7 Best Hawker Centres in Singapore: Yummy Local Food
Written by
Sarah Ong |
September 04, 2025
Where can travelers have good local foods at reasonable prices in Singapore? The answer is simple – hawker centres (also known as food courts). Those down-to-earth culinary destinations are where you can find a wide variety of local dishes, from Chicken Rice, Fried Kway Teow, Hokkien Mee, Bak Kut Teh, Satay, Laksa, and Chilli Crab to the healthy Yong Tau Fu dish.
Despite the cheap prices (from S$3.00 to S$5.00), the quality of food is good. A lot of food connoisseurs in Singapore frequently visit the best food courts in town for their favorite indulgence. Who can resist the lure of the delicious satay at Chomp Chomp Food Centre or the tasty chicken rice at Maxwell Road Hawker Centre?
There are hundreds of food courts with thousands of food stalls in Singapore that you shouldn’t miss. We have picked the 7 worth trying hawker centres with hundreds of food stalls for you to eat like a local while staying in our city.
Image: Chinatown Complex Food Centre
Highlights:
- All the yummy must-try local foods under one roof: Being the largest hawker centre in Singapore with over 260 food stalls, Chinatown Complex Food Centre offers foodies a full range of local dishes from chilli crab, black pepper crab, BBQ stingray, BBQ chicken wings, satay, carrot cake, char kway teow, Hokkien mee, chicken rice, bak kut teh, frog porridge, dim sum, lor mee, prawn noodles to kway chap as well as popular desserts like ice kachang, chendol, tau suan, and soya beancurd.
- Foods are offered at the cheapest prices: Food prices at Chinatown Complex Hawker Centre are very reasonable and competitive because there are many stalls selling similar foods. Diners can enjoy a plate of chicken rice or a bowl of laksa at prices from S$2.00 to S$3.80.
Highlights:
- Singapore’s iconic hawker centre: Old Airport Road Food Centre, one of the oldest and largest food courts in the island city, serves authentic yummy local food to many generations of Singaporeans. Absolutely, you will find all the popular Singaporean dishes there.
- Offering the best soya beancurd in Singapore: The food court is home to some of the best soya beancurd stalls including the renowned Lao Ban Soya Beancurd and 51 Soya Beancurd. These two stores always have long queues in front of them. The beancurd is offered at S$2.90 per bowl for the original flavour and S$3.60 per bowl for the almond flavour.
Highlights:
- Home to many famous food stalls: They are Zhen Zhen Porridge (#01-54), China Street Fritters (#01-64), Marina South Delicious Food (#01-35), and Hoe Kee Porridge (#01-45) just to name a few.
- Most-loved chicken rice in town at reasonable prices: The famous Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice is among the star food stall at this hawker centre, drawing in both locals and tourists. A medium size plate of chicken rice cost us S$5 while the big size plate cost S$7.80.
- Great location in Chinatown: Strategically located in Chinatown and opposite the beautiful Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum, this hawker centre is an ideal place for visitors to have a rest and enjoy tasty local food while exploring Chinatown.
Highlights:
- A delicious seafood galore: While you can find dishes with chicken and meat, Newton Food Centre’s most iconic stalls are all about seafood. You can find an eclectic variety of fish and crustaceans. From fishball kway teow mee to an oyster omelette, the ambitious seafood offerings at this market are tasty and Instagram-worthy.
- Old stalls with iconic dishes: Newton Food Centre has been a stalwart of Singaporean street food since 1971, and some stalls have been around since the beginning. For instance, the Kwee Heng Duck Rice stall, with its four-decades-old Teochew braised duck, has been hosting guests since the food centre was founded.
- Diverse crowd with people from all walks of life: This hawker centre has been popular since the beginning, especially with tourists. That means it’s often incredibly crowded. Nevertheless, you’ll find the crowd quite diverse as locals also frequent this market. From workers taking a break to families enjoying a meal together, the market offers food for all.
Image: Ayer Rajah Food Centre
Highlights:
- Wide range of Halal foods from various international cuisines: Even though Ayer Rajah is a Halal food market, it’s not limited to the local dishes. Many hawkers sell dishes inspired by or based on other cuisines. You can find distinct flavours, from Japan to India, created from Halal ingredients.
- Delicious Indian food at multiple stalls: Several hawkers are known for their delicious Indian food. From Indian rojak to biryani, this market is the place to be if you want the taste of Indian-Muslim cuisine at accessible pricing.
- Relatively less crowded than other hawker centres in Singapore: Most food courts in Singapore are notorious for crowds, which often means struggling to find a table and waiting in long lines for food. But that is not the case at Ayer Rajah, as it’s not as crowded. So if you don’t like crowded food markets, this is the place to be.
Highlights:
- A clean and spacious hawker centre: Renovated recently, Tiong Bahru Market Hawker Centre is now one of the cleanest and most spacious hawker centres in Singapore. This food centre is equipped with the latest mechanical exhaust system for each of its stalls and smartly utilized the open air, so you will definitely enjoy the airy, comfortable and relaxing atmosphere there.
- Located right above one of the best wet markets in Singapore: The hawker centre is situated on the second floor, while you will find the famous Tiong Bahru Wet Market on the first floor with fresh produce. Therefore you can at once enjoy mouth-watering Singaporean foods and experience the original feature of a typical Singapore wet market during your visit.
- Best chwee kueh in Singapore available at stall #02-05: If you are a fan of chwee kueh or simply want to taste a delicious version of chwee kueh, join the long queue at food stall Jian Bo Chwee Kueh at #02-05.
Image: Chomp Chomp Food Centre
Highlights:
- A hawker centre catering for late-night diners: Unlike other food centres opening from morning to evening, Chomp Chomp Food Centre starts from 18:00 until late every day. So if you are hungry and want to have good hawker food at late hours, head to Chomp Chomp Food Centre.
- Serving some of the best satay in Singapore: To many Singaporean foodies, Chomp Chomp Food Centre is a satay mecca. Pork, beef, chicken, and mutton satay are all available.
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