Waiting time during peak meal hours: 1 to 1½ hours for dining-in; 1 hour for takeout

Queues of up to 300 people showed up on the American burger chain’s opening day yesterday. Today, the queue has been separated into one for dine-in customers and another for those grabbing takeaways. Despite the large number of people in line, the waiting time isn’t as eye-watering as we expected: about 60 to 90 minutes if you wanna grab a seat and eat, or an hour to tapow. This is probably thanks to the restaurant's efficient kitchen crew (headed for now by the experienced team from Shake Shack Korea; the true test would be when they leave) and the eatery’s roomy 180-seat duplex dining room. Once you enter the restaurant and order at the cashier, it’s another 10 to 15-minute wait for your burgers as you sit and sip your drinks — you’re given a buzzer to alert you when your grub is ready. Read all about it here.

Open 10am-10pm daily.

Waiting time during peak meal hours: 1 to 3 hours 

The mother of all waiting times at Jewel is at A&W, where nostalgic Singaporeans patiently waited up to three hours just for a taste of the American fast food chain. At dinnertime, the queue snaked around thrice at the demarcated waiting area outside the restaurant. The waiting time to enter the cramped 80-seat eatery can be as long as three hours, while the wait for your food order is approximately another 30 minutes. Our question is: Why the rush to eat this?

As of Jewel’s official opening day on April 17, A&W is open round-the-clock. And good news, the queuing time has calmed down significantly to the current one hour’s wait. For those of you who badly want to eat A&W’s nosh but are spooked by the queues, A&W International’s director of marketing Kelvin Tan advised customers to head there at around “2pm to 4pm, or after 8pm” as the queue won’t be as long then.

Once you order your food, you’re given a buzzer that notifies you when your food is ready for self-collection at a dedicated counter. Our pal who queued up was told to expect a “35 minutes” wait for his food. But in reality it was much faster; the food was ready in 15 minutes, and you can collect your root beer orders on the spot. Another pro tip: if you’re tapowing your order or have kakis chope-ing a table for you, you can take a walk around the FairPrice Finest supermarket next door for some grocery shopping, and head back to A&W once your buzzer sounds. But don’t wander too far, though. We heard the buzzer can only work within a limited distance outside of A&W, and it appears that the limit is, er, FairPrice Finest.

Open 24 hours daily.

Waiting time: 30 minutes or more

The thing about going to the famed Rich & Good Cake Shop’s second outlet at Jewel is not about how long you have to wait. It’s about going early enough so you can secure some of its signature roll cakes, which are available in limited quantities at the shop as they are not baked on-site (they’re handmade at the original store and transported over to Jewel daily).

When we arrived at Rich & Good at 5.30pm on a preview weekday, a Jewel staff manning the line, which stretched past the escalator outside the takeaway unit, told us that the queue had already closed as “the cakes are sold out”. To give everyone a fair chance to buy a cake, Rich & Good has implemented a one-item-per-customer purchase policy. Even so, yesterday, on Jewel’s official opening day, Rich & Good’s cakes were sold out at 1pm.

“We are trying our best to cope with the demand [at Jewel], as our cake supply is split between our shops at Kandahar Street and Jewel. We’d bake more cakes, but we have limited capacity to do so as the cakes are all made by hand,” explained their social media manager, Jerelyn Foo. So if you really want a Kaya Roll, try and get there in the morning (they open at 9am). They’re usually out of stock by noon.

Open 9am-11pm daily.

Waiting time: Approximately 15 minutes

It’s extremely popular in its native Malaysia, so we aren’t surprised that Lavender Bakery’s first Singapore outlet is also thronged with people. At dinnertime, most of the buns and packaged sliced bread were sold out (as well as their boxed Pandan Chiffon Cake), and there was a long line at the cashier. So go early. And prepare to jostle with aunties elbowing you out of their way to grab the choicest buns — our colleague had her shoes stomped on by one who then loudly exclaimed: “Aiyoh! Sorry! Sorry!”.

Open 10am-10pm daily.

Waiting time: Approximately 1 hour

The famous Taiwanese bubble tea chain finally opens in Singapore at Jewel, and you’ll need to wait at least an hour just to sip its drinks. The staff at the takeaway kiosk, located in a corner of Jewel’s basement food hall, looked extremely harassed as they rushed out orders. “You need to wait about 35 minutes [for your drink] after your order,” the cashier girl informed us. And that’s not counting waiting in line to order; there were at least 20 people in the queue we saw. Yikes. It’s open round-the-clock, so you can try dropping by late at night, when the crowd is thinner.

Open 24 hours daily.

Waiting time during peak meal hours: 45 minutes to 1 hour

This Latin-American restaurant opened by chef Daniel Chavez behind Peruvian ceviche specialist Tono at Duo Galleria and Spanish eatery Ola Cocina del Mar at Marina Bay Financial Centre is one of the more popular restaurants at Jewel. The vibe there is snazzy, lively and inviting, the view of the Rain Vortex great, and the food pretty tasty: order the yummy Beef Taco Mexicanos ($18).

Open 10am-10pm daily.

Waiting time: 10 to 15 minutes

We waited for about 15 minutes in line to order our drinks at this elegant duplex Starbucks, even though there were two cashier points. The staff were efficient enough; the delay stemmed from indecisive customers agonising over their frappe orders. In other words, it’s just like being at any Starbucks outlet in Singapore.

Open daily 10am-10pm.

Waiting time during peak meal hours:15 to 30 minutes

Despite there being a usually empty Kam’s Roast outlet At Pacific Plaza, we’ve witnessed constant short lines outside its Jewel branch the few times we’ve walked by during dinner hours. Moreover, the Kam’s staff told us there was a 30 minutes to one hour queue for a table at dinnertime on the last preview day (on opening day, we heard it was 15 minutes to half an hour. Pro tip: Tapow some of the preserved pork and goose liver lap cheong home — they’re made in Singapore according to the Hong Kong HQ’s recipe and are delish. Simply slice and fry till slightly crisp to snack on its own, cook with claypot rice, or in a mod pasta dish).

Open daily 10am-10pm.

Waiting time during peak meal hours: 15 to 30 minutes

This new-to-Singapore Yunnan cuisine restaurant caused a mini stir with its heavily-marketed black feet chicken soup brewed purely via condensation in a pressure cooker. The eatery is the largest Yunnan cuisine restaurant chain in China. Expect to wait 15 to 30 minutes during lunch and dinnertime, at least for this week.

Open 10am-10pm daily.

Waiting time: Zero to approximately 15 minutes

The queue situation at popular ice cream parlour Birds of Paradise, which shares a shop space with local fashion label In Good Company, is rather random. On two different night during the preview week, we saw a snaking queue, but no queue at around the same time just a few days later. It’s also less crowded during lunchtime and dinnertime, when people are not hankering for dessert, so we say go around those timings if you want a cone. Avoid anytime from 9pm or you run the risk of being left to choose from the duller flavours (one evening at 9.15pm, there were only two flavours left: the mango sorbet and hazelnut.

Open noon-11pm daily.

Waiting time during peak meal hours: None

All is calm at Shangri-La Group’s first non-hotel, fine-casual eatery Shang Social, which, with 220 seats, has ample space to fit a large crowd. The three-in-one concept boasts a casual MRKT eatery, a well-stocked BAR island, and the classy and more upscale DINING rooms. Pop by DINING if you want a more elegant meal (order the Saliva Chicken and Housemade Savoury Tofu) or whack a casual bowl of noodles at MRKT. Make a beeline for this restaurant if you want some ambience and personal space.

Open daily 9am-11pm.

Waiting time during peak meal hours: Approximately 10 to 30 minutes

Husband-and-wife restaurateurs Howard Lo and Hui Nan have opened another branch of their hip Japanese-American restaurant-bar Tanuki Raw at Jewel (there’s also an outlet at Changi Airport Terminal 3’s transit lounge). Says Howard of the queue situation at his Jewel joint: “During the public previews at dinnertime, we had a queue of maybe 20 minutes or less. Today, on Jewel Changi Airport's second official day of opening, the wait is about half an hour for a seat.”

Open daily 9am-3am.

Waiting time: Zero to 30 minutes

This is not a queue for Starbucks, despite the coffee chain’s storefront in the background. It’s the line for fellow American import and crepe cake specialist Lady M, whose open-concept seats are right in front of Starbucks. A Lady M staff told us that the wait is “30 minutes for a table, 20 minutes for takeaway”. But when we walked by twice, once during a preview and another time on opening day before noon, there was no line at all.

Open daily 10am-10pm.

Waiting time during peak meal hours: 10 to 15 minutes

Whether you wait or not at dim sum chain Tim Ho Wan, which boasts a one Michelin star in Hong Kong and nine outlets in Singapore, is a matter of luck. During our few visits last week, we saw a short queue with a waiting time of around 10 minutes, but there was no queue on opening day yesterday.

Open 10am-10pm daily.

Waiting time during peak meal hours: Approximately 15 minutes

The Norwegian salmon specialist offers an atas fast food-style concept at its first Singapore restaurant: you queue up to order food and pay upfront, but your order is served tableside by the staff hollering your name around the open-concept seating area. There were about 10 people waiting in line to order food when we were there, but once you have paid up, you get to sit and chill while waiting for your meal (which takes around five minutes to be served). After you have secured a free-seating table, that is.

Open daily 10am-10pm.

Waiting time: Approximately 10 minutes

If you have waited at a busy Koi outlet elsewhere in Singapore before, the situation at its first 24-hour outlet at Jewel is pretty much the same. But you can at least rest your derriere on one of their dine-in seats at this more atas cafe-style concept, while you wait.

Open 24 hours daily.

Waiting time during peak meal hours: Zero to 10 minutes

The Peranakan food doyenne has an ultra-glam, cavernous restaurant within Jewel, with a short queue who appeared to be waiting for a staff member to bring them to their tables, rather than waiting for one on one occasion when we walked by. On another visit, we saw the dining room filled but no queue outside the restaurant.

Open daily 9am-11pm.

Waiting time during peak meal hours: None

Although we saw that the cafe was full-house at around 5pm on a preview day, there was no queue, and the table turnover rate appears to be relatively fast. 

Open 10am-10pm daily.

Waiting time: None

This restaurant-cafe by the Japan Railways company looked fairly busy when we peeked in last week, although you don’t have to wait for a table.

Open daily 9am-11pm.

Waiting time: None

Local shoe brand Pazzion’s French-chic cafe looks pretty cool, though it wasn’t terribly packed when we dropped by.

Open 10am-10pm daily.

Waiting time: Approximately 10 minutes

The casual kopi-and-kaya toast chain had a long queue for ordering at the cashier during teatime, though it moved fast.

Open daily 10am-10pm.

Waiting time: None

The Japanese confectionery’s first dine-in cafe had quite a few empty tables just past 5pm.

Open daily 10am-10pm.

Waiting time: Zero to 30 minutes

We saw no line at around 5.15pm once, while our colleague also spied the same on a separate occasion around 6pm. But the shop staff told us the wait for a table around lunchtime and dinnertime on, ahem, other days, could go up to 30 minutes. There are a few cushioned chairs placed at the restaurant’s entrance for you to sit in comfort and ogle at their live seafood in tanks while you wait.

Open 10am-10pm daily.

Waiting time: None

This restaurant serving Indonesian food looks pretty swish, with a view of the Rain Vortex waterfall. But it was pretty quiet when we walked by once, and reasonably filled but with no queue on another visit. Maybe everyone is at Shake Shack and A&W.

Open 10am-10pm daily.

Waiting time: None

This Hawaiian-Japanese brunch restaurant opens a second Singapore outlet at Jewel with a breezy beach theme. Though the eatery within is comfortably filled with patrons, there’s no queue here. It’s one of the more spacious eateries at Jewel that doesn’t force you to be crammed shoulder-to-shoulder with your seat neighbours, so drop by if you want some fresh air.

Open 10am-10pm daily.

Waiting time: None

Empty tables, empty tables everywhere. Why go all the way to Changi Airport to eat at a restaurant located in most heartland malls, you may ask. And there’s your answer, perhaps.  

Open daily 10am-10pm.

Waiting time during peak meal hours: 10 to 20 minutes

Despite having an outlet in most of the major malls in Singapore, xiao long bao chain Din Tai Fung has seemingly insatiable fans. We saw a line lingering outside the eatery (which is par for the course for most of its restaurants islandwide). But oddly enough, there were quite a few empty tables inside. The queue is controlled by a numbering system (similar to a clinic’s), and your designated number is flashed once it’s your turn.

Open 10am-10pm daily.

Waiting time during peak meal hours: 10 to 15 minutes

“Eh, got Jinjja Chicken!!” squealed a teenage girl beside us as we squeezed through Jewel’s basement like overcrowded salmon going upstream. Kinda explains why this Korean fried chicken chain with two outlets in Singapore, has a queue to order. “The queue to order is 10 to 15 mins. The wait for a table is the headache,” a harried-looking Jinjja staff told us, who added that the waiting time for a table “depends on when the customers are done with their tables”. Er, okay.

Open 10am-10pm.

Waiting time during peak meal hours: 10 to 15 minutes

At peak meal hours, there was a 15-minute wait for bak kut teh at Song Fa. There was also a staff member at a pushcart outside the restaurant serving sample cups of the restaurant’s house brand of Chinese tea, so at least you get some kind of refreshment while you’re waiting.

Open 8am-midnight daily.

Waiting time during peak meal hours: Approximately 15 minutes

The popular Hainanese chicken rice shop from Serangoon Gardens has a larger fancier outlet at Jewel, filled with what appears to be everyone’s parents (their kids are probably queuing up at A&W next door). The aroma of chicken rice, which wafts over to the A&W scrum, is mighty tempting, though.

Open 6am-midnight daily.

Waiting time: None

How the tides have turned for one Michelin-starred Tokyo ramen joint Tsuta. It opened its first outlet at the Orchard Road area and spawned a two to three hour-long queue back in 2017. But at Jewel, there was no wait at all.

Open 10am-10pm daily.

Waiting time: None

If you crave something familiar, ubiquitous and don’t want to queue… maybe try Sushi Tei.

Open daily 10am-10pm.

Waiting time: Approximately 15 minutes

Surprise, surprise. Subway has a queue. We reckon it’s ’cos customers have to make so many choices just to buy a sandwich.

Open 10am-10pm daily.

Waiting time: At least one hour

Okay, this is not food-related, but the daily queue during the preview week for Pokémon merch at the Pokémon Centre beside Cafe Morozoff was cray; at least an hour’s wait with a line that stretches numerous shop units down, though the queue is well-corralled by uniformed staff with Pikachu picket signs. Maybe now that the shop is open to everyone, you can just squeeze in without having to wait.

Open 10am-10pm daily.

PHOTOS: YIP JIEYING & ALVIN TEO