soup base from an iPad or physical menu, head to a countertop where a ‘broth sommelier’ will introduce you to eight flavours before you sample and pick your favourite. For something lighter on the palate, go for the signature Sichuan green pepper; sauerkraut; or herbal soup bases. And for something more intense, try the milky Hokkaido collagen, laksa, or mouth-numbing mala. Michelin-starred chef André Chiang is the brains behind the concept, and seeks to marry his expertise in both French and Chinese culinary traditions at Bon Broth. The menu is pretty straightforward – choose between the $110 set with meat, seafood, and vegetables, or the $138 set which includes more premium seafood like rock lobsters and abalone.

This Italian restaurant which took over Tambi’s spot along Amoy Street has customers willing to wait in line for over two hours to dine here. The main draw? Handmade pasta at reasonable prices. The snug 30-seater is fitted with a sweeping chef’s table that seats 16 guests, and here’s where all the action happens. Watch the chefs whip up divinely charred plates of All’Assassina ($18) or spicy alla vodka with baked rigatoni ($21). Its cacio e pepe ($20) is not the most traditional – it swaps out the usual tonnarelli or spaghetti for thicker, chewy pici and includes crunchy Guanciale bits – but we appreciate the added textures. Before leaving, do yourself a favour and order the gelato con olio ($6). The fior di latte-inspired creation sees a scoop of velvety, elastic milk gelato, drizzled with Umbrian extra virgin olive oil and topped with crunchy salt flakes.

The quiet corner of Tiong Bahru which once housed PS. Cafe Petit is now home to a rustic, vintage-clad Italian trattoria by the trusty Cicheti Group. Casa Cicheti is probably the group’s most well-rounded outlet to date, offering a true-blue family-style sharing menu with comforting favourites. The pizzas here are a special crossover of two distinct styles, with a crust and base bearing more similarities to the crunchy Roman pizza (sans the square shape), but flavours more aligned with Neapolitan cuisine (marinara, margherita, stracciatella, and the like). There are 10 pizzas on the menu, and our guilty pleasure is the Cinque Formaggi ($29) – a devastatingly dairy-laden five-cheese pie combining fior di latte, grana padano, gorgonzola, fontina, and mascarpone, finished off with a dab of Greek honey (additional $5). Unlike many pizzerias charging near the $40 range, Casa keeps things reasonable with most pizzas priced under $30.