There’s a diverse range of Hakka dishes you can try in Singapore, including the likes of abacus seeds, yong tau foo, and lei cha AKA thunder tea rice. While some of these dishes are easily accessible, others may be harder to hunt down. To make things easy for you, we have compiled a list of the best Hakka food in Singapore, including both restaurants and hawker stalls.
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Starting strong, we have Plum Village Hakka Restaurant, said to possibly be Singapore’s last Hakka restaurant. It is run by the 78-year-old Mr Lai Fak Nian, who has been serving authentic Hakka cuisine for the past 41 years! Popular items here include the Hakka Yam Abacus ($11/$16/$22) and Hakka Salted Chicken ($20/40). If you’re here with a bigger group, you can also try their Set Meal ($56/$78) which comes with stuffed yong tau foo, pork with preserved vegetables, and complimentary Hakka noodles, to name a few. They also offer free delivery for orders over $80!
Address: 16 Jalan Leban, Singapore 577554
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 2pm, 5:30pm to 8:30pm
Website
Tel: 6458 9005
Plum Village Hakka Restaurant is not a halal-certified eatery.
Ask around for yong tau foo recommendations, and the name 928 Ngee Fou Hakka Yong Tau Foo will definetely come up. Located right outside Springleaf MRT Station, the eatery offers a range of handmade yong tau foo ingredients that are said to be top-notch. Prices for the Assorted Yong Tau Foo start from $6 and come with a generous serving of kang kong and house-made gravy. For something more substantial, you can also top up $0.50 for white rice and $1 for yam rice to pair with your yong tau foo. Dumpling Soup is also available for $3 too.
Address: 930 Upper Thomson Road, Singapore 787122
Opening hours: Daily 9am to 6:30pm
Tel: 6452 1801
928 Ngee Fou Hakka Yong Tau Foo is not a halal-certified eatery.
At Pang’s Hakka Noodles, the must-try is definitely the Signature Hakka YTF Noodles ($6.30) which comes with thin, flat noodles tossed in garlic oil and minced pork and a separate bowl of yong tau foo soup with some scallions. The noodles are known to be highly QQ and flavourful, pairing perfectly with the hand-made yong tau foo. The Signature Curry Hakka YTF Noodle ($6.80) is also another popular option if you’re looking for a more piquant option.
Read our Pang’s Hakka Noodles review.
Address: 2 Jalan Bukit Merah, Get Together Coffee Shop, Singapore 150002
Opening hours: Daily 9:30am to 8pm
Website
Pang’s Hakka Noodles is not a halal-certified eatery.
Ah Lock & Co is a popular eatery serving many variations of Hakka rice bowls at Guoco Tower, right outside Tanjong Pagar MRT Station. Their most popular option is the Hakka Signature Rice Bowl ($9.80), consisting of Hakka tofu with chicken, meatballs, mani cai, long beans, seaweed, sesame seeds, and special mayo on Japanese short-grain rice. Another satisfying option to consider is the Hakka Black Beef Rice Bowl ($15.90). While slightly pricier, this dish contains a generous portion of shabu beef, topped with shimeiji mushrooms, sous-vide egg, seaweed, and sesame seeds.
For desserts, we recommend trying the Matcha Tofu Pudding ($2), which has a smooth and creamy consistency. The matcha flavour is also said to be fragrant yet not too in-your-face.
Read our Ah Lock & Co review.
Address: 7 Wallich Street, B2-22/23/24, Guoco Tower, Singapore 078884
Opening hours: Daily 10am to 8pm
Tel: 8312 6203
Website
Ah Lock and Co is a halal-certified eatery.
Hidden inside Magaret Drive Hawker Centre, Hakka Thunder Tea Rice is known to be one of the best lei cha stalls in Singapore. They have just reopened in June, after closing due to the passing of Mr Ang, the owner. Now succeeded by his wife and children, the stall still aims to serve high-quality thunder tea rice.
To order, simply choose your rice—white or brown—then watch it get topped with ingredients such as chye sim, mani cai, beancurd, ikan billis, and toasted peanuts. You also get a bowl of bright green flavourful tea broth to pair. The Thunder Tea Rice costs $5.50. We also recommend trying their Assorted Yong Tau Foo, priced at $1.30 per piece. Each piece is filled with a generous serving of fish, pork, and anchovy filling, guaranteed to leave you satisfied with each bite.
Address: 38A Margaret Drive, #02-34, Singapore 142038
Opening hours: Wed-Sun 10:30am to 3pm
Tel: 8189 9676
Hakka Thunder Tea Rice is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: Sweetpotagoh
Mei Zhen Hakka Delicacies is an excellent stall at Shunfu Mart, located a five to seven minute walk away from both Marymount MRT Station and Upper Thomson MRT Station. Here, you can get an array of Hakka delights, such as Yam Cake ($3/$6) and Taro Skin Turnip Dumpling ($1.50) AKA soon kueh. However, their most popular option remains the Abacus Seeds ($5/$8), cooked with chopped mushrooms, dried shrimp, fried onions, and scallions. This dish is known to be immensely flavourful when paired with the house-made chilli too!
Address: 320 Shunfu Road, #02-26, Shunfu Mart, Singapore 570320
Opening hours: Wed-Fri 6:30am to 1pm, Sat-Sun 6:30am to 2:30pm
Tel: 9799 0397
Website
Mei Zhen Hakka Delights is not a halal-certified eatery but uses no pork or lard.
Mimiteo’s Kitchen is a home-based business that specialises in abacus seeds. It is run by a stay-at-home mom who has been through many trials and errors to find the best recipe. Priced at $22 per portion, Mimiteo’s abacus seeds come with a substantial amount of black fungus, dried mushrooms, dried shrimp, cuttlefish, and minced pork. The hand-made abacus seeds are known to be highly chewy and delicious, pairing well with the other ingredients too.
Although Mimiteo’s Kitchen opens pre-orders up to one month in advance, these are highly anticipated, so we recommend checking their Instagram often to not miss out!
Website
Mimiteo’s Kitchen is not a halal-certified eatery.
The Beef House prides itself on serving affordable Hakka dishes and handmade beef balls. We recommend trying their Abacus Seeds ($3) — the restaurant uses a mixture of pumpkin and yam to make their abacus seeds, resulting in a chewier texture. Pair each “seed”’ with their signature chilli sauce for a piquant kick. The Hakka Yong Tau Foo ($4), meanwhile, comes with seven ingredients, such as meatballs, bitter gourd, and brinjal. The soup is also highly flavourful, retaining the flavour from the different meats and soya beans.
Another must-get is the Sliced Beef Kway Teow Dry Set ($4/$5/$6). There is a generous portion of beef in the soup, and each slice of beef is said to have a good fat-to-meat ratio. The kway teow is also served separately to prevent it from absorbing the soup too quickly.
Read our review of The Beef House.
Address: 217 Syed Alwi Road, Gar Lok Eating House, Singapore 207776
Opening hours: Sat-Thurs 8am to 5pm
Tel: 9821 5463
The Beef House is not a halal-certified eatery.
The next on this list is Toa Payoh 93 Soon Kueh, a stall that has been highly praised by many. Despite its name, it is actually located in Geylang Bahru Market and Food Centre. We highly suggest trying the hand-made Abacus Seeds ($3.30) that features chewy yam “seeds” drizzled with a dash of oil, and accompanied by mushrooms, garlic, preserved vegetables, and black fungus.
The Soon Kueh ($5.50 for five pieces) is also recommended—it stars handmade rice skin with generous portions of diced mushrooms, dried shrimp, and diced jicama within.
Address: Block 69 Geylang Bahru, #01-68, Geylang Bahru Food Centre, Singapore 330069
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 7am to 9pm
Tel: 8816 9393
Toa Payoh 93 Soon Kueh is not a halal-certified eatery.
Voted as one of the best lei cha in Singapore, Thunderbolt Tea is a no-frills, authentic eatery serving bowls of lei cha with no preservatives and MSG. They serve two types of thunder tea, with either brown rice ($5) or white rice ($4.50). They also offer both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options—we suggest adding crispy pork pieces if you prefer having your food with meat. The soup here is also known to be super rich—it has a thicker consistency, and has a strong nutty flavour compared to most lei cha.
Address: 129 Geylang East Avenue 2, #01-100, Singapore 380129
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 9am to 2pm
Website
Tel: 9339 8979
Thunderbolt Tea by Boon Lay Traditional Hakka Lui Cha is not a halal-certified eatery.
Whether its lei cha or abacus seeds, these Hakka eateries are here to satisfy your cravings. If you’re looking for more lei cha restaurants in Singapore, check out our list of the 8 Thunder Tea Rice Stalls. Otherwise, take a look at our Martin Kitchen coverage for fusion Hakka cuisine!
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