The best thing about Singapore’s diversity is that it extends to our crazy obsession with buffets too.
There’s a buffet for almost every trending dish and every dietary restriction.
Whether you’re Muslim or frequently dine with your Muslim BFFs, here’s a list of the most value for money halal buffets in Singapore – think halal mookata, prata buffets and even sumptuous seafood all-you-can-eat deals!
TOP 19 HALAL BUFFETS IN SINGAPORE (2019)
Halal-certified Restaurant | Lunch buffet price | Dinner buffet price |
Al Jasra Restaurant Prata Buffet | $7.90 for unlimited prata | $7.90 for unlimited prata |
Chickata Makan Place (halal Mookata) | $25.90 (Sat to Sun) | $19.90 (Tue to Thu) / $25.90 (Fri to Sun) |
Flame Cafe Pagoda Buffet | $19.90+ to $35.90+ (Mon to Thu) / $23.90+ to $40.90+ (Fri to Sun) | $21.90+ to $38.90+ (Mon to Thu) / $23.90+ to $40.90+ (Fri to Sun) |
Marina Bay BBQ Steamboat | – | $27+ (Mon to Thu) / $29+ (Fri to Sun) |
Royal Palm at Orchid Country Club | $23.54 (Mon to Fri) / $28.77 (Sat to Sun) | $28.77 (Mon to Thu) / $41.20 (Fri to Sun) |
Seoul Garden | $21.99++ (Mon to Fri) / $28.99++ (Sat to Sun) | $28.99++ (Mon to Thu) / $32.99++ (Fri to Sun) |
Kublai Khan Mongolian BBQ Buffet | $18++ (Mon to Thu) / $20++ (Fri to Sun) | $29++ (Mon to Thu) / $30.80++ (Fri to Sun) |
Sakura International Buffet (Admiralty outlet) | $22++ (Mon to Fri) / $33.90++ (Sat to Sun) | $33.90++ (Mon to Thu) / $38++ (Fri to Sun) |
Rumah Rasa at Bay Hotel Singapore | $18 (Mon to Fri, semi-buffet) / $30 (Sat) | $38 (Fri, Sat, PH eve) |
The Landmark Restaurant at Village Hotel Bugis | $21.20++ (Mon to Fri) / $25.45++ (Sat to Sun) | $41.20 (Mon to Thu) / $47.08 (Fri to Sun) |
Sakura International Buffet (Downtown East) | $24.80++ (Mon to Fri) / $34.80++ (Sat to Sun) | $38.80++ (Mon to Thu) / $44.80++ (Fri to Sun) |
Kintamani Indonesian Restaurant at Furama Riverfront | $32++ | $32++ |
21 on Rajah at Days Hotel Singapore | $36++ (Mon to Fri) / $40++ (Sat to Sun) | $42++ (Mon to Thu) / $54++ (Fri to Sun) |
Katong Kitchen | $40++ (Mon to Fri) / $50++ (Sat to Sun) | $50++ (Mon to Thu) / $60++ (Fri to Sun) |
Saltwater Cafe at Changi Village Hotel | $42++ | $46++ (Mon to Thu) / $58++ (Fri to Sun) |
Straits Cafe Buffet at Hotel Rendezvous | $46++ (Mon to Fri) / $52++ (Sat to Sun) | $54++ (Mon to Thu) / $62++ (Fri to Sun) |
Carousel Buffet at Royal Plaza on Scotts | $58++ (Mon to Fri) / $68++ (Sat to Sun) | $80++ (Sun to Thu) / $88++ (Fri to Sat) |
AquaMarine at Marina Mandarin | $60++ | $73++ (Mon to Thu) / $83++ (Fri to Sun) |
Asian Market Cafe at Fairmont Hotel | $68++ | $78++ (Sun to Thu) / $80++ or $85++ (Fri to Sat) |
AL JASRA RESTAURANT PRATA BUFFET
Now, if you are super hungry yet on a super tight budget, this one’s for you: For just $7.90, you can have your fill of prata! That’s right – UNLIMITED prata.
There are 16 prata flavours to choose from, including classics like kosong and egg, as well as trendy ones like cheese, honey, sugar, and even strawberry prata.
Do note that the cheap price does not include drinks, which are charged separately. I think it’s still super worth it.
Plus, Al Jasra Restaurant is open 24/7… let the feasting begin.
Address: 459 Changi Road (off Jalan Masjid)
Chickata Makan Place – Halal Mookata Buffet
CHICKATA MAKAN PLACE – HALAL MOOKATA BUFFET
Next up is one of my favourite foods – mookata! The traditional Thai barbecue/steamboat often involves pork meat and oiling the hot plate with lard, so it is definitely not halal.
However, due to its popularity in Singapore, Muslim-friendly mookata stores have popped up.
Chickata gets its name by replacing “moo” (which is “pork” in Thai) with “chick” for chicken!
At just $19.90, Chickata’s weekday buffet offers a generous spread of chicken, beef, lamb and even duck.
Children 6 to 12 years old dine at $9, while those under age 6 dine free.
The soup base is chicken, but you can top up extra for tom yum. Some diners who want to save on the tom yum soup order the tom yum-marinated meats instead.
While the buffet includes free-flow drinks, it doesn’t include the more premium meats like Angus beef, tiger prawns and scallops.
Address: 326 Jurong East St 31 #01-118 Singapore 600 326
FLAME CAFE PAGODA BUFFET
Flame Cafe offers a pagoda steamboat buffet, which is basically a steamboat tower.
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There are three buffet options: Deluxe is the most basic option offering just meat, vegetables and typical steamboat ingredients like sausages and crab stick.
It’s the most affordable one, starting at just $19.90+ during weekday lunch. Even on weekends, it’s $23.90+ all day, which is quite worth it.
The steamboat tower allows you to have 2 soup bases, and you can also grill, steam and hold your dips in it.
Premium has added seafood options like crayfish, clams and prawns, as well as DIY pizzas, quail eggs and shrimp dumplings.
It’s quite a bit more expensive, with prices ranging from $25.90+ on weekday lunch to $32.90+ on weekends.
The all-in option is Supreme which has all of that, plus king prawns, flower crabs, oysters and 1 serving of either lobster or live crab.
It’s got quite a lot more than the Premium menu, so if you want to go all out, I’d rather you splurge on this.
Ongoing promotions include 20% off lunch daily and 1 dines free with every 3 paying adults.
Address: The Flame Cafe, Level 1, 73 Upper Paya Lebar Rd, Singapore 534818
MARINA BAY BBQ STEAMBOAT BUFFET
Marina Bay BBQ Steamboat is an outdoor barbecue stall at Satay by the Bay, near Gardens by the Bay.
It offers the usual buffet spread of fresh seafood, meats, vegetables, desserts and soft drinks and is priced affordably at $27+ (Mon – Thu) / $29+ (Fri – Sun).
That said, do check their Facebook page for the latest prices. They sometimes have price hikes on public holidays and festive seasons.
They don’t have an online menu, but from the photos and reviews, they seem to have lots of seafood like crabs, prawns, clams, bamboo clams, mussels and squid. Not bad for under $30!
Address: 18 Marina Gardens Drive, Satay By The Bay, #12/13/14 Marina Bay Singapore 018953
ROYAL PALM BUFFET AT ORCHID COUNTRY CLUB
Here’s one for the north-siders: Royal Palm at Orchid Country Club offers a daily halal buffet with prices starting at just $23.54 per pax (weekday lunch).
The catch is that their prices are for 2 pax, so you’ll need to dine in even numbers (it’s actually $47.08 for 2 pax).
The only time it’s charged per pax is during weekend dinners where it’s $41.20 per diner.
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The cuisine is an international mix of western, Indian and Mediterranean, plus seafood on ice. There’s also assorted sushi.
For those who like soupy comfort food – although I’m not sure why you’d go to a buffet for that – there’s a soup station with tom yum, laksa, soto ayam and hot & sour soups.
Local foodies can go for the rojak, biryanis and even the fish head curry. I love that the dessert selection is also extensive (hello, sago gula melaka!).
Address: Orchid Country Club, 1 Orchid Club Road, #01-21/22, Social Clubhouse, Singapore 769162
SEOUL GARDEN CASUAL KOREAN BUFFET
For casual Korean steamboat and grill, there’s the Seoul Garden chain. This is perhaps the biggest halal buffet chain, with 7 outlets at various shopping malls.
The meat spread is decent, with plain and marinated beef, chicken and lamb.
Seoul Garden can be value for money, depending on when you eat it. Prices start at an affordable $21.99++ for weekday lunch, but can go up to as high as $32.99++ for dinner on the weekends.
You also need to add on a few bucks per table for soup ($4.99++ for 1 soup or $5.99++ for 2). Seoul Garden offers 6 soup bases – kimchi jjigae, tom yum, mala, ginseng abalone, tomato and milky fish.
KUBLAI KHAN MONGOLIAN BBQ BUFFET
Contrary to what its name suggests, the Kublai Khan BBQ buffet is not just Mongolian cuisine.
Other than the specialty seasoned Mongolian BBQ meat, there’s actually Japanese, western and Chinese fare too. Also, everyone’s favourite – seafood!
The establishment has been halal since 2011, and provides prayers rooms for Muslim guests.
As with Seoul Garden, the lunch and dinner buffet prices have quite a price difference. It’s only $18++ for lunch on Mondays to Thursdays, but a relatively steep $30.80++ for dinner on weekends, public holidays and public holiday eves.
Address: 6 Eu Tong Sen Street #02-01 Yellow Zone, Clarke Quay Central, Singapore 059817
SAKURA INTERNATIONAL BUFFET
Another super popular halal buffet is the Sakura International Buffet. Sakura is relatively affordable and comparable to mid-range hotel buffets, and as a bonus, the spread is also quite impressive, offering premium dishes like sashimi, seafood and more.
There are even DIY stations for you to customise your laksa and other noodles.
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The prices are standard across the outlets, except for Downtown East which is slightly more expensive.
A dinner buffet at the Admiralty outlet costs $33.90++ (Mon to Thu) or $38++ (Fri to Sun), whereas the Downtown East outlet charges $38.80++ (Mon to Thu) or $44.80++ (Fri to Sun).
Address: 2 outlets at Admiralty Park and Downtown East
RUMAH RASA AT BAY HOTEL SINGAPORE
Rumah Rasa is a cosy Indonesian restaurant within Bay Hotel Singapore, priding itself as the first Indonesian restaurant to use herbs grown in their very own yard.
Their signature dishes include kerabu and tahu, but they also Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.
If you have a day off and go for lunch, I recommend the weekday semi-buffet which is just $18 nett. It’s not the full spread, but for the price, it’s still a bargain.
For weekends, they have a 1-for-1 special for both buffet lunch and dinner. For the lunch buffet (available on Sat only), it’s $60 nett for 2 adults, so $30 per pax. For dinner buffet (Fri, Sat and eve of PH) it’s $76 nett for 2 adults, which is $38 per pax.
Address: Bay Hotel Singapore, 50 Telok Blangah Rd, Singapore 098828
THE LANDMARK RESTAURANT BUFFET AT VILLAGE HOTEL BUGIS
Located near Arab Street, The Landmark Restaurant offers one of the most value-for-money halal buffets in Singapore. Expect western, mediterranean, north Indian and local cuisine, with pasta, pizza and satay (weekends only) live stations.
The seafood spread is also to die for, with fresh crabs, prawns, mussels and clams.
With the generous spread, you may be expecting a hefty price tag, but this buffet deal is actually surprisingly affordable for a hotel buffet.
They have regular 1-for-1 buffet promotions, so lunch is really affordable at $42.40++/$50.90++ for 2 pax, which works out to less than $30 per head.
The dinner buffet is pricier, at $41.20 to $47.08 per pax, but prices are nett so there are no surprise charges.
Address: Village Hotel Bugis 390 Victoria Street, #05-01 Singapore 188061
KINTAMANI INDONESIAN RESTAURANT BUFFET AT FURAMA RIVERFRONT SINGAPORE
Not much of a fan of international buffets? Get your Indonesian food fix at Kintamani Indonesian Restaurant.
The buffet lunch and dinner price is a standard $32++ per adult all day, every day… which is quite reasonable.
Children from 5 to 12 years old pay $15++.
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Address: Furama RiverFront, 405 Havelock Road Singapore 169633
21 on Rajah is halal buffet restaurant at Days Hotel Singapore, located in Balestier.
Unlike the other hotels listed here, 21 on Rajah exudes a slightly hipster vibe with its bright blue and white decor.
The spread is Mediterranean and Southeast Asian, and the menu changes slightly from time to time.
Typical mains include ikan panggang and ayam masak merah, while the carving stations may have beef rib-eye and salmon steaks.
The dessert section is quite extensive, with churros, waffles and fondue live stations.
For me, 21 on Rajah is considered a splurge, but considering the ambience and buffet spread, it may be worth a trip for special occasions.
Weekday lunches cost $36++ per adult and dinners cost $42++ per adult. Weekend lunches cost $40++ per adult and the BBQ buffet dinners on weekends cost $54++ per adult.
Children pay half price. Do note that for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day the buffets will cost more.
Address: 1 Jalan Rajah, Days Hotel, Singapore 329133<
KATONG KITCHEN BUFFET
Katong Kitchen is at Village Hotel Katong, formerly known as Paramount Hotel. The buffet spread focuses on Peranakan, Macanese, Asian and local Chinese fare.
Although not super cheap ($40++ to $50++ for lunch and $50++ to $60++ for dinner), it’s a good deal for the spread.
The seafood selection features the usual prawns and clams, but with snow crabs, boston lobsters and oysters.
Most of the menu focuses on nyonya cuisine, so this is a great place for those who prefer a more home-cooked kind of vibe.
Look out for the durian pengyat dessert – it has raving reviews online!
Address: Level 4 Village Hotel Katong, 25 Marine Parade, 449536
SALTWATER CAFE BUFFET AT CHANGI VILLAGE HOTEL
East-siders can visit the Saltwater Cafe at Changi Village Hotel for a sumptuous spread local dishes like lor mee, nyonya laksa and durian pengat, as well as international favourites like chilled seafood and a barbecue station.
It’s not the cheapest, but you’ll be glad to know that there’s no price hike for weekend lunches, it’s $42++ all week. Dinner is rather pricey, though, at $46++ (Mon – Thu) / $58++ (Fri – Sun, PH and eve of PH).
There’s currently a 15% promotion if you pay with a Mastercard debit or credit card (until 30 Dec 2019).
Address: 1 Netheravon Rd, Changi Village Hotel Level 1, 508502
STRAITS CAFE BUFFET AT HOTEL RENDEZVOUS
As you can tell by its name, Straits Cafe offers cuisine inspired by our neighbours – specifically food from Penang, Malacca, Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur.
The restaurant is new to the halal scene, and was only recently halal-certified on 11 May 2018.
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It’s not exactly cheap – it is at Hotel Rendezvous – and hits above the $50 range for their dinners ($54++ (Mon to Thu) / $62++ (Fri to Sun, PH and PH eve)).
The lunch is not a lot cheaper at $46++ (weekday) / $52++ (weekend).
However, there’s a current Mastercard promo until 30 Jun, where you dine in a group of 4 but pay for 3 pax only, which makes it quite worthwhile.
Address: 9 Bras Basah Road, Singapore 189559
CAROUSEL BUFFET AT ROYAL PLAZA ON SCOTTS
Yet another atas option, Royal Plaza on Scott’s Carousel buffet dinner is a whopping $80++ (weekday) / $88++ (weekend)! That’s over a hundred bucks after taxes.
Lunch is friendlier to the wallet at $58++ for weekdays and $68++ for weekends.
The buffet selection is quite extensive – as it should be – featuring a Japanese menu of sashimi, cold noodles and assorted sushi, a seafood station of crabs, prawns, mussels, clams and lobsters, plus various Mediterranean, Indian, Asian and western dishes.
For the desserts, not only are there cakes and tarts, but hot puddings and premium ice cream too.
Address: Royal Plaza on Scotts, Lobby Level 25 Scotts Road, Singapore 228220
AQUAMARINE BUFFET AT MARINA MANDARIN
At up to $83++ per adult for their dinner buffets, AquaMarine is definitely a premium dining spot. However, this halal buffet spread is well worth the price – you can eat your fill of expensive seafood like snow crabs and fresh oysters.
There is also a sashimi counter.
For those who prefer local cuisine, feast your way through servings of chilli crab and assam fish head curry!
If you’re bringing the kids, they’ll love the open kitchen concept which features a clear glass windows for diners to watch the expert chefs at work.
Lunch is more affordable at $60++ per adult and $30++ per child daily, including public holidays.
Dinner costs $73++ from Monday to Thursday and $83++ from Friday to Sunday.
Address: Level 4, Marina Mandarin Singapore, 6 Raffles Boulevard Marina Square, Singapore 039594
ASIAN MARKET CAFE BUFFET AT FAIRMONT HOTEL
Asian Market Cafe‘s dinner buffet is rather steeply priced at $68++ to $78++ per person, which puts it in the $80-something range after taxes. Definitely come armed with a credit card that gives you dining discounts here.
At that price, you’d expect expensive seafood like crabs and lobsters, but they don’t seem to have it.
Instead, the chilled seafood selection consists of just prawns, scallops, mussels and oysters.
They do, however, seem to have quite an impressive cold counter of salads and vegetarian options, as well as sashimi and sushi.
Address: 80 Bras Basah Road Singapore 189560
This article was first published in MoneySmart.