The food options in Jalan Besar are endless. Whether you are looking for a place to host a family gathering or just a quick lunch before heading back to work, there is always something unique at every turn of the corner. Here are our favourite picks in this delightful district!
Dim sum is one of the perk-me-up foods that I always go to without fail, especially liu sha bao. At Dim Sum Haus, they have a variety of both classic and unique dim sum available. Baked Salted Egg Custard Buns ($7.80+ for three pieces) are a must-have if you happen to drop by! Break open its buttery shell and you’ll be greeted with luscious and golden salted egg yolk lava. Be warned that it’s going to be messy so do bring along a packet of wet wipes.
Check out our Dim Sum Haus review.
Address: 57 Jalan Besar, Singapore 208809
Opening hours: Tue-Fri 11am to 10pm, Sat-Sun 9am to 10pm
Tel: 6909 0777
Website
Dim Sum Haus is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @chutoro
Impian Wahyu is a Muslim-owned stall specialising in Indonesian-Malay dishes located right beside Dim Sum Haus. Their Nasi Ayam Penyet ($7) comes with a plate of plain rice, sliced cucumber, tahu goreng, hand-pounded sambal, and deep-fried chicken. If it’s too dry for you, get an Oxtail Soup ($10)—a clear and light soup with soft and fatty oxtail meat. Simple and hearty, perfect for lunch.
Address: 462 Crawford Lane, Singapore 190462
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 9am to 5pm
Tel: 8120 7192
Impian Wahyu is a Muslim-owned eatery.
Image credit: @mssugarypink
If you’re looking for a place to have supper, Hock Prawn Mee is for you. Try their All Prawn Noodle ($5 in a soup, $5.50 dry)—a bowl of yellow mee topped with prawns, chilli, and house-made broth. The sweet and peppery broth complements the eggy yellow mee and juicy prawns very well. They also have Intestine Prawn Noodle ($6) and Pork Rib Prawn Noodle ($6) if you like those parts. Not only that but their stall is open 24/7!
Address: 43 Jalan Besar, Shing Boon Hwa Food Centre, Singapore 208804
Opening hours: Daily 24 hours
Tel: 8717 6018
Hock Prawn Mee is not a halal-certified eatery.
The Malayan Council is a Muslim-owned cafe nestled along Dunlop Street. They serve Malay food with a Western spin, which our current generation is more familiar with. An example of a unique dish is Smoked Duck Lemak Chilli Padi ($32++)—succulent smoked duck with al dente linguine cooked Aglio Olio style. A meal is incomplete without desserts so try out their Classic Ondeh-Ondeh Cake ($10.50++) which comes with a scoop of coconut ice cream. With airy pandan cake layered with crunchy bits of gula melaka and slabs of whipped cream, it’s an expressway to heaven.
Address: 22 Dunlop Street, Singapore 209350
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 11:30am to 11pm, Sat-Sun 11am to 11pm
Tel: 9002 4414
Website
The Malayan Council is a Muslim-owned eatery.
Image credit: @leosoo.w.s
Satisfy your Mexican food cravings at Chimichanga where they serve Mexican food in a bar. Think burritos, quesadillas, tacos, and good ol’ guac. Ancho Beef ($12) is a quesadilla stuffed with ancho-rubbed beef and cheese, toasted to a gooey perfection. Buff-O Wings ($8) makes a good side dish with its thin crispy batter, smothered in a smoky-sweet sauce that’ll make you go for more. Mexican food isn’t complete without guac so complete your meal with Guacamole with Tortilla Chips ($6)!
Address: 36 Dunlop Street, Singapore 209364
Opening hours: Daily 12pm to 3pm, 5pm to 10:30pm
Tel: 6293 3314
Website
Chimichanga is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @benlongjq
If you have been watching lots of Korean food ASMR, go to Korean Fusion BBQ to get your cravings fixed! They have 13 different marinades of pork bellies for you to choose from. Aside from that, they have 50 items in their buffet line-up that will leave you spoilt for choice. They also have freshly made waffles with ice-cream for dessert.
The prices are super affordable and at nett prices too. Their weekday lunch is priced at $16.90 per person, while dinner is at $25.90 per person. If you visit on weekends, it’s $25.90 per person for lunch, and $28.90 per person for dinner.
Address: 5 Dunlop Street, #02-00, Singapore 209335
Opening hours: Sun-Thurs 11:30am to 2am, Fri-Sat 11:30am to 3am
Tel: 9232 2367
Website
Korean Fusion BBQ is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @bismillahbiryanisg
Besides Korean and Mexican food, Dunlop Street also has Indian food—Bismillah Biryani – and is listed in the Michelin Bib Gourmand 2017. It is served with raita AKA yoghurt instead of curry or dhal like regular biryani. Try their Chicken Dum Biryani (from $7): marinated chicken buried underneath heaps of fragrant spice-infused basmati rice. They also have Young Mutton Biryani (from $12.50) if you’re not a huge fan of chicken. Customers have also been raving about their super aromatic rice and well-marinated and fork-tender meat.
Address: 50 Dunlop Street, Singapore 209379
Opening hours: Wed-Mon 11:30am to 3pm, 5:30pm to 9pm
Tel: 9382 7937
Website
Bismillah Biryani is a Muslim-owned eatery.
Image credit: @handinhandfood
Besides Swee Choon, there are some other Chinese restaurants nearby as well and Hand in Hand Beijing Restaurant is one of them. Try Fried Dumplings With Leek And Shrimp (from $10.80)— a classic pot-sticker dish. One side of the steamed gyoza is pan-fried in a thin layer of batter, giving it crisped-lacy edges. It is a great tear-and-share dish with your friends, and you can enjoy it with a soya sauce and rice vinegar dip. The crispy exterior and juicy filling will make you want more.
Address: 141/143 Jalan Besar, Singapore 208859
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 10am to 3pm, 5pm to 10pm
Tel: 6297 1398
Website
Hand in Hand Beijing Restaurant is not a halal-certified eatery.
Wanton Fu is helmed by two ex-students the first head chef of the famous Eng’s Wantan Noodle. Get their Signature Wonton Fu Noodles Dry ($5.50) with free toppings such as fried garlic and pork lard. There is free house-made spicy chilli sauce on every table too. The last time we went down, the owner told us that the chilli sauce is ground in stone with their secret combination of spices. This sauce is no joke—one drop is all it takes to drive up the heat.
Read our Wanton Fu review.
Address: 380 Jalan Besar, #01-09, ARC 380, Singapore 209000
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 10am to 2am, Sun 10am to 12am
Website
Wanton Fu is not a halal-certified eatery.
Ms Durian is the place for quality durian desserts. For a good “tai tai” treatment, get their Afternoon Tea Set ($39+ for two people) which sees a wide range of durian pastries such as Mao Shan Wang Durian Craquelins and Mao Shan Wang Durian Macaron! Their Fried Durian reminds us of KFC’s Golden Durian Mochi, except it comes with a rich coconut sauce for extra sweetness. This set also includes MSW Durian Coffee which is a cold brew mixed with Mao Shan Wang cream.
Read our Ms Durian review.
Address: 11 Kelantan Road, Singapore 208604
Opening hours: Mon, Wed-Thurs 9am to 10pm, Fri-Sun 9am to 11pm
Tel: 6962 0057
Website
Ms Durian is not a halal-certified eatery.
Abundance is helmed by ex-Din Tai Fung chefs, so you know you’re in for a nice treat. Here is where you can find Peanut Ice Cream Roll ($6.90++), a famous Taiwanese snack comprising coriander and vanilla ice cream popiah topped with roasted peanuts. The last time we went to their Redhill outlet, we tried their Gua Bao ($7.90++), which has pork belly, coriander, pickles and ground peanuts snug inside a lotus bun. My colleague described it to be a “soul-satisfying bliss” of pure decadence—TLDR, it was incredibly delicious.
Read our Abundance review.
Address: 399 Jalan Besar, Singapore 209008
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 11pm
Website
Abundance is not a halal-certified eatery.
If you have never tasted alcohol-infused prawn broth before, you should give Try Fresh XO Seafood Noodles a try! Their XO Seafood Beehoon Soup ($8.90) is mixed with Hennessy VSOP, a type of brandy that gives an extra layer of richness to the soup. The bowl also features crystal bee hoon, a special kind of noodles imported from Malaysia. FYI, the texture resembles konjac noodles.
Address: 31 Kelantan Lane, #01-12, Bistro8@Kelantan, Singapore 200031
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 10am to 8pm
Website
Try Fresh XO Seafood Noodles is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @ashterllfoodie
If you’re looking to impress your grandparents, bring them to Quan Xiang Yuan, an old-school zi char restaurant serving up traditional Hokkien dishes. This is one of the few places that still serves Sea Cucumber With Duck ($65), a dish where duck is braised with sea cucumbers until it is super tender. This dish is a rice thief because the gravy and fall-off-the-bone duck meat go really well with rice.
Address: 252 Jalan Besar, Singapore 208925
Opening hours: Daily 11:30am to 2:30pm, 5pm to 11pm
Tel: 6294 6254
Website
Quan Xiang Yuan is not a halal-certified eatery.
A Jalan Besar food guide is not without Berseh Food Centre since it’s in the area. Located within the food centre is Tsuzuku where you can get affordable Japanese food! Founded by a Singaporean-Japanese couple, this stall offers legit Japanese curry rice for less than $10! For $8.80, enjoy their Pork Cutlet Curry Set which features a beautifully presented plate of rice, Japanese curry, crispy tonkatsu, and two pieces of ebi fry.
Read our Tsuzuku review.
Address: 166 Jalan Besar, #02-33, Berseh Food Centre, Singapore 208877
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 11am to 8pm
Tel: 8042 5542
Website
Tsuzuku is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @hongjone.wong
Also at Berseh Food Centre is Northern Thai Tomyam! This stall’s N.T. Tom Yum ($5) features tom yum cooked in a style from the northern part of Thailand. It is the creamier version of the tom yum soup we all know, topped with generous portions of mackerel slices, fried fish, prawns, tofu, and tomatoes. For an extra $0.50, you can get a bowl of Steamed Rice as a vessel to absorb the flavours of the soup.
Address: 166 Jalan Besar, #01-25, Berseh Food Centre, Singapore 208877
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 10:30am to 3:30pm
Tel: 9851 6386
Website
Northern Thai Tomyam is not a halal-certified eatery.
With this list, you can now explore Jalan Besar with a full and happy tummy. Jalan Besar has so much more to offer and there might be more hidden gems waiting for you to be discovered.
For more food places in the area, read our Bugis food guide for K-BBQ and kaya buns. Alternatively, read our HUE review for Jeh O Chula-inspired mama noodles.
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