Cuppage Plaza Food Guide: Japanese Restaurants and Hidden Gems in Singapore’s Little Tokyo

June 11, 2026-Aaron Ong-Last Updated June 11, 2026
The exterior entrance of Cuppage Plaza in Singapore, featuring its name sign above glass doors, a hanging Singapore flag, and the storefront of Shinjuku Japanese restaurant to the left.

I started coming to Cuppage Plaza for the light. The building is old, a little worn at the edges, with narrow staircases and corridors that smell faintly of charcoal and sake by early evening. But that is exactly why I kept returning, camera in hand, over many visits across the past few years. This is one of the few places in Orchard Road that still feels lived-in rather than designed, a true slice of Little Tokyo and a main draw for those seeking authentic Japanese food in Singapore.

Best Cuppage Plaza Restaurants for Authentic Japanese Dining Experience

This list is not built on a single afternoon of merely tasting Japanese restaurants. It comes from watching how the rooms fill, how the chefs move, and how the food lands on the table when no one is performing for a camera. Here are Cuppage Plaza spots worth your time, starting with the one that first drew me in.

Read more from me and discover Singapore’s best izakayas, even beyond Cuppage Plaza.

1. Kazu Sumiyaki Restaurant

Two chefs preparing food behind a sleek, softly lit counter at an upscale Japanese restaurant inside Cuppage Plaza, with bottles of sake displayed on shelves in the background.

Price: $ to $$

Kazu Sumiyaki is the old flame of the building. It has been grilling here for more than three decades, and it is often spoken about as one of Singapore’s original yakitori counters. You feel that history the moment you step inside this slightly smoky space. The room is compact, with small tables and counter seating, and the charcoal grill sits close enough that you can watch the skewers turn. The yakitori sticks, chicken, and other dishes are grilled with a smoky flavour that highlights the natural meat tastes, often glazed with teriyaki sauce for added depth.

Best for: Serious yakitori eaters, small groups, and late dinners when you want smoke, skewers, and a room with history.

What I Ordered: Pork with apple (S$5.50), wagyu skewers (S$6), chicken skewers, and garlic fried rice

2. Hanashizuku Japanese Cuisine

The interior of a cozy Japanese restaurant featuring a long, polished wooden counter lined with leather chairs and a playful collection of maneki-neko lucky cat figurines on display.

Price: $ to $$

If Kazu is the building’s old flame, Hanashizuku Japanese Cuisine is its quieter, more composed neighbor. There is less smoke, softer lighting, and a sense that the room is built around the food rather than the fire. The fresh seafood flown in from Toyosu Market at least three times a week is the reason this place earns its spot. The sashimi moriawase and fatty tuna dishes showcase the quality and freshness that define authentic Japanese cuisine.

Best for: Date nights, small celebrations, and diners who want fresh seafood without full omakase pricing.

What I Ordered: Bara chirashi don (S$22) and negitoro uni ikura don (S$48)

3. Izakaya Nijumaru

The storefront of Izakaya Nijumaru, featuring a bright green sign, traditional wooden lattice sliding doors, and a white noren curtain depicting a traditional Japanese figure.

Price: $

Some rooms in Cuppage Plaza feel like they have been holding the same warmth for decades, and Izakaya Nijumaru is one of them. It has been running for more than 30 years, and the space tells that story without trying to. Wooden surfaces, soft retro lighting, and a quiet, lived-in feel place you somewhere closer to Showa-era Japan than an Orchard Road mall. I tend to slow down the moment I walk in.

Best for: Readers who want comforting, old-school Japanese dining and a lived-in Cuppage Plaza room with history.

What I Ordered: Nijumaru bento (S$24) and yakitori (starts from S$5.80)

4. Izakaya Naniwa

The entrance to Japanese Dining Bar Naniwa, recognizable by its orange signboard and Tiger Beer logos, offering a glimpse of traditional sunken seating areas separated by orange curtains inside.

Price: $

Izakaya Naniwa is the kind of place you almost walk past, and then never forget once you find it. It seats only about 12 people at a counter that faces chef Mr. Okamoto and his Singaporean wife, and the whole meal follows their hands. The kitchen centers on obanzai, Kyoto-style home cooking built around fresh seasonal ingredients, so the menu shifts with the day. Nothing here feels fixed, and that is the charm.

Best for: Solo diners, pairs, Japanese expats, and anyone who understands izakaya as a culture of eating and drinking together.

What I Ordered: Beef motsu, ham cutlet, tofu, simmered daikon, and small seafood plates (all for around S$35)

5. Keria Japanese Restaurant

A brightly lit, casual Japanese izakaya interior decorated with warm paper lanterns, featuring wooden counter seating and dining tables prepared for customers.

Price: $$

Down in the basement (#B1-28), Keria looks modest but rewards curiosity. The menu moves well beyond safe choices: sashimi, yakitori, Western-style pasta, oden, mentai dishes, sake, and seasonal vegetables. The mood is nostalgic, like a quiet corner of countryside Japan. The slightly smoky space and intimate setting offer a quieter dining experience compared to other eateries in Cuppage Plaza.

Average spend sits around S$40. The catch is that reservations can be genuinely hard to get, so plan ahead.

Best for: Adventurous diners, sake drinkers, and small groups.

What I Ordered: Potato cheese mentai (S$12), and the oden at S$2.50 per piece or S$8 for four.

6. Shinjuku Restaurant

A chef working behind a wooden counter at a Japanese restaurant, with a traditional wooden menu board hanging above and a diverse row of sake bottles lining the counter in the foreground.

Price: $$

Shinjuku is one of the building’s oldest Japanese rooms, running for more than 40 years. It doesn’t need to perform. The menu is long, bilingual, and built on classics: sashimi, seasonal specials, bento, and yakitori sets. It offers great value for money and is open daily, including lunch service, making it a reliable spot for authentic Japanese dining.

This is what I call a “watch the room” restaurant. The visual story isn’t the decor, it’s the Japanese regulars who treat the place like a second kitchen and the bilingual menu that tells you who it’s really for.

Best for: Classic, authentic Japanese meals without fuss.

What I Ordered: Sashimi (starts from S$20), beef teriyaki, and katsu curry rice (S$16)

If you’re interested in more curry dishes, be sure to check out my guide to cozy spots for curry that’s worth looking for in the streets.

7. Ebi Bar

The modern, brightly lit storefront of Ebi Bar Hokkien Noodles, showcasing promotional food posters outside and high tables with gold-colored stools inside.

Price: $$

Ebi Bar isn’t a traditional izakaya, but it earns its place in this building. It’s a modern Singapore noodle bar that opened in 2021 under head chef Jeff Tong, tucked in the basement (#B1-21). The broth reportedly uses more than 40kg of prawns, simmered over eight hours daily, with no MSG, delivering tasty food with deep umami and wok hei aroma. The noodle dishes, including tempura soba and ramen, soak up the rich broth perfectly.

Best for: Lunch, solo diners, and noodle lovers wanting a non-izakaya option.

What I Ordered: “Chao Da” Ebi Noodles (S$15.90++) and Trio Treasure noodles (both S$18.90)

8. Gyoza no Osho

Customers dining at wooden tables with red plastic stools at Gyoza no Ohsho, a casual Japanese eatery with a prominent red and white signboard and staff members in matching red uniforms.

Price: $

Gyoza no Osho specializes in chuka ryori, Japanese-style Chinese cuisine, and it sits on the ground floor (#01-10). It’s a practical, steady fixture serving gyoza, karaage, ramen, fried rice, katsu curry rice, and stir-fries at accessible prices. It stays open late, which matters for those wanting a late meal or drinks at the bars nearby.

Flavors lean salty, so it pairs best with a drink. It’s not refined, and it doesn’t pretend to be.

Best for: Late-night meals, budget diners, and casual comfort food.

What I Ordered: Pan-fried gyoza (S$6++), curry rice (from S$11), mapo donburi (S$11), and katsu curry rice (S$16++)

9. Orchard Yong Tau Fu

A bustling scene at Orchard Yong Tau Fu, featuring its bright yellow signboard and a line of customers selecting ingredients, with other patrons eating at small tables in the compact stall.

Price: $

Here’s the local contrast inside Little Tokyo. Orchard Yong Tau Fu is a small lunch spot on the ground floor (#01-09), known for affordable yong tau foo, a wide range of ingredients, and a pale but flavorful broth carrying soybean and anchovy notes. The soup deepens through the day as ingredients cook in it.

Best for: Weekday lunch, budget meals, and office workers.

What I Ordered: Yong tau foo bowls (from S$6.30 at S$0.90 per ingredient, with a minimum of seven items), stuffed tofu, bittergourd, ladies’ fingers, stuffed tomatoes, and otak-otak.

Frame Shots to Consider: Photographing Japanese Food

Before the meal begins, Cuppage Plaza already offers its first frame. For a food photographer, the best images here are not always the most polished plates, but the small moments around them. These are the frames that help the food feel lived-in, not staged.

Restaurant

Frame Shots to Take

Kazu Sumiyaki Restaurant

Wagyu or pork-with-apple skewer on the plate; counter shot with grill, chef, and diners layered together;

Hanashizuku Japanese Cuisine

Bara chirashi don at a 45-degree angle; sashimi platter overhead; chopsticks lifting sashimi; server placing dishes on the table; private dining room or refined table setting.

Izakaya Nijumaru

Nijumaru bento overhead; condiments and chopsticks before the meal; half-eaten table scene for a documentary feel.

Izakaya Naniwa

Counter dishes lined up in front of the chef; chef working behind the counter; small plates arranged closely together.

Keria Japanese Restaurant

Mentaiko cabbage or potato cheese mentai close-up; oden pieces in broth; sake bottle with small dishes.

Shinjuku Restaurant

Thick-cut sashimi close-up; yakitori bento from above; bilingual menu-in-hand shot.

Ebi Bar

Prawn noodles from a low 45-degree angle; noodle lift shot; charred prawn close-up; pao fan spoon shot; counter or bowl-prep moment.

Gyoza no Osho

Gyoza dipped into sauce; karaage or curry rice overhead; late-night exterior/signage shot; table spread with ramen, gyoza, and fried rice.

Orchard Yong Tau Fu

Ingredient selection tray shot; soup bowl close-up with steam; dry yong tau foo overhead with chilli and sweet sauce.

Why Cuppage Plaza Still Matters

The multi-level interior atrium of Cuppage Plaza, featuring escalators connecting the floors and red decorative lanterns hanging in the open space. The walkways are lined with a diverse mix of tenants, including a brightly lit money changer packed with snacks positioned right next to a traditional Japanese restaurant, capturing the eclectic, bustling atmosphere of Singapore's Little Tokyo.

Whether you prefer counter seating at sushi bars, cozy small tables for private gatherings, or a casual meal with friends, Cuppage Plaza offers it all. From hearty noodle dishes and meat skewers glazed with teriyaki sauce to refined signature dishes and degustation menus, this eatery delivers authentic Japanese food with great value, serving all the food that fans of Japanese cuisine could crave.

Which floor will you start on? Reservations are recommended, especially for dinner and Sunday private bookings, as many restaurants here open Tuesday through Sunday with specific opening hours.

Step inside this building, and you’ll find the essence of Japanese dining in Singapore, a sense of history, flavour, and community that remains unmatched. The word is out among Japanese expats and locals alike: Cuppage Plaza is the place to eat for an intimate dining experience rich with tradition and delicious tastes.

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