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.

1. Chinatown Complex Food Centre: Yummy Hawker & Street Food

Image: Chinatown Complex Food Centre

Best for
• Xiao long bao
• Fish cake
• Steamed fish head
• Pork porridge
Prices
From S$2 per dish
Nearest MRT
Chinatown
Address

335 Smith Street, Singapore 050335
Opening hours

Daily 08:00 - 21:00

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.

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2. Old Airport Road Food Centre

Image: Matti Leppanen

Best for
• Soya beancurd
• Hokkien mee
• Rojak
• Chee cheong fun
Prices
S$4-S$6 per dish
Nearest MRT
Dakota MRT
Address

Block 51 Old Airport Road, Singapore 390051

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.

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3. Maxwell Road Hawker Centre

Image: William Cho

Best for
• Chicken rice
• Local sausages
• Raw fish
• Prawn fritters
Prices
S$3-S$6 per dish
Nearest MRT
Tanjong Pagar
Address

1 Kadayanallur St, Singapore 069184

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.

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4. Newton Food Centre

Image: Wikipedia

Best for
Fishball kway teow
Oyster omelette
Teochew fish porridge
Teochew braised duck
Prices
S$4-S$6 per dish
Nearest MRT
Somerset
Address

500 Clemenceau Avenue North, Singapore 229495
Phone

+6511111111
Website

Newton Food Centre

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.

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5. Ayer Rajah Food Centre

Image: Ayer Rajah Food Centre

Best for
Biryani
BBQ stingray
Satay
Indian rojak
Prices
S$4-S$10 per dish
Nearest MRT
Jurong East
Address

503 W Coast Dr, Singapore 120503
Phone

+6511111111
Website

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.

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6. Tiong Bahru Market Hawker Centre: Best Food Stalls to Try

Image: Alvin Khoo

Best for
• Chwee kueh
• Roasted duck rice
• Pig organ soup
• Prawn noodles
Prices
S$3-S$5 per dish
Nearest MRT
Tiong Bahru
Address

30 Seng Poh Road, Singapore 168898

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.

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7. Chomp Chomp Food Centre

Image: Chomp Chomp Food Centre

Best for
• Satay
• BBQ stingray
• BBQ chicken wings
• Oyster omelette
Prices
S$4-S46 per dish
Nearest MRT
Lorong Chuan
Address

20 Kensington Park Road 557269
Opening hours

Daily 18:00 until late

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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