Best Peranakan Restaurants in Singapore: 13 Best Spots (2026)
Peranakan (Nyonya) cuisine is one of Singapore's original heritage food cultures, born from centuries of Straits-Chinese and Malay intermarriage and defined by labour-intensive rempah spice pastes, buah keluak black nuts, and slow-cooked dishes like ayam buah keluak, babi pongteh and chap chye. Today the scene spans the full spectrum, from Malcolm Lee's Michelin-starred Candlenut to decades-old family kitchens in the heritage enclaves of Katong and Joo Chiat and modern, casual reinterpretations in the city. The venues below are spread across neighbourhoods and price points island-wide; always call ahead to confirm hours, prices and availability, as heritage restaurants often keep limited hours and popular dishes sell out.
Last verified: September 2026. Hours and prices can change — we re-check our guides regularly, but do confirm before a special trip.
The list
Candlenut Peranakan (fine dining) · $$$$
The world's first Michelin-starred Peranakan restaurant, where chef Malcolm Lee gives Straits-Chinese classics a refined, produce-driven treatment.
- Cuisine: Peranakan (fine dining)
- Price: $$$$ · Fine dining; tasting menus and a la carte, higher-end spend
- Must-try: Blue Swimmer Crab Curry, Chef's Mum's Chicken Curry, Buah Keluak (Babi Buah Keluak)
- Where: Block 17A Dempsey Road, Singapore 249676
- Area: Dempsey Hill
- Nearest MRT: Napier
- Hours: Daily 12pm-3pm (lunch), 6pm-10pm (dinner)
- Halal: No
National Kitchen by Violet Oon Peranakan / Straits-Chinese · $$$$
Violet Oon's flagship inside the National Gallery, serving polished renditions of Peranakan and Straits-Chinese heritage dishes overlooking the Padang.
- Cuisine: Peranakan / Straits-Chinese
- Price: $$$$ · Upscale sit-down; grand heritage setting
- Must-try: Dry Laksa, Beef Rendang, Kueh Pie Tee
- Where: 1 St Andrew's Road, #02-01 National Gallery Singapore, Singapore 178957
- Area: City Hall / Civic District
- Nearest MRT: City Hall
- Halal: No
Pangium Peranakan / Southeast Asian heritage · $$$$
Candlenut chef Malcolm Lee's garden-set restaurant in the Botanic Gardens, exploring Peranakan and regional heritage cooking in a lush setting.
- Cuisine: Peranakan / Southeast Asian heritage
- Price: $$$$ · Fine dining; set and a la carte, higher-end spend
- Must-try: Buah Keluak Otah, Pang Susi, Tau Yu Bak
- Where: 11 Gallop Road, Gallop Extension, Singapore Botanic Gardens
- Area: Botanic Gardens
- Nearest MRT: Botanic Gardens
- Halal: No
True Blue Cuisine Peranakan / Nyonya · $$$
A Michelin Bib Gourmand Nyonya restaurant beside the Peranakan Museum that cooks in a traditional style and, notably, uses no pork or lard.
- Cuisine: Peranakan / Nyonya
- Price: $$$ · Mid-range sit-down, museum-district setting
- Must-try: Ayam Buah Keluak, Nonya Chap Chye, Kueh Pie Tee
- Where: 47/49 Armenian Street, Singapore 179937
- Area: Bras Basah / Civic District
- Nearest MRT: Bras Basah
- Halal: No
The Blue Ginger Peranakan / Nyonya · $$$
A long-running Tanjong Pagar shophouse institution known for consistent, home-style Peranakan cooking and classic ayam buah keluak.
- Cuisine: Peranakan / Nyonya
- Price: $$$ · Mid-range sit-down in a heritage shophouse
- Must-try: Ayam Buah Keluak, Ngoh Hiang, Chendol
- Where: 97 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088518
- Area: Tanjong Pagar
- Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar
- Hours: Daily 12pm-3pm & 6:30pm-10:30pm
- Halal: No
Guan Hoe Soon Peranakan / Nyonya · $$$
Singapore's oldest Peranakan restaurant, family-run since 1953 in the Joo Chiat heartland, serving traditional Nyonya dishes across generations.
- Cuisine: Peranakan / Nyonya
- Price: $$$ · Mid-range family-style dining
- Must-try: Ayam Buah Keluak, Assam Fish, Otak-Otak
- Where: 200 Joo Chiat Road, #01-01, Singapore 427471
- Area: Joo Chiat / Katong
- Nearest MRT: Eunos
- Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-3pm & 5:30pm-9:30pm; Sat-Sun 11am-3pm & 5pm-9:30pm
- Halal: No
Baba Chews Bar & Eatery Modern Peranakan / Asian · $$$
A stylish all-day eatery inside Hotel Indigo Katong that puts a modern, casual spin on Peranakan and Asian comfort dishes.
- Cuisine: Modern Peranakan / Asian
- Price: $$$ · All-day dining in a heritage hotel setting
- Must-try: Chilli Crab Tagliatelle, Ngoh Hiang, Ayam Buah Keluak Burger
- Where: 86 East Coast Road, Katong Square, Singapore 428788
- Area: Katong
- Nearest MRT: Marine Parade
- Hours: Daily 6:30am-10:30pm
- Halal: No
Godmama Modern Peranakan / Nyonya · $$$
A contemporary Nyonya restaurant in Funan (with a Parkway Parade outlet) balancing authentic classics with inventive modern Peranakan creations.
- Cuisine: Modern Peranakan / Nyonya
- Price: $$$ · Mid-range; lunch, dinner and weekend brunch
- Must-try: Ayam Buah Keluak, Babi Pongteh, Nasi Ulam
- Where: 107 North Bridge Road, #04-07 Funan, Singapore 179097
- Area: City Hall
- Nearest MRT: City Hall
- Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-3pm & 6pm-10pm; Sat-Sun & PH 10am-3:30pm & 6pm-10pm
- Halal: No
The Peranakan Peranakan / Nyonya · $$$
An Orchard-area restaurant focused on old-school recipes and communal tok panjang feasts of traditional Peranakan dishes.
- Cuisine: Peranakan / Nyonya
- Price: $$$ · Mid-range sit-down; set tok panjang menus available
- Must-try: Buah Keluak, Nasi Ulam Dulu Kala, Itik Tim
- Where: 1 Claymore Drive, #02-01 Orchard Towers, Singapore 229594
- Area: Orchard
- Nearest MRT: Orchard
- Hours: Daily 11am-10pm
- Halal: No
Bonding Kitchen Modern Peranakan · $$$
A modern Peranakan restaurant led by Chef Danny Chew, blending Chinese and Malay influences with signatures like wagyu beef rendang.
- Cuisine: Modern Peranakan
- Price: $$$ · Mid-range mall dining in Orchard
- Must-try: Wagyu Beef Rendang, Crab Curry Masak Lemak Kunyit, Kueh Pie Tee
- Where: 277 Orchard Road, #02-18 orchardgateway, Singapore 238858
- Area: Orchard / Somerset
- Nearest MRT: Somerset
- Hours: Daily 11:30am-9:30pm
- Halal: No
Bibik Violet Peranakan / Nyonya (casual) · $$
Violet Oon's more casual, affordable cafe concept in the heritage Temasek Shophouse, serving accessible Peranakan plates and sambals.
- Cuisine: Peranakan / Nyonya (casual)
- Price: $$ · Casual all-day cafe; more wallet-friendly than the flagship
- Must-try: Beef Rendang, Ikan Panggang Sambal, Ladies' Fingers Sambal
- Where: 28 Orchard Road, Temasek Shophouse, Singapore 238832
- Area: Dhoby Ghaut
- Nearest MRT: Dhoby Ghaut
- Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-9:30pm; Sat-Sun 10am-9:30pm
- Halal: No
Nana Dolly's Modern Peranakan (cafe) · $$
A hip cafe reworking Peranakan flavours into playful modern dishes like laksa pasta and otak croffles in a shophouse setting.
- Cuisine: Modern Peranakan (cafe)
- Price: $$ · Casual cafe; wallet-friendly
- Must-try: Mengkabau Pork Belly, Nonya Chicken Curry, Otak Croffle
- Where: 10 Perak Road, Singapore 208133
- Area: Rochor / Little India
- Nearest MRT: Rochor
- Hours: Tue-Sun 11:30am-10pm
- Halal: No
Daisy's Dream Kitchen Peranakan / Nyonya · $$
A homely Bukit Timah favourite known for hearty, home-style Nyonya cooking such as squid in ink and ngoh hiang.
- Cuisine: Peranakan / Nyonya
- Price: $$ · Casual; home-style portions, wallet-friendly
- Must-try: Ngoh Hiang, Sotong Masak Hitam (Squid in Ink), Beef Rendang
- Where: 131 Rifle Range Road, #01-01 Temasek Club, Singapore 588406
- Area: Bukit Timah
- Nearest MRT: Beauty World
- Hours: Mon-Thu 11am-2:30pm & 5pm-9pm; Fri-Sun 11am-2:30pm & 5pm-9:30pm
- Halal: No
At a glance: compare every spot
| Spot | Cuisine | Price | Area | Halal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candlenut | Peranakan (fine dining) | $$$$ | Dempsey Hill | No |
| National Kitchen by Violet Oon | Peranakan / Straits-Chinese | $$$$ | City Hall / Civic District | No |
| Pangium | Peranakan / Southeast Asian heritage | $$$$ | Botanic Gardens | No |
| True Blue Cuisine | Peranakan / Nyonya | $$$ | Bras Basah / Civic District | No |
| The Blue Ginger | Peranakan / Nyonya | $$$ | Tanjong Pagar | No |
| Guan Hoe Soon | Peranakan / Nyonya | $$$ | Joo Chiat / Katong | No |
| Baba Chews Bar & Eatery | Modern Peranakan / Asian | $$$ | Katong | No |
| Godmama | Modern Peranakan / Nyonya | $$$ | City Hall | No |
| The Peranakan | Peranakan / Nyonya | $$$ | Orchard | No |
| Bonding Kitchen | Modern Peranakan | $$$ | Orchard / Somerset | No |
| Bibik Violet | Peranakan / Nyonya (casual) | $$ | Dhoby Ghaut | No |
| Nana Dolly's | Modern Peranakan (cafe) | $$ | Rochor / Little India | No |
| Daisy's Dream Kitchen | Peranakan / Nyonya | $$ | Bukit Timah | No |
Your questions answered
What is Peranakan (Nyonya) food, and what dishes should I order?
Peranakan or Nyonya cuisine comes from Singapore's Straits-Chinese community and blends Chinese ingredients with Malay spices and techniques. Hallmark dishes to try include ayam buah keluak (chicken braised with black nuts), babi pongteh, chap chye, kueh pie tee, ngoh hiang, beef rendang and, for dessert, chendol and nyonya kueh.
Which areas are best for Peranakan food in Singapore?
The Katong and Joo Chiat heritage enclaves in the east are the traditional heartland, home to long-standing names like Guan Hoe Soon and Baba Chews. You'll also find strong options in the city and Civic District (True Blue, National Kitchen by Violet Oon, Godmama), Tanjong Pagar (The Blue Ginger), Orchard, and Dempsey/Botanic Gardens for fine dining (Candlenut, Pangium).
How much does a Peranakan meal cost?
It varies widely. Casual cafes and heartland restaurants can run roughly $15-$35 per person, mid-range sit-down restaurants around $35-$70, while fine-dining destinations like Candlenut and Pangium are premium tasting-menu experiences. Prices change often, so confirm with the restaurant before you go.
Are there halal or pork-free Peranakan options?
Most Peranakan restaurants are not halal, as the cuisine traditionally uses pork (for example in babi pongteh and many buah keluak dishes). Some kitchens, such as True Blue Cuisine, cook without pork or lard but are not halal-certified. If you need halal or pork-free meals, always confirm directly with the restaurant before dining.
Do I need to make reservations?
Reservations are strongly recommended for fine-dining spots like Candlenut and Pangium and for weekends at popular heritage restaurants, as seating is limited and signature dishes such as buah keluak can sell out. Booking ahead also lets you pre-order labour-intensive dishes that some kitchens require advance notice for.
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