With the recent GST hike and inflation, it’s no longer as easy as before to save on meals. But if you’re bent on doing so, check out this list of places with dishes under $3 that’ll fill you up without emptying your savings.
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133 Mien Fen Guo is a family-run stall at Bedok that has a regular stream of customers despite their odd opening hours in the early morning. It’s not surprising as their noodles are made fresh to order and sold at prices at $3 or less. Be sure to snag a bowl of their chewy and savoury Mee Hoon Kway ($3) if you can. If not, you can settle for their Soup Yu Mian ($2.50) which has a generous portion of noodles with a springy QQ bite.
Address: 216 Bedok North Street 1, #01-68, Singapore 460216
Opening hours: Wed-Sat 5am to 10:30am
Website
133 Mien Fen Guo is not a halal-certified eatery.
Woo Ji Cooked Food is a hidden gem in the food enclave of Chinatown Complex. This humble noodle stall only serves three dishes, one of which is Laksa, which is priced from only $2. It’s easy to assume that they would skimp on ingredients, but this dish is far from minimal. Besides the usual suspects of tau pok and fishball, there are fried wontons and stuffed green chilli. For an added punch of umami, the noodles are finished with a sprinkle of hae bee.
Address: 335 Smith Street, #02-056, Chinatown Complex Market and Food Centre, Singapore 050335
Opening hours: Wed-Sun 6am to 9:15am
Woo Ji Cooked Food is not a halal-certified eatery.
It’s heartwarming to find a hawker stall committing to economical prices for less-privileged residents. As such, Kedai Makan Muhajirin deserves a spot on our list with their $1 Nasi Lemak. A mere golden coin scores you coconut rice with crispy fish, fried egg, and a dollop of sambal which has a spicy kick. You can easily add on sides such as anchovies ($0.50) and fried chicken ($3) if you think the ingredients are not enough.
Address: 20 Lorong 7 Toa Payoh, Singapore 310020
Opening hours: Tue-Fri 6am to 1pm, Sat-Sun 6am to 12pm
Kedai Makan Muhajirin is a Muslim-owned eatery.
Frenzlink Cafeteria is an open secret to those working in the CBD for their pocket-friendly dishes, with prices for their noodles set at less than $3. Their Lor Mee, which is jazzed up with golden-brown wonton skins that provide a crunch to the otherwise sticky noodles, is great for days leading up to payday. If you’re lucky, you might score chunks of braised pork belly hidden in the thick gravy. They also offer other types of noodles, such as Wonton Mee, Bak Chor Mee, and Prawn Mee.
Address: 62 South Bridge Road, Singapore 058692
Opening hours: Mon-Fri
Frenzlink Cafeteria is not a halal-certified eatery.
Easties are blessed with Xian Jin Mixed Vegetable Rice. This Bedok hawker stall serves a hearty bowl of Century Egg Minced Meat Porridge ($2). This simple dish is garnished with fresh spring onions and fried shallots. Be sure to give this thick congee a good mix, as there are chunks of minced meat and slices of century egg hidden below its surface. Add a scatter of pepper and splash some light soy sauce to further elevate the congee’s savouriness.
Address: 216 Bedok North Street, 1 #01-02, Blk 216 Bedok Food Centre And Market, Singapore 460216
Opening hours: Daily 7am to 4pm
Cai fan is a sure way to keep your food budget under control, but not all cai fan stalls are created equal price-wise. Goldhill Family Restaurant takes things one step further with their $2 set which comes with a choice of one vegetable and one meat. You can also opt for three vegetables to go with your rice for that same price. Have patience as this Hougang coffee shop stall has a snaking queue during lunchtime, thanks to their cheap prices.
Address: 6 Hougang Avenue 3, Singapore 530006
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 8am to 8pm, Sat 8am to 7pm, Sun 8am to 2pm
Goldhill Family Restaurant is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @jasbysim
Whether you like it black or white, Good Spice Carrot Cake serves their Carrot Cake from just $2.50 per plate. I personally prefer it black as the sweetness from the black sauce complements the savoury and charred chunks of carrot cake. This hawker stall fries each plate fresh to order, ensuring the fragrant dish is served piping hot. It’s a great time to be an early riser as Good Spice Carrot Cake usually sells out by lunchtime.
Address: 41A Cambridge Road, #01-20, Pek Kio Market & Food Centre, Singapore 211041
Opening hours: Thurs-Tue 6am to 1pm
Good Spice Carrot Cake is not a halal-certified eatery.
Fans of prawn mee are unlikely to find a stall that does their favourite dish cheaper than Lai Hiang Pork Rib Prawn Mee. The most affordable bowl here will set you back $2.50, and features a prawn, sliced pork, and fish cake atop chilli-tossed noodles. Though you’re not getting a lot with that single prawn, the piquant chilli sauce and rich umami soup here more than make up for it.
Read our Lai Hiang Pork Rib Prawn Mee feature.
Address: 41A Cambridge Road, #01-41, Pek Kio Market & Food Centre, Singapore 211041
Opening hours: Wed-Thurs 6am to 2pm, Sat-Mon 6am to 2pm
Website
Lai Hiang Pork Rib Prawn Mee is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @xuansnacs
Hoe Kee Kitchen is a Michelin Guide-recommended hawker, yet it manages to keep its prices very low. A plate of Chicken Rice, Char Siew Rice, or Roasted Pork Rice here starts from just $2.50, making it very bang for your buck especially when compared to other chicken rice or roast meat stalls. Patrons praise Hoe Kee’s tender chicken meat and flavourful rice, which is usually paired with a secret chilli sauce that boasts a strong garlic fragrance.
Check out our Hoe Kee Kitchen coverage!
Address: 505 Jurong West Street 52, #01-39, Jurong West 505 Market & Food Centre, Singapore 640505
Opening Hours: Mon 10:30am to 3pm, Tue-Wed 10am to 6pm, Fri-Sun 10am to 6pm
Hoe Kee Kitchen is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: 蒸有米 Steam Rice Kitchen
One of the newer stalls on this list, 蒸有米 Steam Rice Kitchen is committed to offering affordable meals for all. It does it by offering a simple Curry Mee dish for just $2. While there aren’t any toppings on this dish, the fragrant Ipoh-style curry broth is said to pack more than enough flavour to satisfy your taste buds. For that same price, you can get a plate of Chee Cheong Fun here as well.
Read our Steam Rice Kitchen coverage!
Address: 206 Toa Payoh North, #01-1197, Singapore 310206
Opening hours: Daily 7am to 8pm
Website
蒸有米 Steam Rice Kitchen is not a halal-certified eatery.
With this list in hand, you won’t have a reason to go broke. Though some of these places may be rather inconvenient to get to if you don’t live around the area, it’s a small price to pay for a bang-for-your-buck meal. For affordable restaurants, read our best cheap restaurants in Singapore guide. For cheap JB food to try, read our best Johor Bahru hawker food guide.
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