Hawker heaven: our guide to finding the best food in Singapore
Whether you're in Singapore for a day or a month, here's our Singapore food guide to help you find all the the best restaurants, food halls, and dishes.
Hawker Halls are a pretty foreign thing to us Aussies.
We’re used to making our dinners every night of the week, in the comfort of our own homes. If we’re lucky enough, we might also head out for a meal once a week.
In Singapore they do things differently.
80-85% of the Singaporean population regularly eats at a Hawker Hall; halls of food stalls selling a variety of inexpensive yet delicious food to stuff your face with. You could say they’re kind of a big deal, and Singaporeans take their food very seriously.
Singapore is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world, so the cuisine is a wonderful mix of Malay, Chinese, Indian, Arab and Western flavours. If you’re like us and you love a variety of different cuisines, you’ll be in heaven.
Pure food-coma-inducing heaven.
We did our darndest to get out and experience as much Hawker Hall food as possible (using this Singapore transport guide to get around town), with the intention of providing a Singapore food guide that will have you eating like a Singaporean. We are also now an estimated 5kg’s heavier… each. Hope you’re happy!
WHERE TO FIND THE BEST FOOD IN SINGAPORE
-
#1 MAXWELL ROAD HAWKER CENTRE
First up on our Singapore food guide, we recommend heading to Maxwell Road Hawker Centre, a short walk from Chinatown MRT. It is arguably the most famous of Singapore’s Hawker Halls and for good reason, it has a vast array of delicious food ranging from the simple chicken rice to fish head curry.
For the best chicken rice, visit Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice. Our suggestion; the mixed meat and noodle from the guy in the green stall about halfway down in the middle bay (yeah, we know, vague… But we couldn’t decipher the name! Just follow the trail of locals out the front). Delightfully tasty! There are also many fruit shake stalls so you can follow your awesome meal with an equally awesome pineapple shake.
Check out Tripadvisor reviews here
-
#2 MARKET ST. FOOD CENTRE
If you’ve been making your away around Singapore’s many attractions and find yourself hungry and craving a good Biryani (who doesn't), then visit the Market St Food Centre, near Raffles Place MRT and look for Golden Nur food stall.
Their Nasi Biryani was the best we have ever eaten; all the right flavours and topped with crispy chicken deliciousness - yum! And yes, we did top it off with yet another pineapple shake.
-
#3 EAT EVERYWHERE IN SINGAPORE'S LITTLE INDIA
A Singapore food guide wouldn't be complete without venturing to Little India.
Literally every street is teeming with Indian food; so much so that it is hard to actually recommend one in particular. So, visit all of them and embrace Indian cuisine in a place won’t give you Delhi belly.
Whichever restaurant you decide on, you must try a Dosa, a tasty Indian crepe served with coconut chutney (heaven), sambar, dal and various other spices. And don’t forget the tandoori chicken.
Check out Little India Tripadvisor reviews here
love photography?: singapore's best photography locations
-
#4 WHERE TO EAT IN SINGAPORE - TIPS FROM LOCALS
While in Singapore, we met a lot of locals and asked for their favourite food haunts, and received many a tip in return (read more Singapore travel tips here)! While we didn’t get to try these (sad face), but no Singapore food guide would be completed with our them!
THE BEST LAKSA
THE BEST POPIAH
Bee Heng - Newton Food Centre, Newton
THE BEST BEST NASI LEMAK
Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak, Jurong West
THE BEST MURTABAK
One thing is for sure, you won’t go hungry with our Singapore food guide, and with the cosmopolitan nature of the cuisine, you won’t be bored either. You'll probably also leave 5kgs heavier but all the happier for the delicious cuisine you have devoured.
-
ACCOMMODATION IN SINGAPORE | BOOKING ACCOMMODATION IN SINGAPORE
BOOK | Here’s £30 off your first AirBnb booking
HOTELS | Check out Booking.com for the best hotel deals
-
TRAVEL INSURANCE FOR SINGAPORE
Whatever you do, don’t travel anywhere in the world without travel insurance.
Even though Singapore is extremely safe, things can go wrong, be it sickness, lost baggage, theft, or an accident.
Travel insurance is your only way of mitigating the issues, so grab a policy before you travel!
BUY | Click here to get the best travel insurance deals with World Nomads
READ | Our ultimate guide to travel insurance
-
ARE YOU TRAVELLING TO ASIA SOON?
HAWKER HALL HEAVEN | Our guide to finding the best food in Singapore
THE RIVER OF KINGS | How to explore Bangkok’s lively and bustling canals
THE BEST OF LAOS | Waterfalls, temples & secret gems - the 11 best things to do in Laos
ANGKOR WAT | Your ultimate guide to the temples of Angkor Wat
DO GO CHASING WATERFALLS | Your ultimate guide to Bali’s Sekumpul Waterfall
TRAVEL INSURANCE | Don’t leave home without travel insurance (seriously, don’t!). Click here to get the best deals with World Nomads, our trusted travel insurance provider
PHOTOGRAPHY | Love our photography? Wondering what gear we use to get all of our photos around the world? Click here to view our detailed photography gear guide, as well as our top travel photography tips!
RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL | Responsible travel is important. REALLY IMPORTANT. Learn our top responsible travel tips to help you, your family and friends travel more consciously around the globe
ECO FRIENDLY PACKING ESSENTIALS | Don’t leave home without our favourite eco-friendly travel essentials
Do you agree with our Singapore food guide?
Have you eaten something delicious in Singapore that just needs to be shared?! Tell us in the comments below!
FOLLOW OUR ADVENTURES
VISITING SINGAPORE? YOU’LL LOVE THESE POSTS!
Some of the links on this post are affiliate links.
If you choose to purchase using these links, we receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please know that by using these affiliate links, you're directly supporting The Common Wanderer to stay wandering, the running costs of the site, and our ability to provide you with free content to help you on your travels.
That, and you're officially a legend.
