Planning a trip to the little red dot? Here are the best street foods you can't miss in Singapore (by a local who moved away for 11 years then came back again.)
Singapore is known for being a food paradise.
The melting pot of cultures in Singapore- Chinese, Indian, Malay, and Peranakan- means that you can find all types of scrumptious cuisines in this tiny island in Southeast Asia. Best of all, these delicious dishes can be found at all price points: from Michelin star restaurants to US$4 meals at hawker centers for those on a budget.
With so many street foods to try and only so much stomach space, you'll need some help in deciding what to eat! Check out our top tips on what to miss and what to skip when visiting this little tropical island.
Non-Spicy
Whilst Singapore has many spicy dishes- and I personally love chili- there are still many options for those who can't take the heat.
Bak Chor Mee Noodles
Although Hainanese Chicken Rice and Chili Crab are often touted as Singapore's national dishes, in my opinion, the real star is Bak Chor Mee. It is one of the few dishes that Malaysia doesn't fight with us over (as having created) and thus is truly a Singaporean dish. (A Bak Chor Mee stall has even been awarded a Michelin star!)
Bak chor mee means “minced meat noodles” and is a popular dish sold in hawker centers and food courts in Singapore. (In fact, it's quite hard to find it at more upmarket restaurants- the only place I can think of is Shang Ri La Hotel but their version loses out to the hawker one.)
This dish is made with egg noodles and there are 2 versions of this dish:
- a dry noodle topped with braised mushrooms, minced pork, meatballs, pig’s liver and crispy lard. The noodles are tossed and seasoned in pork lard, vinegar and fish sauce. (Tell the hawker not to put in chili if you can't take spice!)
- a soup noodle (this is more unusual and I've only had it at Feng Shan Hawker Centre in Bedok.)
This is the 1st dish I have after coming back from Korea or the UK!
Ayam Penyet
You can find this Indonesian dish in many Malay hawker stalls and restaurants in Singapore.
It typically comes with a chicken leg quarter which is deep fried till it is crispy and then smashed to make it even more tender. The juicy meat is served with white rice and topped with crispy bits and sambal. (The sambal is spicy so ask the hawker to leave it out if you can't take chili.)
Sometimes, when Singaporeans want to be healthier, it is served with cabbage.
Har Cheong Kai (Prawn Paste Chicken Wings)
This is another popular dish with Singaporeans and is one of my favorite local treats!
Chicken wings are marinated with fermented shrimp paste then deep fried. This shrimp paste gives it a unique umami flavor.
The prawn paste wings are somestimes served with chilli sauce but, on their own, they are not spicy.
Roasted Duck Rice
The star of this dish is, of course, the duck meat, which is succulent, juicy and tender. The crispy skin is also very addictive. The duck is usually marinated with 5 spice powder and honey to achieve a sweet and savoury taste.
This roasted duck is served on a plate of warm rice together with a generous amount of dark braised sauce.
Hainanese Chicken Rice
Hainanese chicken rice is considered to be Singapore’s national dish.
This dish originates from Hainan Island and is based on the Wenchang chicken. (However, ours is tastier as Wenchang chicken just comes with plain white rice whilst Hainanese chicken rice is cooked in chicken fat and oh-so-delicious!)
It is a simple dish of poached chicken served with rice, chilli sauce, ginger, and garlic. The steamed rice is very aromatic- its rich flavour comes from grains that have been pre-fried in chicken fat and then cooked in chicken broth.
Where to go: Chatterbox, in Hilton Singapore Orchard (formerly Mandarin Hotel) and dating back to 1971, is known for serving a very good chicken rice.
Note: if you don't like poached chicken, there's also a roasted chicken version but the meat of the poached chicken is more silky.
Char Kway Teow
If you're on a diet, look away now. Char Kway Teow (sometimes spelt Char Kueh Teow) is one of Singapore's most delicious but also most unhealthy dishes- a plate can sometimes give you enough calories for 1 day!)
“Char” means stir-fried and “kway teow” means flat rice noodles.
Char kway teow is fried IN PORK LARD over very high heat with garlic, light and soy sauce, prawns, chives, bean sprouts, fish cake and slices of Chinese sausage. (Pork lard is the secret to making good Singaporean Chinese hawker fare at home- click through if you want to learn to render your own lard at home.)
Kway Chap
For those who prefer less exotic foods, this is not the dish of you. I'm not even a fan and I grew up in Singapore!
Kway chap consists of a bowl of thick sheets of flat rice noodles, known as “kway”, and offal braised in dark gravy, “chap”. (This can be anything from intestines, kidney, liver, or even trotters.) The broth of the noodles is rich and savory, thanks to all the pork bones spices, garlic, and soy sauce used.
The offal is served with chilli and garlic sauce on the side- ask the hawker to leave it out if you can't take chili.
Fishball Noodles
Another local favourite in Singapore commonly found in hawker centers and food courts is a bowl of fishball noodles. You can choose from different types of noodles such as:
- mee pok (thicker yellow noodles)
- mee kiah (thinner yellow noodles)
- kueh teow (flat rice noodles)
Similar to Bak Chor Mee, you can have it as a soup or dry (where the noodles are mixed with lard, soy sauce etc)
Some fish ball noodles come with Fuzhou fishballs, in which there is a ball of pork in the middle of the fish ball. (Yum!)
Where to go: I like Lixin Fishball Noodles best- the fish balls are 100% fish and not mixed with flour. It's a chain so you can find it in several malls in Singapore, such as ION Orchard and Takashimaya.
Note: be careful when eating fishballs. I know of people who have CHOKED TO DEATH on them!
Hokkien Mee
Singapore Hokkien mee is basically noodles stir fried in rich prawn stock and pork lard, and served with prawns, squids and pork belly. Don't forget to squeeze the calamansi lime it's served with on top!
I love Hokkien mee so much, I dreamt about it when I was living in London!
Mee Rebus
In this Malay dish, the yellow noodles come in a thick sweet potato gravy and topped with bean sprouts, fried tofu, hard-boiled eggs and garnished scallions, green chilies and lime. The rich and savoury broth is a blend of spices, lemon grass and tamarind.
However, this is a hard dish to execute well as the sweet potato gravy can be goopy if not done right, so I recommend trying Ayam Soto or Mee Siam first. (If you order Mee Rebus and it isn't cooked well, it won't be a great introduction to Malay Cuisine!)
Mee Siam
There are 2 versions of this popular noodle dish: a dry and spicy fried vermicelli (Mee Siam Goreng, more common in Malaysia) and one served in a slightly sweet gravy (Mee Siam Kuah, more common in Singapore.)
Both versions are topped with bean sprouts, hard-boiled eggs, fried tofu and a small piece of calamansi lime at the side.
Prawn Noodles (Hae Mee)
The star of prawn noodles is the soup which is made from maaaaany heads, shells and tails of prawns. This broth is simmered for several hours and tastes sweet and savoury.
The noodles come with fresh prawns, slices of pork and vegetables. You can enjoy this in 2 forms:
- noodles in soup
- OR noodles with soup on the side
You can choose different types of prawns: the bigger the prawn, the more expensive the noodle will be. (Prawn noodles is one of Singapore's more expensive local foods.)
Satay Beehoon
This vermicelli dish, satay bee hoon, is a fusion of Chinese and Malay cultures.
The vermicelli is doused in a peanut sauce, topped with bean sprouts, slices of pork, fried bean curd, cuttlefish and kangkong (water spinach). Sadly it's a disappearing dish and hard to find in Singapore these days.
Wonton Noodles (Wantan Mee)
Another popular dish, wonton noodles is normally served dry with the soup as a side. The noodles are mixed in dark soy sauce, garlic oil, sesame oil, chilli and topped with pork wontons, char sui (pork barbecued and is red in colour) and chye sim (green vegetables).
However, this dish can also come as a soup.
Where to go: My favorite wanton mee is Laifaba (which means "Come and get rich") in Bukit Batok. However, it's in the middle of an industrial estate and pretty far out of the typical tourist's path!
Note: Singapore wonton mee is different from Hong Kong wonton mee as it's more savoury.
Bak Kut Teh
Bak Kut Teh is translated into “pork ribs tea”: it is basically a broth made from pork ribs simmered with herbs and spices. The most popular version is the garlicky, peppery version but there is also a Chinese herbal version (which won't be to everyone's liking.)
Usually, Bak Kut Teh is eaten with steamed rice, you tiao (dough fritters), braised nuts and preserved vegetables. Dark soy sauce, sliced chilies, minced garlic or chopped chilli are served on the side.
To reduce the oily after taste of Bak Kut Teh, people usually have this dish with Chinese tea. Most Bak Kut Teh shops get their Chinese tea from Pek Sin Choon in Chinatown- I highly recommend it if you're looking to bring home some tea. They still pack their tea the traditional way!
Where to go: Ya Hwa at Tanjong Pagar is my favorite Bak Kut Teh place in Singapore. It's near the Singapore Art Museum so you could combine the 2!
Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)
In this Cantonese dish, the pork belly is marinated and skewered over charcoal and slowly roasted for several hours until the meat is succulent and juicy.
The Chinese word “char” means fork and “siu” means roast; hence the term char siu which when translated in English means barbecued pork.
Char sui can be eaten as a dish on its own, or all-in-one dish with rice: char sui rice, char sui noodles or as a snack char sui bao.
Satay
Similar to kebab, this skewered meat dish on sticks is grilled over charcoal. It comes with ketupat (pressed rice cakes), slices of cucumber, and peanut sauce for dipping. You usually get chicken, beef or mutton satay, and have a choice of 6 or 12 sticks.
However, at the (very rare) Chinese satay stall, you can sometimes find pork satay too.
Oyster Omelette
Oyster Omelette (known as “or chien” or “or Or Luah” in Singapore and Malaysia) is cooked by frying eggs, and fresh oysters. The crispy crust comes from mixing potato starch and corn flour.
Carrot Cake (Chai Tow Kway)
The name can be confusing: this dish is not made from carrots! It is made of steamed radish or turnip (the Chinese name for radish is “white carrot” in English) and cut into cubes and stir-fried with eggs.
There are 2 versions: black or white. The white version is more crispy and less sweet than the black.
Yong Tau Foo
This popular Hakka Chinese dish is something like a buffet: you choose from different types of seafood, meat, and vegetables. (You're charged based on what you choose.)
The highlight is the soup and the meat or fish paste stuffed into tofu and vegetables (bitter gourd, okra/ lady's fingers, peppers, and eggplant.)
Note: this is a healthy choice if you've already eaten too much in Singapore!
Popiah
Popiah is a Chinese roll of cooked vegetables, bean sprouts, turnips mixed with minced meat, and more. The fillings are wrapped in a soft crepe like sheet together with prawns, sweet sauce, chopped nuts and lettuce.
You can think of it as the Chinese version of Vietnamese summer roll or a healthier version of the fried spring rolls you find in the West.
Note: ask them not to put chili if you don't want it spicy.
Biryani
This South Asian dish has fluffy rice, aromatic spices, onions, and sometimes chicken or jackfruit.
Nasi Lemak
Another popular dish in Singapore is Nasi lemak- rich and fragrant rice is served with roasted nuts, ikan bills and fried egg. The rice is cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaves which makes it very aromatic.
By itself, Nasi Lemak is not spicy. However, it usually comes with sambal chili sauce.
Where to go: Selera rasa nasi lemak, at Adam Food Centre, is a popular place to get Nasi Lemak. (Note that Adam Food Centre is quite small so you won't get a wide selection of local dishes there.) If you have more to spend, The Coconut Club is also very good and you won't have to queue as long.
Roast Duck Rice
The roasted duck is served with rice, drizzled with sauce, and usually served with braised eggs, tofu, bean curd, gizzards, and pork belly.
The roasted duck is marinated with a variety of spices and honey, thus giving it a sweet and savoury taste.
Roti Prata
Roti prata, a soft and crispy flatbread found in Indian Muslim stalls at hawker centers and food courts, is usually served with a bowl of chicken curry. Despite being so savory, it's a popular breakfast in Singapore. (You can have it dipped in sugar instead of curry.)
These days, you can find modern versions such as cheese
Frog Porridge
I don't consider myself an adventurous eater but I'm a big fan of frog porridge. Frog legs are like super tender (and small) chicken drumsticks! (The backs though, are an entirely different story- way too bony for me.) In fact, Frog in Chinese can be translated as "Field Chicken!"
Frog porridge is a bowl of white rice porridge with a thick, dark brown gravy which the diners have to mix into the porridge. The frog leg is tender and is usually stir-fried with sauces, garlic, ginger and spring onion.
Where to go: The red light district (Geylang) has great frog legs. (The frogs are live and sitting in tanks around the frog porridge stalls. Doesn't look great but tastes amazing!)
Fish Soup
This staple dish is found in nearly all hawker centers and is believed to have originated from the Teochews (who are known to love eating fish.)
Fish head bones are simmered to produce a broth which is served with slices of fish together with noodles or rice. (Some places might ask you if you want to add milk, which will make the soup cloudy, but also taste richer.)
Where to go: For upmarket, Naked Finn at Gillman Barracks. For regular price, I like Xin Yuan Ji fish noodles on Purvis Street (next to Bugis MRT so easy to get to.)
Kambing Soup
This mutton soup (a Muslim-Indian food) is rich and flavorful.
The mutton is simmered for long hours together with vegetables and spices, resulting in a thick yellow broth. It is usually served with rice or bread.
However, if you don't like game, this might not be the dish for you.
Spicy Dishes
Laksa
I love, love, love laksa.
Laksa is a bowl of thick rice noodles served with a coconut milk and dried shrimp gravy. (The gravy should taste "sandy" thanks to the dried shrimps.) You also get tau pok (a type of tofu), prawns, fish cakes, bean sprouts and sometimes cockles in the bowl. (The hawker will usually ask if you want the cockles- there were some Hepatits scares in the past so not everyone eats cockles these days.)
Most importantly, there should be laksa leaves on top of the noodles- it makes the laksa SO much more fragrant!
If you've had Malaysian Curry Mee before, laksa is somewhat similar but I find laksa much tastier thanks to the dried prawns.
Fun fact: you might not want to know this, but it's said that laksa used to be made with sea worms! (I think this was to give it the umami that we now get from dried prawns.) If you want to learn more about Singapore food history, let me know in the comments below!
Where to go: My favorite hawker stall for laksa is Sungei Road Trishaw Laksa at Hong Lim. For a better ambience and air conditioning, go to Chatterbox at Hilton Hotel Orchard.
Tip: if you enjoy laksa, you can bring it home with you in the form of laksa flavoured instant noodles or laksa paste. The Prima brand is very popular- I used to be a fan when I lived in the UK. However, after coming back to Singapore and having it fresh at the hawker centres...
Beef Rendang
Beef rendang believed to originate from Minangkabau in West Java, Indonesia is a very popular dish in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore.
Beef is stewed in coconut milk with a blend of spices (ginger, chilli, gelangal, lemon grass, garlic, shallot, kaffir lime leaves and turmeric) then slowly cooked over low heat until the liquid becomes a thick gravy.
Hainanese Curry Rice
This dish is thought to have originated from Hainanese chefs mixing British and Peranakan influences- combining curry, breaded pork chops and braised cabbage. (Many Hainanese came to Singapore to work as cooks.)
Honestly, it's only very mildly spiced but just in case your degree of spice differs from mine, I've put it under the Spicy Singaporean foods section.
Unfortunately, it's not widely available in Singapore so you won't find it in every food court- the last time I had it was at Loo's Hainanese Curry in Tiong Bahru.
Gado-gado
This Malay salad consists of raw, slightly blanched or steamed vegetables, hard-boiled eggs, boiled potato, fried tofu and tempeh smothered in a rich peanut sauce.
Sambal Stingray (Skate Wing on Banana Leaf)
The stingray is marinated with sambal paste, wrapped in a banana leaf, and then grilled. Stingray meat is SO soft and the bones are much easier to deal with than those of other types of fish (you might be able to tell that this is one of my favorite Singaporean local dishes.)
Unfortunately, Sambal Stingray is also one of the more expensive hawker centre dishes (seafood isn't cheap!) It's a popular dish to have at Newton Hawker Centre, of Crazy Rich Asian fame.
Chilli Crab
This signature dish features Sri Lankan crabs cooked in a tomato-based sauce which is sweet and mildly spicy.
If you've traveled to Singapore alone and want to try chili crab, go to Jumbo at Marina Bay Sands- they peel the crabs for your and serve it in single serve portions.
Lontong
Lontong is a dish of compressed rice cakes in a dish of vegetable stew in coconut curry. It comes with vegetables, tofu, eggs, and sometimes chicken.
Fish Head Curry
Fish head curry is a dish that its origins in South India- an Indian hawker in Singapore noticed that Chinese people liked to eat fish heads. He then had the bright idea of combining it with Indian curry, creating this classic Singaporean dish.
Usually, the head of a red snapper is used. (The meat at the back of the neck especially around the eyes is the sweetest and tender, absorbing the flavour of the curry best!!)
The curry is thick, creamy and is made using a blend of spices: mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, galangal, cumin, turmeric, tamarind, tomatoes and coconut milk. Vegetables like okra and eggplant and curry leaves are added to soak up all the flavours of the curry. Just remember to be careful of bones!
This dish is found in many hawker centers, coffee shops, and restaurants ins Singapore and is usually served with rice or bread. (You'll need to go in a group as it's too much for one person.)
Rojak
Rojak which means “mixed” in Malay is a combination of pineapple, cucumber, fried beancurd, bean sprouts, and dough fritters. (Some places serve fruit rojak but that is more common in Malaysia.)
Everything is mixed with a sweet and spicy sauce (made from prawn paste and sugar) together with chopped peanuts.
It is often eaten as an appetiser but can also be served as a main meal.
Note: Singaporeans love this dish but it may not suit all taste buds- so far, none of my foreign friends have liked it. If you like it, you can buy the rojak sauce in supermarkets.
Savory Snacks
Curry Puff
A cross between a Cornish pasty and a samosa, this deep fried snack comes with different fillings, Potato, chicken, and sardine are traditional but there are also trendy versions like otah and chili crab.
Where to go: 1A curry puff is SO much better than Old Chang Kee if you ask me. Unfortunately they have fewer outlets- there is one at the basement of Takashimaya though.
Chee Cheong Fun
Originating from Southern China, these are steamed rice flour rolls which come plain, stuffed with shrimps, BBQ pork, mushrooms, dough fritters, and more.
The rolls are served with a savoury (sometimes sweet) sauce made from soy sauce, sesame oil and chilli paste.
Tip: my favorite Chee Cheong Fun is the one with the fried dough fritter inside- however, you need to eat it right after it's made or the fritter becomes soggy.
Chwee Kueh
Chwee kueh, literally translated as "water cake", is a steamed rice cake topped with preserved radish. I prefer it with chili but you can ask the hawker to leave the chili out. In the old days, food sellers would grind the rice for these rice cakes themselves. These days, most use commercially produced rice cakes to save on labour costs.
It is often eaten for breakfast or as a snack.
Where to go: one of the most famous Chwee kueh shops in Singapore is Jian Bo Shui Kueh at Tiong Bahru.
Claypot Rice
In this dish, rice and meat are cooked in a claypot (topped with Chinese sausage, mushrooms, and salted fish). There is a bit of burnt rice at the bottom of the claypot, which is thought by many to be the best part, as it gives the dish its crunch!
Where to go: I love the claypot rice at Chinatown Complex. However, the last time I was there, the wait was TWO HOURS!!
Note: this is not the easiest dish to make well at home- oftentimes, the claypot cracks!
Sweets
Chendol
A very popular dessert in Singapore: chendol consists of shaved ice with the iconic “green jelly”, coconut milk, red bean, and palm sugar (gula melaka). The green jelly is flavoured with pandan- if it's pale green, you know they've used natural pandan juice. If it's fluorescent- that's a sign of artificial pandan flavouring!
This dessert is sweet and refreshing, perfect for Singapore's hot weather.
Where to go: Many people agree that the chendol at The Coconut Club (which serves good Nasi Lemak) is one of the best in Singapore.
Ice Kachang
Another dessert for Singapore’s hot weather, the ice cream kachang is a colorful dessert. Amountain of shaved ice is topped with rainbow coloured sugar syrups, red beans, jelly, corn, attap Chee, and condensed milk.
Kaya Toast
This isn't a dessert- it's breakfast!
It's a coconut curd or coconut jam that is very popualr with foreigners and locals aike. (In fact, a friend just asked me to send some to her in Germany!)
If you try it and like it, you can buy it in bottles in the supermarkets- it's one of the most popular food souvenirs from Singapore.
Tao Suan
This is a thick and sticky dessert made from mung bean. The sweet starchy soup is mixed with dough fritters.
Honestly, this is quite a divisive dessert- I'm not a fan and wouldn't have included it (if you're not used to Asian desserts, you probably won't like it) but my Mother voted it in!
Any questions about the best places to get street food in Singapore? Let me know in the comments!
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