Satay by the Bay serves its last plates on 30 September 2026. Gardens by the Bay posted the closure on 1 September: the 1,000-seat open-air food court on the Waterfront Promenade shuts from 1 October so the site can be cleared for Wetlands by the Bay. The operator's Instagram note on 28 August asked regulars to come for one last feast. If you still want satay with a reservoir breeze, you have until Wednesday night.
The official Gardens page still lists weekday food hours as 11.30am to 10pm, with the drink stall from 9am to 10.30pm. Weekends run 9am to 10.30pm. Phone is +65 6538 9956. The nearest stations are Gardens by the Bay on the Thomson-East Coast Line and Bayfront on the Circle and Downtown lines. Walk along the promenade. Cyclists already cannot use that stretch because of the Bay South to Bay East bridge works that started 4 May, so plan the last meal on foot.
Why a 13-year food court is coming down now
Satay by the Bay opened in 2013 as the latest chapter of Satay Club, which started off Beach Road in the late 1940s, moved to the Esplanade foreshore in 1971, then left in the mid-1990s when the theatres and Nicoll Highway extension took the land. The Gardens version kept the open-air tables and charcoal smell, plus chilli crab, BBQ stingray, chicken wings and the usual kopitiam drinks. Lianhe Zaobao reported that the operator's lease runs to December 2026, but the site has to be reinstated before handover, so stalls were told their subleases end in September. That is why service stops on 30 September instead of waiting for the lease date.
Minister of State for National Development Alvin Tan told Parliament on 4 March 2026 that Wetlands by the Bay will open in stages from end-2028. It absorbs Kingfisher Wetlands plus the food court, a car park and a nursery, and will cover about 5 hectares, three times the current Kingfisher plot. Construction is due to start in the first quarter of 2027. Jason Yeo, general manager of master planning at Gardens by the Bay, told The Straits Times the first piece to reopen will be a two-storey dining block in 2028. Zaobao added that the ground floor will keep cheaper meals while the upper floor adds casual dining, with total seats roughly matching today's 1,000. Yahoo Life Singapore also flagged a future teamLab museum and a pedal-kayak route as part of the same wetlands plan. Those are 2028 stories. September is about eating here before the tables go.
Where to eat in the Gardens after 1 October
Gardens by the Bay is pointing visitors to the rest of its F&B list. Jurassic Nest Food Hall at Supertree Grove is the closest substitute if you want hawker-priced plates without leaving Bay South. The food hall runs 11am to 9pm, last order 8.30pm, with the cafe from 9am to 9pm. Hawker Chan's soya sauce chicken sits there, along with Bismillah Biryani, Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang, Tsuta ramen and Took Lae Dee Thai. It is air-conditioned, which Satay never was.
Inside Flower Dome, Hortus serves Mediterranean plates. Official hours are Monday to Friday 11.30am to 10pm and Saturday to Sunday 11am to 10pm, though Hortus is closed for maintenance on Monday 21 September. Marguerite, also in the Flower Dome precinct, keeps lunch Thursday to Sunday 12pm to 3pm and dinner Wednesday to Sunday 6pm to 10.30pm. Conservatory Cafe is takeaway only, 9am to 9pm. Douraku Sushi, Hopscotch, Janice Wong at Supertree Observatory and Finnwood in the Children's Garden stay open on their usual days. None of them replace a 1,000-seat waterfront food court. They do mean you can still eat on site after the satay stalls pack up.
Go now if the point of the meal is the promenade itself. The render of Wetlands by the Bay looks lush, with kayaks on a new waterway and the three hotel towers behind the Supertrees. It is also two years away. Between 1 October 2026 and that first dining block, this corner of the waterfront is a worksite.
Practical Details
- Dates: Last day of service Wednesday 30 September 2026. Closed from Thursday 1 October 2026.
- Time: Weekdays, food 11.30am to 10pm, drinks 9am to 10.30pm. Weekends 9am to 10.30pm.
- Venue: Satay by the Bay, Waterfront Promenade, Gardens by the Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Drive, Singapore 018953
- Nearest MRT: Gardens by the Bay TE22 or Bayfront CE1/DT16
- Price: Hawker range, typically about S$5 to S$15 per dish. Cash and e-payments at stalls.
- Website: Gardens by the Bay, Satay by the Bay