There's a version of this article that starts with "Singapore has over 1,200 MUIS-certified halal restaurants." But you don't need a statistic to know that; you already know, because you've almost certainly eaten your way through a good chunk of them. We’ve narrowed this list down to the best of the best, so you can spend less time agonising over your next meal, and more time actually enjoying it.
1. The nasi lemak that's worth the queue: Selera Rasa
Some things in life require patience, and a plate of Selera Rasa's nasi lemak is one of them. Nestled at Adam Road Food Centre, this family-run hawker stall sees long queues at every opening hour. And with good reason: the Nasi Lemak served here’s good enough for the Sultan of Brunei, Lee Hsien Loong, and at least one Indonesian President!
The rice is the star of the show. Made with basmati cooked in coconut milk, lemongrass, and pandan leaves, it's fragrant in a way that's hard to describe other than "very, very right." The Royal Rumble set ($7) is the move — it brings together the crispy fried chicken wing, smoky otak-otak, bergedil, ikan bilis, fried egg, and a sambal that's sweet enough to be addictive. Come early; they typically sell out before early afternoon.
📍 Address: Adam Road Food Centre, #01-02, 2 Adam Road, Singapore 289876
⏰ Opening hours: Sat to Thurs, 7am – 3pm | Closed Fridays
📞 Contact: 9843 4509🍴 Halal status: Halal
2. Over a century of murtabak: Victory
If you’ve never considered adding murtabak to your canon of favourite foods, you owe yourself a visit to Victory. Sitting directly across from the Sultan Mosque on North Bridge Road since the 1910s, this Indian-Muslim institution has been perfecting the same dishes for over a century, and they’re still rocking the same, unique style of murtabak that put them on the map.
The murtabak is a full-commitment dish: paper-thin dough stretched by hand, loaded with spiced minced m eat — mutton, chicken, or beef — and fried until the edges crackle. The accompanying curry sauce pulls everything together. If it's biryani you're after, the Hyderabadi dum-style version here is slow-cooked with the rice and meat together, so every grain carries the flavour.
📍 Address: 701 N Bridge Road, #701, Singapore 198677
⏰ Opening hours: 7am – 11pm daily
📞 Contact: 9843 4509🍴 Halal status: Halal
🌐 Website: victoryrestaurant.sg
3. Nasi padang the way it's supposed to taste: Hjh Maimunah
This is Nasi Lemak made the real old fashioned way. Locally-sourced sustainable seafood, family recipes passed down across generations, and charcoal-grilled meats are just some of the ways you know that Hjh Maimunah takes its food seriously.
In the 90s, the restaurant started out with a rotating selection of 40 dishes, but these days it isn’t hard to walk in on any given day and choose from over 100 (yes, I counted) eats. The Beef Rendang is deeply spiced and rich in the way only a dish cooked low and slow for a long time can be, while the Lemak Siput Sedut (sea snails in a spiced coconut gravy) sounds intimidating but converts almost everyone who tries it. Arrive before noon if you want the full spread as popular dishes go quickly.
📍 Address: 20 Joo Chiat Road, Singapore 427357
⏰ Opening hours: Tue to Sun, 8am – 7pm | Closed Mondays
🍴 Halal status: Halal
🌐 Website: hjmaimunah.com
4. Halal dim sum for every occasion: The Dim Sum Place
Good halal Chinese food in Singapore used to require a real effort to find. First featured in our roundup of Singapore’s best dim sum, The Dim Sum Place has changed that significantly, with four conveniently located outlets and a menu that brings a few local touches to classic dim sum.
The usual suspects are here and done well — har gao, siu mai, egg tarts — but what makes The Dim Sum Place worth marking on your map are the dishes you won't find everywhere else. If you’ve know a guy who’ll spring for anything with salted egg in its name, let them try the Deep Fried Salted Egg Yolk Prawn ($14.90) here. As they’re chowing down on extra-indulgent, extra-crackly prawn skin, they’ll thank you.
📍 Address: 4 locations throughout Singapore
⏰ Opening hours: Mon to Thur, 10.30am – 9.30pm | Fri to Sun, 10am – 10pm
🍴 Halal status: Halal
🌐 Website: https://www.thedimsumplace.sg/
5. Handcrafted pasta, the halal way: Tipo Pasta Bar
Swing by here on any day of the week, and you’re bound to be greeted by a tongue-twister of a pasta shape. Tucked into the arts precinct at Aliwal Arts Centre near Kampong Glam, the people at Tipo are all too proud to impress and/or baffle you with their sheer breadth of pasta mastery. The last time I went here, I was able to choose from Chilli Onion Mafalde, Nori Conchiglie, and Coriander Gemelli.
Of course, whatever you choose, it’ll all be cooked pleasantly al dente. The build-your-own-pasta format means you’ll get your pick of toppings and sauces too, many of which are bold without being overwhelming. It works equally well as a solo lunch spot or a casual group dinner, and the light, art-filled space at Aliwal gives it a vibe that's hard not to like.
📍 Address: #01-07 Aliwal Arts Centre, 28 Aliwal Street, Singapore 199918
⏰ Opening hours: 11am – 10pm daily
📞 Contact: 8768 0785
🍴 Halal status: Halal
🌐 Website: tipo.sg
6. Heritage-inspired Malay with a modern twist: The Malayan Council
Malay-Western cuisine is a tight balancing act to master. But by combining the most indulgent aspects of Malay flavours and Western textures, The Malayan Council makes the concept feel as natural as dinners with family.The Roti Kirai Beef Ribs is the signature: soft net pancakes (roti kirai) paired with slow-braised beef ribs in a deep, slow-cooked sauce that pairs the two together remarkably well. The Asam Pedas Seafood Aglio Olio — a mashup of the bold, tangy heat of a classic asam pedas and the clean comfort of Italian pasta — is the kind of fusion dish that earns the concept rather than just riding it. The best meals here finish with the Ondeh-Ondeh Cake, a layered pandan and gula melaka creation that's become something of a signature for the restaurant.
📍 Address: 22 Dunlop Street, Singapore 209350
📞 Contact: 9009 7345
🍴 Halal status: Halal
🌐 Website: themalayancouncil.sg
7. Singapore's hawker culture, elevated: StraitsKitchen at Fairmont Singapore
StraitsKitchen is what happens when someone asks, "What if Singapore's best hawker food were served in a five-star hotel with live cooking stations?" The result is one of the most consistently well-regarded halal buffets in the city, and a genuinely great option for celebrations, family gatherings, or any occasion that calls for a serious spread.
The buffet draws from across the island's culinary landscape: Malay, Chinese, Indian, and Peranakan dishes, all MUIS-certified and prepared with a level of care that shows. Expect fragrant biryani, charcoal-grilled satay, rich laksa, and far more than you'll be able to eat in one sitting. Prices range from $68 to $88 per adult, depending on the meal period.
📍 Address: Fairmont Singapore, 80 Bras Basah Road, Singapore 189560
⏰ Opening hours: Lunch, noon – 2.30pm | Dinner, 6.30pm – 10.30pm daily
📞 Contact: 6431 6156
🍴 Halal status: Halal (MUIS certified)
🌐 Website: singapore.grand.hyattrestaurants.com/straitskitchen
8. Nine Michelin Bib Gourmands and counting: Bismillah Biryani
Most restaurants would be happy with one Michelin Bib Gourmand. Bismillah Biryani has nine. Tucked along Dunlop Street in Little India, this modest, no-frills restaurant was founded by Arif Salahuddin, a Pakistani-born chef who came to Singapore, couldn't find biryani he was satisfied with, and decided to make it himself.
The biryani here is prepared dum style. Meat and spiced basmati rice cook together in a sealed pot, so the rice absorbs the full flavour of the meat rather than sitting next to it. The result is dry, fragrant, and nothing like the curry-drenched versions you might be used to. The Lamb Shank Biryani ($22.50) is the crowd favourite — the shank falls apart cleanly and the rice carries a depth you won't find elsewhere at this price point. The Haleem ($10) is worth ordering alongside it; it's a slow-cooked meat and lentil stew that doubles as one of the more satisfying things on the menu. Hey, it was good enough for Anthony Bourdain, so it’s probably good enough for you.
📍 Address: 50 Dunlop Street, Singapore 209379
⏰ Opening hours: Daily, 11.30am – 8.30pm
📞 Contact: 6935 1326
🍴 Halal status: Muslim-owned
🌐 Website: bismillahbiryani.com
9. Korean food made properly, by a Korean-Muslim chef: Meokja by JUNGGA
Finding good halal Korean food in Singapore used to mean settling for approximations. Meokja by JUNGGA is different. The restaurant is helmed by Chef Jung Sangwoo, a Korean-Muslim convert who moved to Singapore and found himself unable to eat the Korean food he grew up with. So he started cooking it himself, using only halal ingredients, without cutting corners on flavour.
I've been here twice now, and both times the JjaJangMyeon ($12++) was the standout — thick, bouncy noodles in a black bean sauce that's sweet and sticky in a way that makes it hard to stop eating. The TangSuYuk ($14++), crispy battered chicken with a sweet-sour sauce served on the side, is worth ordering for the table. The portions are genuinely generous, the restaurant is relaxed and unpretentious, and the whole thing feels like someone cooking food they actually care about rather than food they think will sell. For anyone who's been sleeping on halal Korean food in Singapore, this is your starting point.
📍 Address: 785 North Bridge Road, #01-01, Singapore 198753
⏰ Opening hours: Sat to Thur, 11.30am – 10pm | Fri, 3.30pm – 10pm
🍴 Halal status: Muslim-owned
🌐 Website: instagram.com/meokjasg
10. The 2am option: Al-Azhar
Open 24 hours at its Bukit Timah outlet, this long-running halal institution is the answer to the question "where do we go after this?" — whether "this" is a late movie, a midnight drive, or simply a group that can't agree on where to eat at a reasonable hour.
The menu is impressively wide: roti prata (crispy, flaky, good), murtabak, satay, nasi goreng, biryani, Thai curries, and a Western grill section that holds up surprisingly well at 2am. All this makes sure that nobody in your group has to compromise, no matter what time it is. The teh Pakistan (a thick, spiced milk tea) is a must regardless of when you visit.
📍 Address: 11 Cheong Chin Nam Road, Singapore 599736 (Bukit Timah outlet)
⏰ Opening hours: 24 hours daily
📞 Contact: 6466 5052
🍴 Halal status: Halal (MUIS certified)
🌐 Website: al-azhar.com
(Cover photo from: Quandoo)
