Lai Wah Restaurant Menu: Prices, Signature Dishes & Set Menus

If you grew up in Singapore, Lai Wah Restaurant probably has a place in your memories. Opened in 1963, this modest Bendemeer Road fixture holds a singular claim: it was the world’s first restaurant to serve Chinese New Year Yu Sheng back in 1964. Six decades on, the menu still features the same pioneering dishes—Yu Sheng and Yam Pot among them—that helped shape Singapore’s culinary identity. Whether you’re planning a reunion dinner or just curious about what’s on offer, here’s what you need to know.

Established: 1963 · Signature Dishes: Yu-Sheng, Yam Pot · Menu Types: Set Menu for 10 persons · Validity Note: Except CNY period · Website Menu: Subject to change

The table below distills Lai Wah’s core identity markers: founding year, signature dishes, menu structure, and seasonal constraints based on official restaurant sources.

What are the signature dishes at Lai Wah restaurant?

Lai Wah’s menu reads like a history of Singaporean Cantonese cooking. The restaurant was established in 1963 and within a year had already made culinary history by becoming the world’s first restaurant to serve Chinese New Year Yu Sheng in 1964. That dish remains the centrepiece of their CNY offerings to this day.

Dim sum specialties

Beyond Yu Sheng, Lai Wah built its reputation on dim sum and classic Cantonese dishes. The menu features dumplings and signature starters that have drawn families through multiple generations. According to the restaurant’s official site, their famous dishes include Chinese New Year Yu-Sheng ( ), Yam Pot with Shredded Meat ( ), and Mandarin Stewed Chicken ( ).

Yu-Sheng origins

The Yu Sheng story is worth dwelling on. While Chilli Crabs were invented by Palm Beach, two of the Four Heavenly Kings—who were part of Lai Wah’s kitchen—modified the sauce into the version Singaporeans now know and love, using chilli sambal, tomato sauce, stock, vinegar, eggs, onions, and spring onions. Lai Wah’s own contribution to Singapore’s food culture was just as significant: introducing Yu Sheng as a celebratory dish that would become central to CNY reunions nationwide.

Yam Pot details

The Yam Pot with Shredded Meat ( ) is perhaps Lai Wah’s most recognizable creation. A hearty claypot dish combining yam with shredded meat and aromatic seasonings, it exemplifies the restaurant’s approach: bold flavors, generous portions, and that particular Cantonese comfort food sensibility that Singaporeans crave during festive seasons.

What is Lai Wah known for?

Beyond the dishes themselves, Lai Wah represents a particular era of Singaporean restaurant culture. The restaurant operated continuously since 1963, weathering changes in the food scene while maintaining its focus on traditional Cantonese fare. Its connection to the Four Heavenly Kings—legendary figures in Singapore’s culinary history—elevates it beyond a simple neighborhood restaurant into something of an institution.

Historical innovations

The 1964 Yu Sheng introduction wasn’t a marketing gimmick; it was a genuine innovation that other establishments quickly copied. Lai Wah’s willingness to serve something new for Chinese New Year set a precedent that transformed how Singaporeans celebrate the holiday. Today, Yu Sheng is synonymous with CNY reunions across the island, and Lai Wah was there first.

Chinatown bakery ties

While Lai Wah itself is located in Bendemeer Road, its name echoes through Singapore’s Chinatown food history. The restaurant shares its founders’ culinary philosophy with other historic Cantonese establishments that shaped the neighborhood’s identity. This connection to Singapore’s food heritage gives Lai Wah an authenticity that newer restaurants struggle to replicate.

Menu highlights

Current operating hours run from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm (last order 2 pm) for lunch and 6 pm to 9:30 pm (last order 9 pm) for dinner, with the restaurant closed Mondays except public holidays. Located at 44 Bendemeer Road, #01-1436, Singapore 330044, Lai Wah remains accessible to diners across the island who make the trip specifically for the food.

For those exploring similar Cantonese dining experiences in Singapore, Coffee Bean Bedok Mall and Tang Tea House Marina Square offer alternative menu perspectives in different neighborhoods.

What is a menu with one price for the entire menu?

A prix fixe menu offers a complete meal at a single price point, as opposed to ordering individual dishes from an à la carte menu. Lai Wah operates primarily on this model, particularly for their set menus designed for larger groups. This approach simplifies decision-making for family gatherings or corporate events where coordinating individual preferences would be cumbersome.

Prix fixe definition

The prix fixe format means diners pay one price and receive a predetermined sequence of courses. This differs from Chinese restaurants that let you build a meal by selecting from dozens of individual dishes. The set menu structure also benefits the kitchen, as they can prepare in bulk and ensure consistent quality across all tables.

Lai Wah set menu

Lai Wah’s regular set menu for 10 persons is valid throughout the year except during Chinese New Year, when special CNY versions take over. This means if you’re planning a reunion dinner outside the festive period, you can rely on the standard set menu pricing and availability. The 2026 CNY set menu for 10 persons requires advance partial payment of SGD $400 nett, with two dining rounds offered (5:30–7:30 PM and 8:00–10:00 PM) to accommodate the high demand.

Examples

Their related establishment, Lai Wah Heen, offers set menus for 8–10 persons priced at CAD $139 per person, subject to a 15% service charge and HST. While this is a separate location in Canada, it demonstrates how the set menu model scales across different markets. Lai Wah Heen’s menu includes premium ingredients like Alaskan king crab, geoduck clam, and French turbot—luxury versions of the Cantonese classics that made the Singapore original famous.

What is the Lai Wah restaurant menu price?

This is where things get frustrating for prospective diners. Lai Wah’s website states explicitly that menus are subject to change without prior notice, and current regular pricing is not prominently displayed on their menu page. This lack of transparent pricing puts Lai Wah in the “call to confirm” category—a common trait among traditional Chinese restaurants that rely on phone reservations rather than online ordering systems.

Set menu pricing

The most concrete pricing information available comes from their CNY menus. For 2025, the CNY set menu for 5 persons was priced at SGD $378++, while the 2026 CNY Eve set menu for 10 persons required advance partial payment of SGD $400 nett. These prices include the festive elements that drive up costs—premium ingredients like abalones, sharks’ fins, and live tiger prawns appear in the CNY spreads.

CNY specials

The 2025 CNY set menu for 5 persons included Yu Sheng with abalones, sharks’ fins with crab meat, crispy chicken, steamed Hong Kong-style marble goby fish (800–900g), abalones with shiitake mushrooms and broccoli, live tiger prawns, braised E-fu noodles, and dessert. The menu period extended from 29 January 2025 to 12 February 2025. For 2026, CNY Day 1 falls on 17 February 2026.

Promotion prices

Beyond set menus, Lai Wah doesn’t appear to run standard promotions or discounts. The restaurant’s business model relies on steady clientele who return for the food rather than deals. Their contact numbers are 62949922 and 62984460, with mobile/WhatsApp 93663971 for those who prefer to inquire via text.

Lai Wah restaurant reviews and must-try items?

Finding aggregated reviews for Lai Wah requires digging into platforms like TripAdvisor, where the restaurant’s longevity and signature dishes generate recurring discussion. The establishment doesn’t appear to actively manage its online reputation, which is typical for older Cantonese restaurants that rely on word-of-mouth and repeat customers rather than digital marketing.

Customer feedback

The pattern in available reviews centers on authenticity and tradition. Diners who appreciate old-school Cantonese cooking praise Lai Wah for delivering exactly what they’d expect from a 1963 establishment—not trendy fusion, not Instagram-worthy plating, just competent execution of classic dishes. The trade-off is service and atmosphere that feel dated compared to newer establishments.

Top ordered items

Yu Sheng remains the centerpiece, but Yam Pot with Shredded Meat and Mandarin Stewed Chicken draw consistent mentions as must-try items. The Chilli Crab connection to the Four Heavenly Kings adds historical cachet even if the dish itself isn’t always on the regular menu. For CNY specifically, the combination of Yu Sheng with premium ingredients (abalones, sharks’ fins) represents the must-have experience.

Tipping customs

Tipping at Chinese restaurants in Singapore follows a different convention than Western establishments. Service charge (typically 10%) is often already included in the bill, particularly at mid-range and upscale venues. Additional tipping for exceptional service is appreciated but not expected. Lai Wah, being a traditional Cantonese establishment, operates under this same convention.

Lai Wah Restaurant’s CNY set menus start punctually with no waiting, requiring advance partial payment of SGD $400 nett for the CNY Eve menu. The 2026 CNY set menu for 10 persons had two dining rounds: Round 1 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM and Round 2 from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM.

— Lai Wah Restaurant CNY Menu 2026 (Lai Wah Restaurant CNY Menu 2026)

The website menus are subject to change without prior notice, and the regular set menu for 10 persons is valid throughout the year except during Chinese New Year period.

— Lai Wah Restaurant Official Website (Lai Wah Restaurant Menu Page)

Lai Wah Restaurant occupies an unusual position in Singapore’s food scene: established enough to be historic, persistent enough to have outlasted countless competitors, yet approachable enough that regular families still book reunion dinners here. The restaurant’s 1963 founding and 1964 Yu Sheng innovation place it at the very origin point of what became a nationwide CNY tradition. For Singaporean families who want to trace that lineage—to eat the dish that started it all in the place where it started—Lai Wah remains the definitive destination.