New Indian Restaurants in Singapore (September 2026)

TL;DR

• Eight Indian restaurants across Singapore are worth knowing this September, spanning vegetarian, Chettinad, Mughlai, Punjabi, and Hyderabadi dum biryani
• Little India along Serangoon Road and Race Course Road remains the geographic core, while Tanjong Pagar and Joo Chiat are drawing serious Indian dining destinations
• Vegetarian diners are especially well served, with dedicated pure-veg options at multiple spots
• The restaurant list includes both established corridor staples and newer outposts serving heartland neighborhoods
• Weekday lunchtimes offer the best balance of atmosphere and shorter waits at the most popular spots

Singapore's Indian Restaurant Scene in September 2026

Singapore's Indian food landscape is one of the most curated outside of India itself. The Singaporean-Indian community, concentrated historically around Little India — the stretch running from Serangoon Road through Race Course Road and Syed Alwi Road — has built a dining culture that runs from generations-old tiffin houses to newer spots with regional focus and contemporary plating.

What is notable in 2026 is the geographic spread. While Little India remains the anchor, Indian restaurants of real substance are now establishing themselves in Tanjong Pagar, Joo Chiat, and even the Anchorvale corridor in the northeast. That diversification signals a dining scene maturing and spreading as the Singaporean-Indian population has grown across multiple neighborhoods, and as broader Singapore audiences have developed appetite for Indian regional cuisines beyond the familiar butter chicken standard.

In and Around Little India

A2B Veg. Restaurant on Serangoon Road is a go-to spot for pure vegetarian South Indian and chaat-style eating in the Little India corridor. The A2B name is a well-known franchise reference familiar to South Indian food communities globally, and this Singapore outpost maintains a reputation for consistent vegetarian plates at accessible prices.

Shivam Restaurant, at 87 Syed Alwi Road, covers a range that includes Gujarati cooking, North Indian classics, and Indo-Chinese fusion. For diners who want variety under one roof without leaving the Little India area, Shivam's multi-cuisine approach makes it a practical and dependable anchor for a group with varied preferences.

Machans, at 74 Race Course Road, takes a different route entirely — specializing in Tamil and Chettinad cooking. Chettinad cuisine from the Tamil Nadu interior is known for its assertively spiced preparations, sun-dried meats, and layered spice blends that are distinct from the South Indian tiffin format most Singapore diners recognize. Machans is among the few places in Singapore where Chettinad cooking gets serious, undiluted treatment.

Sakhi brings a Gujarati vegetarian focus to the mix. Gujarati food — characterized by its balance of sweet, salty, and spiced flavors, its flatbreads, and its extensive dal and vegetable preparations — is underrepresented in Singapore compared to North Indian or South Indian options. Sakhi addresses that gap for vegetarian diners looking for something beyond the standard tiffin format.

Beyond the Little India Corridor

AWADH, located at 165 Tanjong Pagar Road in the Amara Hotel building, brings Mughlai and Awadhi cooking into the CBD-adjacent dining scene. Awadhi cuisine — from the Lucknow region of North India — is built around slow-cooked dum preparations, kebabs finished with aromatic layering, and a lighter hand with the tomato-heavy gravies that dominate many North Indian menus. AWADH addresses a distinct gap: refined Lucknowi cooking in a Tanjong Pagar setting that until recently had limited Indian fine dining options.

KOTHI, at 356 Joo Chiat Road, plants a Punjabi flag in one of Singapore's most culturally layered neighborhoods. Joo Chiat is historically a Peranakan and Malay-dominant dining strip, so KOTHI's arrival represents the kind of culinary crossover that increasingly defines modern Singapore dining. The kitchen focuses on Punjabi staples — tandoor-finished breads, robust dals, grilled preparations, and the straightforward richness of North Indian Punjabi cooking at its most direct.

SHAAN — North Indian Cuisine extends the northward expansion of Indian dining on the island with a North Indian focused menu that complements rather than duplicates the existing options in Little India.

Biryanibrews, at Anchorvale Road in the northeast, takes Hyderabadi dum biryani as its centerpiece, complemented by tandoor grills and South Indian accompaniments. The location — away from the traditional Indian dining belt — signals growing demand for South Asian food across Singapore's heartland neighborhoods, where the Indian-origin population has expanded significantly over the past decade.

Insider Tip: For Chettinad cooking at Machans or Punjabi grills at KOTHI, go at lunchtime on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Weekend queues at both spots can stretch, and the food is identically good at midweek lunch without the wait.

FAQ

Q: Are all these restaurants in Little India? A: No. A2B Veg. Restaurant, Shivam Restaurant, Machans, and Sakhi are in or near the Little India and Serangoon Road corridor. AWADH is in Tanjong Pagar, KOTHI is in Joo Chiat, and Biryanibrews is in Anchorvale in the northeast.

Q: Which spots are best for vegetarian diners? A: A2B Veg. Restaurant is fully vegetarian, and Sakhi focuses on Gujarati vegetarian cooking. Shivam Restaurant has substantial vegetarian options across its multi-cuisine menu. AWADH, KOTHI, and Machans have vegetarian selections but are not exclusively vegetarian.

Q: Is Chettinad food very spicy? A: It tends to be more assertively spiced than a Mughlai or Punjabi menu. If you prefer milder preparations, mention it when ordering at Machans — most Chettinad kitchens can adjust heat levels.

Q: What makes Awadhi food different from general North Indian cooking? A: Awadhi cooking from the Lucknow region emphasizes slow-cooked dum preparations, a lighter hand with tomato-based gravies, and aromatic layering from spices like cardamom, saffron, and kewra. AWADH's menu illustrates the distinction clearly.

Q: Which of these restaurants is most suited for a formal dinner or group occasion? A: AWADH's setting in the Amara Hotel building is the most polished of the group. KOTHI and Machans both handle table groups well, and SHAAN has a layout suited to larger parties.

Bottom Line: September 2026 adds to an already strong Indian restaurant roster across Singapore. The spots on this list — from A2B Veg. Restaurant on Serangoon Road to KOTHI in Joo Chiat and Biryanibrews in Anchorvale — confirm that Singaporean-Indian dining has moved well beyond its Little India origins. Whether you are after pure vegetarian Gujarati cooking, Chettinad intensity, Awadhi refinement, or Hyderabadi dum biryani in a heartland hawker corridor, the options are there and worth the trip.