Hawker centres in the Central Business District
If you work in the Central Business District (CBD), and you’re tired of spending upwards of $20 on lunch or prepping your own food, look to these 10 CBD hawker centres for more affordable meal options. This list includes hawker centres located in Newton, Raffles Place, Tanjong Pagar and more. Some of these food centres have over 100 stalls, a few of which have even earned the Michelin stamp of approval!
1. Maxwell Food Centre
Image credit: 横山好弘
Located a three-minute walk from Maxwell MRT Station, and an eight-minute walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT Station, Maxwell Food Centre is packed at all hours of the day with tourists and locals alike. The area is home to Korean restaurants and hip cafes, but the hawker centre is where to head for more wallet-friendly choices!Â
Image credit: Jabin Landayan
Arguably, the most well-known stall here is the Michelin-approved Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice. Their smallest plate of Chicken Rice, which you can get either roasted or steamed, is priced at $5.Â
If a good plate of chicken rice isn’t enough to impress, Taste of Jiang Nian can give you a taste of Din Tai Fung at a fraction of the price! Their signature dish is their soup-packed Xiao Long Bao ($5 for six pieces).Â
Other things to get at Maxwell Food Centre: Char Siew Rice ($4) from Fu Shun Jin Ji Shao La Mian Jia, Original Appam from Mr Appam ($3 for two pieces).
Check out our Maxwell Food Centre guide for more options!
Address: 1 Kadayanallur Street, Singapore 069184
Opening hours: Daily 8am to 2am
30 Maxwell Food Centre Stalls For Old-School Western Food, Affordable Seafood And More
2. Amoy Street Food Centre
Image credit: audchang22Â
Another lunch spot in the vicinity of Tanjong Pagar, Telok Ayer, and Maxwell is Amoy Street Food Centre! If you have exhausted your usual local food options such as cai fan and fish soup, this hawker centre offers a lot of lesser-seen options that you can consider.
To start, this hawker centre has a few bakery stalls, including Bake Of and Petit Krumbs. The former specialises in muffins from $1.60, which come in flavours such as Matcha Cream Cheese and Coffee Walnut. The latter has a large variety of modern bakes such as the Sourdough Croissant ($2.50), and Lemon Mochi Tart ($2.70).Â
Other things to get at Amoy Street Food Centre: Aromatic Chicken ($6.50) nasi lemak from Spicy Wife, Pulled Pork Burrito (from $6.50) from James Quesadillas & Brunch.
Check out our Amoy Street Food Centre guide for more options!Â
Address: 7 Maxwell Rd, Singapore 069111
Opening hours: Daily 6:30am to 9pm
25 Amoy Street Food Centre Stalls To Visit When You’re In The CBD
3. Hong Lim Food Centre
Image credit: Victor
If you want to avoid the crowds at Amoy Street Food Centre and Maxwell Food Centre, head to Hong Lim Food Centre instead.Â
Image credit: Jie Lu
One of the stalls that draws long queues here is Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee. Their kway teow, which is priced at $5, is lauded for its piquant wok hei flavour. These fried noodles are so well-loved that the dish has even earned the stall a Michelin Bib Gourmand award. Another one for the books is Famous Sungei Road Trishaw Laksa. Their Asia Delight Laksa ($7/$12) comes with a giant piece of crayfish, along with a heap of cockles and prawns.Â
Other things to get at Hong Lim Food Centre: Latte ($3.90/$4.30) from Generation Coffee, Specialty Dry Chilli Noodle ($5.50) from The Noodle Memories.
Check out our Hong Lim Food Centre guide for more options!Â
Address: 531A Upper Cross St, Singapore 051531
Opening hours: Daily 24 hours
20 Best Hong Lim Food Centre Stalls For Michelin-Approved Curry Mee, Cheap Min Jiang Kueh And More
4. Tanjong Pagar Plaza Food Centre
Image credit: J
Situated a stone’s throw away from Tanjong Pagar MRT Station, Tanjong Pagar Plaza Food Centre is a popular lunch respite for those working in the area.Â
Image credit: T9T T3T
Lei cha might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if it’s yours, Traditional Hakka Rice serves up a pretty good bowl! Their Thunder Tea Rice ($4) is said to consist of fresh ingredients prepared from scratch daily, served with a light, fragrant, and earthy soup. But if that’s not to your liking, go for the Ipoh-style prawn mee from Ipoh Zai Prawn Noodles. The broth, which undergoes a lengthy simmering process, carries a pleasantly briny, robust flavour.Â
Address: 6 Tanjong Pagar Plaza, Singapore 081006
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 8am to 8pm, Sun 6am to 8pm
5. People’s Park Food Centre
Image credit: adrian gianÂ
One of the most well-loved hawker centres to date is People’s Park Food Centre, which is a four-minute walk away from Chinatown MRT Station. The food centre is also back and better than ever, after going through a recent revamp.Â
If there’s one stall you have to try at People’s Park, it has to be Ri Ri Hong Ma La Xiang Guo, known for their tasty and affordable mala. Plus, they have a 4-star rating across more than 1,000 reviews, which is pretty impressive for a hawker stall!Â
If spice isn’t your thing, try the Chinese fare at Hong Peng La Mian Xiao Long Bao. This stall, which sells juicy xiao long bao and saucy la mian, has also made an appearance on the Michelin Guide! Customers love their XLB, which is priced at $6 for five pieces.Â
Address: 32 New Market Road, Singapore 050032
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 7:30am to 10:30pm
12 People’s Park Food Centre Stalls For Cheap Xiao Long Bao, Famous Yong Tau Foo And More
6. Lau Pa Sat
Image credit: é»ƒè© å®¸
One of Singapore’s most iconic hawker centres is Lau Pau Sat, located in Raffles Place. The CBD hawker centre is not only an architectural marvel, but also home to many highly-raved stalls, including six Michelin title holders! Title aside, the lunch spot is very convenient, located a short walk from Downtown MRT Station and Raffles Place MRT Station.Â
You can try the famous Michelin-recognised Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang here. One plate of the nasi lemak, which is priced at $8.20, comes with fragrant coconut rice, a juicy grilled chicken leg, and housemade sambal, which is lauded for being piquant and fiery.Â
Another Michelin-rated hawker you can tick off your to-try list here is LiXin Teochew Fishball Noodles. Though you can’t really go wrong with fishball noodles, the dish served at this hawker chain is said to be especially addicting as the fishballs are handmade with 100% yellowtail fish. For something special, try out the outlet-exclusive dish, The Folks Favourite ($8.90), which comes with extra ingredients.Â
Check out our Lau Pa Sat guide for more options!Â
Address: 18 Raffles Quay, Singapore 048582
Opening hours: Daily 24 hours
17 Lau Pa Sat Stalls For Michelin-Approved Nasi Lemak, Tteokbokki Burgers and More
7. Chinatown Complex Food Centre
Image credit: Chinatown ComplexÂ
In case you didn’t know, Chinatown Complex Food Centre is Singapore’s largest hawker centre, with over 250 stalls. Most of the fare here is relatively wallet-friendly as well.Â
Hawker food prices may be on the rise, but that isn’t the case at Woo Ji Cooked Food. For just $2, you can indulge in a decent bowl of laksa here. Chinatown Complex is also where you can find several stalls to satiate your XLB cravings; the list includes Shang Hai Fried Xiao Long Bao and Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao. When at the latter, don’t just order their Xiao Long Bao ($10)—get the La Mian with Fried Bean Sauce ($4.50) as well.Â
Check out our Chinatown Complex Food Centre guide for more options.Â
Address: 335 Smith Street, Singapore 050335
Opening hours: Daily 7am to 10pm
19 Chinatown Complex Food Centre Stalls For Cheap XLB And Michelin-Approved Claypot Rice
8. Market Street Hawker Centre
Image credit: Janice Lin
Market Street Food Centre, formerly known as Golden Shoe Food Centre, is a newer name compared to the other contenders in this list. The food centre is located in CapitaSpring, which is a three-minute walk from Raffles Place MRT Station. The spot also went through a recent refurbishment, so expect a cleaner, more spacious, and more well-ventilated dining area!Â
If you’re a big chicken rice enthusiast, consider paying Golden Shoe Chicken Rice a visit. The friendly couple have been serving their signature roasted and steamed chicken rice since the 1960s!Â
Else, give Golden Nur’s delicious biryani a go. Choices include the Curry Chicken Biryani ($6.50), Mutton Biryani ($7), and Crispy Chicken Biryani ($6.50) among others. Other than the generous portions, the biryani is said to be ultra aromatic and flavourful.Â
Address: 86 Market Street, Singapore 048947
Opening hours: TBD
9. Kukoh 21 Food Centre
Image credit: etleong21
Kukoh 21 Food Centre is not exactly in the CBD region, but is still a great option to check out if you work in the area. The food centre is a 15-minute bus ride from City Hall MRT Station, and a 13-minute walk from Chinatown MRT Station.
Not too long ago, our team paid a visit to the famous The $2.50 Shop, and we were pretty impressed with their options. As the stall’s name suggests, they offer a variety of simple dishes such as Mee Rebus, Nasi Lemak and more for just $2.50 a plate!Â
The food centre is also equipped with a lesser-seen find: a Teochew kueh stall! Though many reviews for Jalan Kukoh Teochew Kueh claim that the waiting time is long, the kueh are made on the premises, so you’re getting them fresh. Other stalls patrons rave about include Teochew Fish Porridge and Teochew Pig Organs Soup
Address: 1 Jalan Kukoh, Singapore 161001
Opening hours: Daily 6am to 10pm
10. Newton Food Centre
Image credit: Newton Food Centre
Known for making an appearance in Crazy Rich Asians, Newton Food Centre is a popular hawker centre located a 15-minute walk away from Newton MRT Station. There are over 100 stalls to pick from, with options including grilled seafood, carrot cake, naan, fish porridge and more!
Image credit: Michael Connor
Almost every popular hawker centre has an oyster omelette stall, but the one at Newton Food Centre is exceptionally popular. Hup Kee Oyster Omelette has been serving their famous orh luak or Fried Oyster Omelette ($8/$10/$12) since the 1960s!Â
But if oyster omelette isn’t your thing, go for the zi char from the Michelin-approved Alliance Seafood. Their Chilli Crab (seasonal price), which happens to be the most mentioned keyword in the hawker centre’s Google reviews, is also said to be one of the best in Singapore!Â
Other things to get at Newton Food Centre: Garlic Naan ($2.50) and Butter Chicken ($9.50) from Indian Kitchen, Chicken Satay from TKR Satay.
Check out our Newton Food Centre guide for more options!
Address: 500 Clemenceau Ave North, Singapore 229495
Opening hours: Daily 24 hours
15 Newton Food Centre Stalls To Visit For Famous Orh Luak, Michelin-Approved Duck And More
Guide to the best hawker centres in the CBD
With this extensive range of hawker centres in the CBD area, you will never run out of wallet-friendly dining options the next time you work-from-office!Â
In other news, check out our list of the best shio pan bakeries, including options from just $2. Else, check out our list of the best ramadan bazaars in Singapore, including Kampong Gelam Bazaar and Geylang Serai Bazaar!Â
10 Ramadan Bazaars In Singapore This 2025 To Visit With Your Loved Ones
Feature image adapted from 横山好弘 and é»ƒè© å®¸.
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