Think Bugis Street is just for clothes, souvenirs and quick shopping?
Most people know it as that busy stretch near Bugis MRT where you walk through rows of T-shirts, accessories, snacks and touristy finds.
It is part of Bugis Town together with Bugis Junction and Bugis+. Look a little closer, and there are actually quite a lot of restaurants and cafes around here.
Many of the meals are quite easy on the wallet too. Think Chuan Pai’s lunch sets from $7.80, Ayam Penyet Ria’s Ayam Penyet with Nasi at $9.50, Food Lagoon’s Chicken Chop Fried Rice at $5 (weekday breakfast), and Qian Bai Fusion’s grilled fish from $12.80. Very affordable.
When you are hungry at Bugis, check out these 10 Bugis Street places for easy-on-the-wallet eats:
Ya Kun Kaya Toast
Bugis Street, 261 Victoria Street
Opening Hours: 7:30am – 9:30pm (Mon – Sun)
Exclusive Chicken Pies At New Bugis Street Outlet
Ya Kun Kaya Toast has opened a new standalone outlet at Bugis Street, bringing its familiar kaya toast, kopi and soft-boiled eggs to the Victoria Street stretch (just across Bugis+).
What makes this branch worth heading to is the line-up of exclusive items.
You can find the Ya Kun Kaya Snowy Ice, a cool dessert made for kaya lovers.
Kaya in snowy ice form? It carries that familiar kaya fragrance, with soft shaved ice, wobbly pudding and a slice of toast, making it a refreshing and fun local dessert.
There is also Sweet Potato Ginger Soup for those who prefer something more old-school and nourishing.
Wallet-Friendly Eats at Bugis Street
Ya Kun Kaya Toast has introduced its new Chicken Pie Series, with three flavours to look out for: Classic, Creamy and Curry.
Each comes with a buttery, flaky crust and savoury chicken filling, available in two sizes. Go for the “Comfy” size for a fuller snack, or “Cutie” if you just want a smaller bite for your tea break.
Warung Leko
Bugis Street, 162 Rochor Road
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
Famous Indonesian Smashed Beef Ribs From Surabaya
Warung Leko started as a simple eatery in Surabaya in 2006, before growing into a brand with more than 40 outlets across Indonesia.
The Singapore outlet at Bugis Street is its current overseas outpost, and you can see why many Indonesians head here when they miss a taste of home.
The menu goes big on penyet dishes, but the main draw is still the Iga Penyet ($15), the signature smashed beef ribs served with chilli, tofu and tempeh.
The beef ribs are spice-simmered for long hours until tender, deep fried, then smashed so the meat becomes easier to pull apart and catches more of the sambal.
Spice levels range from Mild, Medium and Hot to Extreme. Go for Belacan Chilli if you want something deeper and more savoury, or Garlic Chilli, also known as Sambal Korek, if you prefer something sharper and more fragrant.
Wallet-Friendly Eats at Bugis Street
For lunch, Warung Leko has weekday lunch deals from 11am to 3pm, with free flow rice and soup for dine in orders with any main dish.
Have your pick from other mains such as Ayam Goreng, Lele Penyet, Empal Penyet, Bebek Penyet, Dancing Fish, Jamur Penyet, Sup Buntut, or even the combo plates with beef ribs and beef tendon.
There is also $1 off all drinks and desserts during the weekday lunch special.
BrewGrillz
Bugis Street, 163 Rochor Road
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 11pm (Mon – Sun)
Casual Western Grill Restaurant For Pizza, Pasta, Burgers And Chicken Wings
BrewGrillz is a casual Western grill restaurant along Rochor Road, slightly hidden among the more crowded Bugis Street stretch of shops and eateries.
The menu is broad enough for groups who cannot decide between pizza, pasta, burgers, fish and chips, steaks, ribs or sharing plates.
There are appetisers such as Truffle Fries, Mini Sliders Trio, Salt & Pepper Squid and BREWGRILLZ Signature Chicken Wings, while the main menu moves into pizzas, pastas, burgers and grilled meats.
Think Classic Spaghetti Carbonara, Honey Garlic Chicken Pizza, Fish & Chips, Cajun Spiced Chicken Schnitzel and Grilled Chicken Chop.
I had the Honey Garlic Chicken Pizza, one of the signature choices on the menu. It came with chicken breast marinated in a honey, garlic and herb blend, giving the pizza a sweet savoury glaze that worked well with the melted cheese.
Wallet-Friendly Eats at Bugis Street
For better value, look out for the Weekend Chill Combo, which includes either Cajun Chicken Schnitzel or BREWGRILLZ Fish & Chips, along with a soft drink and a scoop of gelato at $19.90+.
Don’t wait too long as it’s a limited time special.
Lao Wei Dao Claypot 老味道砂锅煲
Bugis Street, 229 Victoria Street
Opening Hours: 11am – 11pm (Mon – Sun)
Affordable Claypot Dishes, Fried Skewers And Refillable Rice
Lao Wei Dao Claypot 老味道砂锅煲 is one of the newer China-style casual restaurants at Bugis Street, with a menu that is very much built for sharing.
The signboard already gives a good idea of what to expect: claypot dishes, rice bowls, fried skewers and several saucy items that go well with plain rice.
The menu is much more extensive than it first looks, with signatures such as Braised Pork Belly, Cantonese Style Vermicelli, Sesame Oil Chicken, Beef with Pickled Golden Soup, Green Beans, Mapo Tofu, and Fish with Pickled Mustard Green.
There are also rice dishes and skewers to go along with the claypot dishes.
Wallet-Friendly Eats at Bugis Street
I tried the Braised Pork Belly ($9.80), which came in a claypot with chunky pieces of pork belly, quail eggs and potatoes in a dark savoury sauce.
The pork was more homely than restaurant fancy, but that was probably the point. Best with rice, especially when the sauce gets spooned over.
The Cantonese Style Vermicelli ($14.80) can be ordered for sharing, with glass noodles soaking up the garlic and seafood flavours.
Add the refillable rice at $1, and this becomes the kind of place where a group can order a few dishes without the bill running too wild.
Ayam Penyet Ria
Bugis Street, 249 Victoria Street
Opening Hours: 11am – 9:30pm (Mon – Sun)
Crispy Smashed Chicken And Smoky Ayam Bakar
Ayam Penyet Ria is one of those names that often comes to mind when the craving for Indonesian smashed fried chicken hits.
The Ayam Penyet + Nasi ($9.50) is the best seller, and you can see why.
The fried chicken came with golden crumbs scattered over the top, plus tofu, tempeh, vegetables and sambal on the side.
The joy is really in mixing bits of everything with rice, especially with the crispy crumbs and ‘power’ sambal.
I also had the Ayam Bakar + Nasi ($9.80), which was quite different from the fried version. The grilled chicken had a sweet, smoky glaze, complete with tender meat.
Wallet-Friendly Eats at Bugis Street
There are also other inexpensive plates such as Bebek Penyet Sambal Matah with Nasi ($10.90), Udang Penyet with Nasi ($9), Ikan Bawal Penyet with Nasi ($12.90), Sate Ayam ($8 for 5 pcs), Gado Gado ($7.50) and Tahu Telur ($7.50).
I recommend ordering the Tahu Telur, which is quite a fun side to share, arriving as a tall fried tofu and egg stack with peanut sauce around it. Sedap when eaten warm.
Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King Four Seasons
Bugis Street, 158 Rochor Road
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 2pm, 5pm – 10pm (Mon – Fri), 11:30am – 9:30pm (Sat, Sun & PH)
Four Seasons Special Tonkotsu Ramen With Free Flow Eggs And Beansprouts
Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King Four Seasons is part of Chef Keisuke Takeda’s ramen group, with this outlet having a unique concept built around the idea of Japan’s four seasons in a bowl.
The seasonal ramen line-up includes Spring with basil and cheese, Summer with spicy pork minced meat, Autumn with minced pork with bonito flavour and mixed mushrooms, and Winter with a more classic pork broth ramen.
I had the Summer version, which came with spicy minced pork on top. It is worth mixing everything properly before eating, as the minced pork is said to be made with three types of chilli including Japanese shichimi, cayenne pepper and Szechuan pepper.
Wallet-Friendly Eats at Bugis Street
For something more classic, the Tonkotsu Ramen King ($13.90 onwards) is the signature bowl here, topped with stir-fried pork with ginger.
The creamy pork-based broth is made by boiling pork bones, collagen and chicken bones over high heat for many hours, giving it that thick, comforting body that is easy to finish.
Extra tip: There is even free kids ramen with every regular ramen order for children aged 3 to 10.
Food Lagoon
Bugis Street, 3 New Bugis Street
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
‘Hidden’ Food Court With Fried Kway Teow, Chicken Rice, Prata And Nasi Padang
Do you know there is a food court ‘hidden’ inside Bugis Street, among the clothing, souvenir and snack shops?
Food Lagoon is quite easy to miss if you are just cutting through the lanes, but it is useful when you want a fuss-free, air-conditioned meal without leaving the area.
The selection is wider than expected, with stalls selling nasi padang, prata, dosai, chicken rice, nasi lemak, mee rebus, laksa, ban mian, tom yum, fishball kway teow soup, Vietnamese pho and local fried dishes.
Wallet-Friendly Eats at Bugis Street
Check out the Fried Delight Stall, with dishes such as Fried Kway Teow ($7.50), Chicken Chop Fried Rice ($7.50), Fried Hokkien Mee ($7), Egg Fried Rice ($6.50) and Mee Siam ($6).
The Fried Kway Teow ($7.50) was pretty decent, with that familiar dark sauce sweetness with prawns and beansprouts, while the Chicken Chop Fried Rice ($7.50) was more filling, with a slab of fried chicken over fragrant egg fried rice.
Extra tip: The Chicken Chop Fried Rice and Fried Kway Teow are priced at $5 during weekday breakfast, from 9am to 11am.
Qian Bai Fusion 仟佰味
Bugis Street, 251 Victoria Street
Opening Hours: 11am – 2am (Mon – Sun)
Chinese Fusion Restaurant With Grilled Fish, Dumplings And Dry Hot Pot
Qian Bai Fusion 仟佰味 is one of those restaurants where the menu can feel slightly chaotic, but in a fun way.
The kitchen covers Sichuan, Hunan, Northeastern Chinese and broader Asian-inspired dishes, so you get everything from dumplings and pancakes to grilled fish, dry hot pot, pasta, rice, noodles, burgers and even waffles.
I had the Dry Hot and Spicy Potato, which was more addictive than expected, with sliced potatoes tossed with dry chillies, garlic and spring onion.
Wallet-Friendly Eats at Bugis Street
The fish is probably one of the biggest value surprises here, with several grilled fish options at $12.80 only.
Flavours include Local Style Curry Grilled Fish, Korean Pickled Cabbage Grilled Fish, Tomato Paste Grilled Fish, Taro and White Cabbage Grilled Fish, Chongqing Mala Grilled Fish and Green Chillies Pepper Grilled Fish.
At this price point, it is quite an unusual find around Bugis, especially when many grilled fish places are positioned more for group dining.
Chuan Pai 川派
Bugis Street, 233 Victoria Street
Opening Hours: 11am – 11pm (Mon – Sun)
Sichuan Restaurant With Affordable Lunch Sets From $7.80
Chuan Pai 川派 is one of those Bugis Street restaurants where the menu is super wide, from Sichuan classics and grilled fish to rice bowls, braised noodles, stir fried dishes, cold appetisers and seafood plates. Good luck trying to decide quickly.
The main menu leans heavily Sichuan, with dishes such as Poached Sliced Fish with Sichuan Pickles, Spicy Crayfish, Cumin Beef, Twice Cooked Pork, Mapo Tofu, Kung Pao Chicken and Hot and Sour Shredded Potato.
There are also sharing dishes for groups, though solo diners may want to look at the lunch sets instead.
Wallet-Friendly Eats at Bugis Street
The lunch sets are really value-for-money, starting from $7.80 and served with rice, vegetables and soup.
Options include Spicy Tofu Set, Kung Pao Chicken Set, Tomato and Egg Set, Hot and Sour Shredded Potato Set, Yu Xiang Shredded Pork Set and more.
I had the Cumin Beef Set ($10.80), which came with sliced beef, onions and green peppers, with that smoky spice aroma that makes you want another spoonful of rice.
Ice Lab
Bugis Street, 164 Rochor Road
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Sun – Thurs), 11am – 11:45pm (Fri – Sat)
Korean Dessert Café for Bingsu, Rose Tteokbokki, and Ramyeon
Ice Lab is the kind of place you head into when the weather is too hot, or when you are just looking for something sweet after walking through the shops.
With bingsu taking centre stage, the menu has both familiar and interesting flavours such as Injeolmi, Mango, Oreo, Green Tea, Watermelon, Dalgona, Minty Choco and Tiramisu Bingsu.
I went for the Tiramisu Bingsu, which came as a snowy mound topped with tiramisu cake and cocoa powder. The shaved ice had a soft, almost powdery texture, light enough to take on the cocoa and cream without becoming too heavy.
Wallet-Friendly Eats at Bugis Street
Beyond the desserts, not many may realise that Ice Lab also serves savoury Korean bites. There are Ramyeon, Kimchi Fried Rice, Tteokbokki and Rose Tteokbokki, so it is not just a dessert stop.
I tried the Cheezy Ramyeon ($12), which arrived in a traditional gold pot with egg, fish cake and a blanket of melted cheese. Comfort food.
The Rose Tteokbokki was also quite easy to like, with chewy rice cakes coated in a creamy, lightly spicy sauce.
Bugis Street remains one of the liveliest parts of Bugis Town, especially if you enjoy browsing through fashion, beauty, accessories and quick lifestyle buys before or after a meal.
With Bugis Junction and Bugis+ just nearby, it is easy to spend a fuller day around the precinct, from casual shopping to dining and entertainment.
* This entry is brought to you in partnership with Bugis Street.
