(Photo: SG Food on Foot)

Chef Lam Kun probably has Singapore’s oldest “I quit my fancy chef job to open a hawker stall” story. Hailing from Hong Kong, Uncle Kun gave up gigs cooking at Shangri-La Hotel’s Shang Palace and consulting for Mouth Restaurant (which we’ll cover later in this list) to start his own hawker stall, where he’s been cooking almost every day for more than 20 years.

Uncle Lam’s beloved stall serves Hong Kong-style Cantonese Dim Sum at an extremely affordable price. He is also known to be very liberal with his ingredients and flavourings, so it’s no wonder why his customers always leave with heavy stomachs and only slightly lighter pockets. Be sure to come in on weekends to get a taste of Singapore’s only Oblong Lor Mai Kai ($4.30), which is so large and filled with so many delicious ingredients (tender chicken, rich salted egg, and more!) that it could probably pass for a meal on its own.

📍 Address: Block 74 Food Centre, 74 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh, Singapore 310074
⏰ Opening hours: 6am – 12pm, closed on Mondays and Fridays
📞 Contact: 8556 7133
🍴 Halal status: Not halal

(Photo: SquareMeal)

After its original branch unexpectedly closed in June and bids for the eatery rose into the millions, the future of the dim sum spot Geylang residents knew and loved seemed uncertain. Thankfully, the same team has reopened their Serangoon branch just a little further up north, where they still serve over 100 varieties of dim sum, and all is right in the world.

Although it’s no longer a 24-hour business, the restaurant is still open late every night. Whether you’re starving for traditional dishes like the Yam Rice ($4.20) or original concoctions such as the Hot Baked Mor Cheese Dumplings ($8.20), it’s no wonder why it’s still Singapore’s best late-night dim sum spot.

📍 Address: 1086 Serangoon Rd, Singapore 328187
⏰ Opening hours: 11am – 4am daily
📞 Contact: 6297 5032
🍴 Halal status: Not halal
🌐 Website: facebook.com/126wendaoshi

(Photo: Foodpanda)

When Kuai San Dian Xing (literally “$1.30 snacks”) raised their prices, the world wept. Thankfully, it’s still very affordable, as all of its dishes are now priced at $1.50. They’ve had to undergo a minor rebrand, and 9 stores across the country now bear huge DIM SUM EXPRESS signs. 

The stall has just about every Singapore hawker Dim Sum staple, but it’s also really hard to pass up Century Egg Pork Porridge ($1.50) at that price point. Just about everything here is a good deal, but if you’re really trying to maximise your hard earned money, get the Big Bao ($1.50), which is a refreshing way to fill your stomach any time of the day.

📍 Address: 9 locations throughout Singapore
⏰ Opening hours:  Open 24 hours daily
🍴 Halal status: Not halal
🌐 Website: facebook.com/dimsumexpress.sg     

(Photo: Seth Lui)

You don’t love pau (filled buns) as much as this guy does. Having travelled to Hong Kong just to master his craft, the owner of the Fu Yuan Handmade Dim Sum stall set up shop less than a decade ago, and Singapore’s dim sum scene is all the better for it. Here, you’ll get the chance to try tons of secret-recipe dim sum, like the humongous and juicy Ji Wo Pau ($4). Even its more conventional dishes stand out from the rest. Just try to find a Liu Sha Pao ($1) with a thicker salted egg filling at the same price point anywhere else, we dare you.

📍 Address: 710 Clementi West Street 2, Singapore 120710
⏰ Opening hours:  5:30am – 5pm, closed Tuesdays
🍴 Halal status: Not halal

(Photo: Daniel Food Diary)

Dim Sum goes halal at this super convenient restaurant with 4 branches throughout Singapore. Their menu covers a wide range of classic dim sum, but with a few local twists, such as the Deep Fried Salted Egg Yolk Prawn ($14.90). If you’re feeling especially adventurous, start your meal with the signature TDSP Cheese Tarts ($6.90), which is a rich and creamy treat that we’re surprised hasn’t been “borrowed” by more dim sum eateries in Singapore.

📍 Address: 4 locations throughout Singapore
⏰ Opening hours: 10:30am – 9:30pm, Mon to Thur | 10am – 9:30pm, Fri to Sun
📞 Contact: 6592 8815
🍴 Halal status: Halal
🌐 Website: thedimsumplace.sg/our-menu

(Photo: Eatbook)

Sum Dim Sum’s Bedok location puts it right in the stomping grounds of the Dim Sum Place and several other longstanding dim sum restaurants. However, its culinary repertoire is nothing to be sneezed at, as its menu is known for its strong regional influences. The Malay Sponge Cake ($5.05) is something you’d have trouble finding at most dim sum joints, and the Signature Crispy Pork Bun ($7.55) has a unique, slightly milky flavour and green tint from its pandan flavouring.

📍 Address: 161 Jalan Besar, Singapore 208876
⏰ Opening hours: 11:30am – 1am, Mon to Fri | 10:30am – 1am, Sat and Sun
📞 Contact: 8818 9161
🍴 Halal status: Not halal
🌐 Website: sumdimsum.oddle.me   

(Photo: Mouth Restaurant)

Mouth Restaurant comes from humble beginnings as an 80’s Hong Kong teahouse. Its ostentatious decor and rowdy atmosphere will make you feel like you’re in the middle of an active warzone, but what lies beneath is an incredibly compelling dining experience and a slew of deliciously handmade dim sum. The menu is constantly evolving, but several classics remain throughout the year. Try the Rainbow Prawn Har Gao ($7), which is served as a mouthwatering 6-piece set of squid ink, sweet potato, original, spinach, garlic, and carrot flavoured prawn dumplings.

📍 Address: 38 Maxwell Road, #01-01/02 Airview Building, Singapore 069116
⏰ Opening hours: 11:30am – 3pm, 6pm – 10pm, Mon to Fri | 10am – 4pm, 6pm – 10pm, Sat and Sun
📞 Contact: 6438 5798
🍴 Halal status: Halal
🌐 Website: mouth.com.sg

(Photo: Social Place)

There’s trendy dim sum places, and then there’s really trendy dim sum places. Just about every dish Social Place serves has some unique twist, making it impossible to leave this place without a memorable meal. There is a certain logic behind the madness, though. Its more conservative dishes, such as the earthy Beetroot Fried Rice ($19.80), seem like they could be Chinese cuisine staples in a slightly different universe. If you’re hunting for something to put on the ‘gram, end your meal with the Mahjong Jelly ($7.80) and Small Pig Pudding ($7.80) which look like… well, mahjong tiles and a small pig.

📍 Address: 583 Orchard Road, Forum the Shopping Mall #01-22
⏰ Opening hours: 11:30am – 2:30pm, 6pm – 9pm daily
📞 Contact: 8870 2288
🍴 Halal status: Not halal
🌐 Website: socialplace.sg

(Photo: Eatbook)

For a truly old-fashioned dim sum experience, scroll no further. Yum Cha Restaurant is housed at the top of a Chinatown shophouse and is filled with everything you would expect — marble tables, wooden chairs, and the whole nine yards. If you’re lucky enough to come during one of their buffet promotions, they’ll break out the traditional dim sum carts, too. They’re most known for their traditional dim sum, but they also have the occasional curveball, such as the spicy and springy Thai Style Jellyfish ($10.80).

📍 Address: 20 Trengganu Street, #02-01, Singapore 058479
⏰ Opening hours: 10:30am – 9pm, Tue to Fri | 9am – 9pm, Sat and Sun | Closed on Mondays
📞 Contact: 6372 1717
🍴 Halal status: Not halal
🌐 Website: yumcha.com.sg 

(Photo: Squaremeal)

Many of Lei Garden Group’s restaurants have snapped up Michelin stars back in Hong Kong and China, so perhaps it’s no surprise that its Singapore branch was awarded one as well. Still, there’s no changing the fact that Lei Garden is where you go if you want to impress someone (or even a group of somebodies). Menus are changing and prices are adjusted constantly depending on what’s in season, so if you’re reading this in October, be sure to help yourself to their hairy crab season menu. If you really want to treat yourself, grab the Hairy Crab Roe Topped with Scallop Cubes Fried Rice ($50) for a truly premium taste of that pillowy-soft, umami hairy crab taste.

📍 Address: 30 Victoria St, #01-24 CHIJMES, Singapore 187996
⏰ Opening hours: 11:30am – 3pm, 6pm – 10pm daily
📞 Contact: 6339 3822
🍴 Halal status: Not halal
🌐 Website: leigarden.hk/branch/chijimes

(Photo: TripAdvisor)

It’s always nice to see a restaurant have juuuust the right amount of gimmick going on. Enough to establish a theme and give you a nice mental image while you eat, but not too much as to be, well, gimmicky. One of the premier vegetarian dim sum restaurants in Singapore, Jade, has a “birds of Singapore” theme that’s tastefully displayed throughout its interior decoration and cutlery. The food itself is delicately cooked and would taste exquisite in any restaurant setting, even if it wasn’t served on elegantly painted tableware. 

Pretty plates deserve pretty food, so you’ll have to try the Blue Pea Wild Mushroom Vegetarian Dumpling ($10), which almost looks too good to eat if it weren’t for its subtle pandan flavour.

📍 Address: 1 Fullerton Square, Singapore 049178
⏰ Opening hours:  11:30am – 3pm, 6:30pm – 10:30pm, Mon to Fri | 11:30am – 1pm, 1:30pm – 3pm, 6:30pm – 10:30pm, Sat and Sun
📞 Contact: 3129 8330
🍴 Halal status: Not halal
🌐 Website: fullertonhotels.com/fullerton-hotel-singapore/dining/restaurants-and-bars/jade  

(Photo: The Honeycombers)

Perched on the fifth floor of the National Gallery, Yan’s dim sum are works of art unto themselves. Priding themselves on their super traditional Cantonese cooking, many of their dishes require painstaking effort to prepare. Take the Fried Live Prawn with Crispy Noodle Ball ($12) for instance. The ball itself is deep-fried, but after pouring the mild broth on top, the noodles start to ease. Paired with a prawn that has just the right springiness, the end result is a dish that takes on a unique, slightly soft texture that still retains that fresh feeling from the noodle’s original crispiness.

The dim sum menu here is extensive, but if you’re faced with a case of decision paralysis, try the Combination Platter ($18), which consists of six Dim Sum classics and is an epicurean tour through Guangzhou in and of itself. 

📍 Address: 1 Saint Andrew’s Road, #05-02 National Gallery, Singapore 178957
⏰ Opening hours:  11:30am – 2:30pm, 6pm – 10pm daily
📞 Contact: 9272 7522
🍴 Halal status: Not halal
🌐 Website: yan.com.sg     

(Featured photo adapted from Foodpanda)