Little India Singapore Restaurants 2026: The Complete Guide to What's Worth Eating

There’s a specific kind of frustration that comes with eating badly in Little India. You were surrounded by options. You could smell something incredible from two streets over. And somehow you still ended up with a mediocre plate because you walked into the first place you found with photos on the menu.

This guide is for people who want to skip that part. The Little India Singapore restaurants listed here cover everything from S$5 hawker plates to sit-down meals you’ll still think about the next morning. Real pricing included. What to order at each place. A few honest opinions about which ones are worth the trip and which ones coast on reputation.

One important note upfront: the number one pick on this list isn’t technically in Little India at all. It’s in the CBD. If that bothers you, keep reading — the reason will make sense quickly.

Before You Order, Know This — North Indian vs South Indian

Most people don’t realise that “Indian food” in Little India is actually two very different cuisines sharing the same streets.

South Indian food is what you’ll find most of. Dosa, idli, sambar, rasam, banana leaf rice. It’s built around rice and lentils, uses coconut and tamarind a lot, and tends to be lighter. The vegetarian options here are genuinely excellent — not a compromise, actually excellent.

North Indian is a different thing entirely. You’re eating naan and roti, not rice. The cooking relies on cream, paneer, yoghurt and ghee. The tandoor — a clay oven that gets extremely hot — is what makes the breads and the meat taste the way they do. The gravies (butter chicken, dal makhani, rogan josh) are slow-cooked and rich in a way that takes time you can’t fake.

Both are worth trying. But if you walk into a South Indian restaurant expecting butter chicken, you’re going to have a confusing evening. This matters when picking restaurants in Little India Singapore, so it’s worth keeping in mind.

Little India Singapore Restaurants 2026 — 15 Places Worth Visiting

1. Akasa — The Best North Indian Food in Singapore (Tanjong Pagar, CBD)

Right. So why is a Tanjong Pagar restaurant leading a guide to Little India Singapore restaurants? Because this is a food guide, not a geography guide.

Akasa at CapitaSky is 79 Robinson Road, three minutes from Tanjong Pagar MRT. It’s a 20-minute MRT ride from Little India — and it’s the best North Indian food you’ll find in Singapore. Not just in the CBD. In Singapore.

What makes Akasa different from everything else on this list: the spices are roasted and ground in-house every morning. There’s a real tandoor on site, not a gas substitute. Head Chef Akhilesh Pathak has cooked across India’s finest culinary regions for decades, and that background shows up in every dish — particularly the Awadhi-style preparations that you simply don’t find anywhere else at this level.

Start with the Dal-E-Akasa (S$22). Black lentils, slow-cooked for 24 hours, finished with unsalted butter. It sounds plain. It is the opposite of plain. Then order the Butter Chicken (S$26) — charcoal-roasted, Kashmiri chilli, cashew, proper tomato gravy — and the Tandoori Paneer Kebab (S$24) if anyone at the table is vegetarian. The Akasa Signature Mutton Curry (S$34) is Awadhi dum-cooked with saffron and mustard oil. Order the Kulfi Falooda (S$16) at the end and don’t skip it.

Set lunch runs from S$48++ per person. Happy Hour is weekdays 4–7 PM, drinks from S$8++. Akasa also has one of the best vegetarian menus in Singapore — a full Vegetarian Tasting Menu at S$78++, not a shortened version of the main menu.

If you’re in Singapore for Indian food, Akasa is where you go first. The north Indian restaurant in Singapore guide covers Akasa in more detail if you want the full picture before booking.

Address: 79 Robinson Road, #01-03 CapitaSky, Tanjong Pagar 

Hours: Lunch Mon–Sat 11:30 AM–2:30 PM | Dinner Mon–Sat 5:30 PM–9:30 PM 

Price: S$40–80 per person 

 Reservations: info@akasa.sg | +65 80121181

2. Tekka Market — The Hawker Benchmark

665 Buffalo Road. This is the starting point for anyone wanting cheap, honest Indian hawker food in Little India. Get there before 12 PM or you’ll be circling for a table.

Three stalls worth going to specifically. Yakader Muslim Food (#01-259) for Mutton Dum Biryani — over 40 years of the same recipe, and you can taste it. Delhi Lahori (#01-266) for the Butter Chicken Naan Set: real charcoal tandoor on site, Michelin Guide mentioned, under S$10 a head. Ar-Rahman Cafe (#01-247/248) for prata and teh tarik in the morning — the prata here is thin, properly flaky, and cheap.

Price: S$5–12 

Best for: Budget meals, breakfast, getting your bearings in Little India

3. Lagnaa Barefoot Dining — Michelin Bib Gourmand

6 Upper Dickson Road. The only restaurant with Michelin recognition among the Little India Singapore restaurants. You take your shoes off at the door and sit on the floor if you want — the barefoot concept is real, not a gimmick. Three floors, good energy, and food that covers both North and South Indian well.

The Chilli Challenge (spice levels 0–10) gets a lot of attention, but the Butter Chicken here is actually what keeps people coming back. Threadfin Fish Curry is the other dish worth ordering specifically.

Must-order: Butter Chicken, Threadfin Fish Curry, Chana Masala 

Price: S$20–35 

 Best for: First-time visitors, groups, the spice experience

4. Banana Leaf Apolo — Race Course Road Heritage

54 Race Course Road. Open since the 1970s and still busy every service. The Fish Head Curry is what made the restaurant famous and it still is the main reason to go. Food arrives on an actual banana leaf. You eat with your hands or ask for cutlery — up to you.

Genuinely worth doing once if you’ve never had the banana leaf experience. A lot of Little India Singapore restaurants try to replicate this format. Most don’t match the original.

Must-order: Fish Head Curry, Mutton Varuval, Prawn Masala 

Price: S$25–40 

 Best for: Heritage dining, banana leaf experience, groups

5. Jaggi’s Northern Indian Cuisine — The Punjabi Kitchen

34 Race Course Road. Started as a hawker stall and grew into one of the most reliable restaurants in Little India Singapore. The recipes haven’t changed. Portions are honest. The pricing stays fair even with the reputation.

Butter chicken, dal makhani, seekh kebab — Punjabi classics done simply and consistently. There’s no creative twist here and that’s the point.

Must-order: Butter Chicken, Dal Makhani, Seekh Kebab 

Price: S$15–25 

Best for: Casual North Indian, families, budget meals

6. Khansama Tandoor — Serangoon Road

166 Serangoon Road. The expat Indian community is loyal to this place, which is generally a more reliable signal than a Google rating. Evenings are busy — walk in on the early side or book ahead. Delivery available if you’d rather not deal with the crowd.

Must-order: Tandoori Chicken, Seekh Kebab, Malai Tikka 

Price: S$15–25 

 Best for: Tandoor cooking specifically, evening dinners

7. Komala Vilas — Pure Vegetarian Since 1947

76–78 Serangoon Road. Singapore’s oldest Indian vegetarian restaurant still running. Pure vegetarian, South Indian classics, full Thali under S$10. It’s genuinely one of the best value plates you’ll find in Singapore — not “good for the price,” actually good.

Must-order: Masala Dosa, Thali Set, Masala Tea 

Price: S$5–12 

 Best for: Vegetarians, South Indian food, budget eating

8. Ananda Bhavan — 24 Hours, 7 Days

95 Syed Alwi Road. The Little India flagship of the oldest Indian vegetarian chain in Singapore. It’s been running since the 1960s and it never closes. Useful to know when everything else has shut and you still want a proper meal.

Must-order: Rava Thosai, Vegetarian Biryani Set, Puri Masala 

Price: S$5–12 

Best for: Late nights, 24-hour vegetarian, budget South Indian

9. MTR Mavalli Tiffin Rooms — Karnataka Cooking

438 Serangoon Road. The original MTR in Bangalore started in 1924. The Singapore outlet carries that history without making a big deal of it — the food is just clean, precise Karnataka South Indian. Good for a quick meal, not a long one.

Must-order: Idli, Onion Uthappam, Masala Dosa 

Price: S$8–15 

 Best for: Quick meals, light eating, South Indian purists

10. Indian Express (by Song of India)

38 Race Course Road. The second concept from Michelin-starred The Song of India on Scotts Road. Same attention to North Indian cooking, more accessible pricing and format. The Tandoori Mix Grill Platter — full lamb chop, chicken tikka, fish, kebabs — is worth ordering.

Must-order: Tandoori Mix Grill Platter, Punjabi Samosas 

Price: S$25–40 

 Best for: Groups, casual fine dining, North Indian on Race Course Road

11. Mustard — Bengali Food in Singapore

Race Course Road. 4.6 stars on Google — the highest-rated on the strip. Covers Bengali and Punjabi cooking. The Kolkata Biryani is genuinely different from every other biryani in Little India: lightly spiced, fragrant, a potato in the rice. Worth coming specifically for this dish.

Must-order: Kolkata Biryani, Bengali Fish Curry, Chicken Kathi Roll 

Price: S$25–40 

 Best for: Adventurous diners, Bengali food specifically

12. Kebabs N Curries — Mustafa Rooftop

Level 7, Mustafa Centre, 171 Syed Alwi Road. Halal-certified, open until 2 AM daily. It’s the only late-night sit-down option among the Little India Singapore restaurants in this guide, and it has city views from the rooftop.

Must-order: Rosemary Lamb, Butter Chicken, Chapli Kebab 

Price: S$15–25 

 Best for: Halal diners, late nights, groups

13. Azmi Restaurant — The Chapati Place

168 Serangoon Road. Locals call it “Norris Road Chapati.” The chapati is S$1 per piece. The queue most evenings goes around the block — book for dinner or you’ll be waiting a while.

Must-order: Chapati with Beef Keema, Channa Masala 

Price: S$5–10 

 Best for: Budget eating, neighbourhood food

14. AMRITH by The Song of India

Upper Dickson Road. Sister restaurant to The Song of India. If you want refined North Indian cooking without leaving Little India, this is the only place that does it. Kashmiri Lamb Rack, Malai Chicken Tikka, Tandoor Tiger Prawns — it’s a proper menu, not a simplified one.

Price: S$35–60 

 Best for: North Indian fine dining within Little India, special occasions

15. Podi & Poriyal — Modern South Indian with Cocktails

Upper Dickson Road. Contemporary South Indian cooking with a proper bar. The four-course set meal is the right order if you don’t know the menu yet.

Must-order: Coconut Samosa, Banana Blossom Tikki, Jackfruit Biryani 

Price: S$20–35 | 

Best for: Modern South Indian, cocktails, younger crowd

Quick Comparison — Little India Singapore Restaurants by Budget

Where to Go Based on What You Actually Want

You want cheap and honest: Tekka Market. Azmi’s chapati at S$1. Yakader’s Mutton Biryani. Under S$12 and you’ll eat well.

You want South Indian heritage: Banana Leaf Apolo on Race Course Road. Fish Head Curry, banana leaf, no cutlery. Do it at least once.

You want North Indian in Little India: Jaggi’s for straightforward Punjabi. Khansama for tandoor-specific cooking. AMRITH if you want something more serious.

You’re vegetarian: Komala Vilas first. Ananda Bhavan if you need 24-hour access. For a vegetarian fine dining option, Akasa indian restaurant in singapore in Tanjong Pagar has a full vegetarian tasting menu at S$78++ — not a shortened version, a proper menu.

You want the best North Indian meal in Singapore: Akasa. 20 minutes from Little India by MRT. In-house ground spices, real tandoor, 24-hour dal, Head Chef Akhilesh Pathak. Set lunch from S$48++.

Late night: Ananda Bhavan (24 hours) or Kebabs N Curries at Mustafa (5 PM–2 AM, halal).

First Visit? Here’s What to Order

Go to Tekka Market first. Get one North Indian item — the Butter Chicken Naan Set at Delhi Lahori — and one South Indian item, prata from Ar-Rahman. Five minutes and you’ll understand the difference between the two cuisines better than reading about it.

For a proper sit-down meal, Banana Leaf Apolo for the heritage experience. Fish Head Curry on a banana leaf is the one dish everyone eating at Little India Singapore restaurants for the first time should try.

Want North Indian specifically? Jaggi’s or Khansama Tandoor — both near Race Course Road and both reliable. And for everything there is to know about North Indian food in Singapore across the whole city, not just Little India, that guide goes deep.

Little India Singapore restaurants give you some of the most honest and genuinely good Indian food anywhere in Asia. The hawker options alone are worth making a trip for. But there’s a gap between a S$10 hawker plate and the fine dining version of the same cuisine — and that gap exists for a reason.

When you’re ready to see what North Indian cooking looks like at its best, Akasa at Tanjong Pagar is the answer. Book a table and start with the dal.

Reserve: info@akasa.sg | +65 80121181

Akasa | 79 Robinson Road, #01-03 CapitaSky, Tanjong Pagar | Mon–Sat: Lunch 11:30 AM–2:30 PM, Dinner Mon–Sat 5:30 PM–9:30 PM