The Ultimate Singapore Food Guide: Hawker Centers, Restaurants, and Other Food Spots You Should Visit in The Lion City

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This article is part of the Singapore Food Trip 2025 series. Check out the installments in this series: The Ultimate Singapore Food Guide | Singapore MICHELIN Hawker Guide | Allaudin’s Briyani (Biryani Rice) | Delhi Lahori (Indian and Pakistani Food) | Dian Xiao Er (Herbal Roast Duck) | Haig Road Putu Piring (Netflix-Featured Malay Rice Cake) | Hawkers’ Street at Tang Plaza (Food Court) | Kek Eng Kee Seafood (Zi Char) | Queic by Olivia (Cheesecake) | The Coconut Club (Nasi Lemak and Malay Food) | Tiong Bahru Market (Hawker Center) | Tiong Bahru Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice

It’s no secret that Singapore is a food paradise. With a population mainly composed of Chinese, Indians, and Malays, the Lion City’s culinary landscape is diverse.

But the food isn’t just diverse. It’s also topnotch. In fact, the city state has 285 MICHELIN-recognized establishments (as of the time of this writing).

I’ve been to Singapore five times (excluding the times I was there for a layover), and I’m now confident to make The Ultimate Singapore Food Guide. Granted, there are a lot of hawker centers and food establishments that I have yet to try. But this is my humble attempt to help first-time travelers with their Singapore eat-inerary!

I’m dividing this guide into four sections:

Hawker Centres
Other Hawker Stalls
Restaurants
Bakeries, Cafes, and Dessert Shops

If you want to learn more about the food spot, I’ve included links to my reviews, when applicable.

Hawker Centers

A food trip to Singapore won’t be complete without a visit to a hawker center, where there is a high density of food awesomeness. These are open-air complexes of hawker (vendor) stalls offering affordable food (compared to airconditioned food courts or restaurants). Here, you can find a wide variety of food, from classic Singaporean dishes such as chicken rice, fish ball soup, and Hokkien mee (stir-fried noodles), to international cuisines such as Japanese and Western food.

Chinatown Complex Food Centre

With over 260 hawker stalls, Chinatown Complex Food Centre is the largest hawker center in all of Singapore. It’s home to amazing Chinese stalls, including the world’s first (and formerly) MICHELIN-starred hawker, Hawker Chan.

My favorite hawker stalls here are Fatty Ox HK Kitchen (brisket noodles roast meats), Hawker Chan (soya sauce chicken and roast meats), and Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice.

Address: 335 Smith St., Singapore

Maxwell Food Centre

Maxwell Food Centre is possibly the most popular hawker center in Singapore. This is because of Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice, which is the most popular chicken rice stall in the city.

My favorite stalls here are Fu Shun Shao La Mian Jia (roast meats), Somerset Delicacies (wok-fried dishes), and Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice.

Address: 1 Kadayanallur St., Singapore | Website

Old Airport Road Food Centre

This hawker center is consistently at the list of the top hawker centers in Singapore. It has received good praise from food bloggers such as Mark Wiens, Mikey Chen, and Luke Martin. More importantly, many Singaporeans say that it’s the best in all of Singapore.

My favorite stalls here are Lao Fu Zi Fried Kway Teow (stir-fried flat rice noodles), Nam Sing Hokkien Fried Mee (stir-fried noodles), and Western Barbecue (Hainanese-style Western food).

Address: 51 Old Airport Rd., Singapore

Tekka Centre

Located in Singapore’s Little India, Tekka Centre is home to a lot of Indian and South Asian hawker stalls, as well as a few Chinese ones.

My favorite stalls here are Allauddin’s Briyani (biryani rice), Delhi Lahori (Indian and Pakistani Food), and Heng Gi Goose and Duck Rice.

Address: 665 Buffalo Rd., Singapore

Tiong Bahru Market

This hawker center (also called Tiong Bahru Market & Food Centre) is located in Singapore’s oldest housing estate—Tiong Bahru. It is also one of the nicest hawker centers because it is spacious and well ventilated unlike others that are cramped and humid.

My favorite stalls here are Koh Brother Pig Organ Soup, Jian Bo Shui Kueh (rice cakes with preserved radish) and Super Shiok Nasi Lemak (coconut rice).

Address: 30 Seng Poh Rd., Singapore

Other Hawker Stalls

I also visited hawker stalls that don’t belong to the hawker centers above. Check them out below.

Beach Road Scissors Cut Curry Rice

Hainanese Curry Rice is a Singaporean dish composed with steamed white rice and viands, flooded with curries and gravies. One of the popular hawker stalls for this is Beach Road Scissors Cut Curry Rice. As its names suggests, its dishes are cut by scissors instead of a knife.

I’m not sure if the scissors technique add to the taste. LOL. But one thing is for sure: This hawker stall makes delicious Hainanese curry rice!

Address: 229 Jalan Besar, Singapore | Operating Hours: Daily, 11AM-2:30AM

Haig Road Putu Piring

This stall specializes in its namesake delicacy—Putu Piring, a round steamed rice cake filled with Gula Melaka or palm sugar and served with freshly grated coconut. It also gained international fame when it was featured in Netflix’ Street Food Asia docuseries.

Their putu piring has a nice rice cake exterior and a rightly sweet palm sugar filling. If you’re a Filipino, you can compare it to a “bready” puto (Filipino rice cake) with a filling. It’s a simple delicacy but it can be addictive!

Haig Road Market & Food Centre Outlet Address: #01-07 Haig Road Market & Food Centre, 14 Haig Rd., Singapore | Operating Hours: Daily, 10:45AM-9:45PM

For other store locations, check out their Facebook and Instagram accounts, as well as their Website.

Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle

Located in Tai Hwa Eating House in Crawford Lane, Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle is the only remaining MICHELIN-starred hawker stall (as of the time of this writing).

It specializes in Bak Chor Mee or minced pork noodles. This iconic Singaporean noodle dish is mainly composed of noodles, minced meat, and different pork ingredients such as meatballs and pork slices. It’s also available in dry and soup versions.

Address: #01-12 Tai Hwa Eating House, 466 Crawford Ln., Singapore | Operating Hours: Daily, 9AM-8:30PM | Facebook | Website

Mr and Mrs Mohgan Super Crispy Roti Prata

One of the best (and many say it’s the best) roti prata (flatbread of Indian origin) stall in Singapore is Mr and Mrs Mohgan Super Crispy Roti Prata.

Their pratas are crispy and flaky, and the best I’ve ever had so far. It pairs well with a cup of kopi (local coffee) or teh (pulled milk tea).

Address: Tin Yeang Restaurant, 300 Joo Chiat Rd., Singapore | Operating Hours: Thursday-Tuesday, 6:30AM-1PM

Restaurants

Dian Xiao Er

Dian Xiao Er is a chain of Chinese restaurants that specializes on Herbal Roast Duck. Their version is the world’s number one herbal roast duck in 2023 according to Frost & Sullivan’s global market research on herbal roast duck sales volume.

Their herbal roast duck is delicious! It has crisp skin, succulent and tender meat, and a pleasant herbal flavor.

Other dishes are also good, such as the Roasted Iberia Char Siew, Steamed Cod Fish with Soy Sauce, and Thunder Tea Fried Rice.

For Dian Xiao Er branches and operating times, visit their Facebook and Instagram pages, as well as their Website.

Kek Eng Kee Seafood

This restaurant is one of the most popular zi char (Chinese home-style dishes or meals that are cooked upon order) spots in all of Singapore. has been included in the MICHELIN Guide, visited by food experts such as Mark Wiens and the late Anthony Bourdain, and featured in Netflix’s Street Food.

Everything we ordered in Kek Eng Kee was delicious. These include Claypot Pig Liver, Coffee Ribs, and their signature Moonlight Hor Fun (stir-fried wide rice noodles).

For Kek Eng Kee Seafood branches and operating times, visit their Facebook and Instagram pages, as well as their Website.

Song Fa Bak Kut Teh

Song Fa Bak Kut Teh is another chain of restaurants that specializes in Bak Kut Teh. Literally “meat bone tea”, bak kut the is a Chinese pork ribs soup with a garlicky and peppery broth.

Their version has tender pork ribs, swimming in a porky, garlicky, and rightly peppery broth. It’s easily one of my favorite Singaporean dishes of all time.

For Song Fa Bak Kut Teh branches and operating times, visit their Facebook and Instagram accounts, as well as their Website.

The Coconut Club

The Coconut Club is a restaurant that specializes in Nasi Lemak and other Malay dishes. It has three branches across Singapore, with its flagship branch located in Beach Road (it was formerly at Ann Siang Hill).

Literally “rich rice”, nasi lemak is a dish consisting of boiled or fried egg, cucumber, ikan bilis (fried anchovies), peanuts, sambal (chili paste), and of course the rice, which is cooked in santan (coconut milk). It’s usually paired with a viand, in which ayam goreng (fried chicken) is the most popular. The Coconut Club’s version is easily my favorite nasi lemak in Singapore. Check out my experience by clicking the link below.

For The Coconut Club branches and operating times, visit their Facebook and Instagram pages, as well as their Website.

The Hainan Story

The Hainan Story is a chain of restaurants serving Singaporean and Hainanese (a Chinese ethno-linguistic group) dishes. What’s unique to The Hainan Story is that it brings different Hainanese brands under one space.

Each outlet has different brands under it. We visited its second outlet called “Chapter 2” in Jewel Changi Airport, which is home to Newspaper Hainanese Curry Rice. It serves flavorful curry!

For The Hainan Story branches and operating times, visit their Facebook and Instagram pages, as well as their Website.

Bakeries, Cafes, and Dessert Shops

Awfully Chocolate

Awfully Chocolate is a chain of stores specializing in chocolate cakes and desserts. They also have a cafe, which offers The Amazing Weekend Brunch Buffet.

We tried their Nutella Tart, which has a nice choco hazelnut flavor and is not too sweet.

I’m hoping to try their Weekend Buffet and other cakes when I return.

For Awfully Chocolate branches and operating times, visit their Facebook and Instagram pages, as well as their Website.

Dona Manis Cake Shop

Located in Katong Shopping Centre, Dona Manis Cake Shop is a bakery popular for their Banana Pie, Chocolate Tart, and other pastries. It was founded in 1992 by the late Tan Tieow Thong and Soh Tho Lang a.k.a. “Auntie Peng”.

Their bestseller is the Banana Pie. Its filling has a nice banana flavor and isn’t too sweet, and it’s literally covered with crushed almonds which give texture to the pie. The crust is buttery and super crumbly.

Quiec by Olivia

Queic by Olivia describes itself as Singapore’s first cheesecake boutique. It’s a sister company of Olivia, a MICHELIN-selected Spanish restaurant in the heart of Chinatown.

Queic’s cheesecake has gone viral for being creamy and savory. It’s made with a mix of bleu cheese and cream cheese, which explains that nice, funky cheesiness, while the crust is made of almond sablé. It’s so good that our group easily finished it in seconds!

Flagship Store Address: 41 Kreta Ayer Rd., Singapore | Operating Hours: Daily, 10AM-7PM | Contact No.: +65 8068-5525

For other store locations, check out their Facebook and Instagram accounts, as well as their Website.