Clarke Quay is one of Singapore’s major dining and entertainment areas. Whether you’re a tourist or a true blue local, you’re sure to find yourself there every now and then.
But it can be hard to choose a place to eat since there are enough options to make your head spin.
Here’s where to eat the next time you’re at Clarke Quay, no matter what your budget.
For the purpose of this article, we use the below guidelines to indicate how affordable the listed restaurants are.
$ : $5 to $15 for a meal
$$ : $15 to $30 for a meal
$$$ : $30 to $50 for a meal
Popular restaurants in Clarke Quay
| Restaurant | Price | Best known for |
| Privé Clarke Quay | $$ | BBQ burger |
| Haidilao Clarke Quay | $$$ | Mala hotpot soup base |
| Violent Oon Clarke Quay | $$ | Beef satay |
| Señor Taco | $ | Taco al pastor |
| FOC Restaurant | $$ | Fresh oyster tapas |
It’s not easy to run a restaurant at Clarke Quay due to the high rents, but the most popular restaurants in the area have managed to survive and become icons.
Chinese hotpot restaurant Haidilao (3D River Valley Rd, #02-04, Clarke Quay, Singapore 179023) has the longest queues out of all the above restaurants, with insane lines during mealtimes and on weekends. It’s open till 6am, which means it’s an ideal if pricey post-clubbing supper location.
Another restaurant is Señor Taco (3A River Valley Road #01-07A, Clarke Quay, Singapore 179020), a Mexican taco stand that has been around for 10 years and is very popular with the tourist crowd.
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The other restaurants on this list, Privé (Blk 3C River Valley Road, #01-09A Clarke Quay, Singapore 179019), Violent Oon Satay Bar and Grill (3B River Valley Rd, #01-18, Clarke Quay, Singapore 179021) and FOC Restaurant (40 Hongkong St, Singapore 059679), are popular for their good food and chic ambiance, which sets them apart from the more touristy places in the area.
Japanese restaurants in Clarke Quay
| Restaurant | Price | Best known for |
| Mitsuba | $$$ | Japanese buffet and sashimi moriawase platter |
| Katanashi Boat Quay | $ | Unatama don set |
| Shinzo Japanese Cuisine | $$$ | Wagyu beef lunch set |
| Tampopo Liang Court | $$ | Kurobuta shabu ramen |
| Ramen Keisuke Lobster King | $$ | Lobster broth ramen |
| Marutama | $$ | Chicken paitan ramen |
| Tamoya Izakaya | $ | Kake udon |
| Tomo Izakaya | $$ | Hokkaido beef teppan |
The Clarke Quay area is also an enclave for Singapore’s Japanese community, and you’ll find lots of authentic Japanese eateries especially at Liang Court and Clarke Quay Central.
Due to the proximity of Clarke Quay to the CBD, set lunches and bowls targeted at office workers are popular.
Katanashi (77 Boat Quay, Singapore 049865), Shinzo (17 Carpenter St, Singapore 059906), Tampopo (177 River Valley Rd, #01-23/24 Liang Court Shopping Centre, Singapore 179030) and Tomo Izakaya (3A River Valley Road, #01-14, Singapore 179020) are examples of restaurants that serve up quick lunches. At Japanese tapas bar Katanashi, you can get donburi sets for just $15. Shinzo serves up set lunches at a higher price point, with options including wagyu beef and sashimi lunch sets. Meanwhile, at Tampopo and Tomo Izakaya, you can choose from ramen and bento sets.
The second type of Japanese restaurant you’ll find in this area is the ubiquitous noodle restaurant. Ramen restaurants tend to specialise in a specific type of ramen or ramen from a specific region.
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For instance, at Ramen Keisuke Lobster King (3C River Valley Road, #01-07 The Cannery, Clarke Quay, Singapore 179022), you’ll find ramen bowls that incorporate lobster into the recipe. Marutama (177 River Valley Road, #02-01/02, Liang Court, Singapore 179030) specialises in chicken ramen in paitan soup. Tamoya Izakaya (177 River Valley Road, #01-32, Liang Court 1F, Singapore 179030), on the other hand, specialises in Tokyo-style ramen.
Japanese buffets are also very popular in Singapore, with Mitsuba (6 Eu Tong Sen St, #03-88, Singapore 059817) being one of the most prominent options at Clarke Quay.
Seafood restaurants in Clarke Quay
| Restaurant | Price | Best known for |
| Red House Seafood Restaurant | $$$ | Chilli crab |
| Jumbo Restaurant Clarke Quay | $$ | Chilli crab |
| Fremantle Seafood | $$ | Fresh oysters |
| No Signboard Seafood | $$ | White pepper crab |
Another kind of restaurant you’ll see often in the Clarke Quay area is the seafood restaurant. The most common iteration is the local seafood restaurant, which tends to serve Singaporean classics like chilli crab and black pepper crab.
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Red House Seafood (3C River Valley Road #01-02/03 The Cannery Singapore 179022) is a Chinese seafood restaurant that offers a bit more ambiance than your typical local seafood restaurant, and as such is quite popular for business lunches and with tourists. Of course, it can get quite pricey.
If you’re just looking for a hearty local seafood meal in a simple setting, head to Jumbo Seafood (20 Upper Circular Road, #B1-48, The Riverwalk, Singapore 058416) or No Signboard (6 Eu Tong Sen St, #04-63 Clarke Quay Central, Singapore 059817). Both have multiple outlets all over Singapore and specialise in crab, one of Singapore’s signature dishes. You’ll find classics such as chilli crab, black pepper crab and cereal prawns at both outlets. No Signboard is also known as the pioneer of white pepper crab.
Fremantle Seafood (3E River Valley Rd, #01-05/06, Singapore 179024) is a bit of an anomaly on this list as the menu is centred on Australian-style seafood.
Indian restaurants in Clarke Quay
| Restaurant | Price | Best known for |
| Maharajah Boat Quay | $$ | Lamb seekh kebab |
| Kinara Boat Quay | $$$ | Butter chicken |
| Riverwalk Tandoor | $$ | Tandoor chicken |
| New Shah Alam Restaurant (Halal) | $ | Mee goreng |
| Dum Pukht | $$ | Chicken seekh kebab |
| Annalakshmi | $ | Vegetarian dhal, chutney, alu palya |
Indian restaurants are another popular staple in the city area. A far cry from the hawker fare locals are used to, these tend to be on the high side of mid range, although you will still find a few budget gems here and there.
Indian restaurants can be broadly categorised according to whether they serve North or South Indian food.
The pricier North Indian restaurants in the area tend to be more popular with the expat crowd and tourists than locals. Several are located at Boat Quay just around the corner from Clarke Quay with nice views of the Singapore river. Expect to pay a premium for the location!
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Restaurants serving up North Indian cuisine include Maharajah (41 Boat Quay, Singapore 049830), Kinara (57 Boat Quay, Singapore 049846), Riverwalk Tandoor (20 Upper Circular Rd, #B1-38 The Riverwalk, Singapore 058416) and Dum Pukht (67 Boat Quay, Singapore 049855).
On the other side of the coin, there are lots of affordable South Indian and halal restaurants and eateries that cater to the office crowd and local diners.
Good examples include Shah Alam Restaurant (20-21 Circular Rd, Singapore 049376), an Indian halal coffeeshop in the CBD, as well as the pay-as-you-wish vegetarian restaurant Annalakshmi (20 Havelock Rd, #01-04 Central Square, Singapore 059765) that’s staffed by volunteers.
Cheap bars at Clarke Quay
There are bars aplenty at Clarke Quay, but the hard part is finding one that isn’t trying to charge you $20 for a pathetic pint of mass produced beer.
Here are some of the more affordable places to drink.
| Bar | Price | Best known for |
| SQUE | $$ | 2-bottle promotion |
| Stickies Bar | $ | Housepour liquor and draft beer pints priced according to time, $25 beer towers |
| Harry’s Riverside Point | $$ | Draught beer pints, wines or selected spirits for $22++ |
At first sight, SQUE Rotisserie and Alehouse (6 Eu Tong Sen St, #01-70, Singapore 059817) doesn’t look like a bar. It looks more like a lunch joint for harried office workers. Well, it is, but it’s also one of the more affordable places to drink in the CBD area, with a pint of San Miguel or Singha draught setting you back $14.80. They also sell two bottles of beer at a discount, with the cheapest being two Tiger Beer bottles for $12.50.
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Another bar which deserves a mention here is Stickies Bar (Keng Cheow St, #01-07 Riverside Piazza, Singapore 059608), one of the most well known dive bars in the area. They’re known for opening till late and being one of the cheaper places around. From 2pm to 12am every day, you can buy housepour liquor or draught beer pints according to the time. So, show up at 5pm and pay $5. From 6 to 9pm Mondays to Thursdays, you also get a tower for $25.
Finally, there is Harry’s Bar (3D River Valley Road, #01-01, Clarke Quay, Singapore 179023), which is like the Starbucks of drinking holes. All the Harry’s outlets sport the same décor and give off the same vibe, and while they’re not the absolute cheapest, at least you know you won’t get a heart attack when the bill arrives. Happy hour is until 8pm and gets you two draught beer pints, wines or selected spirits for $22++. If you miss happy hour, pints of draft beer start from $14. They also have frequent promos, including a current offer which gets you a bucket of 5 bottles of Asahi for $49.
What are your favourite restaurants and bars at Clarke Quay? Share your recommendations in the comments!
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