There’s a misconception going around—that hotel dining is anything but cheap; and really, that couldn’t be further from the truth. While Singapore has been blessed with a thriving hotel F&B scene that holds its own against Michelin-starred establishments, it doesn’t mean you have to break the bank to dine there. A quick scout around revealed that many of the island’s top hotels have value-for-money lunch deals during the week—perfect for a business lunch or a treat-yourself break. Here, we round up the best ones.
Alley on 25 
Everyone’s favorite Bugis hotel stays ahead in the game with three-course set lunches at just $29. At Andaz Singapore’s sky-high dining enclave Alley on 25, you get an appetizer, main course and dessert for the price—and you can choose from any of the five shophouse-inspired restaurants. They also have new vegetarian selections like a house-made, chickpea-beetroot patty Vegetarian Burger, and the Vegetarian Organic Fried Brown Rice. 12-2:30pm
Cafe 2000
It might be easy to overlook a place like M Hotel Singapore, but you won’t want to miss chic Cafe 2000’s monthly weekday lunch specials. You’d typically get a free-flow of Western and local soups, your choice of a main course (the likes of seafood fried rice, juicy steak and pasta), plus a date with the buffet dessert counter. 12-2:30pm
The Clifford Pier
Treat yourself to a heritage-inspired set lunch along the gorgeous waterfront of The Clifford Pier. The restaurant at The Fullerton Bay Hotel offers two-course and three-course set lunches at $38 and $42 (the upgrade to a three-course is a no-brainer) respectively. What you get is a unique line-up of dishes to choose from—like crispy beancurd with spicy peanut gravy or homemade pork and crab meat ngoh hiang for starters, and luxurious mains like tender wagyu short ribs rice bowl or spicy grouper curry. 12-2:30pm
Edge
Luxe it up at Pan Pacific Singapore’s buffet restaurant and take the edge off your weekdays with their Heritage Lunch ($55). Here, live stations whip up an array of favourites ranging from Nyonya laksa to black pepper pork, panini sandwiches to stuffed naans. And with bread and butter pudding, granny smith cake, raspberry lychee rose cake and more available at the dessert station, you can have your fill of sweet treats here too—you deserve it. 12-2:30pm
Ellenborough Market Cafe
It’s a little steep, but you’re paying for premium Peranakan food at Swissotel Merchant Court’s smart casual buffet restaurant. The $52 price tag gives you access to your heart’s worth of hand-pulled La Mian with Dan Dan or Zhajiang sauce, wanton noodle soup and ‘Lion Head’ meatballs prepared a la minute, along with all-time favorites like kueh pie tee, ayam buah keluak, babi pongteh and durian pengat. 12-2:30pm
Food Exchange
Hop onto a shuttle or drive (parking is free during lunch) over to Novotel Singapore on Stevens’ buffet dining spot to feel like you’ve travelled far away for lunch ($42), but am actually still smack in central Orchard. Dive straight for the seafood on ice, load up on some sushi, then enjoy the carving station stacked with meats like ribeye and pork knuckle. It’s the local assortment that we love though, for comforting fare like satay and noodle soup that gives us a food coma we’ll gladly receive. 12-2:30pm
Ginett
The extremely underrated restaurant at Hotel G offers one of the scene’s best value-for-money set lunches—$15 for a two-course meal. There’s a daily rotating menu of exquisite French delights like beef medallion, risotto and pasta, plus your choice of a starter or dessert. Even better: each table gets a basket of bread on the house, and a glass of wine is just $6. 11am-3pm
il Cielo
If you’re in town and in the mood for Italian with a sprinkling of Japanese, Hilton Singapore’s rooftop Italian restaurant il Cielo will do nicely. You can go all out with the five-course Tuscany-inspired Italian Degustation Menu starting from $138 or get the set lunches at just $30 for a two-course (a main, and an appetizer or dessert) and $35 for three. As Chef Sasaki prefers to use only the freshest ingredients from the kitchen, the lunch menu rotates frequently. But you can typically expect classics like a cream soup, beef carpaccio or buffalo mozzarella salad for appetizers, and main courses like penne primo, tagliatelle alla wagyu Bolognese, seafood linguine aglio olio, and seasonal fish. Dessert’s a little more predictable, with your choice of gelato, cakes or cheeses. And one thing that’s always consistent? The amazing house bread. 12-2:30pm
Katong Kitchen
Halal buffet favorite Katong Kitchen has drawn loyal devotees to Village Hotel Katong for a while now, with their $40 (weekends $50) buffet lunch in a casual, no-frills setting. Come with friends and family to feast on the namesake Katong laksa, DIY rojak, ayam buah keluak and various kuehs and sweets. 12-2:30pm
Lime
Memo
Over at the Robertson Quay area, Memo at popular staycation spot Studio M entices with a hard-to-beat $16 executive set lunch option that comes with a soup, your choice of pasta, noodles or salad, plus a drink. Go for comfort favourites like Curry Chicken Noodle or Spaghetti Aglio Olio, or trust us and get the Prawn Penne for a fusion pasta dish you’ll come back again and again for. 11am-3pm
Mitzo
For something different, Grand Park Orchard’s Mitzo offers three- and four-course dim sum set lunches at $28 and $38 respectively. The former gets you a double-boiled Soup of the Day, your choice of three dim sum selections and dessert; while the latter throws into the mix your choice of dry thin noodles with Mitzo’s barbeque pork, or porridge with lobster claw, fish and pork. You can choose from more than 10 types of handcrafted dim sum—a nice option if you just want a light but fulfilling lunch. 12-2:30pm
One-Ninety Restaurant
Have your cake and eat it too at Four Seasons Hotel Singapore’s beautiful lobby level restaurant, where a Provencal semi-buffet lunch awaits. The buffet spread alone—brimming with items like cheeses, cold cuts, salads, seafood and more—is worth the $38 price tag, but top up $10 and you’ll also be entitled to an additional entree order. 12-2:30pm
Origin Grill
Impress your colleagues and clients with a classy executive set lunch at Shangri-La Hotel Singapore’s Origin Grill. Starting from $34 and available Monday through Saturday, get to taste the restaurant’s sublime beef selection—think full-blooded Angus and Rangers Valley steak—and sustainably sourced seafood. The menu items rotate weekly so check before you come. 12-2:30pm
Plate
Grab your colleagues and head down to Carlton City Hotel Singapore’s buffet restaurant Plate, which features live stations plus free-flow coffee, tea and juices for $52. That’s a steal for seafood on ice, sushi and Japanese delights, European eats, local dishes and even pasta and carving stations. 12-2:30pm
Porta
This might just be the most affordable hotel lunch you can find on the island. The fuss-free European restaurant at Park Hotel Clarke Quay serves up two- and three-course set lunches at $18 and $22 respectively. Appetizers include Tuna Carpaccio and Multi-texture Tomatoes with basil and banana shallots, while mains cover Western classics like confit duck leg and fish and chips. As an add-on, wine by the glass starts at $7; it really doesn’t get any better than that. 12-2:30pm
Prego
A Fairmont Singapore stalwart, Italian restaurant Prego is known for their squid ink pasta and meat-covered pizzas, but you can always join them for their set lunches to try other items. The two-course comes at $29, while the three-course is available at just $10 more; and you can choose mains like the Maccheroni “all’Amatriciana” (macaroni with pork and tomatoes) and appetisers such as the “Caponata” di Melanzane (sweet and sour eggplant). 11:30am-2:30pm
Saltwater
An affordable buffet lunch down in the lush green wilderness of Changi Village? Why not; the office folk at Changi Business Park probably won’t complain. Village Hotel Changi’s humble Saltwater serves up an international and local buffet line where you can get local eats like Nyonya laksa, oxtail stew, mutton biryani and wok-fried mee siam. But it’s Saltwater’s seafood on ice and seasonal carving station that’s worth making a beeline for. 12-2:30pm
Seasonal Tastes
At The Westin Singapore, a refreshed international lunch buffet comes with free-flow soft drinks, coffee and tea. The signature dishes are whipped up by sous chefs not just from Seasonal Tastes, but also Cook & Brew and the hotel’s banquet kitchen. Feast on Asian favorites like Thai grilled pork neck, wok-fried curry squid with crab meat and salted egg, and lala-filled Hokkien fried noodles; or choose the slow-roasted beef striploin and roasted chicken dishes, if you’re more inclined to a Western meal that day. A strong selection of cakes, tartlets, macarons and ice creams round up the buffet line. 12-2:30pm
Sky22
Consider yourself lucky if you work around the Novena area. Courtyard by Marriott Singapore Novena’s all-day restaurant Sky22 has a semi-buffet lunch for you to indulge in. Get unlimited servings of salads, soups, freshly baked bread, desserts, and a choice of one main from the international menu. The mains rotate frequently, but you can expect Western plates like chicken parmigiana with buffalo cheese and rocket salad, pan-seared seabass with barley risotto and barbecue pork ribs with corn on the cob and fries to remain as regular offerings. Otherwise, local delights like ayam kapitan (Nyonya curry chicken) and assam laksa lemak are on the menu too. That, and the amazing view’s free. 12-2:30pm
