The historic Malay and Arab quarter centred on Sultan Mosque, with century-old murtabak restaurants, halal eateries, and Middle Eastern and Malay-Muslim food traditions.
Michelin Bib Gourmand nasi padang institution near Sultan Mosque. Traditional Malay and Indonesian recipes since 1992; buffet spread changes daily.
Signature: Beef rendang, Ayam bakar sunda, Lemak siput sedut
Order: Beef rendang and the lemak siput sedut (spiced snail in coconut curry), available only on certain days
Tip: Arrive before noon on weekdays; the best dishes sell out fast and the queue moves quickly once you know the system.
Singapore's most famous murtabak restaurant since 1908. A century of craft in the crisp, generously filled murtabak; mutton biryani runs close.
Signature: Murtabak, Nasi biryani, Roti prata
Order: The mutton murtabak: pan-fried flatbread stuffed with minced meat, egg, and onion, served with curry sauce
Tip: Order the murtabak for two even for a solo visit; the single portion is generous and the double is enormous.
An all-day dining room and bar on the fringe of Kampong Glam with the relaxed sensibility of an Australian cafe. Serving from 9am through to late, Symmetry covers breakfast bowls, smashed avocado, grain salads, pasta and cocktails under an open-air terrace. One of the city's most reliably pleasant mid-week lunches.
Order: ['Truffle eggs', 'Grain bowl', 'Mushroom toast']
Tip: Dog-friendly terrace makes this a favourite for expat brunches on weekday mornings when it is quieter than weekends.
An established all-day dining room and bar on the fringe of Kampong Glam, open since 2012 with the laid-back sensibility of an Australian cafe. The terrace under the tree canopy is excellent for slow weekend mornings. Solid specialty coffee and a menu that bridges breakfast and lunch without fuss.
Order: ['Truffle eggs', 'Avocado toast', 'Flat white']
Tip: Open from 9am daily with Sunday hours until 7pm, weekdays until 9-11pm. Dog-friendly terrace, good for early weekend mornings.
A Muslim-friendly artisan bakery in a two-storey heritage building near Kampong Glam, founded in 2017 after years of pop-ups. The almond croissant, garlic twist with hot honey and sourdough loaves are the signature orders. One of the few bakeries in Singapore where the Muslim-owned kitchen produces French-technique viennoiserie.
Order: ['Almond croissant', 'Garlic twist with hot honey', 'Sourdough loaf']
Tip: Open Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm. The second floor has seating with a pleasant view of the quiet lane below. Halal-certified.
A Kampong Glam institution since 1908, serving murtabak, biryani and roti prata from a corner shophouse directly facing Sultan Mosque. The mutton murtabak is the definitive order: a pan-fried stuffed flatbread filled with spiced minced mutton, egg and onion that has been cooked to the same recipe for over a century.
Try: Murtabak and roti prata
Order: ['Mutton murtabak', 'Roti prata (plain)', 'Biryani']
Tip: Open daily from 7am to 11pm. The murtabak takes about 10 minutes to prepare; the roti prata is faster.
A Michelin Bib Gourmand Malay-Indonesian nasi padang restaurant on Jalan Pisang that has been serving from the self-service counter since 1992. Point and choose from over 40 dishes of rendang, sayur lodeh, sambal sotong, bergedel and gulai kambing. The rice is fragrant and the stews are measured in depth and warmth.
Try: Nasi padang
Order: ['Beef rendang', 'Sambal sotong', 'Sayur lodeh']
Tip: Open Monday to Saturday from 7.30am; closed Sundays. Lunch crowds arrive by 11.30am; arrive early or the best dishes sell out.
A hands-on Peranakan and Singaporean home-cooking class run by Colin, a licensed Hokkien-Singaporean tour guide and former fine-dining cook, from a studio next to a bicycle tour shop near Lavender MRT. The menu rotates seasonally, alternating ngoh hiang or Hainanese chicken rice with Hokkien noodles, vegetarian spring rolls and ondeh ondeh. A practical option for travellers wanting Peranakan technique in a compact session.
Tip: Class runs in three-hour windows on alternating menu days. Book through Traveling Spoon at least a week in advance.
One of Singapore's oldest halal restaurants, established in 1908 opposite Sultan Mosque. A murtabak with biryani rice costs S$8 to S$12 per person and covers a full meal. The mutton murtabak in particular is a benchmark example of the Arab-Indian street food tradition that spread across colonial Singapore.
Tip: Open daily 7am to 11pm. Walk-in only. Arrive outside peak lunch and dinner windows (1.30pm to 6pm) for shorter waits.
An all-day dining restaurant and bar on the edge of Kampong Glam, established in 2012 with an Australian-influenced menu that remains one of the better brunch propositions in the Arab Street quarter. The Symmetry full breakfast, eggs benedict and weekend pancake stack are consistent performers; the outdoor tables on the Jalan Kubor pavement are pleasant in the morning before heat peaks.
Order: ['Symmetry Full Breakfast', 'Eggs Benedict', 'Waffles']
Tip: Weekend brunch is busiest 10am to 1pm. The weekday brunch menu is available from opening and draws fewer queues. Reservations available via Chope.
Dive deep into Singapore's food culture and enjoy a hands-on experience cooking up family recipes passed down through generations.
Discover the many flavors of Singapore on a food tour through Chinatown, Little India, and Kampong Glam. Taste food from hawker stalls, a few Michelin-rated recipes, a...
Step off the beaten path and into the sizzling heart of Singapore’s UNESCO-listed hawker food culture — the kind locals queue for, argue about, and crave daily.