Lad & Dad, Tanjong Pagar: The Hawker-Born British Gastropub for Haddock

Lad & Dad is a British gastropub at 7 Tanjong Pagar Plaza #01-108, Singapore 081007, tucked under an HDB block about five minutes on foot from Tanjong Pagar MRT. Its signature haddock fish and chips was S$21.90+ for the regular and S$32.90+ for the large in Eatbook's October 2026 guide. There are no reservations, so arrive early at dinner.

The name is literal. Vulcan Post reported in 2017 that Keith Koh, then 27, started the business in August 2015 with his father, using about S$20,000 in capital, at a stall in Serangoon Garden Food Centre. In 2017 the stall moved to Maxwell Food Centre, stall 79, where a bacon and chip butty cost S$4, and that year the pair catered Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's Chinese New Year garden party.

The hawker stall eventually became the stand-alone pub at Tanjong Pagar Plaza, which Time Out now lists as the flagship. The group has grown around it: Eatbook's October 2026 guide mentions sister restaurant Lad & Co. at 56 Tanglin Road #B1-02, and EatDrinkKL reported a Lad & Dad outlet opening at Wisma Cosway in Kuala Lumpur in 2025. The operator is The Lad Collective Pte Ltd.

It is easy to walk past. The pub sits beside Block 8, with green awnings on the Craig Road side, and a food blogger in 2022 warned that it is easy to miss. Look for the shamrock-green shopfront and the hand-painted black and gold signboard that Time Out describes, then the rustic wooden furniture and the simple al fresco seating on the walkway outside.

Time Out's September 2026 list of the city's best fish and chips calls it a humble fish and chips joint under an HDB block, and that is the right expectation. This is not a polished Boat Quay pub with brass fittings. It is a small room with a short menu of four mains and seven sides, where the fish is the reason most people come and the craft beer list is the reason they stay.

The signature dish is beer-battered Norwegian haddock, and Eatbook's October 2026 guide lists it at S$21.90+ for a regular and S$32.90+ for a large, with the plus meaning taxes are added. You choose thin battered chips or the original thick chips, then pick two of three sauces: mushy peas, tartar or curry sauce. Order thick chips with mushy peas and curry sauce for the most British plate.

Not everyone loves the batter. A May 2025 Burpple reviewer felt it was thick enough to hide the fish, and a Lemon8 reviewer in April 2025 found the plate a bit too greasy. If you prefer a lighter crust, ask for thin battered chips and share a portion between two with a side. Another Burpple reviewer summed it up as decent but not really memorable, which is fair on an off night.

The sides carry most of the gastropub character. Burpple dine-in reviews from February 2026 list a Scotch egg with pork sausage, a pickled soft yolk and purple slaw at S$11.90, pigs in blankets with bacon and a maple glaze at S$13.90, and onion rings at S$7.90. One Scotch egg and one plate of pigs in blankets between two is enough before the fish.

Time Out's September 2026 review says the pub keeps a solid list of craft beers and recommends a pint of Pilsner Urquell with the fish. The delivery menu on its Oddle store adds bangers and mash with beef and ale gravy at S$22.40 and scampi made from beer-battered tiger prawns at S$23.60, though delivery prices run higher than dine-in.

Lad & Dad keeps a strict no-reservations policy, according to Time Out's listing, and in its earlier review the magazine reported waits of about 45 minutes at the weekend dinner peak, with fans queuing most evenings. The workable approach is to come early on a weeknight rather than at the weekend peak, and to know your order before you reach the front of the line.

If the wait runs past half an hour, the plan B is a few steps away. Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market & Food Centre, the two-storey hawker centre at 6 Tanjong Pagar Plaza, sits on the same estate and appears on the government cleaning schedule for September 2026, so it is operating. Eat there, then come back for a pint and a Scotch egg once the queue has gone.

Vulcan Post wrote that British expatriates vouched for the cooking back in the hawker days, and Time Out still describes fans queuing most evenings. A 2022 blog post noted the menu then had no service charge and GST included, but the current Eatbook prices carry a plus sign, so expect taxes to be added to the bill.

Eatbook's October 2026 guide notes the restaurant is not halal-certified, which matters for many diners in Singapore, and pork appears across the sides, from the Scotch egg to the pigs in blankets. Vegetarians have little beyond chips, onion rings and peas.

Maxwell Food Centre at 1 Kadayanallur Street, where the stall made its name in 2017, is a short walk away and makes a good pairing for a hawker-to-pub evening. Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice at stalls #01-10 and #01-11 holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand and opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 8pm, so it works as an early stop if you plan a late fish supper.

Tanjong Pagar MRT is about five minutes from the pub on foot. Coming from the station, aim for Block 8 of Tanjong Pagar Plaza and the Craig Road side of the estate, where the green awnings are. A Lemon8 reviewer in December 2025 timed the same walk at about five minutes, so it is an easy after-work stop for anyone on the East-West line.

Address: Lad & Dad, 7 Tanjong Pagar Plaza #01-108, Singapore 081007. Instagram @ladanddad.sg. Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar, about five minutes on foot. Reservations: not accepted, walk-in only. Not halal-certified. Prices on the menu carry a plus sign, so taxes are added at the end.

Who it suits: fish and chips fans, British expats missing home, and anyone happy to queue for a pint and a Scotch egg. Who it does not suit: groups wanting a guaranteed table, halal diners and people who dislike a heavy batter. Prices above come from Eatbook's October 2026 guide and February 2026 Burpple reviews. Ask the Karpo APP for another Tanjong Pagar dinner if the queue is long.