By The Table desk · Last verified 28 September 2026
Most dim sum in Singapore is ordered by ticking a paper or tablet menu. A few old-style restaurants still run pushcarts, where aunties bring baskets to your table and stamp a card. Prices run from about S$1.50 a dish at a 24-hour chain, to around S$4.50 a basket at a classic pushcart room, to S$9 for two pieces at a luxury restaurant. Budget three to four baskets a head.
Quick facts
- You usually order by ticking a sheet; pushcarts are now rare.
- A basket usually holds two to four pieces.
- Prices range from about S$1.50 to S$9 a basket.
- Buffets start from about S$16.80++ a head.
- Restaurants usually charge for tea per person, and add ++.
- Three to four baskets a head is a meal.
How does ordering work?
At most places you tick quantities on a paper sheet or a tablet and hand it in. A few restaurants keep the old pushcart system: aunties wheel baskets to your table and stamp a card for each one you take, and ordering too much is part of the fun. Either way, order in rounds rather than all at once, steamed dishes first and fried ones later, so nothing sits and goes cold.
What should I order?
The core list:
- Har gow: prawn dumplings in a thin, translucent skin.
- Siew mai: open-topped pork-and-prawn dumplings.
- Char siew bao: steamed buns filled with barbecued pork.
- Cheong fun: steamed rice rolls with prawn, char siew or dough fritter, in sweet soy.
- Liu sha bao: buns with a runny salted-egg custard.
- Lo mai gai: glutinous rice with chicken, steamed in a lotus leaf.
- Egg tarts: to finish.
What does a basket cost?
| Where | What you’ll pay |
|---|---|
| 24-hour dim sum chain | From about S$1.50 a dish |
| Classic pushcart restaurant | About S$4.50 to S$4.70 a basket |
| Luxury restaurant | About S$9 for two siew mai |
| Dim sum buffet | From about S$16.80++ a head |
| Hotel brunch buffet | Up to S$168++ a head |
What else goes on the bill?
At most sit-down restaurants, tea is charged per person, and so are the peanuts or pickles put on the table when you sit down; you can send those back. Then comes the ++, so a S$4.50++ basket is S$5.40 on the bill. Chains in food courts and hawker stalls charge neither.
Buffet or à la carte?
Dim sum buffets start from about S$16.80++ for a weekday high tea and run S$26.80++ to S$30++ at dinner. At S$5 a basket, a S$26.80++ buffet starts paying off from your sixth basket. Buffets win for big eaters and big groups; a light brunch is cheaper à la carte.
Table manners
Pour tea for others before yourself. When someone pours for you, tap two fingers on the table to say thanks. To ask for more hot water, leave the teapot lid ajar and the staff will refill it.
The WahLiao Verdict
Tick three baskets a head, order steamed before fried, and check the tea charge before the first pot lands. The buffet only wins if you’re genuinely hungry.
Questions people ask
When is dim sum served?
Traditionally at breakfast and lunch, but some places in Singapore serve it until late at night.
What’s the difference between har gow and siew mai?
Har gow is prawn in a translucent pleated skin; siew mai is pork and prawn in an open yellow wrapper.
Is dim sum halal?
Many dim sum places use pork, but some restaurants and hotel buffets are halal-certified. Look for the MUIS certificate.
Do I tip?
No. Where the ++ applies, service is already on the bill.
Sources: Seth Lui, best dim sum spots in Singapore (April 2026); Time Out Singapore, the best dim sum in Singapore; Eatbook, dim sum buffets (February 2026); SingSaver, dim sum promotions (2025).
Read next: What ++ Means on a Singapore Menu · Zi Char Explained · The Singapore Hawker Food Glossary · Back to The Table
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