Japanese Restaurants Marina Bay Sands: Review

I ate at all the Japanese restaurants at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, for this review. Well, all except Waku Ghin which I currently can't afford! (All paid for by myself, non-sponsored)

Jump to:

• KOMA Singapore
• Ippudo
• Sen of Japan 
• Waku Ghin by Tetsuya Wakuda
• Wakuda Restaurant and Bar

Marina Bay Sands in Singapore is one of the most popular places to hang out in Singapore, for both tourists and locals. (Click the link for my thoughts on staying in the hotel.)

From fine dining establishments to casual eateries, you'll find all kinds of Japanese restaurants here. Each offers a unique Japanese dining experience- I've eaten at ALL on my own dime (except Waku Ghin) so scroll down for a totally impartial, non-sponsored review.

If Japanese food is not for you, here is a review of all the Chinese restaurants in marina bay sands, from food court to fine dining place.

Note: For similarities and differences between Japanese food and Korean food, click here.

KOMA Singapore

This Japanese-inspired bar and restaurant is the place to eat if you enjoy theatre and spectacle. Just the entrance itself is very impressive: you'll feel like quite the VIP walking down the hallway lined with red beams.

Upon walking in, the space opens up to a very high ceiling, with a red wooden bridge (a traditional Japanese foot bridge?) and a huge bell, which is the focal point of the whole restuarant, on the right. There are many tables in the centre, with several elevated along the sides of the room. I felt like I was in a Chinese period drama!

The restuarant never looks busy from the outside- I've walked by MANY times and never see people queuing up- but it's almost always packed inside.

Thankfully, because of the very grand high ceilings, the noise isn't overwhelming despite the crowd. (Even at lunch, it's usually a full-house though you should be able to get a seat if you don't mind dining at the sushi counter. Don't expect the sushi chefs to engage with you though- it's not that kind of sushi bar. However, it is beautifully decorated.)

Service is attentive- sometimes TOO attentive. For example, when I was looking at the menu- with my hand on the menu- the waitress was trying to get me to order the set lunch and actually tried to turn the menu OVER my hand, without so much as an "Excuse Me." (I felt like my personal space had been invaded, to be honest.)

In addition, maybe this is too petty to mention. However, even though the waitress was trying to upsell me to the 3-course menu, she didn't mention that it came with tea when I ordered an (approx) $10 pot of tea. Which would have resulted in 2 pots of tea, if I had gone with her recommendation! (I had barely had time to look at the menu before she came over, which is why I didn't realize myself.)

In line with the theatrical ambience, it has super dim lighting. I'm only 40 so if you're older than me, you may struggle to read the menu. I normally like to read an e-book when I dine alone, but thanks to the atmospheric lighting, I had to stop to prevent myself from going blind.

The food is... OK... I don't think a Japanese person would acknowledge it as Japanese! (I wouldn't even call it modern Japanese cuisine. Maybe Asian-fusion? They seem to do contemporary takes on some Japanese dishes. For example, the Crispy Chicken reminded me of a modern Japanese Karaage Chicken?)

Also, not everything tastes great. (I ordered what the waiter recommended: The Crispy Chicken is acceptable, the Salmon is dry and tasteless- some Google reviewers had mentioned this but I thought the Chef had been having an Off Day. Apparently not!- the mochi ice cream divine.)

But it's a fun place to dine at, with a nice atmosphere. The best part is its unique setting- I would return!

For a more detailed review of Koma MBS, where Taylor Swift dined twice in 2024, click here.

Note: it's the closest Japanese restaurant at MBS to the theatre, so a good place for a pre- or post- theatre meal.

Location: B1 - 67, The Shoppes, Bayfront Avenue

Nearest Carpark: North (Green Zone)

Ippudo

This is a Japanese Casual Dining restaurant opposite the food court, Rasapura Masters. It's hidden by a curtain, so you get some privacy (as the food court gets VERY crowded.)

I used to be a huge fan of Ippudo when it first opened in Singapore. However, I didn't find the ramen here tasty. It was quite bland, actually.

There's not much service to be spoken of- even your food is delivered by robot! Do note that there's a charge for water.

It's also one of the very few eateries at MBS where you can't use your Sands Rewards card. (i.e. no "discount" when dining there.)

Personally, I wouldn't dine here again. (If I wanted a pork soup, I would have the pork and tofu soup at Putien instead. Yes, I know it's not Japanese.)

Location: @ B2 - 54, The Shoppes

Nearest Carpark: North (Green Zone)

Sen of Japan 

Sen of Japan is something like a waterfront Bar.

Some seats have a view of the Mairna Bay waterfront. (The counter seats don't, as your back is towards the waterfront.) The seats by the window are the perfect spot to look out on the Bay whilst staying in AC. (Unfortunately, the restaurant doesn't do alfresco dining.)

Sen of Japan has the most extensive menu out of all the Japanese places on this list.

I had the Bara Chirashi Lunch Set. It was only $38 and tasted good but it was TINY. Like maybe 15% the size of the one at Wakuda (which admittedly is very generously portioned)?

And since I wasn't full, I had to have a dessert too- the Yuzu cheesecake was still frozen when it arrived! Not a good way to end the meal.

Expected Damage: about $80 for the Bara Chirashi lunch set, including dessert. I paid $91.48.

Location: Level 1, #01 - 86, The Shoppes

Nearest carpark: Central Orange Zone)

Waku Ghin by Tetsuya Wakuda

For authentic Japanese cuisine, try this Japanese Fine Dining restaurant is located L2-03 at MBS, The Shoppes. It's quite private as it's set away from the shops in the mall. (You need to take a special elevator to get to it.)

It's a Michelin-starred, celebrity Chef Restaurant & Bar that is famous for being very expensive and for its Botan Shrimp with Sea Urchin and Caviar (a cool $150, by the way.) There is a main dining room and a private dining room.

Note: there are other celebrity chef restaurants located on the 57th floor, next to the famous Marina Bay Sands swimming pool.

Private Dining Room

For private events or a next living dining experience, book the private sushi room, which is only open Wednesday to Friday. You'll need a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 5 to book. It's where "diners can get a taste of the finest regional delicacies of Japan, including prized produce such as hotaruika (firefly squid), ankimo (monkfish liver), shirako (milt)."

It's the sort of price point for special occasions: S$400 per person for 16-17 courses, exclusing drinks. (Or you could just be very well-to-do.)

Note: There are also two 10-course menus offered at the 10-seater Chef’s Table, which cost S$550 and S$700 respectively.

Main Room (The Bar)

The Bar at Waku Ghin’s set menu is more affordable: "only" S$250 for a 5-course Bar Menu. (Prices before service charge and drinks.) You can also order Japanese-style cocktails or ala carte dishes, such as the Bara Chirashi for S$65 or the seafood spaghettini for S$38.

Since this blog is not making money yet, I can't justify shelling out that kind of $$. Instead, I tried and recommend dining at its cheaper sister restaurant, Wakuda instead!

Location: L2-03, MBS The Shoppes

Nearest Carpark: Central (Orange Zone)

Wakuda Restaurant and Bar

This is a smart casual Japanese restaurant (Maybe fine dining at night, but more casual during lunch hours, where you can get lunch sets that are very good value for money.) It's also by Chef Tetsuya Wakuda so I think of it as the more affordable version of Waku Ghin. Probably one of the best restaurants for a business lunch at MBS. (For my full non-sponsored review of Wakuda Singapore, click here.)

Wakuda Singapore is not super crowded during lunch so a good place to meet friends for lunch. Lunch used to only be set-dining but the restaurant has recently added a few ala carte options.

I was blown away by the standard of the Bara Chirashi Set the first time I dined there. Obviously, it uses very fresh produce and the flavors used to be incredible. Like Waku Ghin, Wakuda uses fresh bean curd skin (Yuba) from Kyoto. (The lamb and salmon used to be from New Zealand, but I'm not sure if that's changed recently.)

Unfortunately, the last 2 times I ate there, the quality had gone down by quite a bit- both of the food and the service. We felt that the service was very slow on our last visit- and since the Korean customer next to us actually complained to the waitress, I guess we weren't the only ones who felt that way! (Didn't help that we had the new Udon lunch set, which we found to be tasteless.)

Based on those experiences, I definitely would not recommend going for dinner (where it's considerably more expensive. And my friend who tried the dinner before the lunch set was SUPER unimpressed- she spent about S$400. In fact, she was flabbergasted when I raved about Wakuda's Bara Chirashi, until we realised that the 2 meals were at totally different price points.)

If you're really craving Japanese food, you could consider dining here for the set lunch. However, if you're OK with Asian food in general, Jumbo (over at he Shoppes) is SO much tastier.

Here are all the Wakuda Set Lunches we tried:

• Bara Chirashi $78 for Sand Members (free to join, see below)/ $88: I have this the most frequently. It has a wide range of very fresh seafood and is one of the best bara chirashis I've had in Singapore (though, as mentioned, not as good as before.)
• Tempura Udon $58/ $68: both myself and my Mom found this uber duber bland and not something we want to repeat. (And my Mom LIKES bland food!)
• Steak: Wasn't super impressed. I guess others weren't too as this has been removed from the menu and is now a Wagyu Beef Rice (S$88/98)
• Miso Cod $76/86: Tasted not bad but the plating could have been improved.
• Sashimi $78/ $88: yet to try as the waiters told me the Bara Chirashi is MUCH better 😛
• Unagi $72/82: relatively new to the menu and yet to try
• Chicken: I'm guessing this wasn't very popular as it came and went in months. We didn't even get to try it before they took it off the menu!
  

Expected Damage: About $100 for a lunch set (if you have green tea, and not alcohol.) Member's pricing is only applicable on Mondays to Fridays.

Location: Lobby, MBS Hotel Tower 2

Nearest Carpark: Central ( Orange Zone)

Tip: Apply for the (free) Marina Bay Sands Rewards card before you go and you'll save money on their lunch sets. The points/ rewards you get for spending at participating stores and restaurants will be turned into "cash" in your account almost immediately, so you'll be able to use them on the same holiday.

Any questions about dining at the Japanese restaurants Marina Bay Sands Singapore? Let me know in the comments!