Last updated: April 2024
When looking for authentic local foods to try, you can never go wrong to place hawker centres first as the top choice in Singapore – the heart of most affordable meals from breakfast to lunch to snacks to desserts to dinner, all the way till supper. In fact, prices are exceptionally pocket-friendly for its extraordinary menus!
Locals, foreigners, travelers or foodies, will all be able to enjoy a taste of several cuisines in just one place! If you’re having trouble finding the place to have a meal, no need to fuss! We’ve done the job and gathered the Must-visit hawker centres in Singapore.
Hawker centres in Singapore are usually built on the same complex with the wet market. This is due to the street food and wet market hawker culture in the early days, selling quick, cheap yummy meals and fresh produce along the roads.
In order to clean up the streets, the Singapore government rounded up all the street hawkers during the 70s and gathered them to form the hawker centres we see nowadays.
Bring your friends or your significant others to connect over a cup of kopi or wanton mee – sure they’ll have their best times in the food centres with a full tummy!
Here’s the list of 10 best hawker centres to visit this coming weekend:
Top 10 Hawker Centres in Singapore to Get Fat
1. Tiong Bahru Market – Best hawker breakfast Singapore
Tiong Bahru Market – Hawker Centre Singapore
Located at the heart of Tiong Bahru, visiting this food centre can complete your visit here! Shopping can be tiring and starving at the same time.
Of course, you’ll want to taste some delicious meals at a very budget-friendly price. Visiting Tiong Bahru Market will never make you feel disappointed!
From breakfast to lunch and dinner, the food stalls here offer a wide variety of meals to fit your desires! Plus, a busy and jam-packed atmosphere brings a livelier vibe — just a friendly reminder to keep a social distance for everyone’s safety during this covid period.
Also, be sure to avoid visiting peak-hours, sure you’ll don’t want to wait too long to get your food served or to get a seat. Having said that, customers enjoy the comfort that this recently renovated food centre brings.
Plus, having a lot of various tasty local selections like the Pau, Carrot Cake, Chwee Kuey etc. to choose from is indeed a haven. Here is one of the feedbacks from the customers:
“Great variety of choices in a comfortable environment. It can be very busy! I like that! It’s more lively that way! Enjoy!” – Colin D.
Tiong Bahru Market Must Eat
- Jian Bo Chwee Kueh (#02-05)
- Tiong Bahru Fishballs (#02-20)
- 178 Lor Mee (#02-23)
- Koh Brothers Pig Organ Soup (#02-29)
- Zhong Yu Yuan Wei Wanton Noodles (#02-30)
- Hui Ji Fishball Noodles and Yong Tau Foo (#02-44)
- Lee Hong Kee Cantonese Roasted (#02-60)
- Tiong Bahru Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice (#02-82)
Address: 30 Seng Poh Rd, Singapore 168898
Read more: Burn the Fats and Lose Weight at These Slimming Centres
2. Chinatown Complex Food Centre – Best hawker food in Central
Chinatown Complex Food Centre – Hawker Centre Singapore
Having over 200 stalls to choose from, Chinatown complex is one of the largest and oldest hawker centres for foodies to visit in town! From $2.50 onwards, you can get to enjoy all types of local traditional cuisines. Prices are unsurprisingly very affordable here!
So, if you’re on a tight budget but still crave for delicious authentic local food, visiting Chinatown Complex will never be a mistake.
Marked as the home of Xiao Long Bao and even porridge, Chinatown can exceptionally be a great place to have your favorites! Even how old-looking the building is, customers keep coming back to this place and enjoy a cheap but first-rate taste of local dishes.
If there’s a stall to recommend, that will be the Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle – for a plate of chicken rice for $2.80 and a whole chicken for $16, this is undeniably affordable and tastier than buying ones at an exclusive resto.
Having Michelin starred stalls makes it a famous go-to meal place at a very budget-friendly price. Here is one of the feedbacks from the customer:
“I give 5 stars because of the great food here. There are some Michelin starred food stalls. I recommend trying the popiah and dumplings. The building is old, stuffy and dim, like many old shopping malls. Just come here to eat.” – Chan L.
Chinatown Complex Food Centre Must Eat
- Old Amoy Chendol (#02-008)
- Peng Guan (#02-036)
- Bedok Chwee Kueh (#02-043)
- The 1950s Coffee (#02-048)
- Pan Ji Cooked Food (#02-078)
- Claypot and Cooked Food Kitchen (#02-083)
- Fatty Ox HK Kitchen (#02-084)
- Chef Leung’s Authentic Hand-milled Rice Noodle Rolls (#02-096)
- Shang Hai Fried Xiao Long Bao (#02-104)
- Ah Kong Wa Kuih (#02-116)
- Hakka Hamcha and Yong Tou Fu (#02-123)
- Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao (#02-135)
- Li Ji Cooked Food (#02-139)
- Hawker Chan (#02-126)
Address: 335 Smith St, Singapore 050335
Recommended: Cheap and Good Vegetable Suppliers in Singapore for Fresh Veggies and Fruits
3. Hong Lim Market & Food Centre – Best hawker food for lunch
Hong Lim Market & Food Centre – Hawker Centre Singapore
Well, Hong Lim isn’t just famous for the field where Singaporeans, or anyone, can voice their opinions – there is actually a hawker centre hidden amidst the neighbourhood.
Despite its old-style building, the local delicacies from the different stalls here are quite delicious! Given the fact that they are well-known and tasty, expect an unusually packed crowd, especially during lunch time.
One Singapore signature dish, Char Kway Teow (stir-fried flat rice noodles with egg and cockles), is a must-try in this place – sure you don’t want to miss this local favorite. Patrons love this spot for having a lot of good stalls. Recommending some good quality dishes to try. Here is one of the feedback from one of their regulars:
“So many good stalls! A little on the dirty side. You could come here for days and eat different dishes that are all great! I had the kolo mee which I highly recommend. I had medium spicy which was just right for me, but beware if you can’t take spicy! 10/10 will come again” – Lawrence P.
Address: 531A Upper Cross St, Singapore 051531
4. Tekka Centre (Tekka Pasar) – Best hawker center for indian food
Tekka Centre (Tekka Pasar) – Hawker Centre Singapore
Situated at the mouth of Singapore’s Little India, located really close to Little India Mrt Station, this food centre and market gathers some of the finest Indian cuisines that are definitely a must-try – especially if you’re craving for lively, spicy flavors. Besides, even if you’re new to Indian cuisine and want to be delighted by their signature dishes, Tekka Food Centre is definitely the most legit place to go to!
At affordable prices, you can certainly enjoy a sumptuous dinner here without spending a lot of money! Different styles of Biryani, Roti John, Naan and Murtabak are just ones of the must-trys when paying a visit to this hawker centre.
Indulge yourself with a little twist on your meals, bring your workmates and friends and enjoy a wide variety of foods to relish! Bet you’ll want to come back again to try a different dish. Other than indian food, chinese and muslim food are also available here.
Stalls to try at Tekka Market:
- Allauddin’s Briyani (#01-232/229)
- AR-Rahman Cafe (#01-247)
- Pak Kashmiri Delights (#01-250)
- Prata Saga Sambal Berlada (#01-258)
- Delhi Lahori (#01-266)
- Neha Tiffin Centre (#01-274)
- Zhu Jiao Shu Shi (#01-284)
- 545 Whampoa Prawn Noodles (#01-326)
- Heng Gi Goose and Duck Rice (#01-335)
Most visitors love the unique taste of Indian foods available in the food centre. Here is one of the feedbacks from them:
“Different variety of Indian food stall can be found here. Gathered the most unique Indian food for the community itself. Awesome food center and always crowded.” – Emory H.
Address: Bukit Timah Rd, Singapore
Recommended: What to Buy for Sister This Holiday?
5. Chomp Chomp Hawker Centre – Best hawker centre for dinner
Chomp Chomp Hawker Centre – Hawker Centre Singapore
Besides choosing a hawker centre that offers an exceptional and wide variety of foods to enjoy for dinner, a pleasant ambience is also one thing to consider.
Chomp Chomp Food Centre typically opens from late afternoon till midnight – a perfect getaway to have late dinner and supper.
If you’re up for grilled chicken wings, satays, lok-loks, stingrays and sugarcane towers as your stomach growls, Chomp Chomp is indeed the best place to go.
Indulge yourself with an extensive variety of food under the lovely sky at night with buzz and good grub.
Chomp Chomp Hawker Centre What to Eat
- Chia Keng Hokkien Mee (#01-11)
- Swee Heng Wanton Noodle (#01-12)
- Satay Bee Hoon . Hainan Beef Noodle, Chomp Chomp (#01-17)
- Chong Pang Huat BBQ (#01-26)
- Ah Hock Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee (#01-27)
- Ang Sa Lee Oyster Omelette (#01-33)
- Chomp Chomp Satay (#01-34)
- Carrot Cake (#01-36)
Most customers love to spend their time here on a late night while enjoying sumptuous meals at Chomp Chomp. Here is one of the feedback:
“I like it here. Always pretty busy but a nice atmosphere and some good food choices. Also see a few Caucasians every now and again!” – Patrick K.
Address: 20 Kensington Park Rd, Singapore 557269
6. Old Airport Road Food Centre – Best Hawker Centre for Dinner in East Side Singapore
Old Airport Road Food Centre – Hawker Centre Singapore
Being one of the oldest hawker centres, Old Airport Road Food Centre boasts many exceptionally gratifying signature local foods. This place is also famous for tourists to get a taste of Singaporean favorites under one roof.
Plates and plates of satay, wanton mee, char kway tiao, chicken chop, cutlet rice, oyster egg etc. are what people most love at this fabulous place. Furthermore, take a walk at the shopping place upstairs after a meal. Make this hawker centre an ultimate getaway for this weekend!
Parking spaces aplenty at the open air carpark.
Patrons love affordable food here with vast choices and the smell here is enough to make our mouth water. Here is one of the feedbacks:
“One of the most famous hawker centre and food centre in Singapore. It has a good variety of foods and have quite a lot legendary stalls.” – Agus W.
Address: 51 Old Airport Rd, Singapore 390051
7. Ghim Moh Food Centre – Fresh Food Market and Local Delights
Ghim Moh Food Centre – Hawker Centre Singapore