Most people searching for food at Bugis aren’t actually sure which Bugis they mean. There are three of them within a two-minute walk, they all have food, and they’re not interchangeable. So before the shortlist, let’s sort that out — it’s usually the reason you end up walking in circles.
Bugis Junction, Bugis+ or Bugis Street — which one are you in?
They sit almost on top of each other, which is why the confusion is so common:
- Bugis Junction — the air-conditioned mall on Victoria Street, directly linked to Bugis MRT. This is the one with the glass-roofed shopping streets.
- Bugis+ — a separate 10-storey mall (it used to be called Iluma), connected to Bugis Junction by an overhead bridge. Different tenants, different food.
- Bugis Street — the open-air market stretch across the road. Cheap clothes, souvenirs, street snacks. Not a mall, not air-conditioned.
If you searched “Bugis food” and got recommendations you couldn’t find, you were probably in the wrong one of those three. This guide is about Bugis Junction.
One nice bit of history while you’re here: Bugis Junction was built over three actual streets — Bugis Street, Malay Street and Hylam Street — and rather than flatten them, the developers glassed them over and air-conditioned the lot. So when you’re walking what feels like a covered lane of shopfronts, that’s because it genuinely was a lane. Singapore’s first air-conditioned shopping street.
Where is Bugis Junction and how do you get there?
Bugis Junction is on Victoria Street, in the Downtown Core, bounded by Middle Road and North Bridge Road. It’s connected to Bugis MRT (EW12 / DT14) — an interchange between the East West Line and the Downtown Line, so you can reach it from Jurong, Tampines, Bukit Panjang or Chinatown without much fuss. The East West Line side of the station links directly into the mall, so on a wet day you never go outside.
What’s the food like at Bugis Junction?
Broader than most people expect, and it leans international rather than heartland:
- Sit-down meals — the mall has picked up a run of regional names in the last couple of years. Yang’s Dumpling for Shanghai sheng jian bao, LeNu for beef noodle soup, Osaka Osho for Japanese, plus Thai boat noodles, Sichuan hotpot and Korean fried chicken. Tenants do rotate, so check the official mall directory if you’re making a special trip for one place.
- Quick bites — mostly clustered in the basement, which is also where the MRT crowd flows through.
- Coffee and bakeries — spread along the glass-covered streets on the ground level.
The practical split: upper floors if you’ve got an hour, basement if you’ve got fifteen minutes.
Taiwan street food on B1 — I Love Taimei, #B1-K11
We’re at 230 Victoria Street, #B1-K11 to 11A, Bugis Junction, Singapore 188024, open Mon–Sun, 11:00–22:00.
There’s a small joke in the address that we like: I Love Taimei is Taiwan night market food, and Bugis Junction is a covered street that used to be an actual street. Shilin and Raohe — the two Taipei night markets the menu is built off — are exactly that, lanes of stalls with a roof over them. We’re a night market stall on a glassed-in street. Close enough.
We’ve been going since 2009 — women-owned, co-run by Phoebe and Yadah, now 14 outlets island-wide.
The chicken — all four are $6.90:
- Original Chicken (原味雞排) — plain, so the marinade does the talking. Start here if it’s your first time.
- Extra Crispy Chicken — thicker batter, more crunch.
- BBQ Chicken (碳烤雞排) — glazed, sweet-savoury, no chilli heat.
- Taiwan Popcorn Chicken (鹽酥雞) — bite-sized and built for sharing. Basil goes into the frying oil, so there’s a green, faintly aniseed smell coming off the bag before you open it. We wrote more about why the basil is in there.
We use chicken thigh, not breast — it costs more, and it’s why the meat stays tender after a hard fry. Everything’s marinated before frying, and fried fresh when you order, so allow a few minutes rather than expecting it under a heat lamp.
Sides run $3.90 to $5.30 — Shake Shake Fries, Tofu Fries and Mini Hashbrown at $3.90; Golden Sweet Potato Fries and Enoki Mushroom at $4.60; Mushroom Combo at $4.90; Taiwan Seafood Tempura (甜不辣) at $5.30. Worth saying: that tempura is a Taiwan-style fish-paste snack, not the Japanese battered kind, and it contains seafood.
Drinks — Brown Sugar Milk Tea at $3.90 (M) / $4.90 (L) is the standard pairing with fried chicken; the sugar cuts the salt. 1988 Milk Tea, our house blend, is $4.50 (M) / $5.50 (L). Toppings are $0.80 (M) / $1.20 (L).
Said plainly: I Love Taimei is not halal certified. All our food is prepared with no pork and no lard, and we don’t serve beef either. That’s a middle ground rather than a certification, and we’d rather you hear it straight — the full explanation is here if it matters for your group.
Common questions about eating at Bugis Junction
Is Bugis Junction connected to the MRT? Yes. The East West Line side of Bugis station links directly into the mall, so you can get from platform to food without stepping outside.
What’s the difference between Bugis Junction and Bugis+? They’re two separate malls linked by an overhead bridge. Bugis+ is the taller one that used to be called Iluma. Different tenant mix, so a place you read about in one won’t be in the other.
Where is I Love Taimei in Bugis Junction? Unit #B1-K11 to 11A, on the basement level, open 11:00 to 22:00 daily.
Is there quick food at Bugis Junction if I’m in a rush? The basement is your floor. Restaurants upstairs will want a proper sitting; the B1 takeaway spots, us included, are geared for people with a train to catch.
Can I eat here with friends who don’t eat pork? No pork and no lard anywhere on our menu, and no beef either. We’re not halal certified, though, so that’s a judgement each person makes for themselves rather than something we’ll oversell.
Before you go
If Bugis isn’t your usual side of town, we’re in 14 malls — the full list is on our outlets page. And if you want the wider Taiwanese-food-around-Bugis picture rather than the mall shortlist, we covered that here.
Otherwise: #B1-K11, down the escalator. See the full menu.
Taste it for yourself — 14 outlets island-wide. No pork, no lard.
