Clarke Quay food scene changes depending on when you arrive.
By day, it’s a mall and river with people passing through. By night, it hums — glasses clinking, music from doorways, and grilled smells drifting over the water.
We’ve eaten most of the Japanese cuisine here over the years. Some meals were quiet weekday ramen bowls; others started with sashimi and nigiri sushi on a long Friday night that ended much louder. Here are six spots we keep returning to, with honest reasons why.
Note: only a few are true izakayas. The rest include ramen counters, sushi spots, buffets, and rice-bowl shops. If you’re exploring beyond Clarke Quay, you might also want to check out the vibrant Tanjong Pagar food scene, detailed on bestizakaya.com.sg, which offers another fantastic array of Japanese dining spots.
1. Tomo Tokyo (Clarke Quay Food Experience)
Nearest MRT: Clarke Quay (3–5 min walk)
Address: 3A River Valley Road, #01-04
Price: Around S$50–S$80 per person. Yakitori starts from about S$4++, sashimi from about S$12++, nigiri sushi from about S$8++, cocktails and sake from about S$18++, and larger sharing plates like the Tomahawk can push the bill much higher. You can pay with various cards and contactless methods for convenience.
Signature dishes: Tomo Wagyu Roll, Uni Cloud, Tokyo Burger, Tomahawk Steak, yakitori, sashimi selection.
If any restaurant on this list is built for the Clarke Quay night, it’s Tomo Tokyo. Located right on the water at CQ @ Clarke Quay, this spot offers a perfect blend of Japanese cuisine and a vibrant atmosphere. Dinner here can slide into drinks without you ever standing up to leave. Modern Japanese plates, cocktails, a river view, and on weekends the room stretches its hours right into the early morning.
The Tomo Wagyu Roll ($29) is what we’d order first, rich, tidy, made for sharing across a table already crowded with yakitori (from $4++) and fresh salmon sashimi. The Uni Cloud ($18) is the showier order, and it earns the attention. For a group with loved ones to celebrate, there’s the Tomahawk Steak at $228, which is less a dish than an event.
In our experience, the one thing to get straight going in: this is not a smoky, old-school izakaya. It’s polished and nightlife-leaning, featuring live jazz music and cocktails ($18++ and up), and it’s happiest when you treat it that way — drinks paired with expertly prepared food, music, and the river doing its thing beside you.
Go when the night needs: Riverside views, cocktails, Japanese sharing plates, and a dinner that can easily turn into a longer Clarke Quay night.
Not your match if: You prefer a quiet, traditional izakaya with a smoky counter, slower pacing, and less nightlife energy.
Best booking move: Ask for an outdoor or river-facing table when you reserve. Start with yakitori and sashimi, then build toward the Wagyu Roll or a larger sharing plate if you are with friends or loved ones.
2. Neon Pigeon (Carpenter Street)
Nearest MRT: Clarke Quay (3–5 min walk)
Price: Around S$45–S$80 per person. Small plates commonly sit around S$15–S$33, robata items can run from about S$18–S$99, and cocktails are mostly around S$17–S$26.
Signature dishes: Tokyo Hummus, KFC Bao, Skull Island Prawn Roll, Unagi Cream Cheese Maki, Wagyu Gyoza, Smoked Duroc Pork Ribs.
Neon Pigeon calls itself izakaya-inspired, and that word inspired is doing honest work. It takes the sharing-plate spirit of a Tokyo izakaya and runs it somewhere more creative, louder, and more cocktail-driven. Over on Carpenter Street, a short walk from the river valley, it’s a room with real energy.
The Tokyo Hummus ($10) is the order everyone talks about, and we understand why it’s the kind of light, unexpected dish you don’t expect on a Japanese menu and then can’t stop reaching for. Around it, the kitchen sends out charcoal kushiyaki, sashimi, and robata items alongside crowd favourites like the House Fried Chicken ($18), Smoked Baby Back Ribs ($24), and Tempura Rock Shrimp ($21). Cocktails land around the $20–22 mark, with beers and sake also on the menu.
Here’s the thing worth saying plainly. If you walk in expecting sake and skewers in a hushed corner, you’ll feel the mismatch. This is trendier and more fusion-minded than that. Go for what it is, and it delivers.
Come here for: A stylish, cocktail-led Japanese-inspired dinner with sharing plates, loud energy, and a more creative take on izakaya food.
Skip it if: You want traditional ramen, quiet comfort food, or a straightforward sake-and-skewers kind of night.
Order to set the pace: Start with Tokyo Hummus and one robata or bao item, then let the drinks decide whether the table goes lighter, richer, or louder from there.
3. Mitsuba Japanese Restaurant (Clarke Quay Central)
Nearest MRT: Clarke Quay (2–3 min walk)
Address: Clarke Quay Central, #03-88
Price: Regular buffet is S$59.90++ per adult and S$29.90++ per child below 1.4m. Premium buffet is S$99.90++ per adult and S$49.90++ per child below 1.4m. À la carte is available, with minimum spend of S$25++ per person for lunch and S$45++ per person for dinner. You can pay by card or cash.
Signature dishes: Sashimi, nigiri sushi, makimono, teppanyaki, grilled items, fried dishes, Premium Buffet seafood items.
Mitsuba isn’t an izakaya at all, and we won’t pretend otherwise. It’s a buffet, and for a certain kind of appetite, that’s exactly the point. Located in Clarke Quay Central at #03-88, it runs a Regular Buffet, a Premium Buffet, and an à la carte menu, spanning sashimi, nigiri sushi, makimono, handrolls, teppanyaki, grilled and fried dishes, noodles, and dessert.
The Regular Buffet sits around $56.90++ to $59.90++ per adult, with the Premium Buffet closer to $99.90++. In our experience, the sashimi and sushi selection is the reason to come, and the service earns its keep, plates cleared quickly, drinks topped up, everything moving at a steady pace.
Two rules to know before you sit down. Everyone at the table has to choose from the same menu, so a buffet person and an à la carte person can’t share a table. And there’s no takeaway on buffet items, plus wastage charges apply — so order in rounds rather than piling a plate you can’t finish.
Best for big appetites: Buffet lovers, sashimi-heavy meals, and family or group dinners where variety matters more than bar energy.
Think twice if: You want a drinks-first izakaya, quick ramen stop, or cheap casual bite.
How to make it worth it: Order in rounds instead of overloading the table. Start with sashimi, grilled items, and teppanyaki before moving into heavier fried dishes and noodles.
4. Tendon Kohaku / Man Man Japanese Unagi (Clarke Quay Central)
Nearest MRT: Clarke Quay (1–2 min walk, directly connected)
Price: Tendon Kohaku rice bowls are mostly around S$16–S$25, with the Kohaku Tendon at about S$17.20 and Seafood Tendon with Ikura at about S$24.10. Man Man Japanese Unagi is pricier, with unagi bowls and hitsumabushi-style meals commonly around S$30–S$45+.
Signature dishes: Kohaku Tendon, Seafood Tendon with Ikura, Vegetable Tendon, Kohaku Platter, Unagi Don, Hitsumabushi.
This one’s a two-in-one, and that’s precisely why it made the list. Down at #B1-52/53 in Clarke Quay Central, the tendon specialist Tendon Kohaku shares a concept with unagi specialist Man Man, so you can settle a tempura-versus-eel debate without leaving the same restaurant.
Tendon Kohaku is built around crispy tempura rice bowls with that sweet-savoury sauce soaking gently into the rice. Man Man does grilled eel the way people queue for. Some sources list tempura from as little as $1.80, though a full rice bowl or a proper unagi dish will run higher.
Honestly, this isn’t a place to linger. Seating is limited, queues can build, and it’s a specialist rice-bowl spot rather than anywhere to nurse a drink. We treat it as the meal before the night rather than the night itself.
Choose this when: The craving is specific: crispy tempura rice bowls from Tendon Kohaku or grilled eel from Man Man, without needing a full sit-down izakaya night.
Not the place if: You want sake, late-night drinking, bar snacks, or a slow meal built around sharing plates.
Simple ordering rule: Pick by craving. Go Tendon Kohaku for crunch and sauce-soaked rice, or Man Man for smoky grilled eel. Treat it as the meal before drinks, not the drinking spot itself.
5. Hitoyoshi Yoshi Sushi (Clarke Quay Central)
Nearest MRT: Clarke Quay (1–3 min walk)
Price: Around S$20–S$40 per person. Expect casual sushi, sashimi, donburi, udon, curry rice, and set meals at affordable-to-mid casual Japanese restaurant pricing.
Signature dishes: Tonkatsu Curry Rice, Tempura Udon, Salmon Avocado Don, Salmon Teriyaki Don, Aburi Salmon Garlic Mayo Don, Kani Cream Croquette, California Maki, Hokke Shio Yaki Set.
When we want something dependable and unfussy sushi, sashimi, a donburi, a set meal — Hitoyoshi Yoshi Sushi at #01-68/69 is the easy call. It’s casual, affordable, and it does the fundamentals well, which is harder to find than it sounds.
The menu runs deep: Tonkatsu Curry Rice, Tempura Udon, Salmon Avocado Don, Salmon Teriyaki Don, Aburi Salmon Garlic Mayo Don, Kani Cream Croquette, California Maki, and a Hokke Shio Yaki Set among them. For value, the sets are the move, a Tempura Set lands around $21–24.80 and a Sashimi Sushi Udon Set around $28.81–33.90 on promotional pricing. The Google sentiment sits around 4.4–4.5 across hundreds of reviews, and in our experience that rating feels fair: fresh sashimi, tidy sushi, a comforting bowl of udon.
The one fair gripe we’d echo: portions are decent, but a few diners find the prices a touch high for casual mall dining. Not a dealbreaker, just worth knowing.
Works well for: Sushi, sashimi, donburi, and easy Japanese meals with friends or loved ones when you want something reliable and unfussy.
Look elsewhere if: You want a true izakaya, cocktails, music, or a more nightlife-driven dinner.
Value move: Order a set meal, then add a sushi, sashimi, or fried side if the table needs more variety.
6. Marutama Ramen (Clarke Quay Central)
Nearest MRT: Clarke Quay (2–3 min walk)
Price: Around S$15–S$25 per person. Marutama Ramen is S$14.90, Char Siu Marutama Ramen is S$18.90, Zenbu Nosé Ramen is S$20.90, and side dishes such as gyoza are around S$6.20.
Signature dishes: Marutama Ramen, Tori Marutama Ramen, Char Siu Marutama Ramen, Zenbu Nosé Ramen, Yaki Gyoza.
Every good Japanese cuisine list needs a ramen bowl in it, and at #03-90/91 in Clarke Quay Central, Marutama is ours. What sets it apart is the broth — a creamy chicken-based toripaitan rather than the tonkotsu you’ll find almost everywhere else. Marutama brought this to Singapore back in 2007 at The Central, and it’s held its following ever since.
That broth is the whole reason to come. It’s richer and rounder than you expect from chicken, and on a rainy evening it’s exactly the bowl you want. In our experience, this is a quick, satisfying meal rather than a long sit-down — you come for the bowl, and the bowl delivers.
The trade-off is simple. The menu is narrower than the broader Japanese restaurants here, and ramen is a get-in, get-out format. If you’re after variety or a lingering dinner, this isn’t the stop.
Come here when: You want a quick, comforting bowl of chicken-based toripaitan ramen without turning dinner into a long event.
Skip this stop if: You want sushi, sake, izakaya energy, or group-friendly sharing plates.
Order the point of the place: Start with the Marutama Ramen or Tori Marutama Ramen. Add gyoza only if you need the meal to feel fuller.
So, Where Should Your Clarke Quay Night Go? Additional Info on Tomo Izakaya and Tomo Tokyo
If you want the full Clarke Quay experience — river, drinks, a dinner that drifts into the night, start at Tomo Tokyo or its sister spot Tomo Izakaya, both located at 3A River Valley Road, #01-04. Tomo Izakaya offers a more traditional izakaya experience featuring seafood flown in from Japan, a sushi bar with a striking tree-like structure covered in sake bottles, and a relaxed atmosphere with live jazz music perfect for unwinding with friends or loved ones.
For something creative and cocktail-led, Neon Pigeon is the modern izakaya-style pick. Mitsuba is where the big appetites go. Tendon Kohaku / Man Man settles the tempura-or-eel question in one stop. Hitoyoshi Yoshi Sushi is the reliable sushi-and-set-meal call. And when you just want a good bowl, Marutama brings the chicken broth while Ramen Hitoyoshi keeps it cheap and easy.
We’ve spent enough evenings here to know that the best nights rarely follow a plan. Go hungry, order a little more than feels sensible, and enjoy the time, let the river valley carry the rest of the evening along.
