Weekend trip tip: What to do and where to eat on Bugis Street, Singapore

At Singapore’s Bugis Street, enjoy wallet-friendly shopping markets, witness Malay culture, and relish street food. Read on for our guide.

A potpourri of colours, cultures, and culinary pitstops, Singapore’s Bugis Street crafts the perfect day out, solo or with company. Here, sample authentic preparations of laksa curries and satay, indulge in the latest fashion trends at the 600+ shops, and admire the resplendent architecture of buildings like Bugis+. Whether you’re seeking street food staples, hours of surfing the fashion market, heartfelt souvenirs, or a day out with all the local feels, consider Bugis Street.

Things to do at Bugis Street

Spend the morning at the Malay Cultural Centre: Kickstart your Bugis Street explorations with a morning at the Malay Cultural Centre, where gorgeous galleries and exhibits await. Here, learn more about the culture and traditions of the Lion City’s largest ethnic minority, Malays’ literature, language, and ethics. Elevate your visit by witnessing traditional dance performances and informative films that are regularly presented at the centre.

Admire the architecture of Bugis+: This gorgeous shopping mall with an open courtyard delights with fashion, electronics, and beauty stores. Gaming arcades and culinary experiences up the ante of this futuristic retail space festooned with glass accents throughout.

Immerse yourself in the night-time street theatre vibe: As you saunter down the lanes of Bugis Street at night, enjoy the upbeat live performances, buskers, and musicians who collectively elevate the spirit of the street. Around the Chinese New Year period, the street embodies a scintillating persona with lion dances, colourful street shows, fortune-telling kiosks, and much more!

Hop on a trishaw ride to explore Bugis Street like a local: Savour Singapore’s rich heritage and local charms as you drift past the lanes of Bugis Street on a colourful trishaw.

Explore the nearby attractions: While Bugis Street has a string of shopping stores, cosy cafes, and hip bars to its credit, there’s plenty to explore nearby as well. Our top recommendations include Haji Lane (1.1 km away), Kuan Yin Thong Hood Cho Temple (450 m away), CHIJMES (850 m away), Kampong Glam (and Masjid Hajjah Fatimah Mosque (1.8 km away).

Shopping at Bugis Street

The two must-visit shopping avenues on this street include the Bugis Junction Shopping Mall, which mimics an open-air bazaar set-up (and a skylit retail experience at night), and the famed Bugis Street Market. The latter is famous for its throwaway discounts, charming souvenirs, and lip-smacking food stalls.

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Consider Bugis+ mall spread across 10 sprawling floors for stores like Bershka, Adidas, KIMOJ, PULL&BEAR, and Sephora. These lifestyle and fashion stores are supplemented by culinary gems like Seoul Yummy, Ramen Champion, and New Manlee Bak Kut Teh.

 

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Next, head to the Bugis Street Market, among the best places in Singapore to shop on a shoestring budget. From a rad pair of jeans retailing for as low as SGD 8.30 (THB 214), trendy T-shirts tagged at just SGD 3.99 (THB 103), accessories, and fashion staples that you’d want to add to your wardrobe in a jiffy, this market houses it all! What’s more? As part of the recent renovations, the street market experience was elevated with a sky roof so visitors could shop uninterrupted, come rain or sunshine!

Restaurants at Bugis Street

 

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Whether you seek an all-day diner, vegan cafe, or innovative cocktail bar, the sheer variety of culinary options at Bugis Street will leave you spoilt for choice! Here are our favourite epicurean spots in the region:

Idealite Bugis Village for healthy vegetarian food | Must try: Japanese Hericium Salad, Sesame Chee Cheong Fun, Claypot Rice, and Bak Kut Teh Rice.

Boat Noodle Express for flavourful intercontinental and Thai cuisine | Must try: Thai Fish Cake, Beef Kway Teow Soup, Fresh Beansprouts Slice, and Pork Tomyom Soup.

NOX Dine in the Dark for a sumptuous three-course meal served in pitch darkness, devised to titillate your senses | Must try: Seared Ahi Tuna and Warm Potato Salad with Bacon and Egg Dressing, and Warm Valrhona Chocolate Fondant with Rum & Raisin Ice Cream.

Artichoke Café & Bar for some of the best brunches on Bugis Street | Must try: Green Harissa Prawns, Mezze Platter, and Shakshuka.

If you’re in the mood for theatrical cocktails, good finger food, and music, consider Camp Kilo Charcoal Club, The Lobby Lounge at InterContinental Singapore, Bar Canary and Blu Jaz Cafe.

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Must-try local staples and street food

Beyond the boho bars and aesthetic cafes, we also recommend a stroll (and several halts) through the lanes of Bugis Street. Here, stalls and hawkers serving aromatic local delicacies await. Wondering what to try here? Start with Oden spiced with Chikuwa, flavoursome lobster meatball and konjac — you can find this at the Chanko Oden store.

Other local delicacies that must be a part of your street food binge include Mee Goreng (stir-fried noodles cooked with eggs, meat/vegetables, and delicious sauces), Char Kway Teow (a non-vegetarian flat rice noodle with a smoky charred flavour profile), Tau Huay (a local dessert cooked using soybean), Laksa (spicy noodle soup cooked in coconut milk), popiah (a starter made using prawns, eggs, vegetables, jicama, and crushed peanuts), and satays (meat on skewers).

The best time to visit

While the opening hours for Bugis Street are from 10 am to 10 pm, there are specific hours of the day you must consider based on the type of visit. For instance, the morning hours are ideal for shopping. During this time, the weather is pleasant and crowds are relatively smaller. Alternatively, if you want to soak up the cultural spirit of the street and unwind at a cocktail bar, we recommend coming around sunset to watch the vibe of the street transition with live performances, bustling stalls, and feet-tapping music.

How to reach

Address: 261 Victoria St, Singapore 189876
Find Bugis Street on Google Maps.

The nearest MRT station to Bugis Street is the underground Bugis Station, just 270 m from the Bugis Street Market.
Find Bugis MRT Station on Google Maps.

(Feature image credit: Manoa Angelo/Unsplash)

This article originally appeared on Travel + Leisure.