Bests of Casual Restaurant Dim Sum

The more casual dining places where you can enjoy good dim sum and not have to breathe in smoke, prices are higher than your hawker dim sums but with much higher service standards and consistency. Recommend making reservations in advance for all these restaurants.

Royal China at Raffles 皇朝

Dim Sum Price: $28/pax

Address: 1 Beach Rd, #03-09, Raffles Hotel Arcade, Singapore 189673 | Phone 6338 3363

Dim Sum hours: Mon – Sat: 12:00 – 15:00, Sun & PH: 11:00 – 15:00

Royal China has always been reputed to serve excellent,reasonably priced dim sum in an up-scale hotel setting. They however seem to suffer from inconsistent standards from time to time, and each seating tends to be quite short- 1hr 15 mins to order.

Superb thick and flowy Liu Sha Bao sweetened with some mango in the custard. XO Chilli here is recommended too. Make advanced booking as this place is popular and gets booked up. Other Chinese dishes are good too, like the Aromatic Crispy Duck, but are going to cost a lot more than the dim sum.

Imperial Treasure Cantonese Cuisine

Dim Sum Price: $35/pax

Address: 1 Kim Seng Promenade, #02-05A/6, Great World City, Singapore 237994 (Another branch at Changi Airport, Crowne Plaza)

Dim Sum hours: Mon – Sun: 10.30 – 15.00pm

Concentrating mainly on authenticity, Imperial Treasure serves wonderfully crafted dim sum prepared by their Hong Kong chefs. The quality is also very consistent no matter how many times you come. The dim sum dishes with fresh prawn are crunchy and delicious, like the prawn rice roll ($5.50) and siew mai ($4.80), while the banana roll with bean paste ($3.60) is something you don’t see that often

East Ocean Teo Chew Restaurant 东海潮洲酒家

Dim Sum Price: $30/pax

Address: 391 Orchard Road, #05-08/09, Ngee Ann City, Singapore 238872 | Website

Dim Sum Hours: Mon – Fri: 11.00 – 15.00 | Sat, Sun, PH: 10.00 – 15.00

A restaurant serving innovative Hong Kong Style Teochew cuisine, East Ocean has become much more accessible since moving to Ngee Ann City in 2012.

Hands down, the best crispy roasted pork belly ($15) I’ve had in Singapore was at East Ocean Teochew restaurant. The Liu Sha Bao was also amazing- thick flowiness and not overly eggy in taste. They also serve intricate animal-shaped dim sum dishes that are almost too cute to eat.

The honey char siew ($10.50) is also not overly sweetly marinated and still retains a meaty pork flavor.

Wah Lok Cantonese Restaurant 华乐酒楼

Dim Sum Price: $35/pax

Address: 76 Bras Basah Rd, Carlton Hotel (Level 2), Singapore 189558 | Website

Dim Sum hours: Mon – Sat: 11:30 – 14.30pm | Sunday: 11.00 – 14.30

With a long history of awards, Wah Lok has always been reputed to be one of Singapore’s best dim sum restaurants. Serving traditional Cantonese dim sum, this is one of the few places you can find Hong Kong style steamed carrot cake ($4).

You can order the dim sum portions here according to how many people there are, and not one fixed basket size. Prices are slightly more steep at Wah Lok than regular casual Cantonese restaurants, but the quality is worth it. Try the steamed crab and egg white dumpling ($6) and baked custard buns ($4.40) for something familiar, yet done differently in style.

Mouth Restaurant 地茂馆

Dim Sum Price: $28/pax

Address: #01-61, China Square Central , 22 Cross Street, Singapore 048421 | Website

Dim Sum hours: Mon – Fri: 11:30 – 15:00 | Sat, Sun & PH: 10:00 – 15:30 | Daily: 18:00 – 22:00

After a menu revamp, Mouth restaurant now has many creative dishes like the 6 coloured har gao and squid ink Char Siew Bao. Get the famous baked crust Custard bun, which is like Tim Ho Wan’s pork bun, but with salted egg custard filling. Very nice combination.

A lot of reinterpretations of classic dim sum items that looks quite daunting to try, Mouth restaurant is affordable and has visually pleasing dim sum, although it looks better than it tastes. Certain dim sum items like the Squid Ink Char Siew Bao are not sold during dinner.

The Cathay Restaurant 国泰

Dim Sum Price: $28/pax

Address: 2 handy road #02-01 The Cathay, Singapore 229233 | Tel: 6732 7888 | Website

Dim Sum hours: Mon – Sat: 11:00 – 15:00 | Sat: 10:00 – 17:00

Starting way back in the 1950s as a Western restaurant, The Cathay restaurant slowly evolved and was once the most popular Cantonese restaurant in Singapore in the 1970s, where the four-heavenly kings of Cantonese cuisine first started out. Somehow, it’s fame has faded in the new millennium, but I think new generations should hear about this restaurant as well.

Quite possibly the best har gao (steamed fresh prawn dumpling $5.60) I’ve had in Singapore. Very thin, yet firm outer skin with very flavorful whole prawn. Har gaos taste pretty much standard in a lot of dim sum restaurants, but at Cathay restaurant, this dish actually managed to catch my attention

Bests of A la carte buffet Dim Sum

Who doesn’t like to stuff their faces with streams dim sum? Here’s where you can have dim sum buffets in Singapore with good variety and quality.

Jade 玉楼

Dim Sum Price: $44/pax after tax

Address: 1 Fullerton Square, Fullerton Hotel (Ground floor), Singapore 049178 | Website

Dim Sum Hours: Sat – Sun: 11:00-12:45 | 13:15 – 15:00 (Split shift)

At $38++ per person, Jade’s dim sum buffet is a mid range brunch pricing, but worth every dollar. One time order items include the sumptuous, savoury Superior Bird’s Nest Soup with Truffle, a Shark’s Fin soup replacement, that has generous amounts of crab meat with that truffle after-taste.

The fried/baked items at Jade are really good, like the Char Siew Sou and Fried Carrot Cake which have crispy yet non-greasy crusts. Extremely well-trained and attentive staff, this is one of the best balanced dim sum buffet.

Yum Cha Restaurant

Buffet Price: $25.70/pax after tax

Address: 20 Trengganu Street, #02-01, Singapore 058479 | Website

Dim sum hours: Mon – Fri: 15.00 – 18.00 (weekday dim sum high tea)

This Chinatown stalwart serves a $21.80++ weekday dim sum high tea buffet from 3pm – 6pm. Yes, it’s that specific. Probably aimed at getting people in during this lull time, Yum Cha gets quite crowded over the weekends during breakfast and lunch hours.

There are over 60 items of a la carte items to choose from like the shark’s fin dumpling ($4) and  pumpkin yam golden cake ($4.20), we also recommend the garlic soft shell crab ($8.80) which is crispy and well infused with garlic notes.

Peony Jade Restaurant  (Keppel)

Buffet Price: $31/pax after tax

Address: 10 Bukit Chermin Road, Keppel Club, Singapore 109918 | Website

Dim sum hours: Weekdays: 11.00 – 14:30 (weekend lunch serves a la carte dim sum)

A Sze-chuan and Cantonese cuisine restaurant, Peony Jade features high ceilings, quaint red lanterns and decent dim sum. At $26.80++, Peony Jade Keppel’s dim sum pushcart buffet is very reasonable. Try the mini pandan liu sha bao and the banana mango fritter. The buffet also comes with 1 off Shark’s Fin soup and Salmon Sashimi as appetizers.

Bests of Classic Old School Dim Sum

Each restaurant listed here has at least 30 years of history with many of their dim sum recipes remaining the same for decades. The ambience and feeling are all very nostalgic especially if you are a Gen X-er.

Red Star Restaurant 红星酒家 | Dragon Phoenix Restaurant 龍鳳大飯店

Dim Sum Price: $25/pax

Red Star Address: 54 Chin Swee Rd, #07-23, Singapore 160054 | Phone: 65325266

Dim Sum hours: Daily: 7.00 – 15.00 (Earliest opening dim sum restaurant)

Dragon Phoenix Address:  177A River Valley Rd, #06-00, Novotel Clark Quay, Singapore 179031 | Website

Dim sum hours: Mon – Fri: 11.00 – 15.00 | Sat – Sun: 10.00 – 16.00

Red Star and Dragon Phoenix are run by remaining chefs of the Four Heavenly Kings of Cantonese Cuisine that gained fame and multiple culinary awards in the 70s. These 2 restaurants have similar standards and still employ traditional cart-pushing dim sum ladies like in Hong Kong. The restaurant layout and recipes have remained unchanged for more than 40 years, giving a very deep impression of nostalgia.

Summer Palace 夏宫

Dim Sum price: $25/pax

Address: 3 Cuscaden Rd, The Regent Hotel, Singapore 249728 |Website

Dim Sum hours: Mon – Sat: 12:00 – 14:30 (lunch only)

The first restaurant in Regent Hotel, Summer Palace’s 50 seater décor reminiscences nostalgia and is a showcase of traditional Chinese restaurants with wooden fixtures and prosperous red highlights. An immensely popular pick for traditional Chinese wedding dinners, Summer Palace also makes an excellent business lunch venue for sampling Chinese Canton cuisine. Excellent service and expect items like the prawn dumpling with spinach infused skin, bbq pork bun and bird’s nest dumpling as part of the set.

Asia Grand Restaurant 亚洲金阁海鲜酒家

Dim Sum Price: $28/pax

Address: #01-02, 331 North Bridge Road, Odeon Towers, Singapore 188720 | Website

Dim Sum Hours: Mon – Sat: 11:30 – 14:30 | Sun & PH: 10:00 – 14:30

Asia Grand have traditional dim sums as well as simple yet new combinations like their steamed cheong-fun with shredded chicken and preserved eg ($5.80). They also serve braised duck’s web with peanut ($4.80) which gives people a taste of Hong Kong street food.

The dim sum is popular and constantly quite crowded on the weekends from 9am-2pm. Also, try the peking duck ($38) here.

Spring Court 詠春園

Dim Sum price: $25/pax

Address: 52-56 Upper Cross Street, Singapore 058348 | Website

Dim sum Hours: Daily: 11.00 – 15.00

The oldest surviving Chinese restaurant in Singapore, the Spring Court brand has been around since 1929 . The current restaurant is pretty new having moved several times, but the dim sum is classic. Now onto their 3rd generation of family management, this restaurant is constantly evolving and adapting to modern times, a sign of survival into the future to continue serving us dim sum goodness. The homemade Popiah and Spicy Wanton 红油炒手 are fiery hot, but oh so good and full of flavour.