Vegan & Vegetarian Restaurants in Singapore
Singapore (1524 listings)
Note: Central Singapore includes Chinatown, Little India, & CBD.
Singapore is a heaven for vegetarian and vegan eateries, with a large number of vegetarian restaurants and stalls scattered throughout the country. Many of these eateries serve mainly Chinese vegetarian dishes, with no alliums and pungent vegetables used in their cooking, due to a need to cater for those who are more religious. Remember to state if you don't eat eggs (or dairy) upon ordering at a Chinese vegetarian stall. Even though wireless payment is slowly getting popular amongst hawker food stalls, some restaurants and most food stalls still accept cash only, hence it will be good carry some cash when you are planning to visit these eateries.
Singapore is a mixpot of different religions even amongst those of the same race, which means that there is a wide range of diners available so as to cater to those with differing lifestyles. As the main religion practised in the Singaporean Chinese community is Buddhism, most Chinese restaurants try to cater to this lifestyle. Common labels to indicate a vegetarian stall include Su 素 and Zhai 斋. While they are often used interchangeably, there are conceptual differences, and this lead to the difference in items sold and opening timings. Stricter definitions of Zhai include abstaining from precepts for the day, not consuming allium and pungent vegetables, and fast after lunch/noon. As such, most vegetarian stalls catering to these Buddhists close after noontime.
Although Singapore is primarily an English speaking country, some of Chinese stall owners may not understand English. In such cases, it will be good to keep these phrases in mind when ordering:
我不要蛋 Wǒ bù yào dàn - I don't want egg
我不吃奶类食品 Wǒ bù chī nǎi lèi shí pǐn - I don't eat dairy products.
我吃全素 Wǒ chī quán sù - I eat vegan.
我是素食者 Wǒ shì sùshí zhě - I am a vegetarian
Indian vegetarian eateries are also very common in Singapore, and some use the term 'pure vegetarian', meaning that they do not use meat, eggs, alliums in their cooking, but still use dairy in forms of cream, dairy, and ghee. It is therefore best to clarify with the staff whether it is possible to have the dishes cooked without these dairy items.
When getting around Singapore, the MRT (mass rapid transit) system is probably the fastest way to get from one point to the other. Use
CityMapper app to making planning jouneys on Singapore's public transport much easier, by allowing you to check nearby departures in real-time,
find the fastest route with various transport options, and alert you in cases of train faults. Google Maps works pretty well in Singapore also.
Alternatively, you may choose to use a service like Grab, which allows you to book private taxis/drivers, or share a ride with others.