We’re truly spoiled for choice when it comes to food options in Singapore. And with the spate of new eateries opening here, we won’t even have to travel overseas to dine at famous restaurants from around the world – they’ll come to us. Use our roundup of the best international food chains that have made their way to Singapore to go on a food crawl that takes you all over the globe. Given the anticipation surrounding their openings, there will likely be long lines, but the nosh is sure to be worth the wait.
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From New York City, USA
The famed Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse from New York City is slated to open in Singapore later this year at Como Orchard. COTE Korean Steakhouse combines elements from upscale American steakhouses and KBBQ restaurants, and uses only dry-aged USDA Prime beef of the highest quality. Its Singaporean outlet will be the chain’s only overseas outpost outside of the US – they only have two other restaurants, in New York City and Miami.
From Busan, Korea
Already a well-known chain in Korea, the KBBQ joint has been attracting long queues every day since it opened in June 2023. It’s famous for Jeju-style KBBQ, where aged pork collar or belly are paired with unique sauces and accompaniments, as well as Busan-style gukbap (pork and rice soup) – both rare finds in Singapore. If you want to see what all the fuss is about, try your luck by heading down early and securing a walk-in queue number. Keep in mind, however, that gukbap is only offered during lunch, while only Korean BBQ is offered at dinner.
From New York City, USA
This NYC ice cream parlour at Orchard Central churns out decadent French ice cream in over 16 flavours. They’ve garnered quite the reputation for creating rather bizarre seasonal flavours including mac and cheese and even onion, inspired by the recent Netflix movie Knives Out: Glass Onion. Don’t worry if that’s not your cup of tea – they also have more conventional flavours like Sicilian Pistachio, Black Cherry Chip, and Peanut Butter Brownie Honeycomb, as well as excellent vegan ice cream options.
From Hong Kong
Popular Hong Kong burger chain Honbo, famous for their gourmet smashed burgers, recently opened at CHIJMES on July 28. Honbo uses only freshly-ground Wisconsin beef in their patties, which are then sandwiched – along with house-cured Japanese pickles and specialty sauces developed from closely-guarded recipes – between pillowy potato milk buns housemade using a recipe by Eric Kayser. Though the main draw is their smashed burgers, you can also opt for classic cheeseburgers ($18), chicken burgers, seafood, and Impossible meat burgers.
From Paris, France
If this name sounds familiar, it’s probably because you’ve encountered viral videos of the award-winning patissier’s fruit-inspired creations on Instagram and TikTok. Known for his painstakingly realistic confections and entremets, Cedric Grolet will soon be opening a patisserie in Singapore – his only outlet in Asia. The patisserie, which will serve breakfast and afternoon tea, opens at Como Orchard in September this year.
From Los Angeles, USA
Celebrity favourite Nobu is a Japanese-Peruvian restaurant from Los Angeles, USA. It’s the brainchild of chef Nobu Matsuhisa, and the brand – which also owns several hotels – was co-founded by Robert De Niro. Matsuhisa’s signature dish is his black cod miso, which you can try at the restaurant’s Singaporean outlet at Four Seasons Hotel. The restaurant offers both a la carte menus and omakase menus (from $185).
From Japan
The Japanese donut chain made news for drawing crazy long queues when it opened in Singapore in May 2023 – as new openings in Singapore inevitably do. The star of the show is their signature Pon De Ring mochi donut, which comes in two flavours – chocolate and strawberry. They currently have two outposts in Singapore – the first opened in Junction 8, and the second outlet recently opened in Novena Square on July 6.
Also Hailing from the Big Apple is Roberta’s, a Brooklyn-born pizzeria that serves up Neapolitan wood-fired pizzas. At their MBS store in Singapore, order one of their signatures such as the Famous Original - a margherita pizza spiked with chilli, parmesan, and caciocavallo - or the Bee Sting, comprising tomato, mozzarella, salami, chilli, and honey. Balance all the carbs and cheese out with an umami-packed green lettuce salad that’s topped with a seaweed and anchovy sauce, caper breadcrumbs, and pecorino.
From Kaohsuing, Taiwan
Award-winning Taiwanese baker Wu Pao Chun’s eponymous bakery first opened to much anticipation at Capitol Singapore in 2019. The renowned chain has since expanded, opening their second outlet in Paragon last year. Don’t leave without trying Wu’s prize-winning Lychee Rose Royale and Red Wine Longan loaves, which earned him the title of World Champion at the 2010 Les Masters de la Boulangerie in Paris. If you don’t want to commit to such a large loaf, the bakery also sells a wide range of buns and pastries in flavours like mentaiko, taro, and spring onion.
From London, UK
No prizes for guessing what this UK-based chain is known for. Burger and Lobster started out at a small pub in Mayfair in 2011 with a simple idea focusing on just two concepts, but executing them splendily. Today, they boast numerous outlets around the world, including two in Singapore at Raffles Hotel and Jewel. You can’t go wrong with their signatures, which include The Mayfair (a classic beef burger, $26), the classic whole Canadian lobster ($77), and the lobster roll ($46).
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