Marina Bay Sands Food Recommendations

I'm at Marina Bay Sands so often, everyone calls it my "office." I've tried almost all the eating places there and here are my top Marina Bay Sands Food Recommendations! (I only write about places that I've actually tried.)

If you're looking for michelin-starred restaurants or a celebrity chef restaurant in Southeast Asia, Singapore's most iconic landmark, Marina Bay Sands is the place for you. From Waku Ghin by celebrity chef Tetsuya Wakuda to Cut steakhouse by Wolfgang Puck, you have several options. 

Note: For those on a budget, there are also options such as casual dining restaurants and the Rasapura Masters food court- click here for my review of all the food stalls at MBS Rasapura. (I've tried all the stalls except for the Economic Rice and Pepper Rice. My favorite is Nana Curry and the Bak Kut Teh pork soup. My Mom likes the Singapore Hokkien Mee best but I don't find it great- you can get better at other hawker centers.)

I visit Marina Bay Sands regularly and have tried almost all the restaurants there (not Waku Ghin as this blog doesn't earn enough to justify the expense!) and here are my top picks:

Spago Dining Room

Out of all the western fine dining restaurants, Sapgo is my favorite. 

Located on the 57th floor of the hotel, Spago has impeccable service and excellent food. (It's located on the Marina Bay Sands hotel side, not in the mall.) It's also the best fine dining experience I've had at MBS, regardless of cuisine.

Note: don't confuse this with the Spago Rooftop Bar & Lounge, which is a more casual open air place next to Spago Dining Room.

Cut

For those looking for a nice steak, Cut is not bad but the place has terrible acoustics and it attracts very brash diners who are very noisy. If you're noise sensitive, I recommend asking to sit outside it's more for casual dining but at least the sound doesn't echo as much.

Tip: order the potatoes- best potatoes I've had! I'm on the fence about returning for the beef, but I would go back for the potatoes!

Jumbo

For chinese cuisine and fresh seafood, Jumbo is my favorite. 

If you're traveling alone but want to try local flavours such as Singapore chili crab, go to Jumbo for the chili crab mantou- the crab is peeled for you so there's less mess and it's portioned for 1 person. (Not many people can finish an entire crab by themselves, which is what you get at other Singapore chili crab places such as KEK (another of my faves.)

I also love their innovative cooking techniques- for example, they once served a cold tart which was rendang flavored and delicious. For some of their crab dishes, the vinegar is presented in syringe form, allowing you to add precise drops to your dish.

Click here for my full review of Jumbo as well as all the Chinese restaurants at Marina Bay Sands.

Tip: go for the lunch set. It's much cheaper than the a la carte menu and they have dishes in common.

​Mott 32

If you're looking for a fancy dim sum restaurant with stylish interiors, Mott 32 is worth visiting. Not all the dishes are amazing, but overall it's pretty good. 

Click here for my in-depth Mott 32 review.

Mott 32 serves more modern fusion types of dim sum though- for more traditional ones such as shrimp dumplings, go to Imperial Treasures Cantonese instead (not to be confused with Imperial Treasures Teochew.)

Note: For cheaper dim sum options, there's Canton Paradise and Tim Ho Wan Peak. Both are OK but Tim Ho Wan Peak has a nicer ambience.

Putien

For affordable Chinese fare, try Putien. The Heng Hwa Bee Hoon is the must-try dish. I also love the fresh soursoup juice!

Wakuda

For Japanese cuisine, there are 4 options at MBS: Waku Ghin, Wakuda, Sen of Japan, and Koma. (You can read my reviews of all the MBS Japanese restaurants here.)

I used to visit Wakuda the most often (for the lunch set- not dinner which is exorbitant)- the chawanmushi and Bara Chirashi were my faves in Singapore. (You can get a more detailed Wakuda review here.)

However, the standard has gone down quite a bit recently. Sen of Japan also has good food so I might recommend that instead. (For dinner, definitely go to Sen of Japan instead- nowhere as exorbitantly priced. (Dinner portions at Wakuda are tiny so you need to order a lot to be full.)

Koma

If you're a die-hard Swiftie, you'd be interested in knowing Taylor Swift dined at Koma twice during her tour.

It's certainly a gorgeous restaurant but the food is...... not amazing.

Le Noir

For live music and al fresco dining, try Le Noir, which is located along the waterfront.

Note: Renku Bar at MBS lobby sometimes has live music in the evenings too but the menu is quite limited.

Rise Restaurant

If it's buffet you're after, this is your only choice in MBS (located in the lobby of the hotel.)

Poolside

If you're staying at MBS, my favorite place to dine in the hotel is at the poolside. The menu is quite limited to be honest, but the view is great and it's wonderfully cool and windy in the evenings.

Alternatively, if you don't mind staying in, the MBS oom service is quite decent too. (Click through for reviews of different dishes I've tried.)

Maison Boulud

This is a new concept by celebrity chef Daniel Boulud that replaces DB bistro & osyter bar. Frankly, this new place is prettier but the food at the old place was much better. The only reason I'm including it in this list is because they give you a free pastry on your birthday which is VERY well executed. My friends and I agreed we would go back for the pastry alone (none of us liked our mains)!

Service was also good so hopefully the cooking improves to match it soon.

The interiors are also very Instagrammable- see above- making it a nice place for a romantic dinner and special occasions if you're not fussed about the actual taste of the food.

Note: Maison Boulud has 2 floors and the tables on the first floor are pretty uncomfortable if you have more than 2 people. They're booth seating but the interior designer should be fired- there is SO little space, your legs get quite cramped. (I'm 5"7 so taller than the average Singaporean female but average for the US or Europe. If you're taller than me- tough luck!)

Not Impressed By

Bread Street Kitchen: good service but very very lackluster food despite the Gordon Ramsay connection.

LAVO: I think this Italian restaurant was my worst dining experience at MBS. Terrible, terrible service with very stuck-up staff, blah food. The only thing good about it is decent portion sizes (but the food was so awful we didn't want to finish it) and a wonderful view of the city skyline and surrounding waters.

To find out more about the other Italian restaurants in MBS Singapore, click here.

P.S. Cafe: looks lovely but ties with LAVO for the worst food at MBS. The staff are well-meaning but badly trained or understaffed. Click here for my reviews of all the cafes at MBS.

EXPERT TIPS

Sign up for the (free) Sands rewards card: you get 3-10% of at many the shops and restaurants in MBS (in the form of points, which can be used agianst your next purchase.) The points are usually credited within 24 house, so if you're in Singapore for 2 days, you have the chance to use them up.

If you're looking to stay at the hotel, here's what I think about Marina Bay Sands Hotel after staying there around 15 times.

Any questions about the best restaurants at Marina Bay Sands Singapore, let me know in the comments!