There’s a misconception going around—that hotel dining is anything but cheap; and really, that couldn’t be further from the truth. While Singapore has been blessed with a thriving hotel F&B scene that holds its own against Michelin-starred establishments, it doesn’t mean you have to break the bank to dine there. A quick scout around revealed that many of the island’s top hotels have value-for-money lunch deals during the week—perfect for a business lunch or a treat-yourself break. Here, we rounded up the best ones.
 

Alley on 25

Everyone’s favorite Bugis hotel stays ahead in the game with three-course set lunches at just $25. At Andaz Singapore’s sky-high dining enclave Alley on 25, you get an appetizer, main course and dessert for the price—and you can choose from any of the five shophouse-inspired restaurants. They also have new vegetarian selections like a house-made, chickpea-beetroot patty Vegetarian Burger, and the Vegetarian Organic Fried Brown Rice. 12-2:30pm, 6408 1288
 

Cafe 2000

It might be easy to overlook a place like M Hotel Singapore, but you won’t want to miss the chic Cafe 2000’s three-course executive set lunch at just $28. For that you get a free-flow of Western and local soups, your choice of a main course (the likes of seafood fried rice, juicy steak and pastas), and a date with the buffet dessert counter. 12-2:30pm, 6224 1133 or email [email protected].
 

Ellenborough Market Cafe

It's a little steep, but you're paying for premium Peranakan food at Swissotel Merchant Court's smart casual buffet restaurant. The $52 price tag gives you access to your heart's worth of hand-pulled La Mian with Dan Dan or Zhajiang sauce, wanton noodle soup and 'Lion Head' meatballs prepared a la minute, along with all-time favorites like kueh pie tee, ayam buah keluak, babi pongteh and durian pengat. 12-2:30pm, 6239 1847/1848 or email [email protected].
 

Ginett Restaurant & Wine Bar

The extremely underrated restaurant at Hotel G offers one of the scene’s best value-for-money set lunches—$18 for a two-course meal. There’s a daily rotating menu of exquisite French delights like beef medallion, risotto and pasta, plus your choice or a starter or dessert. Even better: each table gets a basket of bread on the house, and a glass of wine is just $6. 11am-3pm, 6809 7989 or email [email protected].
 

il Cielo

If you’re in town and in the mood for Italian with a sprinkling of Japanese, Hilton Singapore’s rooftop Italian restaurant il Cielo will do nicely. The ritzy space can be pricey, with omakase starting from $158, but set lunches are just $28 for a two-course (a main, and an appetizer or dessert) and $35 for three. As Chef Sasaki prefers to use only the freshest ingredients from the kitchen, the lunch menu rotates frequently. But you can typically expect classics like a cream soup, beef carpaccio or buffalo mozzarella salad for appetizers, and main courses like penne primo, tagliatelle alla wagyu Bolognese, seafood linguine aglio olio, and seasonal fish. Dessert’s a little more predictable, with your choice of gelato, cakes or cheeses. And one thing that’s always consistent? The amazing house bread. 12-2:30pm, 6730 3395 or email [email protected].
 

Katong Kitchen

Halal buffet favorite Katong Kitchen has drawn loyal devotees to Village Hotel Katong for a while now, with their $38 buffet lunch in a casual, no-frills setting. Come with friends and family to feast on the namesake Katong laksa, DIY rojak, ayam buah keluak and various kuehs and sweets. 12-2:30pm, 6551 2141 or email [email protected].
 

Lime

$50 on weekdays gets you your pick of local, Southeast Asian and international cuisines at PARKROYAL on Pickering's top restaurant. There's comforting dishes like prawn noodle soup, but you'll want to head straight to big-ticket items like the Singapore Luxe-sa with Maine Lobster, Lobster Risotto with Blue Swimmer Crab Meat and signature Country-Style Grilled Ciabatta Smeared with Wild Black Garlic. Finish off with fancy deserts like the Moulin Rouge (a berry mascarpone macaron) and The Black Bomb (Manjari Chocolate and Yuzu Cremeux). 12-2:30pm, 6809 8899 or email [email protected].
 

Mezza9

Grand Hyatt Singapore’s premium grill is more in reach than ever, with affordable new set lunches at $29 (two-course) and $39 (three-course). A dizzying array of dishes for each course will make your final choice all the more worthwhile. For appetizers, you can pick from a daily soup, various nutritious salads and greens, crispy spring rolls, and crispy-fried shredded pork. On to the main course—there’s market fish, Thai green chicken curry, beef or cheese burgers, chicken dishes, sushi, and char-grilled steak or lamb for real bang for your buck. If you’ve sprung for a three-course lunch, dessert includes a selection of homemade ice creams or sherbets, chocolate pudding, fresh fruit, or a surprise dessert of the day. 12-3pm, 6732 1234, or email [email protected].
 

Mitzo

For something different, Grand Park Orchard’s Mitzo offers three- and four-course dim sum set lunches at $28 and $38 respectively. The former gets you a double-boiled Soup of the Day, your choice of three dim sum selections and dessert; while the latter throws into the mix your choice of dry thin noodles with Mitzo’s barbeque pork, or porridge with lobster claw, fish and pork. You can choose from more than 10 types of handcrafted dim sum—a nice option if you just want a light but fulfilling lunch. 12-2:30pm, 6603 8855
 

Origin Grill

Impress your colleagues and clients with a classy executive set lunch at Shangri-La Hotel Singapore’s Origin Grill. For $38 for a three-course meal and $48 for a four-course, you can taste the restaurant’s sublime beef selection—think full-blooded Angus and Rangers Valley steak—and sustainably sourced seafood. The menu items rotate weekly so check before you come. 12-2:30pm, 6213 4595 or email [email protected].
 

Plate

Grab your colleagues and head down to Carlton City Hotel Singapore's buffet restaurant Plate, which features 10 food stations for you to flit between for just $35. That's a steal for seafood on ice, sushi and Japanese delights, European eats, grill and local dishes—plus the mandatory free-flow of soda and juices. 12-2:30pm, 6632 8922 or email f&[email protected].
 

Porta

This might just be the most affordable hotel lunch you can find on the island. From Sep 4, the fuss-free European restaurant at Park Hotel Clarke Quay will serve up two- and three-course set lunches at $18 and $22 respectively. Appetizers include BLT salad and charred aubergine, while mains cover European classics like confit chicken leg and spaghetti bolognese. As an add-on, wine by the glass starts at $7; it really doesn’t get any better than that. 12-2:30pm, 6593 8855 or email [email protected].
 

Saltwater

An affordable buffet lunch down in the lush green wilderness of Changi Village? Why not; the office folk at Changi Business Park probably won’t complain. Village Hotel Changi’s humble Saltwater serves up an international and local buffet line for $38. While you can get local eats like Nyonya laksa, oxtail stew, mutton biryani and wok-fried mee siam, it’s Saltwater’s seafood on ice and seasonal carving station that’s worth making a beeline for. 12-2:30pm, 6379 7018 or email [email protected].
 

Seasonal Tastes

At The Westin Singapore, a refreshed international lunch buffet is just $35, and comes with free-flow soft drinks, coffee and tea. The signature dishes are whipped up by sous chefs not just from Seasonal Tastes, but also Cook & Brew and the hotel’s banquet kitchen. Feast on Asian favorites like Thai grilled pork neck, wok-fried curry squid with crab meat and salted egg, and lala-filled Hokkien fried noodles; or choose the slow-roasted beef striploin and roasted chicken dishes, if you’re more inclined to a Western meal that day. A strong selection of cakes, tartlets, macarons and ice creams round up the buffet line. 12-2:30pm, 6922 6968 or email [email protected].
 

Se7enth

Luxury serviced apartment Oakwood Premier OUE Singapore's 74-seater restaurant is a hidden gem. Granted, not many will know to head up to this seventh floor (thus the name?) establishment that is actually easily accessible from Downtown Gallery. Once there, get the weekday executive set lunch ($29.90) that includes a free-flow salad bar (decked with greens, breads and soups), choice of mains that can range from pan-seared seabass to creamy truffle mushroom pasta, and a cup of coffee or tea to end on a caffeinated note. 12-2pm, 6812 6050 or email [email protected]
 

Sky22

Consider yourself lucky if you work around the Novena area. Courtyard by Marriott Singapore Novena’s all-day restaurant Sky22 has a new semi-buffet lunch priced at an unbelievable $22. For that, you get unlimited servings of salads, soups, freshly baked bread, desserts, and a choice of one main from the international menu. The mains rotate frequently, but you can expect Western plates like chicken parmigiana with buffalo cheese and rocket salad, pan-seared seabass with barley risotto and barbecue pork ribs with corn on the cob and fries to remain as regular offerings. Otherwise, local delights like ayam kapitan (Nyonya curry chicken) and assam laksa lemak are on the menu too. That, and the amazing view’s free. 12-2:30pm, 6378 2040 [email protected].

Straits Cafe

Curb your cravings for Straits Chinese food at Rendezvous Hotel Singapore’s Straits Cafe—which recently got Halal-certified. It’s $42 per person, for a buffet of KL prawn noodles, Klang chic kut teh, Ipoh chicken rice and more. Also included is an impressive array of durian desserts that include pengat, crepes and cake. 12-2:30pm, 6708 7745 or email [email protected].
 

The Clifford Pier

Treat yourself to a heritage-inspired set lunch along the gorgeous waterfront of The Clifford Pier. The restaurant at The Fullerton Bay Hotel offers two-course and three-course set lunches at $35 and $38 (the upgrade to a three-course is a no-brainer) respectively. What you get is a unique line-up of dishes to choose from—like smoked duck salad or homemade pork and crab meat ngoh hiang for starters, and luxurious mains like soy-braised pork jowl, sambal ocean trout, and truffle yakitori chicken and XO rice bowls. 12-2:30pm, 6333 8388 or email [email protected].

The Marmalade Pantry Downtown

The Marmalade Pantry at ION may be gone, but the branch at Oasia Hotel Downtown still has great deals. Two-course and three-course executive set lunches are $28 (main course and a dessert) and $38 (starter, main course and dessert) respectively; each set lunch also comes with a cup of coffee, tea or juice. With a few lobster exceptions, you can select any of the main courses on the menu—from beef burgers to pastas to salad. And of course, dessert includes The Marmalade Pantry’s luscious, in-demand cupcakes. 11:30am-3pm, 6385 0741 or email [email protected].