About Dabao Singapore

Founded by Singaporean chef Emily Lim, a James Beard nominee and Food Network alum, Dabao is rooted in nostalgia, bold flavors, and the joy of sharing. Whether we’re hand-delivering meals to homes, offices, and weddings or just delivering on the flavor and feeling of a true hawker center our goal stays the same: Singaporean food that hits the spot, every single time.

A woman wearing a face mask and glasses cooking tomato sauce in a skillet on a stove in a home kitchen. The photo is in a Polaroid style with the caption 'where it all started' written below.

From Home Kitchen to San Fransisco Staple

A photo of an open meal kit box containing shrimp, half a boiled egg, potato chips, and fried chicken pieces. The photo is tilted and overlaid with text that says 'the beginning of our meal kits.'

Inception Amid the Pandemic

2021–2023

A woman wearing glasses and a yellow cap stands behind a table with various small food dishes and sauces, smiling at the camera at a large social event.

2020

  • Founded during COVID‑19: Emily Lim launched Dabao Singapore when she and her industry peers lost their jobs due to pandemic-related shutdowns. She started from her apartment, initially paying collaborators “under the table,” and only formalized the business by May 2020

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  • Initial concept: It began as meal‑kit deliveries of Singaporean street‑food classics—like curry puffs, laksa, Hainanese chicken rice, and chili crab with garlic noodles—to fill a void in the Bay Area’s culinary scene

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Rising Recognition & Community Engagement

The pop‑up grew its reputation through Bay Area delivery, catering and rotating menus. Although not every specific milestone each year is documented online, Dabao built momentum by spotlighting authentic Singaporean flavors and building a following in the local community.

2024

James Beard Nomination & Permanent Plans

April 2024: Emily Lim was named a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Emerging Chef category, marking Dabao's increasing national recognition

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She began scouting spaces for a permanent location, aiming to recreate a true hawker‑stall experience in the Bay Area

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A woman wearing glasses and a gray Daba Singapore T-shirt stands behind a tray of twenty-four fried snacks, likely pasties, in a street food stall with a yellow sign in Singapore.

Fall 2024

Brick & Mortar Debuts

  • October 2024: Dabao Singapore opened its first permanent location inside the Metreon food court in downtown San Francisco’s Yerba Buena district

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  • Nov 14, 2024: The opening was formally marked by a grand opening event

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  • End of November 2024: Additional coverage detailed the menu and ambiance—serving laksa, curry puffs, Hainanese chicken rice, and more in a hawker‑style setting; a six‑hour rempah base with 21 ingredients noted as a standout

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  • Meal kits and catering continued, alongside the new stall operations

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Group of six people standing in front of a DABAO Singapore sign at a restaurant. They are smiling, some giving thumbs up. Two women, four men, all dressed casually in T-shirts and pants. The sign advertises Singaporean food delivery and private events.

2025

Continuation & Growing Presence

As of early 2025, Dabao Singapore continues operating at the Metreon, offering lunch (and post-Grand Opening, expanding into dinner) with staple dishes and aspirations to expand further. The meal kit delivery and catering services are still active as well

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A digital illustration showing two laptops with a peach-colored background. The top laptop displays a webpage with information about a location in San Francisco, while the bottom laptop shows a webpage for a Singaporean restaurant called DABAO Japanese. An orange arrow points from the top to the bottom laptop. The image has the text "new website" handwritten at the bottom.

Winter 2026

A New Digital Home

After five great years on our first site, we’re excited to welcome you to our brand new digital home. It’s faster, easier to navigate, and built with more features to better serve you - our growing community of hawker food lovers.

Soon, we’ll be rolling out our blog Hawker Stories, where Emily will share kitchen adventures, behind-the-scenes moments, and reflections on the flavors and culture that fuel everything we do.