Dim sum in Singapore runs from a $3 basket at 2am in Jalan Besar to a Michelin-starred lunch overlooking Marina Bay, and I am happy to report that both are worth doing. In 2026, a casual dim sum meal costs around $20 to $30 a head, a hotel Cantonese lunch $40 to $100, and an all-you-can-eat dim sum buffet $72++ to $82++. This guide covers ten places I think are worth your time, including two Michelin-starred dining rooms, Summer Pavilion and Cherry Garden, the pushcart trolleys at Red Star, late-night Swee Choon, three dim sum buffets and a halal-certified option.
How we picked
I ate at every restaurant here and paid for every basket. I judged the classics first, because a kitchen that gets har gow and siew mai right usually gets everything else right too: thin, springy wrappers, fillings with some bite, and nothing sitting under a heat lamp. Hours, prices and Michelin status were checked against each restaurant’s current listing. Many hotel restaurants serve dim sum at lunch only, so read the hours before you set off.
Summer Pavilion | The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore
Best for: A special-occasion dim sum lunch. Address: Level 3, 7 Raffles Avenue. Dim sum: lunch only, daily 11:30am to 2:30pm. Price: steamed prawn and bamboo shoot dumplings $12 for three, baked abalone and mushroom puff $13 each, about $60 to $100++ per person. Michelin: one star. Not halal.
Summer Pavilion has held a Michelin star for ten years running, and it is where I take someone when lunch needs to feel like an event. The room is calm and very grown-up, the service is precise, and the dim sum is some of the most carefully made in Singapore. The prawn and bamboo shoot dumplings have the thinnest wrappers on this list, the baked abalone and mushroom puff is rich and flaky, and there is a dumpling of abalone, dried scallop and fish maw in clear broth that is worth ordering once in your life. It is not cheap. Book ahead, and come hungry.
Cherry Garden by Chef Fei | Mandarin Oriental Singapore
Best for: Modern, luxurious dim sum. Address: Level 5, 5 Raffles Avenue. Dim sum: lunch, daily 12pm to 2:30pm. Price: shrimp dumplings $14 for three, crab meat xiao long bao in lobster bisque $14 for three, wagyu beef tartlet $16 for three, about $70++ per person. Michelin: one star (first awarded 2026). Not halal.
Cherry Garden reopened in 2025 under Chef Fei, whose restaurant in Guangzhou holds two Michelin stars, and it earned its own first star this year. The dim sum here leans luxurious and a little playful. The xiao long bao come filled with crab meat in a lobster bisque, the siew mai are topped with baby abalone, and there is a wagyu beef tartlet I did not expect to enjoy as much as I did. It is priced accordingly. The old weekend dim sum buffet has gone, so this is now an a la carte lunch for when you want to treat yourself.
Wah Lok Cantonese Restaurant | Carlton Hotel
Best for: Classic hotel dim sum at a fair price, and big family lunches. Address: Level 2, 76 Bras Basah Road. Dim sum: lunch only, Monday to Saturday 11:30am to 2:30pm, Sundays and public holidays from 11am. Price: prawn dumplings $8.80 for four, baked barbecue pork buns $7.50 for three, XO carrot cake $12, about $40 to $50++ per person. Michelin: Selected. Not halal.
Wah Lok has been serving Cantonese food at the Carlton since 1988, and on a weekend it is full of three-generation families, which is always a good sign. It seats around 290 people and still feels busy. The dim sum is classic and very well made, and the prices are noticeably kinder than at the starred rooms. Order the prawn dumplings, the baked barbecue pork buns and the carrot cake fried in XO sauce, then add the baked abalone and chicken pie if you are feeling generous. It is my first suggestion for a family dim sum lunch. Book ahead for weekends.
Min Jiang | Goodwood Park Hotel
Best for: Pushcart dim sum in a heritage hotel. Address: Goodwood Park Hotel, 22 Scotts Road, also at 7A and 7B Dempsey Road. Dim sum: weekdays 11:30am to 2:30pm, weekends and public holidays in two seatings, 11am to 12:30pm and 1pm to 2:30pm. Not halal.
Min Jiang has been at Goodwood Park since 1982, and at lunch the dim sum still comes round on trolleys, which I find completely charming. You point at what you want, the basket lands on your table, and the order grows rather faster than you intended. The hotel itself is one of the loveliest old buildings on Scotts Road. Weekend lunch runs in two fixed seatings, so book and arrive on time. The branch at Dempsey Road is listed in the Michelin Guide, if you prefer the greenery out there.
Swee Choon Tim Sum | Jalan Besar
Best for: Late-night dim sum. Address: 183 to 193 Jalan Besar. Hours: now open seven days a week, Sunday to Thursday 7am to 2am, Friday, Saturday and the eve of public holidays 7am to 4am. Changi Airport Terminal 2 outlet open 24 hours. Price: about $20 to $25 per person. Not halal.
Swee Choon has been going since 1962, and it is the dim sum place every Singaporean seems to have visited at 2am at least once. Since January it is open seven days a week, having dropped its Tuesday closure, and it runs until 4am at weekends. The mee suah kueh, crisp on the outside and soft inside, is the thing to order, along with the salted egg custard buns and the xiao long bao. Is it the finest dim sum in Singapore? No, and it does not pretend to be. Late at night, with friends and a pot of tea, it is exactly right.
Red Star Restaurant | Chin Swee Road
Best for: Old-school pushcart dim sum. Address: Block 54 Chin Swee Road, #07-23. Hours: weekdays 8:30am to 3pm and 6pm to 10pm, weekends 8am to 3pm and 6pm to 10pm. Price: siew mai, har gow and baked char siew pie $5.70++ each, egg tarts $5.70++ for three, about $25 to $30 per person. Not halal.
Red Star was founded in 1970 by four of Singapore’s most famous Cantonese chefs, and it is one of the last places where the dim sum still comes round on pushcarts in a big, noisy banquet hall. It is on the seventh floor of an HDB block in Chinatown, which is part of the fun. The trolleys keep coming, the service is brisk, and the food is honest and good value. The baked char siew pie is my favourite, and the egg tarts are worth saving room for. Weekday reservations can be made online, and weekends are best early.
Hai Tien Lo | Pan Pacific Singapore
Best for: An all-you-can-eat dim sum brunch in a hotel dining room. Address: Level 3, 7 Raffles Boulevard. Unlimited Dim Sum Brunch: daily 11:30am to 2:30pm, minimum two diners. Price: weekdays $72++ adult, $36++ child, weekends $82++ adult, $41++ child. Not halal.
Hai Tien Lo runs an unlimited dim sum brunch every day, and it is the buffet I recommend when you want quality rather than just quantity. It is ordered from the menu and made fresh, so nothing sits on a hot plate. There are twelve dim sum to choose from, including siew mai with red roe, a charcoal char siew bun with black truffle and cheong fun with XO chilli, plus a barbecued meat platter and a soup each. Weekdays are $10 cheaper than weekends. Leftovers are charged, so order in rounds rather than all at once.
Man Fu Yuan | Frasers House
Best for: A weekend dim sum buffet with a very long menu. Address: Level 2, Frasers House (formerly InterContinental Singapore), 80 Middle Road. Buffet: Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, 11:30am to 3pm. Price: $78++ per adult, $40++ per child aged 6 to 12, minimum two diners. Not halal.
Man Fu Yuan’s hotel changed its name this year, from InterContinental to Frasers House, but the restaurant is in the same place and its weekend dim sum buffet is as generous as ever. There are more than 40 items to choose from, so you can work through the classics and still have room for the modern ones, such as a truffle crystal dumpling and filo-wrapped prawns with wasabi aioli. A Hong Kong-style barbecued meat platter comes too. It runs on weekends and public holidays only, which makes it a good plan for a lazy Saturday with family.
Yum Cha Restaurant | Chinatown
Best for: A cheap dim sum high-tea buffet in a shophouse teahouse. Address: 20 Trengganu Street, #02-01, Chinatown, also at Changi Business Park. Hours: weekdays 10:30am to 9pm, weekends and public holidays from 9am. High-tea buffet: weekdays 3pm to 6pm, $32.80++ per adult. Not halal.
Yum Cha has been in its Chinatown shophouse since 2000, and it has the feel of an old Hong Kong teahouse, busy and cheerful, with dim sum still served from carts. On weekday afternoons it runs a dim sum high-tea buffet with more than 50 items for $32.80++, which is the best-value dim sum buffet I know of in Singapore. The coriander prawn dumplings and the salted egg custard buns are the ones I go back for. It is right in the middle of Chinatown, so it works well before or after a walk around the area. Book ahead for the buffet.
The Dim Sum Place | North Bridge Road
Best for: Halal dim sum, open late. Halal: MUIS-certified. Address: 791 North Bridge Road, also at The Centrepoint, Changi City Point and Causeway Point. Hours (North Bridge Road): Sunday to Thursday 11am to 11pm, Friday and Saturday 11am to 12:30am. Price: most dim sum $7.90+, about $20 to $30 per person.
The Dim Sum Place is the halal dim sum restaurant most people in Singapore will point you to, and it is a good one. Chicken and prawn stand in for pork, and the chicken siew mai with shrimp is the one to order first. The crystal shrimp dumplings, beancurd skin rolls and molten salted egg custard buns are all reliable. The North Bridge Road branch stays open until 12:30am at weekends, which makes it a useful late-night stop near Kampong Glam. It is also the easiest choice when your group has Muslim friends and you want everyone to eat from the same baskets.
How to choose
For a special occasion, Summer Pavilion or Cherry Garden, both of which hold a Michelin star. For classic hotel dim sum at a fairer price, Wah Lok at the Carlton. For pushcarts, Min Jiang at Goodwood Park or Red Star in Chinatown. For late-night dim sum, Swee Choon in Jalan Besar.
For an all-you-can-eat dim sum buffet, Hai Tien Lo every day, Man Fu Yuan at weekends, or Yum Cha’s weekday high-tea buffet if you are watching the budget. For halal dim sum, The Dim Sum Place.
A few practical notes. Most hotel restaurants serve dim sum at lunch only, so do not turn up for dinner expecting har gow. Weekend lunches fill quickly, especially at Wah Lok and Min Jiang, so book ahead. And order in rounds. Dim sum is best straight from the steamer, and a table covered in cooling baskets helps nobody.
That is the list for 2026: ten places for dim sum in Singapore, from Michelin-starred lunches to 4am baskets in Jalan Besar. If your favourite is missing, send me the tip and I will book a table properly. For more on what is worth your time in Singapore, the rest of the guides library is here.
FAQ
Where is the best dim sum in Singapore?
For a special occasion, Summer Pavilion at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore, which has held a Michelin star for ten years, and Cherry Garden by Chef Fei at Mandarin Oriental, which earned its first star in 2026. For classic dim sum at a fairer price, Wah Lok Cantonese Restaurant at the Carlton Hotel. For casual and late-night dim sum, Swee Choon in Jalan Besar.
Where can I still get pushcart dim sum in Singapore?
Red Star Restaurant on Chin Swee Road serves dim sum from pushcarts in a banquet hall, as it has since 1970. Min Jiang at Goodwood Park Hotel serves trolley dim sum at lunch, and Yum Cha Restaurant in Chinatown also brings dim sum round on carts.
Which dim sum restaurants in Singapore are halal?
The Dim Sum Place is MUIS halal-certified, with its main outlet at 791 North Bridge Road and branches at The Centrepoint, Changi City Point and Causeway Point. Tang Tea House is another halal dim sum chain with several outlets.
Where can I eat dim sum late at night in Singapore?
Swee Choon Tim Sum on Jalan Besar is open until 2am from Sunday to Thursday and until 4am on Fridays, Saturdays and the eve of public holidays, and its Changi Airport Terminal 2 outlet is open 24 hours. The Dim Sum Place on North Bridge Road is halal and open until 12:30am at weekends.
How much is a dim sum buffet in Singapore?
Hai Tien Lo at Pan Pacific Singapore charges $72++ per adult on weekdays and $82++ at weekends for its daily unlimited dim sum brunch. Man Fu Yuan at Frasers House charges $78++ per adult for its weekend dim sum buffet. Yum Cha Restaurant in Chinatown runs a weekday high-tea dim sum buffet at $32.80++ per adult.
What time is dim sum served in Singapore?
Most hotel Cantonese restaurants, including Summer Pavilion, Cherry Garden, Wah Lok and Min Jiang, serve dim sum at lunch only, roughly from 11:30am to 2:30pm. Casual places serve it all day, and Swee Choon serves it from 7am until 2am or later.
Which dim sum restaurants in Singapore have a Michelin star?
Summer Pavilion at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore and Cherry Garden by Chef Fei at Mandarin Oriental Singapore each hold one Michelin star. Wah Lok at the Carlton Hotel and Min Jiang at Dempsey are listed as Michelin Selected.