Hawker centres in Singapore are open-air food courts selling a wide variety of highly affordable local cuisine. The food is reflective of the city's multicultural diversity. When you step into a Singapore hawker centre, you'll see Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Eurasian food prepared in separate booths.
Some of these hawkers cook with recipes passed down from their forefathers since the 1960s. So you're looking at a distinctive cultural aspect of Singapore's identity, not merely a plate of rice or noodle. As locals' tastebuds became more cosmopolitan, it's also common to see food from other countries such as Korean food.
These food centres have a self-service system where you're seated at communal tables. So, be ready to share a table if you are flying solo. But if you are eating with a huge group, these places are wonderful for a gathering since you can order multiple plates of food and share. Most Singapore hawker centres also take cashless payment methods, so don't worry if you’re light on cash.
Singapore is so famous for these food courts that UNESCO added them to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020. It has also drawn international attention, with many stalls scattered around hawker centres in Singapore with a Michelin star.
So if you want a budget-friendly, delicious meal, check out some of our favourite places to visit!
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Old Airport Road Food Centre
This hawker centre has existed since 1973. Previously the site of Singapore's first civil airport, Kallang Airport, the indoor food court continues to operate even with the airport long demolished. Local Singaporeans will consider it one of the best hawker centres in Singapore.
You should check it out if you value taste authenticity. Most of the hawkers here have operated since the 1970s, with recipes passed down from generation to generation. The food continues to attract long queues here, with chicken rice, rojak (fruit salad), satay (skewered meat sticks) and more. In addition, many halal food options are available.
We recommend trying Dong Ji Fried Kway Teow, which sells Penang-style fried noodles. The delicious caramelised taste of noodles well-fried with Chinese sausages, cockles, fishcakes and prawns is a comforting dish.
Are you feeling peckish? We suggest ordering from Toa Payoh Rojak. The word 'rojak' refers to a mixture. This mix is a fruit salad with thick prawn paste sauce. You'll also find crushed peanuts stuffed with cut dough sticks inside the mix. One pro tip we have is to do as the locals do: bring a packet of tissue paper to reserve your seat when you order food.
Old Airport Road Food Centre
51 Old Airport Rd, Singapore 390051
Kim San Leng Food Centre Bishan
Kim San Leng is a chain of coffee shops that started operating in 1965, with the first outlet in Hougang. It's a smaller hawker centre with limited seating capacity but still has the same set-up of hawker booths and self-service ordering.
Kim San Leng Food Centre in Bishan boasts some of the best hawker food in Singapore. Plus, It's a 24/7 hawker centre, which is great for those looking for a night hawker centre in Singapore.
While there, you should check out Chef Wei HK Cheong Fun. A first-time hawker operates the stall with solid credentials. The young hawker used to work at the famous Peach Garden Hotel Miramar, known in Singapore for its excellent dim sum dishes. You can get handmade chee cheong fun here. These are silky rice rolls that have fillings such as prawns and mushrooms.
Another stall to check out is King of Fried Rice. It is a chain of fried rice stalls that became famous due to the umami pork chop fried rice it serves. There is also halal Srisun Prata, which is a stall that sells prata, a type of local flatbread. Best of all? You can order all this food from the website and have it delivered to your doorstep!
Kim San Leng Food Centre Bishan
511 Bishan Street 13, #01-522, Singapore 570511
Website
Geylang Serai Market
Geylang Serai Market & Food Centre is a two-story building located in the heritage district of Geylang Serai. This Singapore hawker centre was built in 1964 and has undergone several renovations. Despite that, many of its tenants have stayed put with its upgrade. As a result, the market has served countless generations of Singaporeans.
It's well-known for having some of the best Halal hawker food. Moreover, it's built adjacent to Singapore's only Halal wet market.
Over here, try the deliciously sweet rice dessert kueh salat at Kueh Salam Asli. A 2 layer dessert, the green layer is dense, creamy coconut milk, while the white is sticky glutinous rice. It sells different desserts too such as various types of Malay cakes and pastries (also known as kueh). So if you want Halal desserts, this is the place to go.
Another must-try is skewered chicken or beef sticks cooked over charcoal. The dish's name is 'satay', and you usually eat it with thick peanut sauce and plenty of onions. Get it at Alhambra Heritage & Original Satay Club. After eating at the Singapore hawker centre, stroll around the Geylang Serai neighbourhood and discover how the Malay-Muslim community used to live here in the past.
Geylang Serai Market
1 Geylang Serai, Singapore 402001
Adam Road Food Centre
Hungry after your walk and looking for a hawker centre near the Singapore UNESCO landmark, Botanic Gardens? If you're at Bukit Timah Gate, check out this small, open-air eatery built in 1975. But don't let its size fool you. It has over 40 stalls with plenty of local breakfast favourites.
Most of the stalls are halal-certified. The unique U-shape design has a limited seating capacity, but most people will eat and leave the place quickly.
If you're here, it's time to tuck in a rice dish called nasi lemak. It's a rice dish cooked with coconut milk and served with sides such as egg, fried chicken, and anchovies. You might have heard of it because Singaporeans and Malaysians often argue about who invented it.
Over here, a different sort of battle emerges. It's the war of the nasi lemak, with two highly famous stalls selling the dish here.
First, there's Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak which laden its rice set with fluffy long-grain basmati rice. There's also No. 1 Adam Road Nasi Lemak, famous for its deep-fried crispy chicken wings. You can try both and finalise your verdict when you are here. Come on weekdays before noon, when the queues are shorter!
Adam Road Food Centre
2 Adam Rd, Singapore 289876
Newton Food Centre
Newton Hawker Centre is a short walk from Orchard and has a dizzying array of food to try. If you find it familiar, it's because it's the hawker centre in Singapore's Crazy Rich Asian. The movie is adapted from local author Kevin's Kwan fictional book, which depicts the lifestyle of the wealthy in Singapore. Even though it's amidst million-dollar houses, this humble eatery sells affordable fare that anyone can try!
Seafood is what you want to try when you are here for midnight suppers. Go for a barbecued stingray at 31 Heng Heng BBQ. There is other seafood, such as tiger prawns and grilled lobster. But a juicy stingray with sweet, palatable flesh is the prize here. Pair the seafood with Hokkien Mee, which is a plate of thin fried yellow noodles at Newton Old Signboard 25.
There are also two famous Halal Nasi Padang stores here, Jauriah Nasi Padang and Hajah Monah Kitchen, but they close in the afternoon.
Tip: It gets busy at night, and food sellers might call out to you, especially if you look like a tourist. Refrain from being pressured into buying anything. Know that touting is illegal, and you can report to the police if you feel overcharged. Note that this hawker centre in Singapore is closed until Jan 2023 for renovation works.
Newton Food Centre
500 Clemenceau Ave North Singapore 229495
Maxwell Hawker Centre
Search for a hawker centre (Singapore) in Chinatown, and you'll find Maxwell Food Centre in the middle. It's a single-storey, open-air food centre conveniently positioned in the middle of town. You'll find office workers, tourists and residents streaming here to have their daily meals. Many stalls here sell some of Singapore's little-known delicacies, such as oyster cake. Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cakes is where you can sink your teeth into this rich pastry stuffed full of oyster paste.
More importantly, the place is known as the site for international chef Anthony Bourdain's hawker centre visit. Make sure you try Tian Tian Chicken Rice which is also one of the best chicken rice in Singapore.
We love the flavourful poached chicken! Another meaty option is Fu Shun Roasted Meat Specialist. The Cantonese stall sells crispy roast pork belly and charcoal-roasted barbecued pork.
On a budget? Thankfully, both stalls are known for their generous servings and fresh ingredients. There are several Halal food stores here too. After your meal, walk to the URA Building, where there's an interactive museum detailing Singapore's urban development. Highly entertaining for adults and children alike!
Maxwell Hawker Centre
1 Kadayanallur St, Singapore 069184
Tekka Market Food Centre
Tekka Market is where you can go for some of the best biryani (an Indian rice dish) if you are looking for a hawker centre in Singapore near Little India. It's a sprawling complex with a wet market, food centre, and several retail shops.
With hundreds of food stalls selling Indian food and other local favourites, it's hard to decide where to start. We recommend starting at the first level. There are many biryani (Indian rice dish), thosai (a flatbread) and murtabak (an omelette pancake stuffed with various ingredients) stalls there.
Our favourite is Allauddin's Briyani, which has been operating since 1968. It sells a mean dish of spicy biryani. The rice dish has high-quality basmati rice and mutton cooked over a low fire until it becomes amazingly tender.
If you like deep-fried and greasy food, try Indian Rojak at Temasek Indian Rojak. Indian rojak is a mix of prawn, cuttlefish, tofu and fish patties deep-fried to crispy brown perfection. It's served with a sweet-spicy sauce.
Come hungry because you're going to eat your fill. Take note that Singapore's Little India hawker centre is closed on Mondays.
Tekka Market Food Centre
662 Buffalo Rd, Singapore 210662
Amoy Street Food Centre
Singapore's central business district boasts several noteworthy hawker centres that cater to office crowds, and Amoy Street Food Centre is one of them.
This Singapore hawker centre is just beside Telok Blangah MRT station and is home to several Michelin Bib Gourmand awardees. The Michelin Bib Gourmand awards chefs that sell "great food at reasonable prices". Over here, you'll also find new-generation hawkers cooking with a modern twist on local food.
For instance, we recommend trying A Noodle Story's Singapore-style ramen. It's a fusion of Japanese ramen noodles with Hong Kong wanton noodles. Not strictly authentic, but very experimental and tasty.
Go for Hoo Kee Rice dumplings if you want traditional Singapore food. The rice dumpling seller is a Bib Gourmand awardee. Handmade dumplings are lovingly prepared with pork and chestnuts, with a dash of five-spice powder and soya sauce.
Prepare to deal with long queues at lunch hours. Our suggestion? Go in the morning on weekdays. Most stalls are closed on weekends since there are fewer crowds from the nearby business centres.
Amoy Street Food Centre
7 Maxwell Rd, Singapore 069111
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Bendemeer Market and Food Centre
If you want to visit a hawker centre in Singapore for vegetarian food, head to Bendemeer Food Centre. It's full of vegetarian food stalls, selling everything from vermicelli to pancakes.
While it might be a little out of the way for tourists, it's easy to get there. It's a short stroll from Boon Keng MRT station on the purple northeast MRT line. You will notice the towering building in bright yellow hues.
There are several options, but we like Jian Kang Vegetarian Food. Jian Kang in Chinese means healthy, and their daily specials are indeed healthy and cheap. Try to go on a Friday to the vegetarian Nasi Biryani.
If you're there, try chwee kueh (steamed rice cake) or chee cheong fan (rice rolls) at Da Shun. What they sell tastes comparable to non-vegetarian versions.
While vegetarian food options are available at most Singapore hawker centres, Bendemeer stands out as it has the most number of stalls with vegetarian options. It's also an excellent chance to see the heartlands and try a cheap hawker centre.
Bendemeer Market and Food Centre
29 Bendemeer Rd, Singapore 330029
Lau Pa Sat
Don't miss this 150-year-old hawker centre in Singapore, Lau Pa Sat. The name translates to "Old Market" in the Hokkien dialect. The British influence on Singapore architecture is apparent here, preserved carefully with modern upgrades.
For example, the octagonal structure has a high ceiling and eight entrances to ensure the market has good ventilation.
In the middle, you'll see a design which looks like a lantern with glass panels illuminating the interior space. The beautiful working clock tower atop the building is the most prominent feature. A clock face adorned with ornate filigree rests on all four sides. This Singapore hawker centre is a place to take photos.
We like to have desserts at Butter and Cream Bakery in this airy space. The small booth has many tasty sweet pastries you can get for a quick pick-me-up.
Grab buttery egg tarts so you can snack while you travel around Singapore. How about some Indian-style curry? Delhi Express Indian cuisine serves a satisfying chicken Nasi Biryani meal. The chicken is creamy and tender, and you can get chapatis or rice to go with it. The stall is Halal, which is good news for Muslim readers!
There are several stalls to try. Food prices are slightly higher as it's a tourist landmark. The booths are usually closed on weekends. Go on a weekday.
Lau Pa Sat
18 Raffles Quay, Singapore 048582
Website
Chomp Chomp Food Centre
Another slightly out-of-the-way Singapore Hawker Centre, Chomp Chomp at Serangoon Garden, is where you go for midnight cravings. Most stalls only start at 530pm and open till late at night. It was opened in 1972 and continues to supper hunt for most people.
The laidback Serangoon Gardens Neighbourhood sits beside a trendy yoga studio in the open-air standalone food court. Still, you will see it at night because it's probably the only building with bright lights there.
Here, you can get greasy, after-party food such as fried carrot cake, oyster omelette, barbecued chicken wings, and so on. Plenty of sugar cane stalls also sell the thirst-quenching drink. When you are here, you must try Chomp Chomp Satay.
They sell thick chunks of skewered meat with a helping of pineapple peanut sauce dip. It is also a Michelin Plate awardee, an accolade given when the Michelin inspectors discover "quality food".
Another Michelin plate awardee is Ah Hock Fried Hokkien Mee. The elderly stall owner serves up sinfully good semi-wet Hokkien Fried Prawn Noodles. Unfortunately, Chomp Chomp is difficult to access since the nearest MRT is 20 minutes away. So we recommend you either take the public buses or get a taxi.
Chomp Chomp Food Centre
20 Kensington Park Rd, Singapore 557269
Website
Best Singapore Hawker Centres To Try
Here’s a summary list of the best hawker centres in Singapore that we think you should pay a visit to:
- Old Airport Road Food Centre
- Kim San Leng Food Centre Bishan
- Geylang Serai Market
- Adam Road Food Centre
- Newton Food Centre
- Maxwell Hawker Centre
- Tekka Market Food Centre
- Amoy Street Food Centre
- Bendemeer Market and Food Centre
- Lau Pa Sat
- Chomp Chomp Food Centre
And there you have it! Given that there are 115 Singapore hawker centres, it can be challenging to include everything on the list. But you might have your favourites too!
We recommend that tourists join walking tours to look at local landmarks and try mouthwatering Singapore hawker centre food.
Or, you can always arm yourself with a GPS and start walking! The city is easy to navigate, with air-conditioned public buses and rapid mass transport (MRT) trains available.
Of course, you can always walk if you don't mind the heat and erratic rain. That way, you can try everything on this list and more.
Love reading this list of the best hawker centres in Singapore? We have more Singapore-related food guides on our website. So hop over to our Singapore Local Eats guide section for a virtual feast now.
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