Top Japanese Food in Bugis
Bugis, renowned for its boutiques, landmarks, and markets, offers diverse dining options, including Japanese cuisine. From traditional sushi to modern izakayas, it’s a top spot for Japanese food lovers seeking authenticity and innovation.
Bet this piques your imagination and tastebuds! So let’s take a food trip together and see where the best Japanese food spots in Bugis are.
Ma Maison
Address: Floor 2 Bugis Junction, 200 Victoria St, #02 – 51, Singapore 188021 (Google Maps)
Contact: +6563384819
Hours: Daily, 11.30 AM–9.30 PM
Price: $$
Ma Maison, a Japanese restaurant, features predominantly French décor and offers Japanese twists on European dishes. We couldn’t resist trying the hamburger steak because it was recommended to us by many friends.
Topped with a sunny-side-up egg, the steak was expertly cooked, complemented by a piquant sauce. Despite appearing small, the portion was surprisingly substantial, as it was accompanied by a salad, soup, and a choice between rice or bread.
Pro-tip: Have the strawberry tart as a sweet way to cap your meal.
En Sushi (Midland House)
Address: Floor 1, 112 Middle Rd, #01-00B Midland House, Singapore 188970 (Google Maps)
Contact: +6562598548
Hours: Monday to Thursday, 11.30 AM–3 PM and 6–10 PM; Friday to Sunday, 11.30 AM–3 PM and 5.30–10 PM
Price: $$
En Sushi offers a budget-friendly menu with most items priced below S$30. Its diverse selection of dons (rice bowls) includes options like salmon don, marinated swordfish sashimi with rice, and negitoro don (minced tuna belly sashimi with rice).
For those craving sliced sashimi, the salmon mekajiki (swordfish) don features thick cuts of fresh salmon and swordfish sashimi on rice. It offers a delightful contrast in texture between firmness and tenderness.
Pro-tip: Surprise your tastebuds with a unique dessert: the homemade tofu cheesecake is both indulgent and healthy at the same time.
Akira Back
Address: Floor 1 JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach, 30 Beach Road, Level B1M, Singapore 189763 (Google Maps)
Contact: +6568181914
Hours: Daily, noon–2.30 PM and 6–10.30 PM
Price: $$
Akira Back’s interior diverges from traditional Japanese restaurants, featuring communal dining spaces, a bar, and cosy pockets for added privacy. Conveniently located within the Marriott property’s lift lobby, it’s easily accessible for hotel guests.
The menu offers various options, including cold and hot plates, sushi, sashimi, rolls, and mains, each showcasing modern twists. Highlights include the 48-hour Sanchoku short rib featuring tender, well-marbled beef cubes bursting with rich flavour.
Pro-tip: There’s a separate vegetarian menu for those who want to go meat-free.
Sushi Airways
Address: 20a Baghdad St, Singapore 199659 (Google Maps)
Contact: +6562911151
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 11.45 AM–2.30 PM and 5.45–9.45 PM
Price: $$$
Sushi Airways offers a unique aeroplane-themed dining experience, the only one of its kind in Singapore. Fresh seafood is flown in from Japan, underlining the restaurant’s focus on freshness and authenticity.
Some of its more popular offerings include oysters, tekka maki (bluefin tuna), tsukune (grilled chicken ball), and soft shell crab maki. The tekka maki impressed with its fatty, silky texture while the oysters tasted fresh and were sizable.
Pro-tip: Try the signature double shake roll, a delightful combination of raw salmon and crispy salmon skin.
Chikuyotei
Address: Floor 1, 80 Middle Rd, #01-01 InterContinental Singapore, Singapore 188966 (Google Maps)
Contact: +6568251064
Hours: Daily, noon–2.30 PM and 6–10 PM
Price: $$$
Chikuyotei, Singapore’s sole eel (unagi) specialist, serves a meticulously prepared Tokyo-style kabayaki (eel cooking technique). The dish, gently coated in sauce, boasts irresistibly tender meat and delicate skin.
Suffice it to say we were impressed by the authentic flavour of the charcoal-cooked unagi. Its umami richness speaks volumes!
Pro-tip: It’s also hard to resist Chikuyotei’s assorted fresh sashimi that melts in the mouth.
Matsuya Dining
Address: Floor 1 WeWork Office Space, 15 Beach Rd, #01-01 Beach Centre, Singapore 189677 (Google Maps)
Contact: +6562506200
Hours: Monday to Saturday, 11.30 AM–2.30 PM and 6–10 PM
Price: $$
Matsuya Dining features simple furnishings with floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing natural light to flood in. A no-frills joint, it offers generous, thick slices of sashimi that the head chef sources directly from Tokyo twice a week, ensuring top-quality ingredients.
The Sashimi Mori is presented with a stunning forest theme, adorned with flowers and green leaves. The vibrant platter features fresh sashimi, including tuna and amberjack belly, scallops, white shrimp, and golden eye alfonsino with truffle sauce.
Pro-tip: The chef advises enjoying the sashimi as is, without the need for additional sauce, to fully appreciate the freshness and flavours.
Box ‘n Sticks
Address: 28 Kandahar St, Singapore 198889 (Google Maps)
Contact: +6563417780
Hours: Daily, 11.45 AM–3 PM and 6–11:30 PM
Price: $$
Box ‘n Sticks offers an extensive menu featuring pocket-friendly rice bowls, Japanese pasta, and bento boxes. We can’t blame you if you initially feel spoilt for choice!
Luckily, you can choose smaller plates or even share one of its sizable maki rolls. We particularly liked its spicy aburi seafood maki with torched salmon, prawn tempura, and crab stick with a house-made spicy sauce that made little explosions in our mouths.
Pro-tip: Check out the extensive sake menu if you fancy a drink with your meal.
Ichikokudo Hokkaido Ramen
Address: 45 Bussorah St, Singapore 199463 (Google Maps)
Contact: [email protected]
Hours: Daily, 11 AM–10 PM
Price: $$
Ichikokudo Hokkaido Ramen ensures authenticity by using exclusive Hokkaido ingredients: noodles made from Hokkaido wheat for a firm texture, kelp for umami in the soup, butter directly imported from Hokkaido, and seaweed for a taste of the sea.
But don’t snub its don (rice bowl) selection! The Hokkai salmon ikura don includes fresh salmon, lightly broiled salmon, and salmon roe (ikura) with pickled ginger, dried seaweed, green onion, white leek, and miso soup.
Pro-tip: This halal-certified ramen joint is located opposite Masjid Sultan.
Deli’s Kitchen
Address: Floor 1, 91 Bencoolen St, #01-54 Sunshine Plaza, Singapore 189652 (Google Maps)
Contact: +6569266176
Hours: Daily, 11 AM–3 PM and 5–10 PM
Price: $$
Deli’s Restaurant aims to introduce unique Japanese cuisine to Singaporeans using fresh ingredients and a customer-centric approach.
Bestsellers here include gyu katsu, a breaded, deep-fried steak served medium rare with rice, salad, homemade steak sauce, and specialised wasabi.
Don’t miss the Karamasa karaage fried chicken from Asakusa, Tokyo. It’s prepared using a special cooking method for the perfect crunch and juiciness.
Pro-tip: Deli’s Kitchen is hard to miss: it’s adjacent to Bugis MRT and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.
OMU NOMU Craft Sake & Raw Bar
Address: 302 Beach Rd, #01-08 Concourse Skyline, Singapore 199600 (Google Maps)
Contact: +6596702923
Hours: Monday to Saturday, noon–2.30 PM and 5.30 PM-midnight
Price: $$
Omu Nomu Craft Sake & Raw Bar on Beach Road offers fresh air-flown sashimi and a diverse selection of premium sakes. It’s the first bar in Singapore to feature doburoku, a special unfiltered sake with roots in Japanese temple rituals.
Alongside sashimi moriawase (mixed seafood) and premium sushi sets, Omu Nomu’s menu includes traditional smoky kushiyaki (skewered meats) and otsumami (appetisers) to complement its craft sake selection.
Pro-tip: Inquire with the service staff for new items not listed on the regular menu.
BIZEN Okayama Wagyu Steakhouse
Address: Floor 1 Bugis Village, 154 Rochor Rd, Singapore 188429 (Google Maps)
Contact: +6569087488
Hours: Daily, 11.30 AM–10 PM
Price: $$
BIZEN Okayama Wagyu Steakhouse offers affordable great cuts of meat, including double-up portions, despite importing whole cow carcasses and ageing the meat in-house.
For instance, its chuck steak goes for under S$23 for single and under S$40 for double up. It’s also succulent and effortlessly tender with satisfyingly marbled fat throughout.
Pro-tip: Limited cuts are available, but diners can check its Facebook page for current availability during lunch and dinner.
Sushi Seizan
Address: Floor 3, 470 North Bridge Rd, #03-19 Bugis Cube, Singapore 188735 (Google Maps)
Contact: +6597371334
Hours: Monday to Saturday, noon–3 PM and 5.30–10.30 PM; Sundays, noon–11 PM
Price: $$
Sushi Seizan on North Bridge is the Singapore branch of the two-Michelin-starred Seizan in Tokyo. It’s renowned for its Edomaezushi, a style of sushi with fish that undergoes cooking or preservation.
We recommend the sushi lunch set that starts at S$68 for an introduction to Edomaezushi. But if you’re feeling extra indulgent, go for the signature omakase featuring rich tuna belly, eel, and other Japanese delicacies.
Pro-tip: The restaurant is quite small so make a reservation to ensure seating.