Romantic Restaurants in Singapore: Budget Edition | Romantic Dining on a Budget Singapore
Looking for somewhere romantic without needing to break the bank? Here are some delightful food options for you to bring your date out!
Akashi
19 Tanglin Rd, Tanglin Shopping Centre
Singapore 247909
Tel: 6732 4438
If you like casual Japanese food and want to avoid the mass-market Sushi Tei, Akashi is the indie version to go to. A more bustling restaurant, choose Akashi if you don’t want to have awkward silences during your date. The set varieties served here are of good quality and affordably priced. Try the Sushi Tsuki ($16 lunch, $20 dinner) set, which is an assortment of sushi like salmon, tuna and tamago, is really worth its price. The Otsukuri set ($26 lunch, $29 dinner) is also decent with slices of quality sashimi like Salmon, tuna and Yellowtail, along with some nigiri rolls, miso soup and a side.
Blisshouse Theme Restaurant
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#03-21 The Central
Singapore 059817
Tel: +65 6225 5532
Mon-Sun: 12pm – 11pm
Nearest MRT: Clarke Quay
Blisshouse calls itself the “beautiful Garden of Eden”. It is one of the the most girly restaurant in Singapore. Walking in, you almost feel you are attending a wedding with lots and lots of teddy bears, carriages, swings, carpeted fake grass, and white-pinky décor. Some of their recommended food are Blisshouse Supreme Pizza ($24), Seafood Spaghetti ($26.00) and USDA Boneless Short Ribs ($34.00). Slightly pricey for its food quality, but people are really here to take photos – which is why it is popular with birthdays and wedding receptions.
Club Street Social
5 Gemmill Lane, off Club Street
Tel: +65 6225 5043
Mon to Fri: 11am – 10.30pm
Sat: 9am – 10.30pm
Sun: 9am – 9pm
Nearest Station: Chinatown/Raffles Place
Located at Gemmil Lane (a quiet corner off Club Street), Club Street Social is a chic restaurant/bar which does simple and well-made food — such as all day breakfast, salad, soup, crostini, tramezzini, panini — at very reasonable prices.
Any place that serves all-day breakfast items is fine with me. Scrambled Eggs, Fontina, Chives and Toast ($12) is an excellent choice to savour their runny and creamy eggs. Club Street Social is quite intimately small, and transforms into a more bustling drinking hole at night.
The sandwiches are also recommended like the 180g Black Angus Ribeye Panini ($28) and the Duck Confit with Roasted Mushrooms Panini ($20), which are pretty affordable. Do make a reservation beforehand for your date as seats are limited. You want to look really prepared and with a plan.
Da Paolo Ristorante
80 Club Street
Singapore 069448
Tel: 6224 7081
Da Paolo began is a modest, casual Italian-style Trattoria. Aiming to serve honest and straightforward food, Da Paolo has grown into different styles of bistros, bars, pizzeria and even do catering now.
A cosy, small setting suitable for small talk and flirting over good food. Try the Caprese ($18), which is a burrata Italian cheese salad and the Spaghetti al Nero di Seppia ($27), an oceanic, heavy flavoured squid ink pasta. The creamy Risotto di Spinaci con Aragosta ($28) is well-executed and nicely flavoured with lobster bisque and slipper lobster meat.
La Strada
#01-11, 1 Scotts Road
Shaw Centre
Singapore 228208
Tel: 6735 6656
Nearest MRT: Orchard
Fitted with Tuscan wood, green awnings and an overall rustic Trattorian interior, La Strada is another top choice for affordable dinner dates. In fact if you can make it a lunch date, the 3-course set lunch is only $28++.
Dishes to try include the signature Carbonara ($25), Chicken Cacciatore ($28) and Roasted Veal Loin ($30).
Just beside La Strada is also Bistro Du Vin, which is slightly more expensive but also an excellent restaurant by Les Amis group for French dining.
L’Entrecôte
Suntec City Mall, #B1-128/129
3 Temasek Boulevard
Singapore 038983
Tel: 6690 7569
Daily: 11.30am to 9.30pm
Nearest MRT: Promenade MRT
Unlike other steak restaurants where you can choose your cut, L’Entrecôte serves just one cut of the steak in between the sirloin and rib eye, which is the traditional definition of “Entrecôte” steaks. At this branch of L’Entrecôte Suntec City, all sets are served with a welcome drink of Kir (French cocktail made with blackcurrant liqueur topped up with white wine), fresh walnut green salad and unlimited golden crispy fries made with BF15 potatoes. The light set is only at $19.90++.
Les Bouchons (Ann Siang)
7 Ann Siang Rd
Singapore 069689
Tel: 6423 0737
Parisian style Steak Frites. A small and quaint diner that transports you to Paris through its doors. The 300g Grilled Ribeye with Vigneron Butter ($36.80) is juicy and comes with a nice charred top, which is already more than enough to eat along with free-flow fries. Note: Parisian style steak is always 1 degree rawer than usual, so if you want a medium-rare steak, ask for medium doneness and so on.
Add an appetizer like the Burgundy Escargot with Garlic Butter ($18) if you want more variety. An affordable yet really good steak restaurant date.
Lola’s Cafe
5 Simon Rd
Singapore 545893
Tel: 6284 0349
Located near the heartlands, Lola’s cafe has received tremendous praise online since opening. A small and cosy cafe, you know your date isn’t a gold-digger if she doesn’t fuss about eating here. It’s not the price, but the value a place gives that should matter.
Affordable yet tasty, you have to try the Honey and Paprika Crispy Wings ($9), Seafood Marinara pasta ($14) and delicious Duck Leg in Orange Mustard Sauce ($16). There are mixed reviews about the tarts, so try them at your own risk discretion.
Pasta Brava
11 Craig Rd
Singapore 089671
Tel: 6227 7550
Fresh, hand-made pasta, Pasta Brava is an amazing Italian restaurant. Very classic Italian interiors. They also provide you crayons to doodle on the white tablemat while waiting for your food! More fun for your dinner date; you can play pictionary if you run out of things to say.
Definitely try the pastas here. The Linguine Regina Del Mare ($23) is recommended if you like tomato-based seafood pasta.
The risottos are also really well executed and not too gruel-like. Try the Risotto Nero Alla Sinfonia Dei Nostri Mari ($23), which is a seafood and squid ink risotto.
Platypus Kitchen (Bugis)
200 Victoria Street
Bugis Junction, #03-29
Singapore 188021
Tel: 6333 4434
Nearest MRT: Bugis
Platypus Kitchen believes that gourmet dining should be affordable and accessible to everyone. Hence the latest restaurant opening in Bugis Junction is highly accessible and caters to the masses. Impress your date with good food without having to burst your budget.
The cuisine is inspired by the Mediterranean Sea and contains no added preservatives or additives. Supposedly having the widest selection of pastas and risottos in Asia, try the Truffle Carbonara Taglitelle ($16.50), which has double-smoked bacon in a creamy truffle egg-yolk sauce. The Pressed Pork Belly ($19.90)is also wonderfully tender served with braised apple and a clove apple glaze.
Quayside Isle Fish Bar and Bistro
31 Ocean Way #01-11
Quayside Isle, Sentosa Cove
Tel: +65 6268 8633
Tue to Thu: 12pm – 1am
Fri: 12pm – 1am
Sat: 11am – 1am
Sun: 11am – 12am
Nearest Station: Harbourfront
Another restaurant located in Sentosa, Quayside Isle Fish Bar and Bistro is another waterfront venue with easy access to the beach. This restaurant aims to bring you fresh seafood from around the world in a gastrobar setting. They also sell fresh seafood for retail in case you suddenly feel like cooking a cod at home after dinner.
The tiger beer battered Turbot ($24) served with mashed mint-peas and green-tea white truffled shoe-string fries is highly recommended. The signature Chilli Crab Linguine ($28) is also mildly spicy sweet with that famous Singapore flair that locals love.
Saveur
5 Purvis Street Talib Court, #01-04
Singapore 188584
Tel: 6333 3121 (No Reservations)
Mon-Sat : 12pm – 2:15pm, 6pm – 9:15pm
Sun: 6pm – 9pm
Nearest MRT: Bugis
14 Scotts Road Far East Plaza, #01-07B
Singapore 228213
Tel: 6736 1121 (No Reservations)
Mon- Sat: 11:30am – 9:30pm
Sun: 11:30am – 9:00pm
Nearest MRT: Orchard
Saveur offers affordably-priced French cuisine to the masses. This is where you can find Duck Leg Confit at $12.90, Chicken Thigh Roulade at $9.90, Foie Gras at $7.90 (it is duck though nevertheless), and their signature Angel Hair Pasta at $4.90. A restaurant meal that is cheap and affordable, the downsize is in its long queue.
Spuds & Apron
109 Mount Faber Road, Level 2
Singapore 099203
Tel: 6377 9688
Sun-Wed : 11am – 11pm
Thurs: 11am – 12:30am
Fri-Sat: 11am – 2am
Spuds & Aprons in on top of Mount Faber, overlooking Sentosa with an air-conditioned dining room or alfresco garden. According to them, their “iconic restroom” has the most breath-taking view. They serve Western and Modern Asian cuisine, thus with dishes such as Chilli Crab in a Tux ($12), Tobiko Crusted Cod Fillet ($28), Crispy Pork Belly ($26) and Chempedak Bread & Butter Pudding ($10). It is just a bit hard to get up there (and down), but ample parking lots are available if you drive.
Table Manners
#01-68/69 Changi City Point The Oasis
5 Changi Business Park Central 1
Tel: +65 6604 7669
Daily: 11am to 12am
Nearest Station: Expo
There are some places in Singapore worth traveling for, in this case, to the far east for a ‘designer bistro’ called Table Manners. The outdoor seating area of Table Manners is set in the garden at The Oasis at Changi City Point. A restaurant with scenery and a sense of humour. The food looks simple in appearance, but packs a punch. Pastas are priced at $17.00 to $19.00 such as the Truffle Capellini with Bull’s Eye Organic Egg ($19.00), while mains range from $18.00 – $24.00. Don’t miss the The designer cocktails by Bar Stories.
Trapizza
101 Siloso Road
Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa
Singapore 098970
Tel: 6376 2662
Nearest MRT: Harbourfront
A casual, pizzeria overlooking the sea, this is for the beach-loving couples. The open air layout lets you enjoy the cool sea breeze while dining on a selection of wood-fired thin crust pizza and pastas. Go for a stroll on the beach after dinner!
The signature 12 inch Pizza Siciliana ($23.90) comes with sausage, olives and capsicum, while the Seafood linguine ($22.90) is also something to savour while enjoying the amazing view. The alcohol tends to be expensive though.
Romantic dinners can be easy on the wallet too! What’s important is the company that counts 😉
If you are game enough, prepare your own candlelight dinner for that special someone and be delighted by what you can create!