The MRT ride home from work is a real test of will on some days. Stops at neighbourhoods with good food such as Serangoon and Kovan tempt me to alight early and forgo dinner at home, especially when people board the train carrying plastic containers with heavenly aromas wafting from them. With these best Hougang food places that serve cheap and good eats, the temptation only gets more real.
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You know Sin Heng Kee Porridge serves good food when there’s a perpetual 30-minute wait for congee. The congee here is smooth and flavourful, with a satisfyingly thick consistency. I always order Slice Pork Porridge ($5), which has chunks of minced pork that give the dish a more robust, meaty flavour. With 22 porridge dishes on their menu, you’ll definitely find one you like here. For a side, grab their Claypot Dried Chilli Frog (from $8), and stir in some gravy for extra savouriness.
Read our Sin Heng Kee review.
Address: 685 Hougang Street 61, #01-150, Singapore 530685
Opening hours: Wed-Mon 7am to 8pm
Tel: 9118 1569
Website
Sin Heng Kee Porridge is not a halal-certified eatery.
Western food stalls were unquestionably my favourite when I was growing up, and 5 Star Corner Western Food was one place my family frequented. Food here is affordable and comes in large portions. I love their Chicken Cutlet ($7), generously sized, golden-brown and crispy, as well as their Lamb Chop ($9), well-marinated and grilled, not the least bit gamey.
Read our 5 Star Corner review.
Address: 805 Hougang Central, Food Park Coffee Shop, Singapore 530805
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 10pm
Tel: 6385 9388
5 Star Corner is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @danjjanjjang
For what might be the crispiest prata in Hougang, make a trip to Al Falah Restaurant. They’ve got an affordable spread of all your classic Indian-Muslim supper dishes, from prata to murtabak, mee goreng to Indian rojak. The curry that comes with a prata order here is fragrant and moreish, best enjoyed alongside their chilli gravy.
Address: 681 Hougang Avenue 8, #01-855, Singapore 530681
Opening hours: Daily 24 hours
Tel: 6343 7786
Al Falah is a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @ahbuneats
Midtown Residences in Hougang has a fair few hidden foodie gems, including Tiew Mai Thai Boat Noodles, a stall that sells a variety of legit Thai noodle dishes. Two of their most popular items are the Thai Boat Noodle Beef ($7.50), served with beef slices, beef balls, and an aromatic broth, and the Tom Yum Boran Noodle ($8), a sour-spicy dry noodle dish that packs a punch. The eatery spans two floors so it doesn’t get super cramped during mealtimes.
Address: 1187 Upper Serangoon Road, #01-22 Midtown Residences, Singapore 533971
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 11:30am to 8:30pm
Tel: 6238 0184
Website
Tiew Mai Thai Boat Noodles is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @riinns
Hougang Fried Oyster has earned the unwavering loyalty of Hougang diners due to its consistently delicious oyster omelette recipe, perfected by the husband-wife duo that has helmed the stall for over three decades. Order their $6 portion and expect a generous amount of oysters, alongside crispy eggs and chewy starch rounds. The housemade chilli sauce adds an extra flavourful dimension to the orh luak, so be sure to savour your order with a couple of saucers of it.
Address: Blk 435 Hougang Ave 8, Singapore 530435
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 11am to 7pm
Hougang Fried Oyster is not a halal-certified eatery.
Denzy Gelato is an award-winning gelato store in Hougang and Bishan. Its owner went to Italy to learn the craft, before setting up shop in the neighbourhood. The store earned the accolade of “Singapore’s Best Gelato” in 2019, so you know it’s the good stuff. A single scoop starts at $4.20, while a double scoop is priced from $7.50. Popular picks include their Roasted Bronte Pistachio and Piedmont Hazelnuts, both using legit Italian ingredients, or their Black Sesame, a nutty, creamy treat great for goma lovers.
Read our Denzy Gelato review.
Address: 684 Hougang Ave 8, #01-953, Singapore 530684
Opening hours: Sun-Thurs 12:30pm to 10:30pm, Fri-Sat 12:30pm to 11:30pm
Tel: 8876 4925
Website
Denzy Gelato is not a halal-certified eatery.
Jade’s Chicken used to be part of the popular Waker Chicken franchise before they broke off to become their own brand. The stall sports long queues for their super crispy Korean Fried Chicken, available in flavours such as Original Crispy, Sweet Spicy, Soy Sauce, and Honey Butter. You get seven pieces for $15 or 14 for $29. Those who prefer to have their KFC without the fuss will be happy to know that you can get the same flavours as chicken tenders here too!
Read our Jade’s Chicken review.
Address: 51 Hougang Ave 9, #01-18, Ci Yuan Hawker Centre, Singapore 538776
Opening hours: Daily 11:30am to 9pm
Tel: 9675 8884
Jade’s Chicken is not a halal-certified eatery.
Family-run halal bakery Happy Oven is a popular place to grab nostalgic bakes in Hougang. Their mini cakes here are especially popular—the Ondeh Ondeh Swiss Rolls, packed with an aromatic palm sugar and coconut middle, are a resounding crowd fave, while the Chendol Cake, layered with kueh, comes a close second. All their mini cakes are priced at $1.40.
Read our Happy Oven review.
Address: 678 Hougang Ave 8, #01-505, Singapore 530678
Opening hours: Daily 5am to 3pm
Tel: 9666 4709
Website
Happy Oven is a halal-certified eatery.
If you’re looking for a breakfast spot in Hougang, add Yi Dian Xing Hong Kong Dum Sum to the radar. The quality here isn’t mind-blowing, but what you get is definitely very affordable. Most of their items are priced under $4, and you get all the greatest dim sum hits here, from siew mai to cheung fan, bao to crispy fried fritters.
Address: 1012 Upper Serangoon Road, Singapore 534750
Opening hours: Wed-Mon 7am to 3pm
Tel: 9168 5587
Yi Dian Xing Hong Kong Dum Sum is not a halal-certified eatery.
Yi Ji Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee has multiple outlets islandwide, including one in Hougang Avenue 8. Their wet-style hokkien mee is priced from $4 and comes sprinkled with crispy puffs of lard, as well as sweet shrimp pieces. Don’t skip adding their house-made sambal, which is zesty thanks to the addition of calamansi juice.
Address: 965 Upper Serangoon Road, Singapore 534721
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 4pm to 1am
Tel: 8525 2167
Website
Yi Ji Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee is not a halal-certified eatery.
Flavour Flings is a halal-certified cafe in Hougang that has made quite the name for itself thanks to its unique dishes, from Milo popcorn chicken to smoked salmon salted egg yolk sauced croissants. The former is priced at $11+, and comes dusted with Milo powder, as well as a side of creamy sambal belacan sauce, making for an intriguing flavour combo. The latter, titled Dirty Norwegian ($19+) on the menu, is another bestseller. It sees a buttery croissant, smoked salmon two poached eggs dressed with a creamy egg yolk sauce, as well as cereal crumbs.
Read our Flavour Flings review.
Address: 121 Hougang Avenue 1, #01-1348, Singapore 530121
Opening hours: Mon, Thurs-Fri, Sun 11:30am to 4pm, 5:30pm to 10pm, Tue-Wed 5:30pm to 10pm, Sat 11:30am to 4pm
Tel: 6286 0051
Website
Flavour Flings is a halal-certified eatery.
Singapore has plenty of delicious prata stalls, but PrataLahhh! manages to bring something unique to the table with a stall selling, as they claim, Singapore’s first DIY prata. Start off by choosing your main, adding toppings, picking any ala carte sides, and your type of curry, then pay. The toppings are really inventive and include the likes of Eggs Benedict ($5).
Read our Prata Lahhh! review.
Address: Blk 121 Hougang Avenue 1, BGAIN 121 Eating House, Singapore 530121
Opening hours: Daily 7am to 8pm
Website
Prata Lahhh! is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @jiakbaobuay
Its name may have Zion Road in it, but this fish soup stall is a Hougang institution. It constantly sports long queues, with patrons flocking to get their hands on the Fried Fish Bee Hoon (from $6), because the fish here is said to be well seasoned and flaky, with a crispy exterior. Another popular pick is the Seafood Soup (from $6), which comes with sliced fish, as well as sweet prawns and fish maw.
Read our Zion Road Blk 91 An Shun Fish Soup review.
Address: 174C Hougang Avenue 1, Singapore 533174
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 11am to 7pm
Zion Road Blk 91 An Shun Fish Soup is not a halal-certified eatery.
Sweedy Patisserie is the place for sugary treats in Hougang. The homegrown bakery specialises in a wide number of inventive desserts, including artisanal cakes, and Korean-French fusion Fatcarons, AKA fat macarons, priced at $5. Aside from the sweets, the cafe also has a range of savouries that are served up as part of their all-day brunch menu, including a popular, loaded Breakfast Sammie ($14).
Read our Sweedy Patisserie review.
Address: 377 Hougang Street 32, #01-32, Hougang Rivercourt, Singapore 530377
Opening hours: Tues-Thurs 12pm to 9pm, Fri 12pm to 10pm, Sat-Sun 11am to 10pm
Tel: 9436 8160
Website
Sweedy Patisserie is not a halal-certified eatery.
Touted as one of the best spots to get min jiang kueh in Singapore is 682 Min Jiang Kueh, a humble kiosk located in a coffee shop. They have more than your usual peanut, red bean, and coconut MJK offerings here, with popular flavours such as Yam ($1.60) and Black Sesame ($1.60) available. The fillings are generous, and they’re best enjoyed warm.
Read our 682 Min Jiang Kueh review.
Address: 682 Hougang Avenue 4, 682 Ming Jiang Kueh, Ming Ji Coffeeshop, Singapore 530682
Opening hours: Tues, Thur-Sun 5am to 12pm
Bookmark these spots the next time you’re thinking of where to eat in Hougang. We also have our Ci Yuan Hawker Centre guide for more eats in the ‘hood. Otherwise, for more dining spots in the North-East, check out our North-east cafe guide, and our NEX food guide!
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