Best North Indian Food Singapore 2026: 15 Restaurants Worth Your Time

I’ve eaten bad butter chicken in Singapore more times than I’d like to admit. Watery gravy, rubbery chicken, clearly came from a paste — and yet the menu said “house special.” You’d never know going in.

That’s the actual problem with finding Best North Indian Food here. Not that good restaurants don’t exist. They do. It’s that from the outside, a genuinely good kitchen and a mediocre one look identical. Same menu items, similar prices, similar photos. You only find out after you’ve already ordered.

So here are 15 places I’d send someone to without worrying about it. Covers the full range — there’s a CBD fine dining spot, there are Race Course Road stalwarts that have been cooking the same dal for forty years, and there’s everything in between. Prices are actual prices. Dish recommendations are specific because “try the curry” is useless advice.

Top 15 Restaurants for an Unforgettable Culinary Experience

1. Akasa — Tanjong Pagar, CBD

Akasa is at 79 Robinson Road inside CapitaSky. Three minutes from Tanjong Pagar MRT, which matters when you’re doing a lunch meeting and can’t spend twenty minutes in a cab.

I put it first because the cooking earns it. Spices are roasted and ground in-house every day — they’re not buying Everest masala in bulk. There’s a real tandoor. The Australian mutton is ethically sourced. Head Chef Akhilesh Pathak has spent decades cooking across different Indian culinary traditions, and the Awadhi-style preparations especially show that. Slow, layered, nothing shortcut.

The room itself is candlelit, warm, and has an outdoor terrace if you’d rather eat outside. Works equally well for a working lunch with a client or a birthday dinner where you want the food to actually be memorable.

What to get:

• Tandoori Paneer Kebab — S$24. Char-roasted cottage cheese, crushed nuts, yoghurt, Dhani chilli. I don’t usually lead with paneer but this one genuinely holds up.
• Butter Chicken — S$26. Charcoal-roasted chicken, Kashmiri chilli, cashew, tomato gravy. This is the version other restaurants get measured against, whether they know it or not. More on that in the best butter chicken Singapore writeup.
• Akasa Signature Mutton Curry — S$34. Awadhi dum-cooked, saffron, mustard oil. Eat it slowly.
• Dal-E-Akasa — S$22. Black lentils cooked for 24 hours, finished with unsalted butter. Order this and stop second-guessing it. It’s the dish that makes people understand what time actually does to food.
• Kulfi Falooda — S$16. People specifically come back for this.

Set lunch from S$48++ per person. Weekday Happy Hour 4–7 PM, drinks from S$8++. Akasa is the north Indian restaurant in Singapore that takes the cuisine seriously from start to finish. 

Address: 79 Robinson Road, #01-03 CapitaSky, Tanjong Pagar, Singapore 068897 

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

Price range: À la carte S$6–S$72 | Tasting Menu S$78++ 

Book: info@akasa.sg | +65 80121181

2. Jaggi’s Northern Indian Cuisine — Race Course Road, Little India

Jaggi’s started as a hawker stall. At some point it became a proper restaurant. The recipes didn’t change.

Race Course Road is where you go when you want Punjabi food without anyone making a fuss about it. Butter chicken that’s actually rich. Dal Makhani that’s been sitting on the stove long enough to mean something. Tandoori roti with char on it. Generous portions, reasonable bill. This is the baseline that a lot of other places in this city are trying to match and mostly not quite getting there.

Order: Butter Chicken, Dal Makhani, Tandoori Roti 

Price: S$12–25 per person 

Good for: Families, anyone after honest Punjabi food, weeknight dinners where you’re not trying to impress anyone

3. Shahi Maharani — Raffles City

Opened in 1996. Still going. That’s nearly 30 years in a city where restaurants close constantly, so there’s clearly something keeping people coming back.

The room is ornate — this is not a subtle restaurant. Live classical music runs from October through April. There’s a private dining room that seats 18, which is genuinely useful if you’re organising a corporate group dinner and need a contained space.

Order: Chicken Makhanwala, Palak Paneer, Tandoori Lamb Chops 

Price: S$30–50 per person 

Good for: Special occasions, clients from out of town who want the full Indian heritage dining experience

4. SanSara — Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, Robertson Quay

SanSara came back in August 2025 after a full redesign. It’s in the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel with river views. The thing that makes it worth including separately from the other fine dining options: it’s genuinely Awadhi-focused. Master Chef Pannalal Nath has 25 years in this specific cooking style — slow, aromatic, Lucknow-origin preparations that you really don’t find at most Indian restaurant in Singapore. If you’ve eaten a lot of Punjabi food and want something different without leaving north Indian territory, this is the answer.

Order: Gosht Ki Galouti, Tali Hokkaido Scallops, Sailana Shevand 

Price: Premium 

Good for: When you specifically want Awadhi cooking, riverside setting, something beyond the standard menu

5. Punjab Grill — Marina Bay Sands

The Marina Bay Sands address does a lot of the communicating for you — you know what you’re getting into on price before you even look at the menu. Classic north Indian cooking, polished and modern. The Dal Bukhara here is one of the better versions I’ve had in Singapore. Smoky, slow-cooked, the kind that makes you realise most dal you’ve eaten was undercooked.

Order: Dal Bukhara, Tandoori Platter, Butter Chicken 

Price: S$50–80 per person 

Good for: Client entertainment at Marina Bay, occasions where the setting is doing half the work

6. Khansama Tandoor — Serangoon Road, Little India

Khansama is a neighbourhood tandoor spot on Serangoon Road. Nothing fancy. The whole point is tandoor food at a price that doesn’t require any justification. Locals end up here. 4.1 stars on Google at this price bracket is a decent signal.

Order: Tandoori Roti, Tandoori Chicken, Seekh Kebab 

Price: S$15–25 per person 

Good for: Tandoor food without the markups, casual Little India evenings

7. Yantra — Tanglin Mall, Orchard

If you’re meeting someone near Orchard and want proper Best North Indian Food, Yantra at Tanglin Mall is basically your only serious option in that stretch. It’s quiet, which works well for long lunches. The Rampur Biryani stands out — it’s more carefully done than the standard biryani you find around the city, worth ordering on its own.

Order: Rampur Biryani, Chaat Banarasi, Butter Chicken 

Price: Mid-range 

Good for: Orchard-area corporate lunches, anyone who’d rather not eat in a mall food court

8. Rang Mahal — Pan Pacific Hotel, Marina Centre

1. Rang Mahal has outlasted restaurants, recessions, and multiple generations of Singapore’s dining scene. The Royal Indian Thali is the practical order — covers everything without you having to make a dozen decisions. Good option for guests who want formal north Indian dining and have probably heard the name before.

Order: Royal Indian Thali, Tandoori Seafood 

Price: Premium 

Good for: Formal occasions, hotel fine dining, heritage north Indian

9. Zaffron Kitchen — East Coast Road / Star Vista

Two locations, which makes Zaffron the easiest answer for anyone on the east side of the island. Contemporary space, no pretension. The Old Delhi Butter Chicken has built a regular following — smokier than the average, and that smokiness actually adds something rather than just being a talking point.

Order: Old Delhi Butter Chicken, Garlic Naan, Lamb Rogan Josh 

Price: S$20–35 per person 

Good for: East side families, group dinners that don’t need a special occasion to justify them

10. Mustard — Race Course Road, Little India

Here’s one that often gets skipped over. Mustard is the only Bengali restaurant in Singapore. Bengali and Punjabi food sit side by side on Race Course Road but they’re genuinely different cuisines. The Kolkata Biryani — lightly spiced, aromatic, potato tucked into the rice — is a completely different dish from the Hyderabadi or Punjabi biryanis people usually eat. 4.6 stars on Google, which is high for the price point.

Order: Kolkata Biryani, Bengali Fish Curry, Chicken Kathi Roll 

Price: Mid-range 

Good for: Anyone specifically after Bengali food, people bored of the same north Indian circuit

11. GupShup — Delhi Street Food

GupShup is about Delhi street food energy — quick, punchy, not asking you to slow down. The Classic Delhi Butter Chicken is what people come for. Good for a casual weeknight when sitting through a full fine dining service sounds exhausting.

Order: Classic Delhi Butter Chicken, Dabbawala Experience 

Good for: Casual evenings, street food people, groups who’d rather not dress up

12. Copper Chimney — Wheelock Place, Orchard Road

Copper Chimney is the comfortable, no-surprises option on Orchard Road. Executes the north Indian classics reliably, has a decent room, won’t make you wait long. Useful if you’re already in the Orchard area and want something better than a food court but aren’t planning a long meal.

Order: Tandoori Chicken, Butter Naan, Dal Makhani 

Good for: Orchard shoppers, a quick proper meal between other plans

13. The Song of India — Scotts Road

A colonial bungalow on Scotts Road. The menu is modern and progressive — tasting menus, creative riffs on north Indian classics. More experience than meal. At S$80+ per person, that’s the expectation you’re buying into, and it generally delivers on it.

Order: Progressive Indian Tasting Menu, Signature Lamb dishes 

Price: S$80+ per person 

Good for: Occasions where the dinner is the event, people who’ve eaten traditional north Indian enough times to want something different

14. Tandoori Culture — Mackenzie Road, Little India

No distractions here. The tandoor is the kitchen. Freshly baked naan, charred platters, seekh kebabs that don’t need any sauce to carry them. Priced for regulars, not for reviews. Does what it says.

Order: Tandoori Platter, Seekh Kebab, Freshly Baked Naan 

Good for: Tandoor food on a tight budget, Little India evenings

15. Firangi Superstar — Craig Road, Tanjong Pagar

This one is different and isn’t trying to hide it. Indian botanical cocktails, an immersive room, dishes like Wagyu Beef Tartare Papdi on a menu built around north Indian flavours. It’s theatrical and it commits to the bit. Not where you go for traditional cooking — but the cocktails are real and the food is more interesting than the gimmick suggests.

Order: Wagyu Beef Tartare Papdi, Indian botanical cocktails 

Price: S$45–70 per person 

Good for: Date nights with a bit of drama, people who want cocktails and Indian food at the same time

Side-by-Side: Area, Price, Best Use

Where to Go Based on the Situation

Date night: Akasa does this well — candlelit, outdoor terrace, food that’s actually worth talking about over dinner. Firangi Superstar if your date prefers louder and more theatrical.

Business lunch in the CBD: Akasa is the practical answer. Three minutes from Tanjong Pagar MRT, set lunch menus from S$48++, private dining available. Orchard meeting? Yantra. Marina Bay? Punjab Grill.

Family dinner: Zaffron Kitchen has the space. Jaggi’s has the portions and won’t leave anyone with bill regret. Both are low-pressure and work for kids.

Never tried Best North Indian Food before: Go to Akasa. The classics — Butter Chicken, Dal Makhani, Tandoori Paneer — are all on the menu, and they’re in the form that shows you what the cuisine is actually supposed to taste like. Staff are used to helping people navigate an unfamiliar menu.

Need to keep costs down: Jaggi’s, Khansama Tandoor, and Tandoori Culture. All three are in or near Little India. All three come in at S$15–25 per person. All three have clearly been doing this long enough to not be cutting corners.

Vegetarian: Akasa has a full vegetarian and vegan menu including a Vegetarian Tasting Menu at S$78++. The Dal-E-Akasa, Tandoori Paneer Kebab, and Palak Paneer are main events, not afterthoughts. Nalan Restaurant in City Hall is also worth knowing about for North Indian vegetarian specifically.

What to Order If You’re New to This

Start with tandoor starters — Seekh Kebab, Tandoori Paneer, Tandoori Prawns. They come out of the clay oven and tell you immediately whether the kitchen is doing the basics right.

For mains, keep it to two or three dishes between two people. Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani is the classic pairing — one meat curry, one lentil. Add Rogan Josh for lamb, Palak Paneer if you’re not eating meat. Portions are usually generous so don’t overorder.

Eat it with bread, not rice. That’s the North Indian way. Butter Naan, Garlic Naan, or Laccha Paratha — these are for scooping the gravy, not sitting on the side.

If you want rice anyway, Jeera Rice is better than plain alongside curries. Or order a Biryani separately — it’s its own dish, not a side.

Dessert: Gulab Jamun or Kulfi Falooda. Order one.

At Akasa specifically, start with the Dal-E-Akasa. Black lentils, 24 hours of cooking, finished with unsalted butter. Sounds simple because it is simple — just done properly and with patience. Read more about Indian fine dining in Singapore and what makes the full dining experience worth it.

Why Akasa Is the CBD’s Best North Indian Option

The restaurants on this list each do something well. Jaggi’s is where you go for Punjabi comfort food that hasn’t been dressed up for anyone. SanSara is doing real Awadhi cooking. Mustard exists because Bengali food deserves a home in Singapore and nobody else opened one.

Akasa is doing fine north Indian dining in the CBD and getting the fundamentals right at the same time. Fresh-ground spices daily. Real tandoor. Ethically sourced mutton. Chef Pathak’s background across multiple Indian traditions, which the menu actually reflects rather than just mentioning in a press release.

When you’re ready to book, the details are below. If you want to read more about what makes this the best Best North Indian Food Singapore has in the CBD, the full breakdown is there.

The vegetarian menu deserves a mention because it’s genuinely good, not a compromise. The Vegetarian Tasting Menu at S$78++ holds up the same way the non-vegetarian one does.

If you want to try it without committing to a full dinner first, weekday Happy Hour runs 4–7 PM. Drinks from S$8++, bar bites from S$12. Low-stakes entry.

Reserve: info@akasa.sg | +65 80121181

There’s S$8 tandoori chicken in Little India and S$78++ tasting menus in the CBD. Both can be worth your time. The quality across that range is real and the difference shows up in specific ways — whether spices were ground that morning or came out of a packet, whether the kitchen has a real tandoor, whether the dal had three hours or twenty minutes.

Akasa is the pick for north Indian in the CBD. Start with the Dal-E-Akasa.

Book: info@akasa.sg | +65 80121181

Akasa | 79 Robinson Road, #01-03 CapitaSky, Tanjong Pagar, Singapore 068897 | Mon–Sat: Lunch 11:30 AM–2:30 PM, Dinner 5:30 PM–9:30 PM