Sedap and sublime: Your ultimate guide to Italian restaurants in Singapore

Laksa and chicken rice may reign supreme in our kitchens (and hearts), but did you know that Singapore has fantastic Italian food on offer, too? In fact, Italian restaurants in Singapore have carved out their own special place in our tummies and hearts, too. Whether you’re looking for CBD power lunches over perfectly al dente pasta or a romantic dinner at a trattoria with hand-stretched pizzas and the sweet life in the air, Singapore has so much to offer.

Today, the foodpanda team is here to put our extensive knowledge of great, fresh ingredients to work to showcase some of the best Italian cuisine in Singapore. Pick your favourite, or try them all — you’re sure to find a fantastic new place to tickle your taste buds.

What to look for in a good Italian restaurant

We are certain you will enjoy the delectable treats at our 8 favourite Italian restaurants in Singapore. With so much great food to choose from, however, what should you be on the lookout for when selecting Italian food? Here are some top tips to help you find the perfect match:

• Fresh, seasonal ingredients: Prioritise places that use high-quality local produce and imported Italian staples, and change their menus seasonally.
• Perfectly cooked pasta: The pasta should be made fresh, cooked al dente, and not overwhelmed by the sauce.
• Authenticity with a local twist: The best restaurants balance traditional Italian techniques with subtle adaptations to Singaporean preferences.
• Wining and dining: Look for a good selection of Italian wines and knowledgeable staff who can help you pair them with your food.
• Warm and inviting atmosphere: The service should be friendly and the ambience relaxed, capturing the essence of Italian hospitality.

If you’re searching for Singapore’s greatest Italian food, this little list of what to watch for will help you find the perfect experience.

The best Italian restaurants in Singapore: 8 gems to try

Armed with the knowledge of what Singapore’s best Italian restaurants should offer, let’s put it all to the test. Each of the restaurants we selected below offers a twist on classic Italian food, always served with love and style. Why not try them all?

Al Forno

Al Forno has been serving wood-fired pizzas and homestyle Italian fare to hungry Singaporeans since 1995. Their focus is showcasing fresh, imported ingredients and traditional cooking methods. The restaurant offers a lot more than just pizzas, so everyone can enjoy it. Rustic, welcoming décor and a casual, family-friendly atmosphere make it ideal for long, lazy weekend lunches with friends and family.

The centrepiece of the Al Forno restaurant is their impressive wood-fired pizza oven, imported specially from Italy, to ensure an authentic touch to their pizzas and baked dishes. Al Forno East Coast also offers an exhaustive wine list, each from a specific region in Italy, to complement your dining. Plus, the sea is only a few steps away.

• Location: 400 East Coast Road, Singapore
• Style: Al Forno East Coast offers casual Italian dining focusing on wood-fired specialties and imported ingredients.
• What to try: Al Forno East Coast is known for its bacon, cheese, and egg Saporita pizza, although the con carne, which swaps the bacon for ham and adds mince, salami, and sausage, is equally popular. If you’re in the mood for pasta instead, try the Cicale, which brings succulent crayfish to life in a hearty tomato and garlic sauce.

Rubato

Look no further if you’re in the mood for a cult classic Italian restaurant in Singapore. Rubato is known as a crowd’ favourite boutique Italian restaurant, focusing on small plates. Tucked away in Bukit Timah’s Greenwood Avenue, Rubato brings the warmth of a family-run Italian trattoria to Singapore, all with a modern twist.

The name, a musical term meaning to perform with expressive freedom in tempo without altering the overall tempo, reflects this Italian restaurant’s approach to its cuisine — respectful of tradition but not bound by rigid rules. Enjoy an intimate experience that feels like a dinner party at a friend’s home, ideal for those wanting to share important news in a restful environment or enjoy a fun evening with friends.

• Location: 12 Greenwood Avenue, Singapore
• Style: Rubato offers small-plate Italian meals with a big punch of flavour, as well as plenty of platters and shared meal options.
• What to try: Would any list of the best Italian Restaurants in Singapore be complete without a fantastic Spaghetti Bolognese? > foodpanda highly recommends Rubato’s take on this classic dish, packed with minced beef ragù, Italian herbs, and an aromatic Roma tomato sauce. And no trip to Rubato would be complete without “A Gift from the Angels”, showcasing Hokkaido scallops sashimi, white truffle oil, infused Japanese seaweed, chilled angel hair pasta, and freshly-caught bafun uni.

Rubato also offers a remarkable selection of shared menus and platters that are ideal for splitting between friends and loved ones and caters to any taste or mood.

il Cielo

Can you say, “spectacular views”? This stunning Italian restaurant in Singapore, perched on the 24th floor of the Hilton Singapore Orchard, certainly can. Enjoy a breathtaking dining experience that combines panoramic city views with sophisticated Italian food. The restaurant's name, which translates as "the sky" in Italian, is perfect for this elegant rooftop eatery.

An intimate and smaller restaurant, il Cielo offers a spectacular poolside setting ideal for a bright and breezy corporate lunch or a star-studded romantic dinner. Enjoy fresh seasonal ingredients themed around Italy’s iconic culinary regions, all created with care and high-quality ingredients. There’s even a budget-friendly set menu on offer at lunch.

• Location: 581 Orchard Road, Orchard, Singapore
• Style: il Cielo is an Italian restaurant in Singapore specialising in contemporary Italian food with subtle modern twists.
• What to try: If you’re looking for a dish with flavours of the sea, try the Fritto Misto, which brings soft-shell crab, fried calamari, and tiger prawns to life with a zesty lime aioli to refresh your palate. If you’re looking for the ideal dinner, try the hearty Manzo Brasato, best described as a traditional Italian pot roast dinner. But whatever you do, be sure to leave room for this restaurant’s signature Tiramisu dessert.

Bella Pasta

Established in 2010, Bella Pasta is the sister restaurant to Singapore’s popular Bella Pizza. It offers diners a more extensive list of classic Italian food to enjoy, featuring pastas as well as charcoal-grilled meat and seafood. The food is excellent, and the gorgeous riverside location makes an enchanting backdrop for everything from big celebrations to intimate dinners and family gatherings.

What truly sets Bella Pasta apart is their dedication to authentic Italian cuisine. They regularly train their chefs in Italy and sometimes even invite Italian guest chefs to prepare special menus. If you’re looking for a truly authentic slice of Italy in the heart of Singapore, be sure to try Bella Pasta.

• Location: 30 Robertson Quay, #01-09, Singapore
• Style: Bella Pasta offers traditional Italian cuisine with a focus on fresh, handmade pasta and seafood dishes.
• What to try: Enjoy a light starter of Calamari Fritti, a deep-fried calamari dish with marinara sauce, or dive into a plate of Agnello Spinach Risotto, a filling dish which brings you lamb sausage, spinach, and crispy Parma ham nestled in a bed of Arborio rice. If you’re sharing with friends, the restaurant has excellent seafood and meat platters, and they’re always happy to fetch a pizza from Bella Pizza if you’re in the mood.

Caffe Fernet

For something a little different from the classic Italian Restaurant in Singapore, step into Caffe Fernet and sample modern Italian aperitivo (a pre-meal drink) culture. Based on the Italian tradition of pre-dinner drinks and light snacks, this approach to Italian foods combines traditional Italian social dining with modern cocktails and upscale casual dining, all framed by amazing views of the marina.

The restaurant’s breezy space and high ceiling set the ambience for modern Italian dining while paying homage to traditional Milanese cafes. Caffe Fernet offers a dynamic yet friendly atmosphere that’s versatile enough for both corporate power lunches and relaxed sunset cocktails with friends.

• Location: Customs House, 70 Collyer Quay, #01-05, Singapore
• Style: Caffe Fernet offers light modern Italian cuisine with a strong focus on aperitivo culture.
• What to try: IIf you’re looking for a simple but tasty Italian dining experience, opt for the three-course pasta lunch set, which will give you a choice of starter, mains, and dessert. Enjoy sensational treats like the Burrata, a strawberry, tomato, and almond crumble, theTagliatelle Wagyu Beef and an Orange Olive Oil Cake packed with golden raisins and whipped cream. Or try the light but filling Fremantle Octopus from the regular menu, that comes accompanied with legumes, zucchini fritti, and salsa verde.

Kucina Italian Restaurant

Kucina Italian Restaurant offers Muslim diners something unique: it’s the first authentic halal Italian restaurant in Singapore! The restaurant is headed by Chef Gero Omar, an Italian Muslim himself, who brings almost three decades of authentic Italian cooking experience to the table. He was inspired to open his own restaurant to cater to both the Muslim community and non-Muslims alike, without compromising the authenticity of Italian food. The rest is history.

Kucina Italian restaurant offers an intimate but chic dining experience rich in sophistication and luxury, with a private dining space available for hosting gatherings.

• Location: 11 Tanjong Katong Rd, #B1-09/10, KINEX Mall, Singapore
• Style: Kucina Italian Restaurant brings you modern fusion Italian food with traditional roots.
• What to try: The La Barca is one of Kucina Italian Restaurant’s most celebrated dishes. Tucked away on the pizza menu, it offers a unique boat-shaped folded pizza style backed with rich mozzarella and nutty mushrooms, with a black truffle pate to add a luxurious touch. If you’re celebrating with friends or family, you can share the Costata di Manzo—Tomahawk and enjoy a luscious beef grill with wild mushroom sauce, truffle mashed potatoes, and plenty of crunchy veggies.

Pietrasanta: The Italian Restaurant

Pietrasanta: The Italian Restaurant brings a little slice of Tuscany to Singapore. Named after the Italian town famous for its artistic heritage and proximity to marble quarries, the restaurant is well-situated in an area to serve the working lunch crowd.

The Executive Chef, Loris Massimini, has helped to run a restaurant in Tuscany. His menu showcases the robust flavours of the area, using a combination of imported Italian ingredients and local produce. It’s the perfect blend of Singapore and Tuscany, ready for you to enjoy.

• Location: 1 Fusionopolis Way, Connexis, #01-08, Singapore
• Style: Pietrasanta: The Italian Restaurant serves authentic Tuscan Italian food with a focus on seasonal ingredients.
• What to try: If you’re in the mood for seafood, be sure to try out Pietrasanta: The Italian Restaurant’s Marina di Pietrasanta pizza, which pairs authentic Italian tomato sauce with mozzarella, clams, shrimps, mussels, and delicate baby scallops. Or enjoy the Bistecca alla Fiorentina, a T-bone steak served with no fancy sauces, to showcase the authentic taste of the beef. The restaurant offers delightful condiments infused with true Italian taste for you to enjoy with your meal.

Forma Restaurant

One of Singapore's newest additions to the Italian dining scene, Forma Restaurant has quickly made a name for itself with its specialised focus on pasta. The restaurant has brought innovation to the local Italian dining scene with its unique decor and interesting take on modern Italian dining. However, Forma Restaurant is most noted for its dedication to four-season dining, offering a special menu to match each quarter.

Tucked into a lovingly restored shophouse, the atmosphere is classy and artisanal, echoing the classic trattoria style. Smart-casual dress is a must. It would be perfect for a relaxed but romantic first date with someone special.

• Location: 128 Tembeling Road, Singapore
• Style: Forma Restaurant offers contemporary Italian food with a strong focus on artisanal pasta
• What to try: It’s difficult to pin down a favourite on Forma Restaurant’s ever-changing seasonal menus. If you’re lucky enough to stop by in autumn, try out the Foglie d’ulivo con broccoli, stracciatella e acciughe. It’s a mouthful but equally delicious, inspired by the olive tree leaves from the heart of Puglia. No matter when you stop by, however, you’re sure to enjoy a delectable pasta treat, so make sure to come hungry. Plus, there’s always something new and delicious to enjoy, so you’ll never get tired of the same menu.

Enjoy Singapore’s best Italian food on your doorstep

From handmade pasta pulled fresh daily in bustling kitchens to smoky wood-fired pizzas, Singapore's Italian dining scene is one to celebrate. These eight restaurants prove that authentic Italian dining can flourish even in the heart of Southeast Asia. Enjoy some traditional Italian hospitality right here at home, whether you’re looking for a quiet, intimate dining experience, the ideal setting to impress your boss and coworkers, or a bustling, friendly cafe to soak up the warmth of Italian comfort food.

Each of foodpanda’s favourite Italian restaurants in Singapore offers not only amazing Italian food but also the timeless Italian tradition of bringing people together through warm welcomes and the simple joy of a well-prepared meal.

If you’re already hungry at the thought of the culinary treats waiting for you, why not cook up some Italian food of your own? foodpanda lets you get the very best fresh ingredients and groceries delivered right to your door in a flash. Try out your own Italian restaurant experience in the comfort of your own home!