The 6 Best Hawker Centres in Singapore

The best food in Singapore isn’t found in fancy, expensive restaurants. It’s hidden in plain sight at hawker centres across the city. A hawker centre is an open-air food market with street food vendors. Even though Singapore is one of the most expensive cities in the world, you can taste Singapore’s most-loved dishes for as little as $5 at a hawker centre. Locals and tourists alike grab breakfast, lunch, and dinner from hawkers throughout the city.

When I visited Singapore, we ate at a hawker centre every day, sometimes even twice a day, and I still wish I had gone to more food stalls.

In this guide, we’ll feature some of the most iconic hawker centres to eat at on your trip to Singapore. You’ll want to add all of these markets to a digital map, so you know where to go when hunger strikes.

The Hawker Centres

Lau Pa Sat

The phrase “Lau Pa Sat” directly translates to “old market.” This historic hawker centre used to be a fishing market on the water, back when Singapore’s shoreline looked different.

Today, Lau Pa Sat stands in the middle of modern downtown Singapore while still keeping its colonial heritage. Its Victorian architecture and vaulted ceilings make it the most picturesque hawker centre in the city. Like most hawker centres, Lau Pa Sat serves cuisines from all over the world.

At night, Satay Street in front of Lau Pa Sat comes alive with street vendors serving skewered meats, known as satay. The vendors on the street open for business at 7 p.m. on weekdays and 3 p.m. on weekends and serve satay until 3 a.m.

Chinatown Complex Food Centre

The largest hawker centre in Singapore is the Chinatown Complex Food Centre. It’s located in the center of Chinatown, right next to the Buddha Tooth Temple. The food hall is in a multi-level market with shop vendors on the first floor and food vendors on the second floor.

As you can probably guess, the Chinatown Food Complex Centre serves a lot of Chinese food but you can find dishes from all over Asia. The first Michelin star ever awarded to a hawker stall was in Chinatown Complex Food Centre (to Hawker Chan who now has his own proper restaurant). So, you can’t go wrong when choosing a stall. Who knows, you might be eating from the next Michelin-starred stall.

Maxwell Food Centre

Around the corner from the Chinatown Complex is Maxwell Food Center. Maxwell is home to the most famous hawker stall in Singapore: Tian Tian Chicken Rice. This stall serves Hainanese chicken rice, a staple in hawker centres and Singaporean cuisine. Tian Tian Chicken Rice draws long lines and is only open until 7:30 p.m. so plan to arrive early if you’re looking to go for dinner.

Fear not, Maxwell has plenty of options for dinner other than Hainanese chicken rice. I loved trying other Singaporean dishes here like laksa and carrot cake.

Amoy Street Food Centre

On the border of Chinatown near the Thian Hock Keng Temple and the towering office buildings of downtown is the Amoy Street Food Centre. The Michelin Bib Gourmand has honored many stalls at Amoy Street Food Centre. Amoy is a lunch destination for nearby office workers on weekdays. It can be a bit sleepy on the weekends with many stalls closed, so plan to go during the week.

Tiong Bahru Market and Food Centre

The Tiong Bahru Market and Food Centre paints a portrait of local life in Singapore. It’s located in the city’s oldest residential neighborhood. Many locals come here to run their errands at the market and grocery store below.

The escalators will take you up to the food centre teaming with hawker stalls. It’s a great place to enjoy a bite and sugar cane juice while you people watch.

Haig Road Market and Food Centre

The Geylang neighborhood is known for its foodie culture. Along Geylang Road, you’ll find Haig Road Market and Food Centre. It’s a lively local market that is filled with patrons even late at night. The famous stall here is Haig Road Putu Piring. It serves the sweet, local treat of putu piring, which is steamed rice flour filled with palm sugar.

Know before you go

With so many options to choose from, arriving at your first hawker centre can be overwhelming. You can’t go wrong with any stall, so just order what you’re in the mood for. When you arrive, do a lap to get inspired before picking a stall. It’s easy to order from multiple stalls to try different cuisines.

At hawker centres the prices look too good to be true. Most hawkers stalls will serve you full plates of food for as little as $3. You’ll want to bring cash because many hawker stalls (especially smaller stalls) don’t accept credit cards.

Although Singapore’s hawker centres are open-air markets, all of them have a roof so you can enjoy your food in the shade and away from the rain. Sharing tables is normal so don’t be afraid to sit next to a stranger.

Lastly, hawker centres do not provide napkins, but many do have hand-washing stations. If you’re a messy eater, you’ll want to pack your own napkins.

Planning a trip to Singapore? Check out more Singapore guides.