Wakuda Singapore: Sushi, Sake, and a Polished Japanese Night at Marina Bay Sands
There are some Japanese restaurants in Singapore that feel like they are built for a quiet craving.
Then there are restaurants like Wakuda Singapore, where the whole experience feels a little more dressed up from the moment you step in.
Located at Marina Bay Sands, Wakuda is a Japanese restaurant and sake bar by Chef Tetsuya Wakuda, a name that already carries a certain weight in the dining world. The restaurant brings together sushi, sashimi, grilled dishes, cocktails, sake, and a more polished Japanese dining atmosphere, which makes it feel less like a casual sushi stop and more like a proper evening plan. Marina Bay Sands lists Wakuda as a sushi restaurant and sake bar, with lunch, dinner, dessert, wine, sake, cocktail, bar bites, and sushi experience menus available.
And honestly, that is probably the best way to understand Wakuda.
This is not the place I would think of for a quick salmon roll before rushing somewhere else. Wakuda is more of a “let’s sit down properly” kind of restaurant. The kind where you order a drink, look through the menu slowly, and let the night become a little more special than planned.
The Vibe
Wakuda feels sleek, confident, and very Marina Bay Sands.
It has that polished restaurant energy where everything feels intentional, from the lighting to the drinks list to the way the menu moves between sushi, seafood, grilled items, and more modern Japanese plates. It does not feel like a tiny hidden sushi counter, and it is not trying to be one. Instead, Wakuda leans into the mood of a stylish Japanese restaurant and bar, which makes it especially good for date nights, business dinners, and celebrations.
There is also a slightly glamorous feel to the place. Not too stiff, but definitely elevated. The restaurant has a smart casual dress code, and while I haven’t experienced this personally, Marina Bay Sands notes that guests may be declined entry if they are not dressed according to the guidelines.
So yes, this is one of those sushi dinners where I would not show up in slippers and hope for the best.
The Food
The menu at Wakuda is quite wide, which is both exciting and a little dangerous if you are hungry.
You can go the sushi and sashimi route, but there are also appetisers, maki, temaki, nigiri, yakimono, noodles, rice dishes, and chef’s menus. The official Wakuda Singapore menu includes items like Spicy Salmon Crispy Rice, WAKUDA Yuba with Hokkaido sea urchin, sashimi platter, sushi platter, assorted nigiri, grilled Ōra King salmon, Patagonian toothfish, wagyu, chirashi, and more.
For sushi lovers, the nigiri selection is where my eyes would naturally go first.
There is akami, hiramasa, Ōra King salmon, hirame, madai, anago, hotate, chutoro, botan ebi, otoro, and uni. That already gives the meal a nice range, from clean and delicate to rich and luxurious.
I like that Wakuda does not only rely on the usual safe sushi choices. You can keep things simple with salmon and tuna, but you can also move into scallop, eel, botan shrimp, fatty tuna, sea urchin, and wagyu if you want the meal to feel more indulgent.
The Sushi Experience
If you are going to Wakuda mainly for sushi, the Sushi Experience is probably the most interesting part of the restaurant.
When I first browsed the site, Marina Bay Sands states that Wakuda offers an intimate omakase-style sushi experience in the Omakase Room, available daily from 5pm to 8.30pm, with options including Sushi Experience at S$128, Premium Sushi Omakase at S$198, and Premium Sushi Omakase with sake and wine pairing at S$328. Prices are before service charge and GST.
That makes Wakuda a little flexible depending on what kind of night you want.
You could come for the full omakase mood, or you could sit in the main restaurant and order à la carte sushi, maki, sashimi, grilled dishes, and drinks. I like that because not every sushi dinner needs to be one fixed path. Sometimes I want the chef to decide everything. Sometimes I just want a few good pieces of nigiri, a maki roll, and something grilled on the side.
Wakuda gives you room for both moods.
The Sake Bar Side
One thing that makes Wakuda feel different from a standard sushi restaurant is the sake and bar element.
This is not just sushi plus green tea. The drinks menu is part of the experience, with sake, wine, cocktails, and bar bites listed as separate menus on the Marina Bay Sands page.
That changes the rhythm of the meal. A sushi dinner here can easily turn into a longer evening, especially if you are pairing sashimi, crispy rice, maki, and grilled dishes with sake or cocktails.
I think Wakuda works best when you treat it as a full night out rather than just a meal. Order slowly. Share a few things. Let the drinks become part of the experience. It feels designed for that.
What I Would Order
For a first visit, I would probably start with something light and seafood-focused.
The sashimi platter or sushi platter would be an easy way to understand the kitchen without overthinking too much. From there, I would add a few nigiri pieces like hotate, chutoro, botan ebi, and maybe uni if the mood is generous.
The Spicy Salmon Crispy Rice also sounds like one of those fun, modern Japanese bites that would work well with drinks, while the WAKUDA Temaki with uni, botan ebi, and caviar is clearly the more luxurious option if you want something dramatic.
If you are dining with someone who does not want only raw fish, the grilled section helps a lot. The menu includes dishes like grilled Ōra King salmon, classic Saikyo yaki Patagonian toothfish, grilled A5 Kagoshima wagyu sukiyaki, and charcoal grilled Ohmi wagyu.
That is probably one of Wakuda’s strengths. It can satisfy the sushi person and the “I need something warm and grilled” person at the same table.
What Really Works
Wakuda works because it feels polished without being only about luxury for luxury’s sake.
There is enough sushi seriousness for people who care about fish quality, but the restaurant also has a social, bar-friendly side that makes it easier to enjoy with friends or a date. It is not so rigid that you feel trapped in a formal tasting menu, unless you specifically choose the sushi experience.
The location also helps. Marina Bay Sands is already a place people go when they want dinner to feel a little special, so Wakuda fits naturally into that mood.
What to Keep in Mind
Wakuda is not the place I would recommend if you are looking for a casual, value-for-money sushi fix.
This is Marina Bay Sands dining, and the menu reflects that. Some items are very approachable for the setting, but the premium pieces, omakase menus, sake pairings, wagyu, uni, and caviar dishes can quickly turn the meal into a splurge.
It is also not the same as a tiny neighbourhood sushi-ya where the whole charm is intimacy and simplicity. Wakuda is bigger, glossier, and more restaurant-bar in spirit. If you want quiet, minimal sushi with almost no distractions, you may prefer a smaller counter elsewhere.
Who Should Go
Go to Wakuda if you want:
- A polished Japanese restaurant at Marina Bay Sands
- Sushi, sashimi, grilled dishes, and drinks in one place
- A date night or celebration restaurant
- An omakase-style sushi experience without leaving MBS
- A sake and cocktail-friendly Japanese dinner
- Something more elevated than casual mall sushi
I would especially recommend it for people who like sushi but also want atmosphere. Wakuda is not just about what arrives on the plate. It is also about the room, the drinks, the pacing, and the feeling that dinner has become an event.
Final Thoughts
Wakuda Singapore is the kind of sushi restaurant I would save for a night when I want Japanese food to feel a little more special. Something close but not quite with Yuta, one of the premium reviews I’ve done last year.
It is polished, stylish, and flexible enough for different kinds of diners. You can go for sushi and sashimi, build your own à la carte meal, sit down for the Sushi Experience, or make it a drinks-and-bites evening with sake and cocktails.
Would I go here for a quick sushi craving? Probably not.
Would I go here for a proper Japanese dinner at Marina Bay Sands, especially with someone who appreciates sushi, sake, and a more elevated atmosphere? Yes, absolutely.
Sometimes sushi is quiet and simple. Sometimes it is glossy, elegant, and paired with a beautiful drink.
Wakuda is definitely the second kind.
Practical Information
Restaurant: Wakuda Singapore
Location: Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
Cuisine: Japanese, sushi, sashimi, sake bar, omakase, modern Japanese
Best for: Date nights, celebrations, business dinners, sake nights, polished Japanese dining
Chef: Tetsuya Wakuda
Dress code: Smart casual
Reservations: Available through Marina Bay Sands
Omakase Room: Sushi Experience available daily from 5pm to 8.30pm
Omakase pricing: Sushi Experience from S$128, Premium Sushi Omakase from S$198, Premium Sushi Omakase with sake and wine pairing from S$328, before service charge and GST. (Marina Bay Sands)
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