Chef Stephane Istel originally hails from the Alsace region but cut his teeth with Daniel Boulud in New York before striking out on his own with Bar-Roque Grill. Dramatic light fixtures, wood communal tables and oversized street art–inspired paintings converge to create a rustic-chic scene. The mostly French menu brings Gallic treats to Singapore like a traditional tarte flambée from Alsace — perfectly crisped dough with bacon, onion and sour cream. There are many fabulous seafood dishes and the grilled meat selection is equally impressive with free-range rotisserie chicken, grilled steak topped with foie gras and crispy pork belly.

While it doesn’t serve local cuisine, Burnt Ends has become one of the most revered restaurants in Singapore and a can’t-miss address for foodies. The modern Australian barbecue restaurant is located in Chinatown and the bustling dining room is always packed with patrons enjoying delicious but unfussy cuisine like Jamaican chicken with lime crema, eggplant with miso and flatiron steak with burnt onion and bone marrow. Try to grab seats at the bar, so you can watch the chefs while they work.

Just a short drive from downtown Singapore in Dempsey Hill, Candlenut is one of the first restaurants visitors to Singapore should eat at to experience the incredibly flavorful local cuisine. The highly regarded restaurant serves traditional Peranakan fare (a Singaporean cuisine that combines Chinese, Malay and other Asian culinary techniques) with an Indonesian touch in a cozy dining room with beautiful chandeliers made from reeds. Candlenut has a Michelin star and serves a 20-course tasting menu, but it also offers à la carte options and has a welcoming, local feel. Some of the best dishes include an incredible wagyu beef rib rendang, wok-fired tiger prawns and blue crab curry with turmeric and kaffir lime leaf.

On Singapore’s island resort of Sentosa, the Chinese dining room at the Capella hotel is easily one of the city’s marquee restaurants. The stylish interiors, swathed in subtle black, beige and grey with the occasional Asian-inspired prints, set the stage for an unforgettable meal of Chinese classics with a twist. Highlights include the delightfully fluffy BBQ pork bun topped with rich truffles, and the steamed siu mai stuffed with minced pork and prawns and then garnished with a generous piece of abalone.

Chef Jason Atherton (who won a Michelin star for his London restaurant Pollen Street Social) wanted to evoke the colorful vibe of the tapas bar in Spain with this casual, chic Chinatown eatery. The dining room is constantly buzzing with locals and expats who can’t get enough of his beautifully plated chorizo madeleines, poached oysters with seaweed dashi and the eye-catching Mini Spanish Breakfast, in which Atherton serves mushroom ketchup, chorizo crumbs, potato espuma and egg inside an egg shell.

Iggy’s – named for sommelier, restaurateur and owner Ignatius Chan – is known to feel more like a private club than an in-your-face destination, and for that exact reason it’s garnered an international buzz that makes it a famously tough reservation. Originally just a twenty-eight-seat space in the Regent Hotel, it moved into a much larger venue in the Hilton Hotel in 2010. But the sophisticated cuisine is still an infusion of European, Asian and Australian flavors.

Located in the National Museum, the two-Michelin-starred Odette is a fine-dining haven known for its exquisite French cuisine and light, feminine décor. The elegant dining room has a pink and white color scheme with gold furnishings, and while the set menu (four, six or eight courses) changes regularly, patrons can expect dishes like rosemary smoked egg with chorizo iberico or guinea fowl with celeriac risotto and foie gras croquette.

The restaurant at the uber-cool Warehouse Hotel, Po is a contemporary Singaporean restaurant and open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The stylish dining room is striking, but the cuisine here is the star. The restaurant celebrates traditional recipes (popo is the Mandarin word for grandmother) and Asian ingredients in menu items including charcoal-grilled iberico satay and prawns with pork belly. Don’t miss the signature dish, the popiah (spring roll) platter, which comes with spring roll wrappers, stewed pork and vegetable filling and an array of toppings (chili sauce, crushed peanuts, ground garlic) for patrons to assemble themselves.

Helmed by chef Tetsuya Wakuda (the first sake ambassador outside of Japan), the renowned Waku Ghin is a destination in and of itself. Having earned a spot on numerous “World’s Best” lists, the fine-dining institution serves a ten-course tasting menu, as well as a more casual menu at the bar. Despite being located in a sprawling complex and accessed via the casino next door, Waku Ghin fosters a Zen atmosphere and is a must for serious foodies.