Introduction: Breaking the Festive Silence

Chinese New Year transforms Singapore into a ghost town—shuttered storefronts, empty malls, and a culinary landscape that essentially vanishes for 48 hours. For those not making the festive rounds, this annual shutdown presents a genuine challenge. The curated list of establishments staying open during CNY reveals not just survival options, but thoughtfully diverse dining experiences that deserve serious consideration.

The Carb Comfort Champions

Tipo Pasta Bar emerges as an intriguing solution for Italian cravings with its Halal-certified, handcrafted pasta approach. The innovation here lies in their unconventional dough flavors—chili and lime fusilli, black pepper campanelle—which signals a willingness to push beyond traditional Italian boundaries. The Crazy Carbonara ($16.90) with smoked duck represents a bold reinterpretation of the Roman classic. By substituting traditional guanciale with smoked duck, they’ve created a dish that honors the carbonara’s creamy, umami-rich foundation while introducing a distinctly different protein profile. The smokiness likely adds complexity that standard bacon or pancetta cannot achieve, though purists might bristle at the departure from tradition.

Papi’s Tacos takes a straightforward approach to Mexican comfort food. Their Mushroom Quesadillas ($14) hit the satisfying trifecta of crispy, gooey, and fresh—the housemade salsa elevates what could be pedestrian vegetarian fare into something worth seeking out. The Spicy Mango frozen margarita ($17) demonstrates smart flavor pairing, with heat and sweetness creating the balance that makes frozen cocktails more than just sugary slush.

The Sharing Economy: Middle Eastern and Japanese Small Plates

Fat Prince represents the more adventurous end of the spectrum. Their Cannellini Bean Hummus ($14) signals a chef willing to experiment beyond the standard chickpea base—cannellini beans offer a creamier, slightly sweeter profile that can be revelatory when executed well. The Adana Kebab Tartare 2.0 ($19) with cured yolk is haute cuisine disguised as mezze. Raw meat preparations require impeccable sourcing and handling, and the cured yolk adds both visual drama and rich, concentrated umami that raw egg yolk alone cannot provide.

Their cocktail program deserves particular attention. “Spice Is A Verb” ($24)—wolfberry syrup with fat-washed whiskey in date butter—represents mixology that takes genuine risks. Fat-washing spirits with culturally specific ingredients like date butter shows technical skill and conceptual coherence, connecting the drink to Middle Eastern flavor profiles in a meaningful way rather than through superficial garnishing.

Neon Pigeon follows a similar small-plates philosophy through a Japanese lens. The Tokyo Hummus ($10++) has achieved cult status for good reason—achieving smokiness in what is essentially a Middle Eastern dish reinterpreted in an izakaya suggests either skilled use of wood-fired cooking or creative ingredient selection. The Pork & Langoustine Dumplings ($18++) demonstrate luxury ingredient pairing that elevates the humble dumpling, while Foie Gras & Unagi ($24++) goes full hedonist, combining two of the richest, most umami-laden ingredients across French and Japanese cuisines.

The Reliable Comfort Blankets

IPPUDO’s CNY Prosperity Set Meal (from $19.80) takes a pragmatic approach—no reinvention, just reliable tonkotsu execution when you need it most. Their Shiromaru and Akamaru options represent the two pillars of ramen—pure pork bone versus miso-enhanced—giving diners an actual choice rather than overwhelming variety. Paired with chicken karaage, it’s comfort food that knows exactly what it is.

Haidilao staying open at key locations (VivoCity, Wisma Atria, Marina Bay Sands) is perhaps the most practical solution on this list. Hotpot is inherently festive, communal, and endlessly customizable. The fact that you can still get screen protectors at 2am while eating spicy broth somehow captures Singapore’s unique blend of service culture and dining obsession.

Upscale Escapes

LeVeL33, perched at Marina Bay Financial Centre, offers what is essentially a view with competent beer attached. As the world’s highest urban microbrewery, the appeal is obvious—craft beer variety, hop-integrated cuisine, and floor-to-ceiling bay views create an experience that justifies leaving the house during CNY. Their Weekend Roast menu provides the British comfort food angle, which has its own nostalgic pull.

Opus Bar & Grill at voco Orchard Singapore plays the premium card with their 1.2kg Whiskey-Aged Wagyu Tomahawk ($168). Salt-aging for seven days followed by whiskey flambéing represents serious steakhouse theatrics. The Saffron Seafood Risotto ($32) with local prawns and microherbs from their vertical garden attempts to thread sustainability into luxury dining—a balance that’s increasingly expected but difficult to achieve without feeling performative.

The Afternoon Tea Exception

L’Espresso’s CNY English Afternoon Tea Buffet ($72.80++) at Goodwood Park Hotel is almost absurdly abundant. The fusion of English tea service with CNY festive bites (Crispy Yam Cake, Red Bean Spring Roll) alongside traditional sandwiches, Shepherd’s Pie, and Beef Wellington with Foie Gras creates cognitive dissonance in the best possible way. It’s cultural collision as buffet strategy, and at this price point, quantity clearly matters as much as quality.

The Bar Scene: Creative Cocktails When Kitchens Close

Junior The Pocket Bar’s collaboration with Rémy Martin for a third consecutive year shows consistency in their CNY programming. “Rolling for Prosperity” ($25++)—a liquid pineapple tart—demonstrates the kind of whimsical conceptual thinking that makes seasonal menus worth seeking out. The Tiger Doughnuts ($8++) with mezcal and mandarin orange custard represent dessert innovation that goes beyond simple execution.

Smoke & Mirrors at National Gallery Singapore wins on location alone—rooftop views over the Padang while sipping art-inspired cocktails is unbeatable for atmosphere. “Serenity” ($26) with housemade kaya shows local ingredient integration done right, while “Smoke On The Water” ($28) employs tableside smoking with citrus and jasmine tea for multisensory drama.

Native on Amoy Street takes the most principled approach with their zero-waste philosophy. “Japanese Grasshopper” ($25++) using sake lees, yuzu kombucha, and matcha ice cream, or “Tree of Life” ($25++) utilizing coconut husk, flower sap, and water—these aren’t gimmicks but genuine attempts to reimagine cocktail sustainability. Whether these drinks taste good becomes secondary to the admirable ethos, though one hopes they deliver on both fronts.

Final Analysis: Strategic Diversity

What this list reveals is strategic culinary diversity designed to cover every possible CNY dining scenario—from solo quick bites to romantic dinners, from family-style sharing to liquid-only evenings. The common thread is reliability; these establishments understand that staying open during Singapore’s biggest shutdown is both service and opportunity.

The menu innovation ranges from respectful (IPPUDO’s straightforward ramen) to adventurous (Fat Prince’s fat-washed cocktails), ensuring that both comfort-seekers and culinary explorers find satisfaction. Price points span the accessible (Papi’s $14 quesadillas) to the splurge-worthy (Opus’s $168 tomahawk), acknowledging that CNY means different things to different people.

The real victory is in execution during a period when staffing and supply chains face maximum pressure. Any restaurant choosing to operate during CNY deserves credit for bucking the cultural norm, but those delivering quality while doing so earn genuine loyalty.

For anyone facing the CNY food desert in Singapore, this isn’t just a survival guide—it’s a reminder that the city’s culinary resilience runs deep, even when most kitchens go dark.