Spring Court

Spring Court is a family-run Cantonese restaurant on Upper Cross Street in Chinatown. It dates from 1929 and calls itself Singapore's oldest Chinese restaurant. It is a classic choice for banquets, family dinners and dim sum.

Self-taught Cantonese chef Ho Loke Yee opened it in 1929 under the name Wing Choon Yuen, at the Great World amusement park. It became a favourite place for wedding banquets, sometimes hosting four or five events in one night. After Great World closed in 1978, the restaurant moved around Singapore before settling in Chinatown. The Ho family still runs it today, and the founder's grandson, Mike Ho, is among those who have kept it going.

In 2025, the National Heritage Board named Spring Court one of 42 SG Heritage Businesses in the scheme's first round.

What to order

The menu covers Cantonese and Singapore Chinese cooking. There are à la carte dishes, a dim sum menu and set menus for groups. Roast meats on the menu include roasted chicken, roasted duck and roasted pork belly. The restaurant's own list of signature dishes includes:

• Claypot chilli crab
• Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, a slow-cooked soup of luxury dried seafood
• Soon hock, a freshwater fish, often steamed
• Yam ring, a crisp ring of mashed yam filled with a stir-fry
• White cabbage with scallop
• Bird's nest

Food writers have long praised its popiah, a fresh spring roll filled with bamboo shoots and black fungus. There are also vegetarian and Malay set menus.

The setting

Spring Court fills a restored four-storey heritage shophouse, with a lift between the floors. There are ten private VIP rooms, each with karaoke, plus larger spaces for banquets. Round tables and shared dishes set the tone. It is still a popular venue for wedding banquets, company dinners and Chinese New Year reunions.

Good to know before you go

• Book online, by phone or on WhatsApp. Links are on the official website.
• On weekends and public holidays, lunch and dinner run in two seatings. Arrive on time for your slot.
• Valet parking runs all day, and there is more parking at Chinatown Point.
• Festive menus, such as reunion dinner sets for Chinese New Year, come out well ahead. Book early for these dates.

Getting there

The restaurant is next to Chinatown MRT station, Exit E, opposite the Chinatown Point car park.

Nearby

Spring Court makes a good meal stop on a Chinatown heritage walk. The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Sri Mariamman Temple are a short walk away. For cheaper bites, try our Chinatown cheap eats crawl.

You can also browse more Chinese and dim sum restaurants, all restaurants in Chinatown and Tanjong Pagar, or our dim sum and Cantonese guides.