EVENTFUL GUIDES · BUGIS JUNCTION
What to eat at Bugis Junction
- Address
- 200 Victoria Street, Singapore 188021
- Mall hours
- 10am to 10pm daily
- Nearest station
- Bugis (EW12, DT14)
- In this guide
- 17 places, every unit number checked
Bugis Junction is the one with the glass roof over the old shophouse street, which is still the nicest bit of mall architecture in the middle of town. It sits on top of Bugis station and it is permanently busy, because the student and office crowds overlap here all day.
Basement 1 is the eating floor and it is dense with kiosks. Level 1 and 2 hold the sit down restaurants along the covered street. Unit numbers on everything below, because the two Bugis malls connect and it is easy to end up in the wrong one.
In this guide
The list, floor by floor
1. Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao
Reliable la mian and xiao long bao in the basement. Not the fancy Crystal Jade, and better for it at lunch.
2. LeNu Chef Wai’s Noodle Bar
Taiwanese beef noodles in the basement. Deep broth, proper tendon, and quick.
3. Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart
The cheese tart kiosk. Eat them warm within the hour or you have wasted your money.
4. Nam Kee JB Handmade Pau
Handmade pau in the basement kiosk row. Cheap, filling, and the sort of thing to grab before a train.
5. Ajisen Ramen
The tonkotsu chain, on Level 1 at the entrance. Fine rather than remarkable, and open when everything else has a wait.
6. BUTTER STUDIO
A local bakery doing proper cakes and bakes, halal certified. Good for taking something home rather than eating standing up.
7. Tip Top
Curry puffs, halal certified, made with what their own listing describes as 18 handpicked spice blends. Better than the mall curry puff default.
8. Hey! Yakiniku
Japanese barbecue over a large run of units on Level 1, which tells you what to expect: grill at the table, order by the plate.
9. IRVINS
Salted egg everything. Snacks to take away rather than a meal, and the queue tells you it still works.
10. Miam Miam
French Japanese fusion, which mostly means very good pancakes and a queue of people photographing them. The savoury side is better than it looks.
11. TANYU
Grilled fish, Chinese style, in a whole tray with a burner under it. Their own listing has them in over 70 Chinese cities. Order it for a group.
12. ORIENTAL KOPI
The Malaysian kopitiam chain that arrived and immediately drew queues. Kaya puffs, half boiled eggs and a very good iced white coffee. Come off peak.
13. Seoul Garden
Korean barbecue and steamboat buffet, halal certified, and the default answer for a big group with mixed requirements. It has been doing the same thing for decades and it works.
14. XiaoLongKan Hotpot
Chongqing hotpot with the properly numbing broth. This is the one to pick when someone says they want real mala rather than mall mala.
15. Malaysia Boleh!
A Malaysian hawker concept on Level 3 collecting the classics in one place. Useful when the group wants char kway teow and someone else wants Penang laksa.
16. Big Fish Small Fish
Fish and chips, halal certified, on Level 4. Cheap, fast, and the fries are the good kind.
17. Eighteen Chefs
Affordable Western with a local accent, halal certified, and a chain with a real story behind it about hiring ex offenders. Cheese baked rice is the order.
Quick answers
How do I get to Bugis Junction by MRT?
Bugis station connects directly into the mall. That is the East West Line (EW12) and the Downtown Line (DT14), so it is reachable from both the east and the north west without changing.
What time does Bugis Junction open and close?
The mall runs 10am to 10pm daily. The restaurants along the covered street on Level 1 generally serve later than the basement kiosks.
Where is the cheapest food at Bugis Junction?
Basement 1. It is a long run of kiosks and small counters, from pau and curry puffs to sushi and soup. Most of it is under ten dollars and you can eat and be back on the train quickly.
Is there halal food at Bugis Junction?
Yes, a lot of it. Seoul Garden, Eighteen Chefs, Big Fish Small Fish, Nando's, Popeyes, Swensen's, Tip Top, Butter Studio, KFC, Subway, Krispy Kreme, The Soup Spoon, Old Chang Kee, Stuff'd, Wok Hey, Ritz Apple Strudel, McDonald's and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf are all flagged halal certified in the mall's own directory.
What is the covered street inside Bugis Junction?
It is the original shophouse street, kept in place and roofed over in glass when the mall was built. The shops on it are normal mall tenants, but the facades and the alignment are the real street, which is why it does not feel like a mall corridor.
Is Bugis Junction connected to Bugis+ and Bugis Street?
Yes. Bugis Junction and Bugis+ are linked by an overhead bridge across Victoria Street, and Bugis Street market is directly across the road. People treat all three as one trip.