An unsponsored, impartial review of Spago MBS Singapore (Dining Room.) (Not to be confused with the open air Spago Bar & Lounge, also by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, that is on the opposite side of Spago Dining Room.)
Perched on the 57th floor of the iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Spago Dining Room by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck is one of 3 dining places on the top floor of MBS Hotel. (5, if you include Poolside Dining as well as Spago Bar & Lounge. The other restaurants are Italian Restaurant Lavo and restaurant-bar CE LA VI.)
It is the first international offshoot of Chef Wolfgang Puck’s renowned Beverly Hills restaurant and harmoniously blends California-inspired cuisine with rich Asian flavors. Unlike its sister eatery, Spago Bar & Lounge, which is located next to it and open air (and which will be reviewed in a separate post), Spago Dining Room is a fine dining restaurant.
There's also Cut by Wolfgang Puck but it's a steakhouse (with seafood)- click for my (unsponsored) review.
I'm usually not a fan of a celebrity chef restaurant- have never been to the original Spago and not super impressed by Daniel Boulud (at MBS Shoppes), to be honest- but I do enjoy Spago.
Google Rating: 4.5 stars out of 1743 reviews (25 Dec 23)
Tripadvisor Rating: Travelers' Choice 2023, 4.5 stars, #69 out of over 10,000 restaurants in Singapore (791 reviews) (25 Dec 23)
Recommended For
- Good Service. The staff make the effort to actually engage with you and not just provide impersonal, efficient service.
- Good Food. One of the best restaurants at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and my personal favorite. It features local flavors in new ways. A good place to try Singaporean cuisine outside of a hawker centre!
- Good Ambience. And with an ambience and view to match!
- Child-free dining: Children under 8 are not allowed to enter.
- Great place for meeting friends or for special occasions.
Location
Address: Tower 2 Level 57, 10 Bayfront Avenue Marina Bay Resort, Sands SkyPark, Singapore 018956
Phone number: +65 66889955
Opening Hours: daily for lunch (12 noon to 2 p.m. (last seating)) and dinner (6 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. (or 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.)
Dress Code: Smart Casual (If not, you may be offered a seat at the Bar & Lounge area or open terrace, but not inside. My fried wore Birkenstocks and we were offered a table at the open terrace.)
Note: I highly recommend booking. If you don't, you may be able to get a space at the outdoor terrace (no fan, no AC so it can be warm, especially when the sun sets! I was told they are putting in new fans though.) or the Bar & Lounge area. However, it's unlikely you'll be able to get a space at the Dining Room itself, especially over the weekend.
How to Get There
The restaurant is situated at Tower 2, on top of MBS.
Closest MRT: Bayfront. Go up the escalators (or lifts) to the Hotel Lobby Tower then up again in a different lift.
Nearest carpark: Central (Orange zone)
Toilets
Unlike Wakuda Singapore, Spago thankfully has its own loos but they could be better maintained, to be honest.
Ambience
Spago Dining Room is a beautiful place to dine. The interiors are quite muted and the focus is on the views.
The atmosphere of the restaurant is quite relaxed, even though it's billed as a fine dining place.
From one side, you have a view of the famous Marina Bay Sands infinity pool (you actually have a better view if you sit outside, on the terrace, but it's pretty hot so I don't recommend it. The setting sun shines directly onto the terrace lounge.) Unfortunately, you don't get the same spectacular views of the city skyline as you do at the famous infinity pool, since the pool is blocking you!
From the other side of the restaurant, you overlook the open waters of Singapore. Although it's a floor-to-ceiling glass wall, the glass has window panes, so it's not the clearest view.
Seniors' Tip: Detail the accessibility features (wheelchair accessibility, ease of entry, restroom facilities).
Menu Highlights
I've been told I'm picky and I'm personally very happy with the quality of the food here.
The meal- both lunch and dinner- starts with a complimentary bread basket, which tastes AMAZING. I would return just for the bread!
Note: the lunch menu and dinner menu offerings are slightly different.
Food
Some of the dishes I've tried include:
- Big Eye Tuna Tartare Cones $32
- I preferred the tuna cones to the laksa spring roll- which is dry laksa in a fried spring roll- but if you're a tourist, you may enjoy trying local Singaporean flavors in a more upscale setting (than a hawker setting)
- Chicken laksa spring roll $22
- Honey Miso Broiled Black Cod $48
- Japanese Sea Bream Laksa
- Octopus
Lunch
Drinks
The lunch set menu comes with a very interesting buah keluak coffee. (Buah Keluak is a local Singaporean delicacy, which is actually poisonous if not prepared properly!) It's a fun flavor for tourists to try. I actually LOVE Buah Keluak!
Have never had alcohol at Spago Singapore so can't comment on that!
Solo traveler tip: It's easy for singles to dine here- you can get the set lunch/ dinner or a-la-carte if you're not that hungry. (In contrast, Spago Bar & Lounge is more of a sharing place- you either end up feeling you could eat a bit more or too full.)
Service
The service is one of the best in Marina Bay Sands Singapore. The staff try to make conversation with you, so that the dining experience feels a bit more intimate. (But it's not too much. I've dined at places where it was a bit too much, and you feel like you just want a moment to actually talk to the people you're dining with! Thanksfuly, that's not the case here.)
For example, I simply adore the mochi cheesebread that is served as an appetizer during dinner. The staff here are so accommodating, they even brought me some complimentary ones during lunch after I mentioned how much I love them! (They're usually not offered at lunch hour.)
Note: the service isn't as good at the Spago Bar & Lounge, unfortunately. (It's not that it's bad but it's not on the same level, which i was surprised by since they're both under the Spago brand. Let me know if you think I should do a separate review for Spago Bar & Lounge!
Pricing and Value
The set menu is great value-for-money. In Singapore, Western food can cost a hand and a foot, even when it doesn't taste good! (One of the cons of Singapore.)
Expert Tip
Tip #1: Download the free Marina Bay Sands Rewards cards and you'll get 3-10% of your expenditure here back in Sands dollars, which you can use to pay for your next meal (or anything you buy at a participating MBS outlet.) In fact, my Birkenstock-wearing friend and I dined here for free, all thanks to her MBS Sands dollars.
Honestly, writing this review reminded me of why I enjoy dining at Spago so much, so looks like it's time to make my next reservation!
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