Singapore is a food paradise, and one of the best ways to enjoy its fantastic cuisine is to eat like a local. If you’re looking to save money and eat like a local, hawker centre are the way to go.
But what is hawker centre?
An open-air facility known as a hawker centre, also known as a prepared food centre, is frequently found in Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. They have a large number of stalls that sell various types of inexpensive meals and are constructed to offer a more sanitary alternative to mobile hawker carts. They offer inexpensive, delicious food that is often cooked to order.
There are over 100 hawker centres in Singapore, each with a variety of stalls offering different dishes. While some hawker centres are more touristy than others, they all offer great food at reasonable prices.
Trip to one of Singapore’s Hawker Centre?
If you’re planning to start your culinary adventure, here’s a list of the best food hawker centres in Singapore. The food here is generally of very good quality and is budget-friendly.
Old Airport Road Food Centre
| Address | 51 Old Airport Rd, Singapore 390051 |
Old Airport Road Cuisine Centre, constructed on the runway of Singapore’s former Kallang airport, is a favorite hawker centres for locals to satisfy their cravings for affordable, delectable hawker food. However, in recent years, tourists have also begun to discover this hidden gem.
On the first level, there are more than 150 stalls to pick from, and on the second level, there are additional specialty stores. Nam Sing Fried Hokkien Mee, Xin Mei Xiang Lor Mee, and Dong Ji Fried Kway Teow are popular choices that frequently have long lines. Please do your research before you go because each stand has its own set of operating hours.
Some of the top soy beancurd vendors, including 51 Soya Beancurd and Lao Ban Soya Beancurd, are located in the food court. These two stores always have long lines in front of them. The price of a bowl of beancurd in Singapore is S$1.50 for the original flavor and S$2.00 for the almond flavor.
Image Google
Popular stalls in Old Airport Road Food Centre:
- Nam Sing Hokkien Mee
- Freshly Made Chee Cheong Fun
- Roast Paradise
- Toast Hut
Can’t go wrong dining here. Lots of good food, but be prepared to queue especially during peak dining hours. With so much choices, it would be hard for you to decide what to eat! Prices is still reasonable for most of the stalls. – Tom C
Maxwell Food Centre
| Address | 335 Smith Street #02-126 Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre, Singapore 050335 |
All around Singapore, Maxwell Road Hawker Centre is known as a place to find excellent food.
Due to its incredible, authentic local food selection and affordable rates, this food court has been highlighted on numerous media stations.
The Hainanese Chicken Rice at Tian Tian Chicken Rice, currently a Michelin Bib-Gourmand recipient and a must-try dish at this hawker centre, attracted attention due to visits by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. If you’d prefer to avoid the interminably lengthy line, several alternative vendors are popular with residents, such as Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake and Zhen Zhen porridge.
Image from Flickr user Choo Yut Sing
Popular stalls in Maxwell Food Centre:
- Jin Hua Fish Soup
- Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake
- Xing Xing Ondeh-Ondeh Tapioca Cake
- Popo & Nana’s Delights
- China Street Fritters
Nice food court with lots of local food options. The two chicken rice restaurants are both good. Overall the price is slightly higher than other food court but the portions are bigger as well. – Angelica Leong
Chinatown Complex Food Centre
| Address | 46 Smith St, Singapore 058956 |
Spend the day in Chinatown and stop at the Chinatown Complex Food Hawker Centre for an abundance of delicious food. This food court, which is conveniently located in Chinatown, is a fantastic spot to obtain local traditional dishes with a broad menu and affordable costs.
The largest hawker centre in Singapore, Chinatown Complex Food Centre, offers food enthusiasts a full range of regional dishes, including chilli crab, black pepper crab, BBQ stingray, BBQ chicken wings, satay, carrot cake, char kway teow, Hokkien mee, chicken rice, bak kut teh, frog porridge, dim sum, lor mee, and prawn noodles. Popular desserts include ice kach
Image from Flickr user Khalzuri
Popular stalls in Chinatown Complex Food Centre:
- Xiu Ji Ikan Bilis Yong Tau Fu
- China La Mian Xiao Long Bao
- Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodles
- Jia Ji Mei Shi
- Hong Kong Mongkok Tim Sum
I think I can choose between 200 or more food places. I also think that we were the only tourists there, but I liked it. I ate like a king and paid almost nothing considering Singapore’s prices – Zielumanax
Tekka Centre
| Address | Bukit Timah Rd, Singapore |
A thriving hawker centre is located on the first level of Tekka Centre. Naturally, because this restaurant is in Little India, you must taste the North and South Indian food vendors there.
While Sri Tiffin is the place to go for your fill of masala, Allaudin’s Briyani specializes in delicious biryani rice dishes. The Hokkien name Teh Kia Kah or Tek Kah, which means “foot of the bamboos” in reference to the numerous bamboo plants growing along Rochor Canal, is where the name Tekka originates.
Image from Flickr user Gary Hendricks
Popular stalls in Tekka Centre
- Zhu Jiao Shu Shi
- 545 Whampoa Prawn Noodles
- Heng Gi Goose and Duck Rice
- Prata Saga Sambal Berlada
- Pak Kashmiri Delights
Place is so much crowded, but you can get very good food from some of the hidden gems I would not say each and every stall stall is serving good food. But couple of stalls .. see to the cleanliness rating and go for A rating . – Naveen
Tiong Bahru Food Centre
| Address | 30 Seng Poh Road, Singapore 168898 |
Where in Singapore can we locate a hawker stall that offers delicious regional cuisine in a welcoming setting? Tiong Bahru Market Hawker Centre is the solution. This restaurant serves practically all the most popular Singaporean foods, including chicken rice, herbal soups, bak kut teh, wonton mee, and chee kueh.
Tiong Bahru Market Hawker Centre has recently been renovated, making it one of Singapore’s cleanest and largest hawker centres. You will undoubtedly like this food centre’s airy, cozy, and peaceful ambiance because its stalls are outfitted with the most modern mechanical exhaust systems, and the open air has been cleverly exploited.
Image from Flickr user CHeng KIang Ng
Popular stalls in Tiong Bahru Food Centre:
- Chwee kueh
- Roasted duck rice
- Pig organ soup
- Prawn noodles
I love this place! It’s like I’m in Singapore. The best roasted chicken with Hainanese Rice single serving. We keep on coming back here…this is a gem!!! – MG Hinlayagan
Lau Pa Sat
| Address | 18 Raffles Quay, Singapore 048582 |
Due to its convenient location close to the tourist hotspots in the downtown area as well as its distinctive octagonal shape and wrought iron arches with its iconic clock tower in the centre, the historic Lau Pa Sat, also known as “the old market,” in the middle of Singapore’s Central Business District, is a favorite hawker centre among visitors.
The nearby narrow street is closed off at night so satay vendors can take over and recreate the once-famous Satay Street under the stars.
Image from Flickr user Choo Yut Sing
Popular stalls in Lau Pa Sat Centre:
- Budding Chef
- Thunder Tea Rice
- Sing HK Cafe
- Song Kee Fish Ball Noodles
- Qiu Lian Ban Mian
Good place for late night dinner. Feel comfortable. Many Satay shops here. No. 8 is the most popular (long queue) but I order No. 9&10. not bad. The chicken fried rice i ordered so nice!
Changi Village Hawker Centre
| Address | 2 Changi Village Rd, Singapore 500002 |
The Changi Village Hawker Centre, which has a gorgeous view of the shoreline and is adjacent to Changi Airport, is situated in the remote eastern part of Singapore. Even though it’s not the most convenient location, the centre continues to draw many residents, especially those looking for an excellent place to eat.
International Nasi Lemak, which offers some of the island’s greatest nasi lemak, and Ho Guan Satay Bee Hoon, which provides a unique combination of satay and rice noodles, are two standout vendors. At Weng Kee Ipoh Hor Fun, there are other delights to be had.
The Changi Village Hawker Centre is currently closed for renovation but plans to open again in the coming weeks. The renovation is expected to provide a refreshed look and feel for the hawker centre. It will include new stalls and improved facilities.
Image from Flickr user Bernard Ong
Popular stalls in Changi Village Hawker Centre:
- Weng Kee Ipoh Horfun
- Mizzy Corner Nasi Lemak
- International Muslim Food Stall Nasi Lemak
- Changi Famous Nasi Lemak
- Woon Woon Pek Beehoon
Great place serving lots of local foods with reasonably price and portions. – Eric Toh
Amoy Street Food Centre
| Address | 7 Maxwell Rd, Singapore 069111 |
There is a wide selection in the Amoy Street Food Centre, with vendors spread out over two levels in the centre of Chinatown. Hoo Kee Rice Dumplings offers some of the most unique steamed dumpling options, including chestnuts, salted egg yolk, and mushrooms in a bamboo leaf. It is also the location of numerous of Michelin’s rated Bib-Gourmand shops.
While A Noodle Story serves up reinterpreted fusion Japanese ramen, Hong Kong Beef Noodle, J2 Famous Crispy Curry Puff, and other stall brands serve up fantastic classic renditions of their respective meals.
Image from Flickr user Jnzl’s Photos
Popular stalls in Amoy Street Food Centre:
- Noodle Story
- Ah Seng (Hai Nam)
- Ah Tee Ko Ko Mee
- Amoy Street Fried Kway Teow
- Big Bowls Project
Reopened for business after months of renovation, and it shouts cleanliness atop being bright and airy. Various famous stores are still around, with some closed on Mondays as usual for hawker stores. – YY
Chomp Chomp Food Centre
| Address | 20 Kensington Park Rd, Singapore 557269 |
The Chomp Chomp Food Centre is primarily open at night and is consistently busy. It is somewhat remote and is situated in the Serangoon Gardens neighborhood, which is predominantly residential.
It is well-known for certain extremely particular foods, which are readily available in a variety of stalls all around the food centre. Popular foods include carrot cake, BBQ sambal stingray, freshly grilled chicken wings, and fried Hokkien mee. Drink some of the biggest glasses of fantastic sugarcane juice to wash it all down.
Image from Flickr user NLB SIngapore
Popular stalls in Chomp Chomp Food Centre:
- Hai Wen Yuan BBQ
- Chomp Chomp Satay
- Swee Heng Wanton Noodle
- Ang Sa Lee Oyster Omelette
- The Warung
Good satay and sugar cane juice. Small cosy Hawker centre. The grill and Indonesian stalls also very good and they have a stall which serves French fries. Parking can be a bit of a puzzle in the busy area. Good bus connections. – Remco
ABC Brickworks Food Centre
| Address | 6 Jalan Bukit Merah, Singapore 150006 |
The hawker centre in Bukit Merah was named after the Archipelago Brewery Company, which was once located where Anchorpoint Shopping Mall is now. Although there are no official records, some associate the Brickworks component of the site with the numerous brick kilns in the nearby Alexandria region.
Today, ABC Brickworks creates a wide variety of dishes. While Jason Penang Cuisine serves traditional cuisine from the founder’s hometown of Penang, Wow Wow West serves steak and sausage with handmade sauces. Project Penyek destroys fried chicken and unleashes a massive seafood feast. Jin Jin Dessert showcases both hot and cold traditional desserts. Bao Zai still freshly forms old-school buns every day. The same goes for Ghim Moh Carrot Cake’s chye tow kway and Fatty Cheong’s wantons, all of which are made by hand. For additional information, continue reading.
Image from Flickr user Perynot
Popular stalls in ABC Brickworks Food Centre:
- Bao Zai
- Ghim Moh Carrot Cake
- Fatty Cheong
- Jason Penang Cuisine
- Jin Jin Dessert
Nice hawker food centre! Not too difficult to find space and not too hot… good spot to find affordable food and friendly uncles and aunties will welcome you with nice and cheap food! – Boom Ming Ng
This concludes the list of the best Hawker centres in Singapore. Whether you’re looking for a quick and cheap meal or a more leisurely dining experience, these hawker centres have got you covered. So next time you’re feeling peckish, be sure to check out one of these fantastic foodie hotspots! Who knows, maybe you’ll even find your new favourite hawker centre!
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The 10 Best Hawker Centres in Singapore
If you're looking for the best hawker centers in Singapore, then look no further! This blog has everything you need to know about these unique food courts, including where to find them and what to order.
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