Restaurants and Cafes
There are many different types of cuisine for the diverse crowd at the airport. Asia is where the crowd is and the airport brings to you a variety of Asian cuisine that will leave your taste buds watering. The ambience and setting of the various outlets are very comfortable and unique. One can have a real feel of the local coffee shops, which are traditionally called Kopitiam while dining at Killiney’s. Local dishes and desserts like Laksa, Chicken Rice and Ice Kachang from the various different local food stalls are very popular as well. For more Oriental cuisine, the five foot way located in transit mall offers a variety of noodles and porridge dishes from all over South East Asia in a chic and contemporary setting at the food terrace. For lovers of the Japanese cuisine there are two choices to choose from. The TGM located at Terminal 1 and the TGM Sake Bar at the transit mall. TGM offers a warm and serene environment where diners can view chefs prepare dishes ranging from sashimi, sushi, teppanyaki and many other dishes in a cosy little Japanese house setting. The more modern TGM Sake Bar offers an extensive collection of Sake and light dishes in a hip and stylish interior, with widescreen TVs. For those with a little more yen, Wan Hao at the Marriott hotel provides a luxurious setting with high-class modern and traditional Japanese dishes.
Asian Cuisine
Where else would you be able to find a whole stretch of restaurants and eateries serving you delectable local dishes, from the usual chicken rice and popiah, to dim sum and authentic Thai food, all in a fun and upbeat environment. The highly acclaimed food street at Terminal 3’s basement 2 is a 24-hour dining concept which will be a delightful sight for those coming off a red-eye flight. To cater to the Muslim travellers, an array of Indonesian, Malay, and Western halal food can be found at both Terminal 2 and 3. Japanese food lovers can satisfy their cravings with a mixed bowl of chirashi at TGM located at Terminal 2, while those still in search for more Asian food variety can catch the chefs in action at the teppanyaki and sushi bars of Sakae Teppanyaki and Itacho Sushi. Terminal 1 offers a similar spread of Asian dishes to diners, with notable eateries such as Bengawan Solo, which serves traditional snacks and desserts, and the Balinese-themed Paradise Inn, a hot favourite for travellers seeking a comfortable environment to enjoy a comforting meal of Chinese cuisine, Indonesian cuisine, steamboat, or tze char. With so much variety to choose from, you will be spoilt for choice.
Prepare your taste buds for some culinary excitement with the unique taste of South East Asia as well as other Asian regions. No Signboard Seafood restaurant and Shiok! Kitchen, both located at Terminal 2, offer traditional Singaporean favourites including chilli crab, black pepper crab, steamboat, and Hainanese chicken rice. Handmade cakes, pastries, and sandwiches which make up the picturesque scenery of Bon Voyage and Prima Deli are popular choices to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Western Cuisine
Next, there are two wine bars. One is called the “Wine Bar” and the other is called “Wine and Whisky”. These places serve a selection of international wines and a range of Western dishes. The Wine Bar has a better ambiance and is more suited to a meal. You can also catch live entertainment there from time to time. We recommend the Wine Bar over Wine and Whisky.
There are eight establishments offering Western cuisine at Changi Airport. The most upmarket of these would be the TGM Bistro. This restaurant has a nice interior, both indoor and al fresco seating, and a bar serving cocktails and international wines. It is an all-day restaurant serving meals from breakfast (selection of freshly baked breads with assorted jam, eggs benedict, pancake stack with smoked turkey and maple syrup, mushroom frittata, traditional breakfast of bacon, eggs, and sausages) to lunch and dinner. The main courses are of a European style and include some interesting dishes. This is the only place at Changi serving foie gras (pan-seared, served with corn blinis, caramelized onion, and ginger chutney). Other dishes include duck confit, oven-baked snapper, braised lamb shank, and a seafood paella. It is quite a good restaurant, though a little pricey. For a full meal with main and a glass of wine, expect to pay around $60 come nighttime.
International Cuisine
Start your food trail with an array of international cuisines. You could try the rich and tantalizing Ukrainian food from Ukrainian House or the authentic Turkish kebabs at the Anatolia Bar. If you are a health nut, there is Soup Spoon that serves fresh and nutritious soups. The popular Swensen’s has a restaurant here where you can enjoy various American and Western food. Not forgetting Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen where you have an excellent choice of fried chicken and Cajun style food. For pasta and seafood fans, head on down to the Fish and Co. or the well-known Pasta Mania to serve your palate some delightful delicacies. Last but not least, Chutney Mary’s offers a tantalizing array of Indian dishes if you have a penchant for spicy food. With the wide variety of international cuisine choices, dining in Changi Airport will never be a dull or predictable affair.
Cafes and Bakeries
Changi Airport is also home to higher-end cafés such as TCC – The Connoisseur Concerto, and Toast Box. TCC offers an award-winning dining experience and an extensive range of gourmet food. Their menu showcases over 30 different categories of food at remarkable prices, using only the freshest and highest quality ingredients. Toast Box, on the other hand, is famous for their Nanyang coffee and Singapore-style Kaya toast. This is the place to go if you’re looking for a taste of Singapore’s coffee culture.
Gloria Jean’s Coffees: Terminal 2, Departure Transit Mall North, #036-084-01. Gloria Jean’s is also another reputable coffee shop that offers high quality coffee with a focus on specialty coffee drinks. At Gloria Jean’s, beans are flavor-sealed right after roasting to ensure optimal freshness. Beans are then hand scooped into airtight bags, with a one-way valve to release gas build-up while preventing air from seeping in. Gloria Jean’s has an array of coffee drinks ranging from caramel latte to white chocolate mocha and limited edition special coffees.
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: Terminal 2, Departure Transit Lounge South, #02-K1. The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (CB&TL) is a good place to relax and recharge your spirits. Offering light snacks and savories, patrons of this café can enjoy their coffee and a sandwich while surfing the net. The coffee at CB&TL is of high quality, and the variety of beverages can satisfy many cravings. The ambiance at this café is consistent with The Coffee Bean’s typical warm and comfortable setting.
Food Courts and Hawker Centers
Moving on, those who would rather settle for the food they are more accustomed to back home will be pleased to discover a few familiar fast food chains such as McDonald’s, Pizza Hut and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen around the airport terminals. If fast food doesn’t fancy you, there’s always international food from restaurants and eateries such as The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Bengawan Solo or even Sakae Sushi. But if you’re looking for somewhere relaxing and comfortable to sit down, and enjoy your meal and drink, be sure to look out for a nice presentable restaurant by the name of Curry Garden, where it offers a fine casual dining experience and serves a large variety of northern and southern Indian cuisine.
The food courts and hawker centres located in the three terminal buildings offer the largest range of food options. There are a total of eight food courts along with a host of kopi tiams and snack counters. Whether you’re after a bowl of chicken curry, a plate of sushi or simply a kaya toast, you will find it here. Each food court contains myriad food stalls and stores, showing off the multi-cultural flavour of Singapore. From the very delicious and well-known Asian delights to the Western and fast food chains, we have local and international food to satisfy your taste buds. Featuring local delights and international food franchise brands, foodies are spoilt for choice at the dining establishments located here. A few worth noting include the following. With Chicken Rice, Laksa and Hokkien Mee being the essence of local food, foodies will not be disappointed to discover these local staples offered at affordable prices.
Local Delicacies
Local food is always a true representation of a country’s culture, and Changi Airport does not lag behind in providing a true feel of the local food from Singapore. Visitors can treat their taste buds with some of the most delicious local cuisines at the airport’s food court and hawker centers. Changi Airport has various food courts like Kopitiam and Food Garden, which offer some of the most authentic local food. Airline staff and crew seeking their local food fix frequent these places. Kopitiam is known for local Singapore food with a nice air-conditioned sit-down eating area. Food Garden, located at Terminal 2, serves the famous Hainanese Chicken Rice and various local dishes from different races in Singapore. For a more casual dining experience, passengers can also head down to the staff canteen at Terminal 1, where visitors can sample local dishes at “kantin” prices amidst an operational airport environment.
International Food Options
This food court is great if you want a variety of different international foods. While looking over their menu, items from Japanese, Indian, Korean, and Australian background can be found. Prices range from $15-25 for a meal. The most expensive out of all the hawker centres, it is still a cheaper alternative to dining in an actual restaurant. Another benefit over here is that the food is made in an open kitchen, meaning that you don’t have to worry about hygiene. Prices range from $3.00 – $12.00 per dish. Do note that for travellers with no local currency, you may have to pay extra fees when making credit card payment. For western food, make your way down to the airport’s very own Swensons. It’s slightly more expensive than the main restaurant chains in the country. However, it’s still cheaper than eating at a Swensons branch in town. Prices range from $15-$20 for a meal. If you have a family and are looking to enjoy a nice and hearty western meal, the price is reasonable.
Quick Bites and Snacks
Concluding our search for food options at Changi Airport, we turn our attention to quick bites and snacks. Here we find arguably the most extensive range of food options to be found anywhere at the airport. A simple walk down the corridor lined by Terminal 2 and 3 offers up a multitude of snacking options from household names in fast food and international coffee chains to some local delights. Fast food can easily be found at any of the following: Burger King, Texas Chicken, McDonald’s, or Marrybrown, most of which can all be located within basement 2. Across from Burger King, Kopi Tiam can be found offering basic local staples in an air-conditioned area. Coffee lovers hoping for a familiar cup of Starbucks will be disappointed as their first and only outlet thus far is located at Terminal 1 opposite the Crowne Plaza hotel. Fear not, as each Terminal is home to one of the three global coffee chain giants, all of which are located closely. The inexplicably expensive Italian espresso shots can be found at Caffe Nero from Terminal 2, whereas Terminal 3 provides the choice of two with the Coffee Bean just outside and opposite, and an Espressamente Illy nestled in a corner near Crowne Plaza.
Grab-and-Go Options
The grab-and-go options of Changi Airport fit the bill for busy people who face time constraints when taking a meal. Usually, these places are dominated by office workers who are on their way back home and travelers who are picking up tasty treats or souvenirs. The top grab-and-go place would be the convenience stores. There are currently nine 7-Eleven stores scattered across all three terminals. Seven of them are located at the public areas of arrival halls and two at departure/transit lounges. This makes it easier to grab meals before checking in for travelers or for those who are waiting to fetch their relatives or friends from the arrival area. Hearty sandwiches, a variety of pasta and hot meals which are microwaveable (with microwave ovens being provided at the stores), salads, cut fruits, sushi, bento sets, and slushies are available for sale. All stores also have a wide range of snacks and beverages. Despite the wide array of choices, prices are relatively high, thus making 7-Eleven a place to pick up a grab-and-go meal only as a last resort.
Convenience Stores
The main reason why Gourmet Market is classified as a convenience store is for its take-away meals. Gourmet Market is a high-end grocery store located in the public area of Changi Airport and it has a wide and delectable range of take-away meals for weary travelers who are on their way home and too tired to prepare dinner. The different sections in Gourmet Market emphasize its wide range of meals, such as The Kitchen for western-style meals, Curry Garden for Indian-style meals, and even a Japanese Bentos section. On top of Gourmet Market’s take-away meals, they also have a salad and soup section for a healthier choice of meal.
7-Eleven is known as the first 24-hour convenience store in Singapore Changi Airport and it offers an assortment of goods ranging from drinks and snacks to newspapers and magazines, and even hot food and microwaveable meals and sandwiches for us to eat and go while waiting for a flight. 7-Eleven was awarded the top service provider and also the best retailer in Singapore’s convenience and grocery store category. It is notable that the prices of goods in 7-Eleven are relatively cheaper than other stores.
Food Kiosks
Most of the food kiosks in the airport are located in the public areas and offer a variety of dishes from local food to western and even fast food. They are easy to dine in or take away if you’d rather not eat on the plane and will usually be a cheaper meal than dining in a restaurant. Food from local food kiosks, such as Killiney Singapore Authentic Kopitiam, will provide you with an opportunity to sample some local cuisine. For those who are yet to sample some of Singapore’s culinary delights, this is a great chance to try it. Killiney’s is very reasonably priced for an airport eatery and you should try and sample their Kaya Toast Sets, a traditional Singapore morning and afternoon snack that is a favourite among locals. The only downside is that Killiney’s is not a halal certified store and that it does not provide very filling or nutritious meals if you are after something more substantial. Other local food kiosks include Kaveri Indian Vegetarian Cuisine and the Singapore Chicken Rice House. Kaveri’s provide an array of vegetarian dishes from North and South India which are all served with rice. For vegetarians this would be a very good chance to gain some relatively healthy nutrition before a flight. The prices are for the most part reasonable although some vegetable dishes can be quite pricey. Chicken Rice on the other hand sells Singapore’s national dish of Hainanese chicken rice. This is a very good chance to try some local cuisine and a filling and nutritious meal all in one. A chicken rice meal costs around $5-7 and is well worth the price.
Vending Machines
There is currently only a small options available as far as vending machines go, however they are available at all terminals and can be a fast way to grab a snack. At Terminal 1, you can find machines at B1 and B2 floors, one located next to the bathroom and one situated in a corridor filled with various other machines, providing quite a selection. At Terminal 2, machines are located on various floors, namely at B1, 2B and level 2. And finally, at Terminal 3, you can find machines at B2 and Level 1. Vending machines range from selling drinks, instant cup noodles and ice cream, to the odd travel necessity like phone chargers and travel adaptors. Prices range from SG$1 to S$2 for drinks, and around SG$3 for snacks. It is best to check these options out if you have extra coins or small change lying around, making these machines more convenient and cheaper to use as oppose to buying food from shops and stalls. An example would be buying a canned drink from a machine as opposed to buying one from a news stands saving you around S$1.50. Ice cream sold from these machines also comes in cheap multipacks, an interesting way to enjoy a frozen treat then running across the terminals.
Lounges and Bars
In this study, based on observations and information collected from the internet, recommendations for the various places to dine at Changi Airport and their respective eateries will be presented. We will look at both local and international cuisine, fast food restaurants, bars and pubs as well as eateries in the public and transit areas of the airport. With the variety of food options available at Changi Airport, sometimes deciding on a place to dine can be quite a difficult decision to make. We will highlight the various eateries at the different terminals and convey an informative suggestion on where would be the best place to dine considering personal preferences and time of flight departures.
Having access to an airport lounge has always been a luxury to many of us. Some bring the perception that it is costly, some feel that it is an unnecessary expense, while there are people who frequent airport lounges and see it as a haven from the crowd at the public terminal. With the presence of airport lounges, it gives the leisure of waiting for your flight in comfort and style. In the four main terminal buildings of Changi Airport, there are 20 lounges from different airlines and one unaffiliated lounge known as The Haven.
Airport Lounges
There is a Pay Per use lounge that goes under the title of Rainforest Lounge located at both Terminals 2 and Terminal 3. This themed lounge provides the visitor a ‘tropical rainforest’ setting to relax in while they await their flight. Features include Internet workstations, gaming pods, and rest pods for the ultimate relaxation. Terminal 3 Rainforest lounge also offers VIP resting suites for hire by the hour. A similar themed but more upmarket option would be the TGM lounge also at Terminal 2. This lounge aims to bring the traveler a Japanese Zen styled atmosphere alongside traditional Japanese service and hospitality.
Emirates and Qantas lounges are located next to each other on the upper level of the airport right above the retail shop outlets. The Thai Airways Royal Silk lounge is located at level 3, at the end of the Concourse C arm. Singapore Airlines has its Silverkris lounge at Terminal 3, near where their main departure gates are located. The most premium of these airline lounges are the DNATA lounges, which are hidden in the upper levels of the main airport building and offer premium continental dining, bar, and business center services. DNATA lounges are accessible by First and Business class passengers of associated airlines and from any airline with membership to the various airline lounge networks.
Changi Airport offers a variety of lounges within the transit and public areas with different service offerings to suit the needs of different travelers. First and Business class passengers have access to the specific airline lounges. These lounges are similar in their offerings and provide the generous hospitality of the airline’s home country. Emirates, Qantas, and Thai Airways have their specific lounge venues located within the main airport building with access granted to passengers traveling on specific classes for those airlines.
Bars and Pubs
While not as common as lounges, where found, bars and fast food outlets are likely to serve alcohol. In the departure lounge at Terminal 1, Wine and Dine is a tavern that serves several different types of wine, though it is indistinct from other similar restaurants. The most unique drinking venue is the open air thatched roofed bar, Harry’s, located amongst the cluster of restaurants at Terminal 2. Patrons can enjoy a view of the planes on the tarmac while listening to live music, though the music may not appeal to all travelers. Prices at Harry’s are a little high with a pint of beer costing $14, though it is just about reasonable considering the venue. For a cheaper option, the open air Enak Kopitiam at Terminal 2 also has a bar with a good selection of beer and cider, where the price of alcohol compares to the adjacent Bar Stop. On the other hand, the DFS Changi Airport’s bigger branch, also at Terminal 2, is famous for being tax and duty free on wines and spirits, though it is not a bar, it is possible to spend your remaining Singaporean currency on a cheap bottle of wine before you hop onto your plane.