XW Western Grill - Raffles City — Restaurant in Singapore

I had dinner at XW Western Grill in Suntec City with my wife before heading off to meet friends at synthesis at suntec City mall.

We were hoping the 4.6‑star Google rating would reflect our experience, but unfortunately things didn’t live up to expectations.

We strolled in on a Saturday around 4:30 pm, only to find the restaurant nearly empty.

It took around 10 minutes before we were seated—and I only spotted one staff member seating guests and perhaps another serving mains.

Not exactly the lively welcome one would hope for.

Our first red flag was the free-flow salad bar, which was mostly empty when we arrived. It took 15–20 minutes for it to be restocked.

We decided to order steak and fish & chips. The steak was reasonable, nothing special but serviceable. The fish & chips, however, fell below average.

As dinner hour approached and the place filled up, the strain on staff became evident. I asked for salt and pepper for my steak—they never came.

I’m not even sure they understood the request, but regardless, nothing ever appeared.

Reading through online reviews, it seems we weren’t the only ones who’ve observed that staff are often over‑stretched and short‑handed .

Summary:

Ambience & Service: Quiet early, slow seating, and clearly understaffed during peak hours.

Food: Steak is decent, fish & chips disappoints, and salad bar was initially underfilled.

Value: Good for budget diners who want cheap mains and salad bar access.

If you're okay with basic Western fare and want the salad bar experience on a tight budget, this might suit you.

Otherwise, for better quality and service, I'd recommend places like Aston’s Steak & Salad, which offers a more reliable menu, friendlier service, and a richer salad...

Updated review and photos. From 4* to 1*. Last time was good so Intro friends. Now must text them not to come. Now salad bar is self service. The spread halved. Half also ok, since they did not increase price. But ALL fried food, including the fries on our paid dish was not fresh / crispy. I squeeze the onion ring in friend of the waiter, the onion ring remain unbroken. Posted a pic of all the inedible food.

The main fish, friend and my chicken chop, both were badly charred. The mini sausages were tasteless. Did not finish the food although we are hungry.

Chesse macaroni, no sight of cheese and food was harden.

Edible and nice stuff, bean sprouts, greens.

Such a poor experience. Service was ok. But the core product of a restaurant is food and it is lousy.

The main dish, which we ordered was some chicken chop. Skin nicely grilled but the meat was under seasoned.

But the chicken chop was under $15 each. Comes along with unlimited sides. I find that this is a deal. Just had the craving to try more sides

It was fun pressing the iPad to select the unlimited side dishes. Side dishes were a bit of hit and misses. For eg first pumpkin fries order was not that hot but still delicious. Second order was made to perfection. Crispy and hot. Other order some burned and overly coated, same dish came well done.

The mash potato was very good. Fragrant milky and soft. Had 3 orders. The bean sprouts were good too. Pasta related stuff were averaged. Onion rings good, fries average. Sautéed mushroom was good too. Can arrange ur fav sides to form a complete main dish.

Service was friendly, attentive and fast. Not like the reviews I read. Crowd was average. Perhaps like 6-8...

After some shopping, my dad, brother, and I stopped by XW Western Grill at Raffles City. With limited halal options available, we decided to give it a go. Upon entering, we were pleasantly surprised to find a buffet-style salad bar with fresh salads and fried finger bites. A staff member explained that ordering a main gives you unlimited access to the side bar—a thoughtful addition.

Our food arrived quickly, within about 10 minutes. I ordered the Aburi Truffle Chicken Chop promotion for $14.90. The chicken was tender, and the shoestring fries were as expected. The salad bar had a decent selection of sauces, but I was a bit concerned about its location near the entrance, as it’s left open to the atmosphere. Covering it could help retain freshness, especially during less busy hours. My brother enjoyed his BBQ burger, but my dad was disappointed with his steak. Although he ordered it medium rare, it came closer to medium or well done, missing the mark on doneness.

We added a mushroom soup and iced lemon tea set for $5.50 each, which was average, on par with other places. It would be nice to see more drink options included, particularly non-sugary choices for those of us watching our sugar intake.

The total came to around $80+, which felt reasonable given the experience. The all-you-can-eat sides are the real highlight, offering good value. Overall, it’s a halal-friendly spot with prompt service and friendly staff who could use a touch more polish. With a few tweaks to the steak and beef options, and some attention to the salad bar setup, it could be...