The ultimate guide to Orchard Road 2026

This sleepy shopping mall from the 1980s often gets overlooked, but it's actually home to plenty of underrated Japanese diners and one of our favourite bak chor mee in Singapore. First, make a beeline for Ramen Soshiji. Waiting times creep up to one hour during peak periods, but the hack is to head down for supper around 10pm instead to avoid the queue. The highlight here is the ginger shoyu ramen, rarely served in other ramen joints in Singapore. 

Also check out Kakiin Oyster Bar for fresh oysters and seafood, Apollon – a hidden sake and izakaya bar, and Bistro Sakaba – a vibey modern izakaya with an interesting natural wine list. If all else fails, head to Orchard Bak Chor Mee. Like most F&B spots in the mall, seating is rather limited, but it's worth the wait for those al dente noodles and tender pork liver slices. 

Summer Hill greets customers like family in its warm and inviting space reminiscent of a quaint French courtyard. Chef-owner Anthony Yeoh used to helm the kitchen of Bird Bird and Cocotte, so you know he knows his way around fried fowl. Our favourite dish – the classic roast chicken – sounds unassuming, but look past its simple appearance, and you'll get why regulars rave about this. Brined for 24 hours, then herb-butter roasted, even the chicken breast is fork-tender and uber succulent. It comes served with a house-made chicken demi-glace. Make sure to pre-order this in advance.

The restaurant's unique weekend brunch trolleys are reason enough to visit. It's a refreshing take on the traditional Chinese dim sum trolley, featuring a spread of French comfort food served on a roving trolley. Think unlimited servings of egg cocotte, trout rillettes, duck confit, desserts and more.

Drim takes inspiration from the Korean term 'deu-rim' which directly translates to 'sincerely yours'. It means to present with utmost sincerity in all you do. The Korean barbecue experience here features a smokeless charcoal grill, so you won’t have to worry about cooking fumes lingering on your clothes. Choose between three set menus: signature, beef and pork or beef. The signature is what we recommend, with a porridge appetiser, 325 grams of selected beef and pork cuts, your choice of soup and ice cream. 

Here, the waitstaff offers tableside service, helping you grill these premium cuts so you won’t have to lift a finger. You’ll also want to try the Signature Noodle, which is made with 100 percent buckwheat noodles and tossed in an earthy perilla seed sauce. Tip: request to order a bowl of samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) from its sister restaurant, Modu, just next door.

There's plenty to chow down at this five-level mall. For wallet-friendly Halal food, head to Puncak Best Noodles Halal Restaurant. This place has probably been around since you were a baby, but the quality of food here remains fantastic. First-timers should try the restaurant's famous honeydew chicken noodles. New Station Snack Bar is where to go for a simple but satisfying plate of salted egg pork ribs with rice.

There's also Nana Thai for a scrumptious spread of Thai dishes; Maddie's Kitchen for orh luak, white bee hoon and beef hor fun with tons of wok hei; Hainanese Delicacy for a fail-proof plate of chicken rice; and Nanbantei if you're interested in dining at one of Singapore's oldest yakitori joints that's still popular to this day. Wash it all down with a cuppa at The Community Coffee or Piccolo By Hei Kim.

Three words: fried fish soup. Trust this family-style restaurant to serve up one of the better, most comforting versions of this local staple in town. Getting to The Ship is somewhat like wandering through a labyrinth, but once you arrive, it's like stepping back in time. The restaurant has been docked at its original location at Shaw Centre since 1977, sporting nautical-themed decor, red banquettes and dark wooden furnishings. And if you come by any Sunday, you'll notice families, young and old, flocking here for a little taste of nostalgia. 

The fish soup comes with slippery thick bee hoon, tomatoes, greens, fried fish slices on the side (so they don't get soggy) and the option to add milk to your broth. But you can also order up other classics from its steakhouse menu, from the signature Ship Steak, to old-timey favourites like Chicken Maryland and Hainanese pork chop. 

Orchard Towers has quite the reputation. It earned its moniker 'The Four Floors of Whores' during its heyday in the 90s as an after-dark entertainment hub. In recent years, however, it has tamed down significantly. Now, most visitors patronise the mall for its food.

One of the newest to open is The Peranakan Club, a 5,000 square feet restaurant with a gallery, private dining room, bar, tea lounge and retail store – all dedicated to Peranakan culture. The 80-seater serves traditional Nyonya dishes like buah keluah, kueh pie tee and more. There are also a handful of Thai eateries that have plenty of loyal customers. Korat Thai on Level Three whips up yummy plates of crispy omelette and deep-fried garlic pepper pork, while Thai Tantric on the same floor gets just as much footfall for its fried chicken wings and tom yum soup.

What started out as a successful private home dining business in Malaysia has since evolved into a standalone restaurant at Orchard Gateway. Chef-owner Danny Chew wanted to open a space where people could come together and bond over hearty Nyonya dishes, and Bonding Kitchen was the answer.

It's all about time-tested home recipes at Bonding Kitchen. Think crispy homemade kueh pie tee shells stuffed with the usual lashings of turnips, mushrooms, pork belly, prawns and more. Or classic ngoh hiang rolls that don't miss out on a key ingredient – crunchy water chestnuts. Other dishes include the hearty wagyu beef or pork rib rendang, stewed with over 15 types of local herbs and spices for deep, rich flavour. The bakwan kepiting is another must-try, and pre-orders are necessary. This is a traditional Peranakan soup made of seafood and crab, pork and chicken broth, with plenty of bamboo shoots. 

Orchard is home to Singapore's oldest and most lauded fine dining establishment. Before the Michelin Guide even landed in Singapore in 2016, there was Les Amis. The French restaurant has been operating since 1994, and now has three Michelin stars to its name. Helmed by French chef Sébastien Lepinoy, Les Amis sources almost everything from his home country. 

The classic and degustation menus will set you back $365 and $565 respectively, with luxurious dollops of caviar gracing your plates every so often – think caviar served on petals of Roseval potatoes, or poached egg and watercress coulis paired with turnip and caviar. You'll also be treated to mushroom velouté with foie gras and truffle, as well as a delicate sea urchin royale with fennel. While you’re there, make sure to visit the award-winning wine cellar, which houses an impressive 3000 labels and counting.

This swanky hotel bar on the second floor of Conrad Singapore Orchard is known for its brand of 19th-century New York glam. Under lowered lights, large leather armchairs and sofas gather around tables to offer enough privacy for a clandestine rendezvous. 

You’re in the good hands of head bartender Zana Möhlmann, the bar's Beverage Manager and winner of the World Class Bartender of the Year 2026 Singapore award, who stirs up everything from barrel-aged classics to seasonal signatures. Take a peep into its in-house rickhouse stocked with over 100 American oak barrels from Minnesota. A must-try here is the namesake Manhattan, aged for eight weeks in an American oak barrel before it’s finished tableside. If you have time to spare, visit East47 too, the 12-seater cocktail studio in Manhattan hidden behind velvet drapes and dedicated to the renowned pop artist Andy Warhol.

Bartender Adam Bursik, the easy-to-spot, hard-to-miss former bar manager of the now-defunct The Library, runs the show as Beverage Director of Origin Bar. Set within Shangri-La Singapore, the bar boasts gorgeous colonial-inspired interiors. It also recently made a glorious return to Asia's 50 Best Bars list, coming in at No. 43 in 2026. 

The menu? A highly conceptual series of 16 cocktails, inspired by crossovers in cultures, memories, rituals and flavours. They're all categorised into light, bright, dark and rich, with five available as non-alcoholic versions. Take Shake Shuka, for instance, a gin-based crossover between shakshouka and mala, with tomato, Sichuan pepper, basil, fino sherry and egg white, or the Melon Salad Soda, which references melon cream soda and Mediterranean cuisine in one drink. These are accompanied by solid bar bites from the adjacent and much-loved Origin Grill.

If you love an immersive ambience, showy mixology and a sprinkle of theatre, The Backdrop is where to be. This speakeasy-style bar checks all the boxes of what a 'secret bar' should have. Hidden surreptitiously behind wooden doors in Voco Hotel's shopping arcade, the bar leads you first through the 'backstage' of a cabaret, before you enter its dining room that's splashed in sultry, red velvet hues. 

The menu is separated into different 'Acts', as in a play — all the work of mastermind and founder Dario Knox. The Encore section is where the real show's at. Here, sub-zero temperature cocktails are crafted over open flames, right before your eyes. Each demonstration yields two glasses, and this laborious, sciency technique is proudly pioneered by the bar itself. Our fave is the Monsieur Gaudin, a variation of the classic negroni which goes easy on the Campari and highlights the gin instead. 

Located one floor above omakase restaurant Ki-sho is Bar Kakure, a 10 to 14-seater hideout in a black-and-white colonial bungalow just off the main buzz of Orchard. You'll need a passcode to enter, which will be sent to you along with the confirmation of your reservation. The menu is built on 10 classics executed to perfection, from martinis and negronis to Bamboos and Sidecars. Of course, they're all customisable. The bar does a citrusy version of a shaken dirty martini, using Tanqueray No. 10, dashi-infused brine and pickled gourd instead of an olive. 

Kakure is also one of the rare places in Singapore where you can get freshly blended fruit cocktails, featuring everything from Yamanashi white peaches to Aichi figs. Each fruit is meticulously prepped, peeled and blended before your eyes so you know you're getting the real deal and not a watered-down purée. 

Japan’s largest secondhand thrift chain officially opened in Singapore in 2025 at 313@somerset, bringing in over 23,000 curated pieces directly from Japan. Marking its first outlet in Singapore, the store takes up two adjoining units. Expect a wide selection of pre-loved apparel and accessories – from tops and bottoms to bags, shoes, sunglasses and watches. 

The space is neatly divided into two main sections: womenswear on the left and menswear on the right. Within these zones, items are further arranged on shelves and hangers by category, including bags, accessories and clothing, which are grouped by style such as casual wear, sportswear and formal pieces. Shoppers can also pick up secondhand luxury pieces from the likes of Chanel, Hermès, Dior, Gucci and Celine. The inventory is updated daily, keeping the shelves well-stocked and the selection fresh.

Japanese bookstore chain Books Kinokuniya opened its flagship store in Takashimaya way back in 1999, and till now, remains one of the main attractions in the seven-storey megaball. It occupies around 30,000 square feet of retail space and houses a wide collection of over 500,000 books from across the world, spanning languages like English, Japanese, Chinese and French. Beyond books and magazines, visitors can also pick up merchandise, stationery, CDs and collectable toys here.

Part of the space has recently been vacated to make way for a café, including shelves near the storefront which used to house local and Asian literature, psychology, philosophy, mystery and thriller titles. Fret not, though – they'll simply be relocated to a brand-new Kinokuniya outlet at Raffles City, while the rest of the collection at the Takashimaya branch remains intact. 

This standalone Nike store at Orchard Road is the largest in all of Asia, besides China. It occupies 28,000 square feet of space, with three stories tied together by a giant LED screen that flashes popular running routes in Singapore. The first floor is dedicated to women's and kids' collections, with special focus on the latest footwear, bras and leggings for women. Unique to this outlet is the Swoosh Studio, a space where the brand will run fitness and wellness classes as well as creativity workshops with well-known fitness personalities.

Across the first two levels are also Nike Service Hubs, where shoppers can pick up orders made on the Nike app or online store, or attend expert sessions and Nike Experiences. You can also head to the customisation station on the third floor called Nike By You to pick out city-exclusive graphics and accessories.

You might not know this, but Sephora Ion Orchard is home to Asia's largest range of beauty products. The flagship store reopened in late 2024 and welcomed 18 new brands, including renowned names like Kylie Cosmetics and Makeup by Mario, among others like Armani Prive, Shark Beauty, Patrick Ta, Takami and Kosas. Now, you can find over 12,000 products in-store, spread across 160 brands. Of course, cult favourites such as Fenty Beauty, Rare Beauty, Benefit and Anastasia Beverly Hills continue to sell like hotcakes, alongside the highly lauded in-house Sephora brand itself. 

The store also offers immersive services and experiences. Glam up with a 60-minute full-face makeover, spotlight a single feature on your face with a 30-minute feature focus session, or get your falsies applied perfectly with the 15-minute lash application service. Complimentary services like foundation matching, skin consultations and hair consultations are also available.

The brainchild of local retail pioneer CK Tang remains a shopping mecca for tourists and locals alike. Housed in the iconic Tang Plaza on Orchard Road, the original department store can be a rather nostalgic place for many Singaporeans, and is still fit to boast the Tangs slogan ‘All The Best Under One Roof’. That said, it's far from being stuck in the past. Keeping its eye focused on championing Asian fashion talent, the department store is home to several fashion-forward local brands like In Good Company, Rawbought, Sabrinagoh and Talking Toes.

If you find yourself peckish after all that shopping, head to the basement. The food court is well-stocked with options like Hawkers' Street for wallet-friendly and Michelin-approved hawker fare, as well as tons of local F&B options like Plain Vanilla, Percolate, Supergreen and more.

Make this giant flagship store – the first Apple flagship in Singapore that opened in 2016 – your go-to for all things Apple. Inspired by Singapore's 'Garden City' moniker and Orchard Road's history as a nutmeg and fruit orchard, the design of the space features several lush Ficus Ali trees, a flowing curved staircase, a white canopy and large stone walls – all great for snapping photos.

But beyond the gorgeous, stylish interiors, the store also offers a complete range of Apple's latest products, including desktops, notebooks, displays and software, together with the full range of iPads, iPhones and phone accessories for you to test out. The double-storey space also hosts a regular calendar of events, talks and workshops which are all free for the public to attend.