The Line Restaurant at Shangri-La Singapore

The tagline of ‘culinary adventure’ hardly does The Line restaurant justice. Whilst the obvious highlight is their seafood section where huge fresh oysters are shucked right in front of your eyes and massive mussels are laid out in mountainous piles, this restaurant has so much more to offer.

A dedicated Italian section features an in-built wood-burning oven for its pizzas, the Middle Eastern corner has a tandoor oven creating the irresistibly smoky kebabs and Indian bread, and the dessert bar is beyond comprehensive – there are dozens of different cakes, sweets, and a massive chocolate fondue fountain.

Other highlights at The Line buffet include the Japanese station (generous cuts of salmon and tuna sashimi, lots of sushi), a salad bar, a mini carvery, dim sum, and a local Singaporean area with the likes of laksa, fried noodles and satay. There’s also a slightly less exciting ‘western’ section serving pies, potato dishes, and stews.

The Shangri-La is an undoubtedly smart hotel – one of Singapore’s most luxurious in fact. However, at The Line restaurant, the atmosphere is distinctly casual, again setting this buffet aside from some of the other best buffets in Singapore, which can often feel a little stuffy and overly formal.

The 400-capacity restaurant gets packed at lunchtime, mostly with people coming from outside the hotel to experience The Line buffet rather than guests staying at the Shangri-La. As well as the no-frills indoor seating area, there’s also a nice alfresco space next to the pool – great if it’s not too hot.

Once seated and tucking into our numerous plates of food, we were also impressed by the attentive service. Whilst you do have to make your way around The Line buffet like any other buffet, service is provided in the way of drinks and the friendly staff are always on hand to assist you.

An enormous selection of freshly-prepared food, lively atmosphere, and great service all help The Line restaurant at the Shangri-La become one of the best buffets in Singapore. Get to The Line Restaurant by taking a taxi from the nearest MRT station at Orchard Road. Alternatively, you can hop on their free shuttle bus, which runs from ION shopping mall.