What to Eat in Singapore: The Most Delicious Hawker Dishes

Wondering what to eat in Singapore apart from Hainanese Chicken Rice? I’ll tell you, but if it’s 10 PM over there, I suggest you put the phone down and save this post for tomorrow morning.

During the half-month I spent in Singapore, I was most blown away by the harmony in which all the different cuisines have a place in the local foodscape.

It’s not like in LA or DC, where American food is one thing, and then you have restaurants from different cuisines. Here, the Singaporean cuisine itself is defined by this diversity.

From Kaya Toasts, probably the most original Singaporean, to Laksa, Lei Cha Fan, Roti Prata, Nyonya Achar, and Pulut Hitam, you’ll find all shades of foreign influence in your meals.

And I’m here to make sure you get to try all of them equally. (Chicken Rice is still on the list, though. How can I not?) Bookmark this before you land. Get ready to walk a lot to burn all this food off!

The Communal Spirit of Singaporean Meals

There’s no safe space like the hawker centers of Singapore. There, I’ve said it.

The hawker culture itself was inscribed in 2020 as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage for its successful community dining setup in a multicultural setting.

Everyone, from business CEOs to foreign tourists to construction workers, all sit down and have meals together at these centers.

When the government cleared the streets in the 1960s, street hawkers were moved into buildings specifically built for food stalls. And there you have the hawker centers of today, where food from various cultures thrives together in one space.

The 15 Must-Try Dishes in Singapore

Below are the top dishes that I could eat over and over again. The full list is longer because man, do I love eating. But after many careful considerations, we’re down to only fifteen menus!

1. Kaya Toast

The ultimate Singaporean breakfast food has an interesting backstory.

One thing you’ve probably noticed is how rice is the staple in Asian cuisines. We don’t eat bread unless we’re in the mood for Western food.

Many Hainanese immigrants in Singapore were working on British ships during the Straits Settlement, making toast and jam with whatever ingredients they could find (Ahem… Palm sugar and coconut).

When the British left, these workers lost their jobs. So, they made the toast and jam their old bosses liked and sold it to the locals, and it became a hit.

But if having carbs with palm sugar and butter first thing in the morning doesn’t sound like the best idea to you, they’ve figured it out, too!

Most kaya toasts are served in a breakfast set along with two poached eggs, so you can get your protein in as well.

Where to try it: Ya Kun Kaya Toast

2. Carrot Cake (Chay Tow Kway)

Okay, check this out. There’s no carrot in carrot cake.

Singaporean Carrot Cake is actually not a sweet, but a savory dish, and another popular breakfast food. It’s made of radish cake fried on top of beaten egg.

It looks a bit like the Thai omelet, depending on the restaurant.

You can get the white version, fried with light soy sauce, or the black version, fried with black soy sauce, which gives it a slightly denser, sweeter flavor. Go with the white carrot cake if you’re on a diet.

Where to try it: Song Zhou Carrot Cake

3. Roti Prata

Fans of Indian food will love Singapore, as there are endless delicious options. One of my favorites is Roti Prata, another popular breakfast food.

It’s a soft, Indian-style flatbread usually served with curry. You can get a bunch of other variations, like with meat, egg, cheese, or chocolate at Roti Prata stalls, too.

The best way to eat this? With your hands! Tear a bite-sized piece out at a time, dip it in curry, and voilà! Don’t forget to wash your hands before, though!

Where to try it: Ar-Rahman Cafe or on this 5-hour cultural food tour

4. Chicken Rice

Created by immigrants from Hainan Province in Southern China, the chicken rice is so widely talked about today that it’s earned the title of Singapore’s unofficial national dish.

The charm of this dish lies in its aromatic rice, cooked with chicken broth with a hint of garlic, shallot, and pandan.

But the chili sauce seals the deal. If the sauce is not well done or not spicy enough, some people would say it ruins the dish.

Chicken rice is usually served with hot soup, chili sauce, black sauce, and sometimes ginger paste on the side. Which of the three sauces you want to use is up to your own taste.

Where to try it: Chatterbox, Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice

5. Chili Crab

Chili crab is pretty much what it’s called. Mud crab cooked in thick chili and tomato sauce, usually served with Mantou (fried bun), which absorbs the sauce.

This is the official national dish of Singapore… and possibly the messiest dish I’ll ever have for a long time.

You see, if you get a real chili crab at a seafood spot, they’ll serve it whole, and you have to do whatever it takes to get the meat out.

I usually keep an album of “after” photos for my food. I didn’t take one for this because it looked like a crime scene. But don’t get me wrong, it was absolutely delicious.

And if you’re a frequent seafood eater, you’ve guessed it… Whole chili crabs are expensive.

Thank goodness a “child-friendly” version exists. If you visit the less-hyped spots, it’ll come as a bowl of thick sauce with a lot of crab meat in it. No need to go to war with the shells.

Where to try it: Jumbo Seafood (Full crab), Soup Restaurant (Easy version)

6. Thunder Tea Rice (Lei Cha Fan)

Lei Cha Fan was a dish that stood out to me the most while I was looking up things to eat in Singapore. I genuinely was like, “This is like a green Bibimbap!”

I got even more excited that it’s a Hakka dish, my maternal grandpa’s people.

And indeed, you have to mix it up before eating, just like Bibimbap.

The green broth is made from blending several herbs with crushed peanuts and sesame seeds, but it mainly smells of basil, like pesto.

The rice itself is topped with vegetables, tofu, chopped green beans, and peanuts. Just imagine all the different textures dancing in your mouth as you chew this genius of a dish. I’m super obsessed.

Where to try it: Thunder Spize

7. Teochew Fishball Noodles

I love how much of my heritage I discovered here (my dad’s paternal grandmother was Teochew). This dish sounds humble, but it’s a masterpiece.

Those fishballs are perfectly springy and super smooth. They go super well with the spicy sauce and lard that are mixed into the noodles.

If you order the noodles with soup, though, it comes simple, but you can add chili as you like. I highly recommend the dry version, and I will die on this hill.

Where to try it: LiXin Teochew Fishball Noodles

8. Kueh Pie Tee

If it didn’t seem strange to eat 10 pie tees as a full meal, I would have.

These Peranakan savory tarts are usually served at tea parties and other celebrations, including the Chinese New Year. They’re believed to have a Western origin but were invented in Singapore.

I’ve seen it several times at multiple hawker centers, but never thought to try them, until I went to Bonding Kitchen. Their pie tee set was the restaurant’s signature, so I had to at least try them. Immediately converted.

The most common fillings are shredded turnips, carrots, and shrimp with sweet sauce.

Where to try it: Bonding Kitchen, hawker stalls

9. Laksa

This spicy noodle in coconut milk curry is of Chinese Peranakan origin, found in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, but let’s talk about the Singaporean version.

Thanks to its short-cut noodles, it’s much easier to eat with a spoon without splattering soup all over your table.

The soup is perfectly creamy, with a strong coconut aroma and a perfect level of spiciness.

A spoonful of Laksa soup after a long day out in the heat feels like the bear hug you didn’t know you needed.

I’ve tried the fancy version at The Coconut Club and the original version at Janggut Laksa, both of which are famous for the dish and make them equally delicious.

Where to try it: Janggut Laksa, The Coconut Club

10. Bak Kut Teh

Meat Bone Tea. That’s the literal translation of the dish’s Hokkien name.

It’s made from simmering pork ribs in spiced broth for hours, usually served alongside black sauce, sliced red chilis, and youtiao (fried dough).

After eating Bak Kut Teh, it’s a tradition to drink hot tea, usually Oolong, to wash away the amount of salt and fat you just ate. Hence, the “Teh” part of the dish’s name.

You can enjoy Bak Kut Teh only with rice and other side dishes, like stir-fried Bok Choy or braised pork skin, or ask for youtiao to dip into the soup as well.

Where to try it: Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh

11. Achar (Pickled Veggies)

Crunchy, sweet, sour, and spicy.

Because of how much time I’ve spent in Korean culture and cuisine, I personally think of this as the Peranakan Kimchi. I know it deserves a place of its own in my brain. I’m working on it.

At many of the Peranakan restaurants, Achar will come as a complimentary appetizer, and it tastes different at each.

Guan Hoe Soon makes theirs with cucumbers and a dash of shrimp paste, while True Blue’s version has a mango base, with shredded carrots added.

If you want to snack on Achar in your free time like I did (instead of having it as part of a meal), you can get a takeaway bowl of it from Ah Yee’s Soon Kueh.

Where to try it: Peranakan restaurants, including True Blue and Bonding Kitchen.

12. Chendol

The most famous Singaporean dessert is made of Pandan-flavored rice flour jelly with crushed ice, with coconut milk and palm sugar syrup on top.

It’s an excellent dessert to cool you down from the outdoor heat.

You’ll find variations of it in Malaysia and Thailand, too, but I love how much Gula Melaka (palm sugar syrup) they drip on top of it in Singapore.

Where to try it: Most hawker centers, Bonding Kitchen

13. Pulut Hitam

This dessert has my heart forever. Pulut Hitam is basically a sweet black sticky rice porridge with coconut milk dripped on top. It’s served warm and is super comforting.

If you’ve tried black sticky rice dessert in Thailand before and think you could skip Pulut Hitam, don’t. As a Thai person, I can confidently tell you that the Singapore version is superior.

It’s less sweet and less yucky. Just the right consistency.

The best one I had in Singapore was at True Blue, followed closely by the dessert stall at Lau Pa Sat.

Where to try it: True Blue, Lau Pa Sat, Guan Hoe Soon

14. Kueh Bingka (Tapioca Cake)

Kueh refers to Southeast Asian bite-sized snacks, usually made from rice, sticky rice, or tapioca flour.

It comes in several shapes and forms, but I especially enjoyed Kueh Bingka, a golden-brown, chewy tapioca cake.

You’ll find Kueh Bingka at most hawker centers. They’re great as takeaway snacks, but if you want to sit down and enjoy one in the most luxurious way, try it with ice cream at The Coconut Club

Where to try it: Most hawker centers, The Coconut Club

15. Egg Tarts

Another popular sweet snack in Singapore is the egg tart, which came with Chinese immigrants during the early 20th century.

The tarts were inspired by the English custard tart and the Portuguese Pastel de Nata.

Today, you can find two distinct styles of egg tarts in Singapore: the Hong Kong-style, with clean, yellow filling, and the Portuguese-style from Macau, with slightly caramelized brown top.

I’ve tried and liked both, but the Hong Kong-style tarts from Tong Heng are unbeatable.

Tong Heng is known as the oldest Chinese pastry shop in Singapore, and is famous for its diamond-shaped egg tarts, which are not too sweet.

They’re hella addictive, though, so… be strong and don’t buy dozens of them before you leave.

Where to try it: Tong Heng (Hong Kong style), Lau Pa Sat (Portuguese style)

Top Hawker Centers to Try These Dishes In One Go

Since most of the above are hawker dishes, you can walk into any random hawker center you pass by and you’ll find at least half the list. Here are some of the biggest and most popular centers.

Go during the day, as many stalls are closed in the evening.

• Chinatown Complex
• Hong Lim Market
• Lau Pa Sat
• Maxwell Food Centre
• Newton Food Centre

Don’t forget to bring cash or have the local contactless payment method ready. Hawker centers rarely accept credit cards, if ever. I was only able to use mine at some of the Lau Pa Sat stalls.

Want Guidance As You Eat the Food?

Taking food tours is one of my favorite things (and usually the first) to do in foreign countries. It connects you to the local culture so quickly, as most food tours provide cultural context for the dishes, too.

I took a few different ones when I was there. This Chinatown hawker food tour is the most extensive options in terms of dishes, while the other ones are more focused on culture and history.

Give it a shot and see how many dishes you can tick off with it!

Best news for your diet regimen: Singapore is very walkable, with plenty of green trails you can burn all those calories off. I have some listed among my favorite things to do in Singapore.

Check out my Singapore Cultural Travel page for more ideas you can use!

Resources For Your Trip to Singapore

Below are some of the resources to help you get ready for your time in Singapore.

Don’t forget to check your visa requirements, and fill out the Digital Arrival Card no more than 3 days before you land.

Read up on the local laws and my top travel tips before you get there, and a bit about how to get around as well.

• Get your trip covered with Safety Wing Insurance
• Stay connected in Singapore with this eSIM
• Must-have Apps: Grab, City Mapper

Find a Place to Stay in Singapore

Still looking for somewhere to stay? Read my guide on the most convenient neighborhoods to stay in and use the map below to find the best hotel for you!

Grab My Singapore E-Checklist

To make sure you don’t leave anything important out of your preparations, I’ve made a digital checklist to help you get ready. I leave 2 pages blank for you to customize your own checklist, too!

FAQs About Singaporean Food and Hawker Culture

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