Best Japanese Restaurants in Singapore

Last Updated on 25 Sep 2026 • By Adibah Isa

Singapore's Japanese dining ranges from counter omakase to rooftop izakayas, so we've grouped our twelve picks by style: sushi and sashimi, donburi, omakase, ramen and izakaya. Whether you're after a late-night bowl of ramen or a seat at the chef's counter, each pick comes with the dish to order and the reason it's worth booking. The spread runs from river-view sashimi at Clarke Quay and Nagoya-style unagi in Orchard to a level-51 kappo counter and a rooftop izakaya in Ubi. Book ahead for the counters, which seat only a handful.

Planning on going deeper on one style? See our best omakase in Singapore, izakaya guide or best sushi restaurants.

Sushi and Sashimi
Donburi and Kaisendon
Omakase
Ramen and Soba
Izakaya

Sushi and Sashimi

Mitsuba Japanese Restaurant
- $$$$$
- Clarke Quay
- Japanese
Clarke Quay Japanese restaurant with keyaki-wood booths and Singapore River views, serving thick-cut sashimi, temaki and maki through an à la carte buffet. It seats around 90 on the third floor of The Central, marked its 12th anniversary in May 2026, and the menu runs to lobster sarada maki and a tokojyo moriawase sashimi platter.

Why we love it: Chope diners have voted its sashimi their top dish 146 times, far ahead of anything else on the menu, and it takes bookings for groups of up to 40.

Best for: Sashimi-heavy family dinners and big birthday groups by the river.

Must try: Sashimi first, then the soft-shell crab spider maki and a round of temaki.

Location: 6 Eu Tong Sen Street, #03-88 The Central, Singapore 059817

Book
KOMA Singapore
- $$$$$
- Marina Bay
- Japanese
Dinner Menu | Lunch Menu (Daily, excluding eve of PH & PH)

Contemporary Japanese restaurant and bar at The Shoppes with an oversized sushi bar, serving makis, nigiri and sashimi alongside robata-grilled king crab and Niigata wagyu. A mezzanine private room suits groups, there is a six-course chef's omakase, and dinner runs until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

Why we love it: The entrance alone is the occasion: a 20m passage of vermillion arches nodding to Fushimi Inari, opening onto a 2.5m-tall bell above a footbridge.

Best for: Date nights and dramatic celebration dinners at Marina Bay Sands.

Must try: Salmon pillows with roasted jalapeño, then the molten Bonsai chocolate dessert.

Location: 10 Bayfront Avenue, B1-67 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore 018956

Book
Sushi SEIZAN
- $$$$$
- Bugis
- Japanese
Lunch Menu | Dinner Menu

Small Edomae sushi counter in Bugis Cube, run by a chef with more than 20 years' experience, with a menu overseen by two-Michelin-star SEIZAN in Tokyo. It began at Wisma Atria's Japan Food Town in 2016 before moving to Bugis in 2021, and it serves lunch and dinner daily.

Why we love it: Sushi SEIZAN adds hot-pot drama to omakase: signature uni and ankimo soups are used to shabu-shabu wagyu, and birthdays get a complimentary dessert plate.

Best for: Uni-focused omakase for anniversaries and birthdays at an intimate counter.

Must try: Signature uni soup wagyu shabu-shabu, finished with the Uni Garden add-on.

Location: 470 North Bridge Road, #03-19 Bugis Cube, Singapore 188735

Book

Donburi and Kaisendon

Unagiya Ichinoji (Robertson Quay)
- $$$$$
- Robertson Quay
- Japanese
Menu

Unagi specialist opened in 2018 as the first overseas outpost of Tokyo's Miyagawa Honten, serving eel over rice in hitsumabushi, seiro mushi and mamushi donburi styles. Its Kanto-style fillets are steamed, then grilled over charcoal and brushed with the house tare, and the mamushi version adds Japanese yam, mentaiko and onsen egg.

Why we love it: Two of their three unagi rice styles, seiro mushi and mamushi donburi, were created for Singapore, and counter seats face the charcoal grill.

Best for: Unagi lovers who want to watch the chefs at the charcoal grill.

Must try: Hitsumabushi, eaten plain, then with condiments, then with dashi poured over.

Location: 30 Robertson Quay, #01-05 Riverside View, Singapore 238251

Book
Mikoto Singapore
- $$$$$
- Robertson Quay
- Japanese
Food Menu

Riverside izakaya at The Quayside cooking Kyushu and Southwest Japan dishes, with a daily specials board, counter seats for solo drinkers and a terrace. Its name means 'respect' in Japanese, it seats 38, and the kitchen is known for Kyushu specialities such as grilled mentaiko.

Why we love it: Mikoto feels like a neighbourhood izakaya in Japan: hand-lettered daily specials, a Kyushu-leaning menu and service until 3am Friday to Sunday.

Best for: Late, casual drinks by the river, solo at the counter or with friends.

Must try: Chicken nanban and grilled yellowtail head from the specials board.

Location: 60 Robertson Quay, #01-12 The Quayside, Singapore 238252>

Book
Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa
- $$$$$
- Orchard
- Japanese
Menu

Nagoya unagi chain's Singapore outlet at Shaw Centre, run with Les Amis Group, grilling live eel over binchotan and serving it over rice as donburi and hitsumabushi. It opened in April 2025, the tare is a recipe passed down through the family, and the ippon hitsumabushi brings a whole eel to the table.

Why we love it: Fourth-generation owner-chef Kikukawa Yuhei's family traces back to a 1932 eel wholesaler, and two private rooms combine for groups of eight.

Best for: Orchard business lunches over premium unagi in a private room.

Must try: Kouhaku set, pairing sweet-glazed kabayaki with salt-grilled shirayaki eel.

Location: 1 Scotts Road, #01-12 Shaw Centre, Singapore 228208

Book

Omakase

Keyaki
- $$$$$
- Marina Central
- Japanese
Lunch Menu | Dinner Menu

Pan Pacific Singapore's Japanese restaurant on level 4, serving seasonal kaiseki courses, teppanyaki and sukiyaki in a building of keyaki wood and shoji screens. Private rooms and a Garden Pavilion seating 40 suit larger parties, and a kaiseki-style okonomi brunch runs on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

Why we love it: Diners walk through a Japanese garden with a koi pond to reach it, and tatami private rooms suit a formal kaiseki meal.

Best for: Formal kaiseki lunches, family occasions and client entertaining in a garden setting.

Must try: The weekend kaiseki-style okonomi brunch, or the sukiyaki at dinner.

Location: Level 4, Pan Pacific Singapore, 7 Raffles Boulevard, Singapore 039595

Book
Oumi
- $$$$$
- Raffles Place
- Japanese
7-Course Omakase Menu

Modern Japanese kappo restaurant on level 51 of CapitaSpring by 1-Group, serving a seven-course omakase at an open-kitchen counter with Marina Bay views. It shares the floor with sister restaurant Kaarla, blends European ingredients into Japanese technique, and serves weekday lunch plus dinner from Monday to Saturday.

Why we love it: Part of Oumi's produce comes from the 1-Arden Food Forest on the same floor, so the omakase changes with a rooftop garden, not just the fish market.

Best for: Business dinners with a skyline view above the Marina Bay financial district.

Must try: The seven-course dinner omakase, taken at the kappo counter.

Location: 88 Market Street, #51-01 CapitaSpring, Singapore 048948

Book
Teppei Japanese Restaurant
- $$$$$
- Tanjong Pagar
- Japanese
Tanjong Pagar counter restaurant led by Chef Yamashita that pioneered affordable omakase in Singapore, with a seasonal chef's menu at dinner and chirashi bowls at lunch. It sits on the ground floor of Orchid Hotel on Tras Link, and lunch brings bara chirashi don, diced sashimi over sushi rice.

Why we love it: Teppei is the entry point to omakase here: a single counter seats up to 12, so every diner watches the chef, and seats go fast.

Best for: First-time omakase without a special-occasion budget, sat right at the counter.

Must try: The chef's dinner omakase, or bara chirashi don if you come at lunch.

Location: 1 Tras Link, #01-18 Orchid Hotel, Singapore 078867

Book

Ramen and Soba

The Ramen Stall
- $$$$$
- Kampong Glam
- Japanese
The Ramen Stall Menu

Kampong Glam ramen shop tagged halal-certified on Chope, serving ramen built on a chicken broth simmered for 30 hours, plus dry noodles, sushi and skewers. Beyond the classic chicken cha shu bowl, the menu runs to abalone seafood ramen, mala ramen and okonomiyaki, and diners get up to 1.5 hours at the table.

Why we love it: The Ramen Stall is the only halal-tagged ramen on this list, and it stays open until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays for late suppers.

Best for: Halal ramen suppers near Arab Street after a late night out.

Must try: Volcano ramen with red-hot chilli lava paste, then the okonomiyaki.

Location: 787 North Bridge Road, Singapore 198755

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Torasho Ramen & Charcoal Bar
- $$$$$
- Duxton
- Japanese
Tanjong Pagar ramen bar pairing soup, dry and dipping ramen with charcoal-grilled bites and donabe rice, with indoor, alfresco and private dining rooms. The tonkotsu comes in three spice levels, there is a truffle version, and a sashimi bar adds lighter plates; a second outlet runs in Takashimaya's basement food hall.

Why we love it: Its tsukemen comes with a rich seafood-tonkotsu dipping broth, and it serves until 3am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Best for: Late-night ramen after drinks in Tanjong Pagar on a Friday or Saturday.

Must try: Tsukemen 'Singapore Best' dipping ramen, with charcoal-grilled bites on the side.

Location: 32 Tras Street, Singapore 078972

Book

Izakaya

Tora Tora Tora
- $$$$$
- MacPherson
- Japanese
Menu

Rooftop izakaya in an Ubi industrial building, named after a Japanese drinking game and serving air-flown sashimi, sushi and charcoal-grilled seafood until 1am. It opens Tuesday to Sunday, offers private rooms and set menus for groups, and makes sushi cakes for celebrations.

Why we love it: More than 500 bottles of Japanese whisky and sake line the room, and The Loft adds private karaoke for up to 12.

Best for: Group nights with sake, sashimi and karaoke in a private room.

Must try: Charcoal-grilled Hiroshima oysters and Hokkaido scallop with a glass of sake.

Location: 62 Ubi Road 1, #11-19 Oxley Bizhub 2, Singapore 408734

Book

Where can I get affordable omakase in Singapore?

Teppei at Orchid Hotel pioneered affordable omakase in Singapore, with a single counter seating up to 12, so book well ahead. It serves a seasonal chef's menu at dinner and bara chirashi don at lunch, which makes lunch an easy first visit before you commit to the full omakase.

What is the difference between unadon and hitsumabushi?

Unadon is grilled eel served over rice in a bowl. Hitsumabushi, a Nagoya speciality, is eaten in three stages: plain, then with condiments, then with dashi poured over. Unagiya Ichinoji and Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa both serve it, so you can compare Tokyo- and Nagoya-style eel.

Is there halal ramen in Singapore?

Yes. The Ramen Stall on North Bridge Road is tagged halal-certified on Chope, and its chicken broth is simmered for 30 hours in place of pork-based tonkotsu. It serves until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays, and the Volcano ramen with red-hot chilli paste is diners' favourite bowl.

What is an izakaya?

An izakaya is a casual Japanese bar serving drinks with small plates to share, much like a pub or tapas bar. Mikoto at Robertson Quay leans towards Kyushu cooking with a daily specials board, while Tora Tora Tora in Ubi pairs more than 500 bottles of sake and whisky with charcoal-grilled seafood.

Which Japanese restaurants in Singapore have a view?

Oumi sits on level 51 of CapitaSpring overlooking Marina Bay, and Mitsuba at The Central looks over the Singapore River. KOMA at Marina Bay Sands trades views for drama, with a 20m passage of vermillion arches, and Tora Tora Tora is a rooftop izakaya in Ubi.

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