Orchard Road is fully lit, the Christmas jingles are blasting in malls, and the festive season is officially in full swing. If you're already plotting your Christmas meals and New Year's Eve dinners ahead of time, you'll also want to keep an eye on the latest additions to the city's dining scene. December always brings a flurry of openings, but this month feels especially stacked. Which is why we've narrowed it down to five new establishments that we feel are most worth your time and attention this busy season.
Japanese brands never fail to win our hearts, and we've got Udon Shin and Sushidan for silky udon noodles and affordable sushi this month. The National Gallery Singapore's revamp is also underway, and with that, the museum introduces a new Eurasian heritage restaurant by chef-personality Damian D'Silva. For an elegant Italian meal, head to L’Amo Bistrò del Mare at the brand new Mett Singapore hotel in Fort Canning. And nothing quite beats the novelty, charm and deliciousness of Korean barbecue, and the new Joong San in Telok Ayer might just be your next go-to in that category.
Explore Singapore’s 2025 restaurant openings by month:
- New restaurants in November
- New restaurants in October
- New restaurants in September
- New restaurants in August
- New restaurants in July
- New restaurants in June
- New restaurants in May
- New restaurants in April
- New restaurants in March
- New restaurants in February
- New restaurants in January
Discover the best new restaurants in Singapore this year.
1. Udon Shin
Udon Shin, the popular noodle house from Japan with hour-long queues, is finally open in Singapore. This is its first international outlet outside of Japan. For those unfamiliar, Udon Shin is a pocket-sized 12-seater which opened in 2011 in Shibuya, Tokyo. The joint is known for noodles that are freshly kneaded, cut and boiled daily, with a distinct slippery and chewy texture, served either hot or chilled. The signature carbonara udon ($24) is what attracts long lines to its Shibuya store. 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. 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
2. Gilmore & Damian D'Silva
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. 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. 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
3. Joong San
Um Yong Baek, the Singaporean outpost of the Busan eatery Um Yong Baek Dwaejigukbap, has captured hearts since 2022, and now has two outlets around the Telok Ayer neighbourhood. Recently, the brand introduced Joong San, a second Korean barbecue concept just opposite its original Boon Tat Street branch. The new restaurant serves up Korean signatures for lunch and beef barbecue for dinner. Visit for specialties like mung bean pancakes and sundubu jjigae (soft tofu stew) served with nangphoong bapsang – accompaniments like rice, bean sprouts and seasoned laver to go with the hearty stew. Another unique item on the menu is the soon memilguksu or perilla buckwheat noodles, with bouncy noodles layered with perilla oil and powder for a nutty, savoury taste. During dinner time, you'll find cuts like teuk-sang useol (beef tongue), kkakduk deungshim (cubed ribeye steak), anshim (tenderloin), jjak galbi (thick-cut shortribs) and more. The most popular order here is the Andong-style marinated galbi, which has a distinct garlicky flavour.
Address: 28 Stanley St, Singapore 068737
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 11.30am-10.30pm
4. L’Amo Bistrò del Mare
Mett Singapore recently took over the old Hotel Fort Canning – and it’s not just a zhuzh-up of its rooms and amenities. The luxury hotel under Sunset Hospitality Group also comes with all-new F&B concepts, and one of these is L’Amo Bistrò del Mare, an upscale Italian restaurant that also has one other outlet at a yacht club in Dubai. Focusing on coastal Italian flavours, L’Amo Bistrò del Mare is naturally quite seafood-forward, with dishes including polpo el josper (roasted octopus) at $32, risotto limone and gamberi (lemon risotto with Sicilian prawn carpaccio and caviar) at $68, and your pick of the freshest catch at the seafood on ice counter. That said, there are also meat-based dishes including a 250g tagliata di Wagyu alla griglia (grilled wagyu striploin) at $88 and cotoletta alla Milanese (Milan-style breaded veal at $58. Come by during lunch on a weekday and you’ll get to enjoy a value-for-money set meal at $48 for two courses and $58 for three. Drinks-wise, there’s an extensive list of 20 aperitivo options all priced at $18 each, along with Italian-style cocktails and mocktails.
Address: 11 Canning Walk, Mett Singapore, Singapore 178881
Opening hours: Daily noon-2.30pm, 6pm-10.30pm
5. Sushidan
This December, Michelin-starred Japanese chef Hiroyuki Sato is bringing his casual restaurant Sushidan (寿志團) from Shibuya to Singapore. Opening on December 17, Sushidan specialises in Edomae-style sushi, that is, a traditional style of sushi where preparation methods are rooted in enhancing the natural flavours of the seafood. During the Edo period, fresh fish was preserved by being salted and marinated in red vinegar; this characteristic of Edo sushi remains to this day. At Sushidan Singapore, Chef Sato will leave things in the good hands of Chef Yusuke Kawana, a sushi master who has dedicated nearly three decades of his life to his culinary craft. The freshest marine fare will be flown in directly from Tokyo’s Toyosu Market, along with red vinegar from Kyoto and premium rice from Akita. Salmon from Norway will also be brought in daily. Expect a la carte sushi from $1.99, handrolls stuffed with goodness from $3.99, and – it gets better – omakase sets from just $19.90. It’s as close as you can get to the real deal in Japan, sans the flight tickets.
Address: 252 North Bridge Rd, Raffles City Shopping Centre, #B1-44C, Singapore 179103
Opening hours: To be announced
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