Singapore sees a resurgence in popularity for the cuisine amongst locals championing authenticity with rich local storytelling.
New Peranakan restaurants take on heritage recipes with elevated techniques perfecting beloved dishes.
Peranakan cuisine has been recognised by the MICHELIN Guide.
A new wave of Peranakan restaurants in Singapore is bringing heritage cuisine back into the spotlight.
The revival of Peranakan food, culture and restaurants in the Singapore landscape goes beyond nostalgia. As the country grows in recognition on the world stage as a global food hub, local consumers are increasingly seeking discerning, authentic culinary experiences drawn from heritage and the compelling narratives of multicultural migration that created this uniquely local cuisine.
This becomes all the more apparent with the latest wave of Peranakan restaurants in Singapore emerging in the market, headed by young chefs honouring and evolving the rich history of the cuisine through a modern lens. Below are a handful of establishments moving the needle on the hallmarks that make Peranakan cuisine great.
Bonding Kitchen
From its roots as a successful Peranakan private dining concept in neighbouring Johor Bahru, to its permanent address at the heart of Singapore’s prime shopping district, Bonding Kitchen is a story of grit and passion by chef Danny Chew. Chew first started his 25-years-and-counting career in the culinary scene as a kitchen helper. Through the years, Chew grew in his expertise training in Asian restaurants, and learnt firsthand from the real guardians of Peranakan cuisine — the bibiks; Peranakan matriarchs who taught him the back-to-basics on executing heritage recipes. Bonding Kitchen’s mission is simple: To make Peranakan food approachable by doing it right by its name. And Chew does exactly that with dishes such as the Wagyu Beef Rendang, made painstakingly by hand-pounding aromatics into a wet, spiced paste known as rempah, which is used to flavour the backbone of the dish.
Where: Bonding Kitchen, Orchard Gateway, Orchard Road, Singapore
When: Daily from 11.30am to 9.30pm
Contact: https://bondingkitchen.com/
Belimbing
So named after the indigenous word for “starfruit,” the restaurant’s menu reflects an intentional emphasis on working with native produce without simply recreating heritage recipes verbatim. Drawing inspiration from Peranakan and regional Southeast Asian cooking traditions, Belimbing is an exciting addition to the growing landscape of Peranakan restaurants in Singapore, challenging culinary critics with its hard-to-pin categorisation in the local scene while presenting offerings coined after familiar names and flavours with unexpected presentations. Think modest kueh reworked as a multilayered dessert, or hawker favourites prepared with fine-dining techniques.
Led by chef Marcus Leow, the restaurant — launched by the team behind the popular The Coconut Club — reframes local cuisine as one worthy of refinement in its own right, all while making a case on how cuisine can evolve while staying true to its source. Signature dishes here include its Clam Custard — flavoured with spices from the classic Peranakan stew assam pedas, and the sweet Corn Salat — a traditional glutinous rice cake updated to feature corn and brown butter.
Where: Belimbing, Beach Road, Downtown, Singapore
When: Wednesday from 6pm to 10pm, Thursday to Sunday from 12pm to 3pm, 6pm to 10pm
Contact: https://www.lobehold.com/concepts/belimbing/
Pangium
Located at the scenic Singapore Botanical Gardens, the restaurant takes its name from the pangium tree, which produces the buah keluak seed — a foundational ingredient in Peranakan cooking. Helmed by chef Malcolm Lee, Pangium serves tasting menus built around the exploration of Peranakan past, present, and future, informed by archival records, family recipes, and regional traditions. Signatures at the MICHELIN-starred restaurant include Lee’s Rawon Mee Sua & Oxtail Satay — an earthy East Javanese beef soup flavoured with the delectably savoury buah keluak, Laksam — a noodle dish from Kelantan, Malaysia, served with a rich coconut milk and blended mackerel broth, botanicals and sambal, and Tau Cheo Hu — salted, fermented soybeans derived from Peranakan cuisine.
Where: Pangium, Singapore Botanical Gardens, Gallop Road, Singapore
When: Wednesday from 6:30am to 10pm, Thursday to Saturday from 12pm to 2.30pm, 6.30pm to 10pm
Contact: https://www.restaurantpangium.sg/
Po Restaurant
Located at The Warehouse Hotel, Po Restaurant is named after the Chinese word for “grandmother,” and exemplifies the Peranakan tradition of preserving family recipes through generations while modernising them for the well-heeled clientele. Here, the menu is a love letter to the stories that shaped Peranakan, Chinese, Malaya and Indian rich culinary traditions. Helmed by chef Fredric Goh, his journey in Singapore’s most celebrated kitchens has all but deepened his appreciation for reviving forgotten recipes of comforting dishes from years past. Po Restaurant’s most celebrated dish invites diners to gather with its build-your-own popiah — a delicate wheat wrapper spring roll made with a dozen or so components in its filling; a true blue Singapore staple made more meaningful when served as a selection of its parts instead of being pre-rolled.
Where: Po Restaurant, The Warehouse Hotel, Havelock Road, Singapore
When: Daily from 7am to 10.30am, 12pm to 10pm
Contact: https://www.po.com.sg/
The Peranakan Club
For travellers seeking an authentic taste of Singapore’s heritage, The Peranakan Club offers a dining experience that goes beyond the plate. Located near Orchard Road, this immersive cultural destination brings Peranakan traditions to life through cuisine, design, art and storytelling. Combining nostalgic interiors with a modern appreciation of Peranakan culture, the venue showcases everything from communal Tok Panjang feasts and classic Nyonya dishes to heritage-inspired cocktails, tea experiences and artisanal crafts. More than just a restaurant, The Peranakan Club provides a deeper look into the rich Chinese-Malay influences that have shaped one of Singapore’s most distinctive culinary identities.
Where: The Peranakan Club, Orchard Road, Singapore
When: Daily from 11am to 10pm
Contact: https://theperanakanclub.com/