Best hawker centres for tourists to visit
With most of our famous local dishes to be found in hawker centres, it is almost necessary for tourists to visit them to get a true slice of Singaporean cuisine. The question, then, is which hawker centre to visit. This listicle will take you through the 10 hawker centres you should bring your tourists friends to, which are home to Michelin-approved eats and stalls that draw long queues.
Table of Contents
1. Lau Pa Sat
Image credit: Johnson Lam
Originally Singapore’s first wet market, Lau Pa Sat was later converted into a hawker centre in 1972, and has since become an iconic place for local food in Singapore. All your local classics can be found here, whether it be the chicken rice at Fragrance Garden Chicken Rice, hokkien mee at Golden Shoe Hokkien Mee, and of course, the various satay stalls. Beyond just the food, however, Lau Pa Sat is an architectural marvel—you can see the strong Victorian influence that remains there to this day. Historically significant, and a great place to feast at.
Singapore hawker food this place is famous for:
– Satay
– Chicken rice
– Thunder tea rice
Address: 18 Raffles Quay, Singapore 048582
2. Maxwell Food Centre
Maxwell Food Centre is home to arguably the most famous chicken rice stall on the planet, Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice, but that isn’t all it’s known for. Just two stores down, there’s the highly acclaimed Ah Tai Hainanese Chicken Rice, run by Wong Liang Tai, who was head cook at Tian Tian for more than 20 years. Other famous stalls here include Old Nonya, which offers homely Peranakan eats, and Jin Hua Fish Head Bee Hoon, known for its top-tier fish soup.
Singapore hawker food this place is famous for:
– Chicken rice
– Peranakan food
– Fish soup
Address: 1 Kadayanallur Street, Singapore 069184
25 Maxwell Food Centre Stalls Including Green Chilli Chicken Rice And Famous Ondeh-Ondeh
3. Old Airport Road Food Centre
With over a hundred stalls to pick from, Old Airport Road Food Centre is a treasure trove of good food. Some of the popular stalls, namely Nam Sing Hokkien Fried Mee, Lao Fu Zi Fried Kway Teow, and To-Ricos Guo Shi, are featured in the Michelin Guide Singapore Bib Gourmand. But it isn’t just the established veteran stalls here that are worth checking out—relative newcomers such as Minced Pork Bros and Hei Po Po, which is known for its crayfish hor fun, have been making waves, too.
Singapore hawker food this place is famous for:
– Hokkien Mee
– Char kway teow
– Kway chap
Address: 51 Old Airport Road, Singapore 390051
25 Old Airport Road Food Centre Stalls To Eat At—Wagyu Beef Noodles, Famous Hokkien Mee And More
4. Adam Road Food Centre
Adam Road Food Centre may be one of the smaller hawker centres on the list, but it’s home to some of the most famous halal stalls in the country. The two highly popular nasi lemak stalls in the place, No. 1 Adam’s Nasi Lemak and Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak, offer moreish renditions of the fragrant Malay dish. There are two Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded stalls here: Bahrakath Mutton Soup, known for its soup kambing, and the non-halal Adam Rd Noo Cheng Big Prawn Noodle.
Singapore hawker food this place is famous for:
– Nasi lemak
– Soup kambing
– Prawn mee
Address: 2 Adam Road, Singapore 289876
5. Amoy Street Food Centre
The two-storey Amoy Street Food Centre has an exciting mix of hawker choices, ranging from old but well-known business to next-gen stalls. From the former, you have picks such as Han Kee Fish Soup and Hong Kee Beef Noodle. From the latter, you have the Michelin-approved A Noodle Story, famed for its unique Singapore-style ramen, and Chun Feng Man Mian, which offers truffle wonton mee. Though you may have to tussle with the CBD crowd during peak hours, it’s worth it for the excellent eats you can find here.
Singapore hawker food this place is famous for:
– Fish soup
– Beef noodles
– Wonton mee
Address: 7 Maxwell Road, Singapore 069111
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6. Chinatown Complex
With its labyrinth layout and staggering amount of stalls, Chinatown Complex is a must-visit. If you’re bringing your tourist friend here for some hearty eats, be sure to try stalls such as Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice, Fatty Ox HK Kitchen, which is known for its beef brisket noodles, and Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck & Kway Chap. You can also get some dim sum from Hong Kong Mong Kok Tim Sum or Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao to go along with those.
Singapore hawker food this place is famous for:
– Claypot rice
– Dim sum
– Duck rice
Address: 335 Smith Street, Singapore 050335
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7. Tiong Bahru Food Centre
Image credit: Alvin Khoo
Located on the second floor of Tiong Bahru market, Tiong Bahru Food Centre features a wide variety of hawker eats, many of which are by renowned stalls. Perhaps the most popular there is Loo’s Hainanese Curry Rice, which is considered one of the best places for Hainanese curry rice in Singapore. Other stalls here include Zhong Yu Yuan Wei Wanton Noodle, known for its char siew taken from pigs’ armpit, and Koh Brother Pig’s Organ Soup.
Singapore hawker food this place is famous for:
– Hainanese curry rice
– Wonton Mee
– Pig’s organ soup
Address: 30 Seng Poh Road, Singapore 168898
8. Tekka Centre
In the heart of Little India is Tekka Centre, so it is no surprise that the place has many amazing Indian stalls. It is home to Allauddin’s Briyani, an iconic stall that serves the rich and fragrant briyani. Indian-style rojak can be found at Haji Johan Indian Muslim Food, and Ar-Rahman Cafe and Royal Prata offers great crispy prata. But it isn’t just Indian dishes the place is known for—you can also get prawn mee at 545 Whampoa Prawn Noodle and duck rice at Heng Gi Goose and Duck Rice here.
Do note that Tekka Market Food Centre is currently undergoing renovations, and will return on 30 September 2023.
Singapore hawker food this place is famous for:
– Briyani
– Prata
– Prawn mee
Address: 665 Buffalo Road, Singapore 210665
9. Newton Food Centre
Image credit: @orange_in_the_fridge
Newton Food Centre ranks among the top hawker centres that are frequented by tourists, and it’s easy to see why. The fact that it was featured in Crazy Rich Asians has surely bolstered its name, but the acclaimed stalls here are what truly draw eaters. A few stalls, including Heng Carrot Cake and Alliance Seafood, received the Michelin Bib Gourmand award. Plenty others, such as Soon Wah Fishball Kway Teow Mee, seem to have perpetually long queues. A safe option for your tourist friend.
Singapore hawker food this place is famous for:
– Carrot cake
– Fishball noodles
– Zi char
Address: 500 Clemenceau Avenue North, Singapore 229495
10. Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre
Image credit: Jian C
Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre isn’t the most obvious pick when it comes to hawker centres that tourists should check out, but that doesn’t mean it is any less of a hotspot for good food. Here, you can find the famous “Sungei Road-style” by 63 Laksa, wok hei-infused char kway teow by Guan Kee Fried Kway Teow, and gravy-filled hor fun by Hin Fried Hor Fun. If you’re looking for something less hearty, there are stalls here that offer moreish snacks, including chee kueh at Ghim Moh Chwee Kueh and chee cheong fun at Teck Hin Delicacies.
Singapore hawker food this place is famous for:
– Carrot cake
– Char kway teow
– Hor fun
Address: 20 Ghim Moh Road, Singapore 270020
What hawker centres in Singapore to bring tourists to
These were some of the best hawker centres for tourists to visit. For a list of must-try Singaporean dishes, read our ultimate Singapore food guide. For places to get chilli crabs and other seafood dishes, check out our best seafood restaurants in Singapore guide.
The Ultimate Singapore Food Guide: 75 Truly Local Dishes You Must Try
Feature image adapted from Johnson Lam and @orange_in_the_fridge.
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