Being a west-sider since young, I’ve pretty much travelled and eaten at all the hawker centres ‘round the hood. While hawker centres are not as posh or clean as cafes and restaurants, they offer the best of Singapore’s local food at wallet-friendly prices. And the best part is the variety – you can order your favourite dishes from all the stores and share them with your family and friends!
For those of you in the hood and looking for some grub to fill your tummies, here are nine hawker centres in the West you shouldn’t miss out.
Image credit: @viclkh
Yuhua Hawker Centre holds fond memories for me. I’ve seen hawkers come and go, and the hawkers here have seen me grow up. This hawker centre, located just a five minute walk away from Chinese Garden MRT, is bustling in the day and on weekends – with popular stalls sporting snaking queues.
Image credit: @sosheeats_
If you’re here, don’t forget to try the hot and peppery pork rib soup from Joo Siah Bak Kut Teh, which comes with free soup refills. More of a chicken person? Xing Yun Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice dishes out really tender chicken atop fragrant chicken rice.
To cap off your meal, go for the pancakes from Granny’s Pancake. Hot from the pan, these min jiang kueh are generously stuffed with filling.
Address: 347 Jurong East Avenue 1, #01-226, Singapore 600347
Nearest MRT station: Chinese Garden
Image credit: @benny_lim
Another hawker centre I frequent is Yuhua Village Market and Food Centre, due to its close proximity to my house.
This is one of the rarer places for really cheap food like $2 chicken rice and $0.50 you tiao.
Image credit: @slurppbucket
Fans of fish soup shouldn’t miss out on Rong Sheng Fish Head Bee Hoon. The fish soup here is delightfully sweet and tasty, and generously crowned with fried fish nuggets. Also on the must-eat list is the popular Fei Fei Roasted Noodles, which serves up al dente wanton noodles with tender char siew slices.
Address: 254 Jurong East Street 24, Singapore 600254
Nearest MRT station: Chinese Garden
Image credit: @the_crimson_union
Situated right next to Jurong Stadium, this multi-storey hawker centre is one of the earliest hawker centres in Singapore. Opened in 1972 and formerly known as Yung Sheng Food Centre, it has since been refurbished to what we know today as Taman Jurong Food Centre.
Slurp up noodles in thick, flavourful gravy from Feng Zhen Lor Mee, which sees never-ending queues. The noodles here come with either flaky fish meat or handmade fried pork balls, which add a lovely textural contrast.
Alternatively, if you prefer something more filling, the Western plates from Tom’s Kitchen are sure to fill you up with their generous portions.
Find out what else to eat at Taman Jurong Hawker!
Address: 3 Yung Sheng Road, Singapore 618499
Nearest MRT station: Lakeside
Image credit: @xinclicks
One of my favourite hawker centres in the West, Jurong West 505 Market & Food Centre, was crowned “Best Hawker Centre in Singapore” in 2010 for its range of food and reasonable prices. You can find a large variety of local favourites here, such as fragrant claypot rice to QQ wanton noodles.
Image credit: @sherine_eng
My weekly visits here would leave me deliberating between my two favourite stalls – Kok Kee Wanton Noodles and Soh Kee Cooked Food. I don’t usually enjoy wanton noodles but the ones from Kok Kee, while small in portion, have noodles that are perfectly cooked without the off-putting lye smell I dislike.
The chicken from Soh Kee Cooked Food is tasty and succulent. Even the breast meat is moist and tender. A personal set, which comes with poached chicken and porridge, starts from $3.50. Alternatively, you can get half a chicken for $10.
Address: 505 Jurong West Street 52, Singapore 640505
Nearest MRT station: Lakeside
Image credit: @astroadriansg
Known for housing the iconic Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak stall, Boon Lay Place Food Village serves up a huge plethora of local food from dawn to dusk – catering to the early-risers and night birds.
Located near tour bus pick-up points, it’s usually frequented by travellers who are filling up their tummies before heading to Malaysia.
Image credit: @irene_wonggc
Of course, you can’t miss out on what made this hawker centre well-known. Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak serves up fragrant plates of nasi lemak (from $3.50), complete with fluffy coconut rice, sweet and spicy chill, and well-marinated fried chicken wings.
Late-sleepers can quell those hunger pangs by pigging out on seafood at Lian Yi BBQ Seafood, and tearing meat off the bones of the BBQ chicken wings ($1.30 each) from Chong Pang Heng BBQ Chicken.
Find out what else to eat at Boon Lay Place Food Village!
Address: 221A Boon Lay Place, Singapore 641221
Nearest MRT station: Lakeside
Image credit: @anrinaz
After enrolling into NUS, Clementi 448 Food Centre became my frequent haunt due to its close proximity to Clementi MRT station. During the day, this hawker centre is packed with people, making it hard to get a seat.
Image credit: @xsaltire
Chai Ho Satay & Dried Pork sees long queues for their bak kwa, especially during the Chinese New Year period. Besides bak kwa, they also sell satay barbecued over charcoal at $0.42 per stick. If you’re here for breakfast, check out Soon Lee Porridge which serves traditional Hainanese-style porridge. Be prepared to wait for 45 minutes to an hour during peak hours!
Find out what else to eat at Clementi 448 Market & Food Centre!
Address: 448 Clementi Avenue 3, Singapore 120448
Nearest MRT station: Clementi
Image credit: @oom_tommy
If you’re looking for good Malay and Indian food, then Ayer Rajah Food Centre is your best bet. With over half of the food stalls serving Malay and Indian fare, you can find the likes of mee goreng, mee rebus, and teh tarik here.
Image credit: @teoshewee
One gem to be found here is Habib’s Rojak. The owner wakes up at 3am every day to prepare the ingredients which explains their freshness.
Address: 503 West Coast Drive, Singapore 120503
Nearest MRT station: Kent Ridge
Image credit: @jaysantos.ph
Back in my secondary and JC days, Bukit Timah Food Centre was my frequent haunt after school. Located on the second storey, this hawker centre isn’t as big as others. However, it has, in my opinion, the nation’s best carrot cake and satay bee hoon.
Top picks from this hawker centre include vermicelli slathered with nutty peanut sauce from Sin Chew Satay Bee Hoon; carrot cake fried generously with egg from He Zhong Carrot Cake; and moreish morsels of barbecued meat skewers from Yong Seng Satay.
Finish off your hawker feast with Beancurd ($1.20) made from scratch at Soyako, or slurp up a bowl of sinfully good Chendol (from $1.50) from Nyonya Chendol.
Find out what else to eat at Bukit Timah Food Centre!
Address: 116 Upper Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 588172
Nearest MRT station: Beauty World
Image credit: @shitpaw
Situated right smack in the middle of the happening Holland V, Holland Village Food Centre serves up delicious delights that’ll prepare you for a night of drinks at the nearby bars.
Image credit: @asherhayashi
One of the more popular stalls here is Yu Ji Claypot and Stewed Soup which doles out steaming claypot rice with crispy charred bits at the bottom. If you’re a fan of Thomson’s Ming Fa Fishball Noodles, you’ll be happy to hear that they have a stall here too! The fish balls here are made from 100% fish meat and if you’re not health-conscious, you can top them with spoonfuls of sinful deep fried pork lard for that umami crunch!
Find out what else to eat at Holland Village Food Centre!
Address: 1 Lorong Mambong, Singapore 277700
Nearest MRT station: Holland Village
Having grown up in the West, the food and people here hold fond memories for me. There’s nothing like downing a bowl of steaming hot congee after a long day, and bonding with my family over a spread of local food. What are your favourite hawker centres in the West of Singapore? Comment down below!
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