Singapore's Hawker Centres: The Definitive Eating Guide
Singapore's hawker centres are a UNESCO-recognised cultural phenomenon — and more importantly, the greatest concentration of excellent cheap food anywhere in Asia. Here is where to go and what to order.
The Hawker Centre System
Singapore has over 100 hawker centres — subsidised food courts operated by the government to preserve street food culture and keep meal costs accessible. A proper hawker meal costs S$3-8. The food is cooked fresh by specialists who have spent decades perfecting a single dish.
Maxwell Food Centre
In Chinatown, Maxwell is probably Singapore's most famous hawker centre. Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice (stall #01-10) has served the definitive version of Singapore's unofficial national dish since 1987 — poached chicken on fragrant rice with chilli sauce. Arrive before noon; it often sells out.
Lau Pa Sat
The Victorian iron market structure in the CBD hosts an evening satay street — dozens of stalls grilling chicken, mutton and prawn satay over charcoal, served with peanut sauce and ketupat (compressed rice). The atmosphere at 9pm on a weekend is exceptional.
Newton Food Centre
Featured in Crazy Rich Asians (choose stalls that look like they do volume rather than those aggressively touting for tourists). Excellent for chilli crab, black pepper crab, and sambal stingray in banana leaf.
What to Order Everywhere
Laksa (spicy coconut curry noodle soup), char kway teow (stir-fried flat noodles with cockles and egg), rojak (fruit and vegetable salad with prawn paste dressing), and kaya toast with soft-boiled eggs for breakfast.
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