Char kway teow, or fried kway teow, is more than just a smoky, stir-fried noodle dish in description—it’s a must-have dish in any hawker centre. Unbeknownst to many, char kway teow (CKT) began as a simple street dish with roots tracing back to the 1950s. Today, it is one of our nation’s most iconic dishes, alongside chicken rice, hokkien mee, and satay, among others. With the sheer amount of stalls offering their version of this popular local dish, my colleague and I tried 10 stalls to find out which is the best char kway teow in Singapore.
Fun fact: Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong is a regular patron of one of the stalls on this list!
A disclaimer, before we get started: everyone has good and bad days, even hawkers. It’s difficult to ensure perfect consistency in every plate served, considering how much preparation is put into whipping up a plate of char kway teow.
Also, as with all rankings, a good plate of char kway teow can be subjective. What may be flavourful to one may be bland to another. So take this ranking with a pinch of salt, since it’s solely based on the plates we were served during our visit.
We’ve created five categories that will help us decide on the best char kway teow in Singapore.
First, the value. We bought the cheapest plate of noodles at each stall we visited, and looked at how big a portion we were served.
Along the same vein, we observed what ingredients were served. Some must-haves include fried eggs, fresh cockles, lap cheong, and of course, bean sprouts.
Moving on, we have flavour. CKT needs to be thoroughly marked with wok hei, though not overpoweringly so. It shouldn’t be overly sweet or salty, with a balanced combination of sweet dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, and fish sauce.
The texture of the noodles is also crucial. The noodles should be cooked al dente, which means they shouldn’t be too mushy or overly firm. The bean sprouts should be slightly crunchy for textural variety, though not entirely uncooked, and the lap cheong should be chewy instead of tough.
Lastly, the chilli should complement the dish without being too potent. We ordered each plate of CKT to be fried with less chilli.
Each category is given a maximum of five points, for a total of 25, which is then converted into a percentage score.
Table of Contents
Lau Pa Sat is one of the most iconic hawker centres in Singapore. Among the many stalls here, there are six Michelin-recognised brands, one of which is Lao Fu Zi Fried Kway Teow.
Priced from $7.50, this plate of Black Char Kway Teow belonged in the dry camp. It came in a substantial portion; there were more noodles than we expected, which made it pretty filling. While we appreciated the addition of plump, juicy cockles, the portion of the liao was modest, with only about two cockles and three slices of lap cheong.
Taste-wise, we found this plate of char kway teow lacking the charred, wok hei flavour we hoped for. Sambal chilli was provided on the side—a word of caution, though, a tiny scoop is more than enough to add heat.
Of all the stalls we visited, Lao Fu Zi was the only one offering White Fried Kway Teow ($7.50). We ordered a plate to see what was different, only to find out that the white version is simply made without black soy sauce.
Lao Fu Zi’s char kway teow has that nostalgic factor, which will appeal to those who are OG supporters of their Old Airport Road branch. That said, many online reviews seem to share our sentiment: while the dish has its charm, $7.50 is a tad too steep for what’s ultimately a mid plate of char kway teow.
Value: 2/5
Chilli: 2/5
Flavour: 3.5/5
Ingredients: 2.5/5
Texture: 3.5/5
Total: 54%
Address: 24 Robinson Road, Singapore 048545
Opening hours: Sun-Fri 11:45am to 10pm, Sat 1pm to 10pm
Lao Fu Zi is not a halal-certified eatery.
Hougang folks will definitely be familiar with Hougang Oyster Omelette & Fried Kway Teow. The stall is run by an elderly couple; one whips up orh luak, and the other fries char kway teow. Despite being tucked away in a quiet HDB estate that’s a 10-minute bus ride from Hougang MRT Station, the stall somehow manages to draw consistently long queues, which could be a testament to how good their CKT is.
We ordered a plate of Hougang Fried Oyster ($6 for small) and another plate of Fried Kway Teow ($4).
Right off the bat, we noticed how the CKT here leaned wet, with a tad of what we thought was water lying underneath the noodles. The dish came with two pieces of lap cheong and cockles each, four slices of fishcake, tau gay, and some water spinach.
While we appreciated the variety of ingredients, the dish fell short in terms of flavour. It was lacking that smoky fragrance, tasting like noodles quickly tossed in black sauce rather than properly stir-fried in the wok. We opted for chilli but there was barely any spice on our plate, which resulted in the overall lack of flavour.
The Hougang Fried Oyster was the saving grace. It came with five plump oysters fried into the crispy omelette, boasting crispy edges and gooey insides. Dip it generously into the spicy-tangy chilli on the side, which added a satisfying kick with every bite.
Read our Hougang Oyster Omelette & Fried Kway Teow feature.
Value: 4/5
Chilli: 2/5
Flavour: 2/5
Ingredients: 3.5/5
Texture: 2.5/5
Total: 56%
Address: 435A Hougang Avenue 8, Singapore 531435
Opening hours: Wed-Sun 11am to 7pm
Website
Hougang Oyster Omelette is not a halal-certified eatery.
Hai Yan Fried Kway Teow Mee is the only stall on this list that offers diners the option to add a soft-boiled egg to their CKT. Here’s an interesting observation when we were there: the stall was run by three people, which was a first throughout our expedition, as most stalls were either run by an elderly couple or managed alone.
A small plate of Kway Teow Mee costs $3.50, and includes four pieces of lap cheong and two pieces of fishcake, but no cockles.
There was a noticeably high egg-to-noodle ratio on our plate. However, the chunky egg pieces weren’t thoroughly mixed into the noodles. They felt like two separate ingredients that were just thrown into the dish without complementing each other.
Similar to Hougang Oyster Omelette & Fried Kway Teow, the wok hei taste could have been stronger here, as we tasted more of the black soy sauce instead, giving the dish a sweet aftertaste. The spiciness of our noodles was also a tad weaker than we’d liked.
We paired our char kway teow with their Bee Hoon ($3.50 for small). The noodles had a pleasantly springy texture, and the dish was less dry than the char kway teow. It was similarly eggy and came with about two pieces of lap cheong. We thought it was slightly bland, but perhaps it’s intended to suit the palate of older residents living around the neighbourhood.
Read our Hai Yan Fried Kway Teow feature.
Value: 4.5/5
Chilli: 2/5
Flavour: 2/5
Ingredients: 2.5/5
Texture: 3/5
Total: 56%
Address: 36 Telok Belangah Rise, #01-38, Telok Blangah Rise Market & Food Centre, Singapore 090036
Opening hours: Thurs & Sat 10am to 7:30pm, Fri 8am to 7:30pm
Hai Yan Fried Kway Teow Mee is not a halal-certified eatery.
$3 for a plate of char kway teow is a rare find these days, especially when this dish tends to average $5. Every serving of CKT at Chuan Kee Fried Kway Teow is fried upon order, which means you get to enjoy it piping hot. FYI, there’s only one size available!
For $3, the portion was pretty impressive. No cockles were served, but there were about five large pieces of lap cheong and two pieces of fishcake. What really stood out was the generous serving of tau gay, which retained a crunchy texture. As for the noodles, they were well-cooked, though not as chewy as we’d like.
Taste-wise, the noodles carried a light wok hei taste—there were nice bits of char and smokiness.
Just a small gripe for spice lovers: there’s no chilli option here, nor was there any chilli sauce available on the side.
Do note that Chuan Kee Fried Kway Teow only accepts cash.
Check out our Chuan Kee Fried Kway Teow feature.
Value: 5/5
Chilli: 0/5
Flavour: 3.5/5
Ingredients: 3/5
Texture: 4/5
Total: 62%
Address: 724 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6, #01-22, Ang Mo Kio Central Market & Food Centre, Singapore 560724
Opening hours: Tue 10:15am to 3pm, Wed-Thurs, Sat-Sun 10:30am to 2pm
Ang Mo Kio Fried Kway Teow is not a halal-certified eatery.
Joo Chiat Place Fried Kway Teow is one of those spots that exudes old-school charm. It’s the kind of place you can tell has been around for many years, and it’s become a neighbourhood favourite among residents.
Their Fried Kway Teow comes in three sizes: Small ($4.50), Medium ($5.50), and Big ($6.50). We ordered the small, only to realise that the portion served was much smaller than we’d expected. As for the ingredients, there were about three cockles, and two pieces of lap cheong and fishcake each.
Portion size aside, we liked that the CKT had good wok hei, but felt that the dish was a tad dry overall. The chilli packed a noticeable punch that we enjoyed.
Do note that Joo Chiat Place Fried Kway Teow only accepts cash.
Check out our Joo Chiat Place Fried Kway Teow feature.
Value: 2/5
Chilli: 4/5
Flavour: 4/5
Ingredients: 3/5
Texture: 3.5/5
Total: 66%
Address: 59 Joo Chiat Place, Dong Cheng Eatery, Singapore 427783
Opening hours: Tue-Thurs 11am to 7:30pm
Joo Chiat Place Fried Kway Teow is not a halal-certified eatery.
Do a quick search on Google for the best char kway teow in Singapore, and Outram Park Char Kway Teow will probably pop up on your first page. This Michelin-recommended stall is so popular, it even sells out before lunchtime ends. Given these credentials, we had high hopes for their CKT.
A plate here costs $5 for small and $6 for large. Similar to No. 18 Zion Road Fried Kway Teow, which we will get into soon, the noodles here leaned mushy, so much so that we found it difficult to tell the yellow noodles apart from the kway teow. We also found the dish lacking in textural variety, especially with the scrambled egg bits chopped up into tiny pieces.
Our noodles came with about three cockles, five pieces of fishcake, but no lap cheong. The dish had a high noodles-to-ingredients ratio, with the tau gay component also lacking.
Wok hei was present, though it wasn’t the strongest we’ve had. Nevertheless, each strand of noodle and every piece of ingredient was well-coated with bits of egg, chilli sauce, and soy sauce. The taste was, to put it simply, shiok. The chilli sauce also added a gentle kick that we enjoyed, complementing the smokiness of the noodles.
My colleague and I reached the stall at 12pm, but were shocked to hear that we were among the last to enjoy their famous char kway teow for the day.
Even during our visit during the early hours of lunchtime, we were greeted by a snaking queue of eager customers. With about 20 people ahead of us, it took an hour before we finally got our food. If you’re planning a visit, we definitely recommend coming right when they open!
Check out our Outram Park Char Kway Teow feature.
Value: 3.5/5
Chilli: 4.5/5
Flavour: 4.5/5
Ingredients: 2/5
Texture: 3/5
Total: 70%
Address: 531A Upper Cross Street, #02-17, Hong Lim Market, Singapore 051531
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 6am to 3pm
Tel: 9838 7619
Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee is not a halal-certified eatery.
Hill Street Fried Kway Teow was one of the first spots that I put on my list when I was shortlisting the best CKT stalls to visit. Widely featured online, it doesn’t take a char kway teow connoisseur to recognise the brand. They’re also recommended by the Michelin Guide for their tasty noodles, which are sold in portions of $4 or $5.
We arrived about an hour after their opening at 9am, but were instantly met with a snaking queue. Ahead of me were about 15 people, and it took me about an hour to finally get to the front.
We had the $4 portion, which came decently sized, with about two pieces of cockles and eight pieces of lap cheong—the most generous among all the plates we had. There was also noticeably more tau gay, which was satisfyingly fresh and crunchy. Springy and chewy, the noodles held their shape well without becoming mushy.
Like Hai Yan Fried Kway Teow Mee, we felt the wok hei taste could be stronger, and needed a tad more salt. But we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt; perhaps it was to cater to the older crowd at Chinatown Complex Food Centre—after all, around 80% of the 15 people ahead of me were the elderly.
As for the chilli, it wasn’t as spicy as we hoped, but it made for a good accompaniment to the noodles!
Do note that Hill Street Fried Kway Teow only accepts cash.
Check out our Hill Street Fried Kway Teow feature.
Value: 4/5
Chilli: 3.5/5
Flavour: 2.5/5
Ingredients: 4/5
Texture: 4/5
Total: 72%
Address: 355 Smith Street, #02-32, Chinatown Complex Food Centre, Singapore 050335
Opening hours: Tue, Thurs & Sat 9am to 5pm
Hill Street Fried Kway Teow is not a halal-certified eatery.
No. 18 Zion Road Fried Kway Teow is among the most recognised char kway stalls in Singapore. Newspaper features, culinary awards, and even mentions in the Michelin Bib Gourmand are one thing, but what makes this stall even more impressive is that it holds a special place in ex-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s heart. Fun fact: the stall owner, Mr Ho, was invited to witness PM Lee’s swearing-in in 2004.
The CKT is available in three portions: $6, $8 and $10. If you’d like more ingredients, you can top up $1 for a sunny-side-up egg, $1.50 for extra fishcake, or $3 for more cockles. Our $6 plate came with two cockles, and the lap cheong here was noticeably bigger than what we had at the other stalls. Five slices of fishcake and a few pieces of pork lard also accompanied the dish, though the latter was a tad tough.
The yellow noodles and hor fun leaned starchy, which made the dish a tad cloying for us. But if you prefer a wet-style CKT, this might be right up your alley!
We were impressed with its distinct wok hei, which made it stand out from the other contenders on the list. However, we wished our plate of CKT was a tad spicier.
Side note: Zion Riverside Food Centre was rather hot during the day, so we recommend choosing a seat closer to the canal for a more cooling dining experience.
Check out our No. 18 Zion Road Fried Kway Teow review.
Value: 3/5
Chilli: 3/5
Flavour: 4.5/5
Ingredients: 4.5/5
Texture: 3.5/5
Total: 74%
Address: 70 Zion Road, #01-17, Zion Riverside Food Centre, Singapore 247792
Opening hours: Wed-Mon 12:30pm to 3pm, 3:30pm to 9pm
Tel: 9868 5507
No. 18 Zion Road Fried Kway Teow is not a halal-certified eatery.
When my colleague and I reached Ang Mo Kio Fried Kway Teow just before 11am, there were already about 10 people in line ahead of us. But unlike the other stalls we visited with similarly long queues, we got our plate fairly quickly, in about 15 minutes. Two sizes are offered here: $4 for small and $5 for large.
We were pretty impressed with the mountain of noodles served in our $4 portion. Ratio-wise, the amount of kway teow was overwhelmingly high as compared to the ingredients, with only about three cockles and two slices of fishcake served on our plate. Lap cheong was present, but was extremely small in size, and a few pieces were fried till a little too charred.
Nevertheless, we thoroughly enjoyed the kway teow’s springy texture. What helped elevate this CKT was the tau gay: fresh, crisp, and crunchy, pairing well with the QQ noodles.
The wok hei melded perfectly into the CKT for a smoky, addictive finish.
The chilli was spot on too. It was punchy and enhanced the flavour of the noodles rather than overpowered it.
Value: 4/5
Chilli: 4.55
Flavour: 4.5/5
Ingredients: 3/5
Texture: 4.5/5
Total: 82%
Address: 724 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6, #01-22, Ang Mo Kio Central Market & Food Centre, Singapore 560724
Opening hours: Tue 10:15am to 3pm, Wed-Thurs, Sat-Sun 10:30am to 2pm
Ang Mo Kio Fried Kway Teow is not a halal-certified eatery.
Finally, we’ve come to the best plate of char kway teow out of the 10 plates we’ve had: Meng Kee Fried Kway Teow. This humble hawker stall at Havelock Road Cooked Food Centre is underrated, to say the least. It’s not the most convenient to get there, as it’s about a 15-minute walk from Tiong Bahru MRT Station. The stall only opens three days a week, and regularly attracts long queues among residents living around Bukit Ho Swee.
Each plate here is sold in portions of $4 or $5. We got the smaller portion, and our plate came with about five cockles and three pieces of lap cheong. The tau gay was softer than I’d expected, likely from a longer duration of frying.
There was a good balance between the amount of noodles and ingredients, but what did it for us was the distinct wok hei flavour. The noodles maintained their springy texture, too, despite leaning on the saucier side. The dish was tied together with the right amount of spiciness.
Meng Kee Fried Kway Teow ranked the highest among the 10 plates we tried, thanks to its generous portion, robust wok hei, reasonable pricing, and well-balanced spice. Ang Mo Kio Fried Kway Teow came very close to dethroning Meng Kee, falling short by just 0.5 points.
That said, Meng Kee’s version wasn’t without its flaws—it lost some points in its ingredient aspect. It fared the best on this list, but wasn’t the perfect plate of CKT.
Value: 4/5
Chilli: 4.5/5
Flavour: 4.5/5
Ingredients: 3.5/5
Texture: 4.5/5
Total: 84%
Address: 22A Havelock Road, #01-07, Havelock Road Cooked Food Centre, Singapore 161022
Opening hours: Mon-Tue, Fri-Sat 9am to 3pm, Wed-Thurs 9am to 4pm
Meng Kee Fried Kway Teow is not a halal-certified eatery.
The next time you’re looking for a solid plate of char kway teow, you know where to go!
In related content, we ranked the best shio pan bakeries in Singapore. Otherwise, check out how we rated 10 of the best hokkien mee stalls in Singapore.
Photos taken by Tan Tao Zhi.
This was an independent article by Eatbook.sg.