Fiercely passionate about their craft, our hawkers all have the same aim of providing affordable and tasty meals to everyone. Looking back at 2018, here are the hawker places – listed in no particular order – that are worthy of our inaugural Eatbook Top 50 Awards. While there are plenty of existing stores that deserve to be on the list, these are either newly opened or have new menu items this year. Keep an eye out for more winners in categories such as buffets and cafes!
Serving up traditional Singapore-style wanton mee, Bei-ing Wanton Mee has been around for 35 years. This family-run business impressed us with their Katsu Noodle ($6), which was recently conceptualised by the sons of the current owner.
In a mix of old meets new, the chicken is coated with panko breadcrumbs before being deep-fried to golden brown perfection. It’s then tossed up with the store’s signature noodles, along with cubes of fried lard and their potent housemade sambal chilli.
Check out our full review of Bei-ing Wanton Mee!
Address: 50 East Coast Road, #01-64, Roxy Square, Singapore 428769
Opening hours: Daily 10am to 6pm
Tel: 6440 9511
Website
Prawn noodle gets zhng-ed up at Prawnaholic, a store that opened at Pasir Ris Central Hawker Centre earlier this year. Admittedly, the noodles here are pricier than other stores’. But take a closer look and you’ll find plenty of premium ingredients such as kurobuta pork and tiger prawns inside.
King Prawn Noodles ($8.50) is a perfect example of that, coming with a thick cut of torched kurobuta pork, handmade prawn balls, and fresh tiger prawns. You can choose to have it dry or with soup, but our favourite was the former that comes with a runny onsen egg and thick flavourful sauce.
Check out our full review of Prawnaholic!
Address: 110 Pasir Ris Central, #02-12, Pasir Ris Central Hawker Centre, Singapore 519641
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 12pm to 3pm, 5pm to 8pm
Tel: 9751 4417
Website
This 35-year-old braised duck store, Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck, gets a unique twist thanks to second-generation owner Melvin Chew.
A must-try here is their Dry Duck Ramen ($5). Combining Japanese ingredients such as ramen noodles and daikon with local influences, this dish charmed us with its clever blending of flavours. We liked how the firm ramen noodles went with fragrant lor (braising sauce) and hae bee (dried shrimp). Definitely one of the best dishes we’ve tried this year.
Check out our full review of Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck!
Address: 335 Smith Street, #02-156, Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre, Singapore 050335
Opening hours: Mon-Thur 10:30am to 6:30pm, Sat-Sun 9:30am to 6:30pm
Tel: 9018 9052
Website
Pasir Ris Central Hawker Centre enters the list again with Muslim-owned Burgernomics. Dishing up quality and affordable burgers, this store is known to attract a queue even before it opens in the evening.
Deluxe Burger ($6.50) is no ordinary burger, coming with a juicy beef patty that is covered with torched cheddar. Caramalised onions and sauteed mushrooms are then added on to give a nice variation in texture. They also have a Crispy Chicken Burger ($6.50) that wowed us with its crispy exterior.
Check out our full review of Burgernomics!
Address: 110 Pasir Ris Central, #02-03, Pasir Ris Central Hawker Centre, Singapore 519641
Opening hours: Daily 12pm to 3pm, 6pm to 9pm
Tel: 9151 8134
Website
Located along Upper Serangoon Road, Yaowarat Thai Kway Chap‘s signature dish is remarkably different from its Singaporean counterpart. Here you’ll find the noodles curled up in rolls – not flat – in a clear and peppery broth.
Start off with their Signature Thai Kway Chap ($5) that comes with tau pok, offal, fish sausage, and pork slices. Affordably priced, the flavourful fish sausage was very impressive too. Also try the Thai-style Boiled Pork Belly ($6/$8/$10), which came with just the right ratio of fat to meat.
Check out our full review of Yaowarat Thai Kway Chap!
Address: 945 Upper Serangoon Road, Singapore 534711
Opening hours: Tue-Thur 11am to 3pm, 5pm to 11pm, Fri-Sat 11am to 3pm, 5pm to 1am
Tel: 8822 5637
We hear stories of chefs opening up their own place after leaving popular restaurants, but it’s not everyday that a chef from Din Tai Fung opens up a hawker store in Bedok. Recommended by one of our readers, the food at the newly opened Hao Lai Ke was certainly up to the mark.
At half the price, the Pork Ribs Fried Rice ($6) tasted very similar to the one we had at Din Tai Fung. From the size of the pork chop to the rice grains, every component of the dish looked just like the ones from the popular xiao long bao chain. Make sure to leave room for their signature Dan Dan Noodles ($4.50), featuring hand-pulled noodles accompanied by a fragrant peanut sauce.
Check out our full review of Hao Lai Ke!
Address: 204 Bedok North Street 1, #01-393, Singapore 460204
Opening hours: Daily 10.30am to 10pm
Tel: 9673 5517
Located inside one of Singapore’s most iconic hawker centres, Amoy Street Food Centre, Oinkers & Buns stood out for its generous portions and pork dishes.
Braised Pork Belly Rice ($6) won our hearts, tasting like a home-cooked meal made with care. The pork is marinated with shoyu and grilled before serving, giving off a hint of smokiness. Oinkers & Buns’ Pulled Pork Burger ($5.50) is another item worth getting, with a mountain of juicy and flavourful pulled pork that overflows out of the bun.
Check out our full review of Oinkers & Buns!
Address: 7 Maxwell Street, #02-106, Amoy Street Food Centre, Singapore 069111
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 10am to 3pm
Website
The dishes at Yokozuna Stall look like they are masterfully prepared in a Japanese restaurant. But look closer and you’ll find that they are actually served at a small coffee shop in Toa Payoh.
Everything here costs less than $10, but if you have room for just one dish, try the Tataki Salmon Roll ($6). Stuffed with crab meat and mayonnaise, salmon is draped over the sushi roll before being torched for an extra boost of flavour. They also have set meals such as Butter Yaki Seabass Bento ($6.80), which comes with a dollop of creamy mashed potatoes topped with flying fish roe.
Check out our full review of Yokozuna Stall!
Address: 211 Lorong 8 Toa Payoh, #01-01, Singapore 310211
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 11:30am to 2:30pm, 5pm to 8:30pm, Sat-Sun 11:30am to 8:30pm
Tel: 9732 8813
Website
Opened by the people behind Mr Lorbak, House of Happiness is not your ordinary claypot rice store. Instead, you’ll find interesting variations of claypot rice that are made with ingredients such as ikura and tobiko.
It’s hard to go wrong with Teriyaki Pork Jowl ($7). The pork is drenched in a sweet coat of teriyaki sauce, to give a contemporary flair to a classic favourite. And just like the hallmark of a good pot of claypot rice, there are plenty of burnt bits at the bottom, giving the dish an extra boost of flavour.
Check out our full review of House of Happiness!
Address: 294 Bedok Road, Singapore 469450
Opening hours: Wed-Mon 12pm to 10pm
Tel: 6241 2648
Opened by a first-generation hawkerpreneur earlier this year, it’s heartening to know that Singaporeans are still keen on serving up traditional favourites.
Mee Hoon Kueh (Soup) ($3.50) ticks all the right boxes with fatty bits of minced pork that melt in the mouth and a broth that is good to the last drop. Special mention also goes to the soft hand-made mee hoon kueh, which comes with a slight bite to each mouthful.
Check out our full review of Boon’s Noodles!
Address: 505 Beach Road, #01-86, Golden Mile Food Centre, Singapore 199583
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 9am to 3pm
Affordable prices and delicious fare make these places our top picks this year. It doesn’t matter if it’s lunch or dinner, these hawker places are definitely worth checking out at any time of the day. Look out for more Eatbook Top 50 Awards 2018 lists for the best places we’ve visited in 2018!
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