Best Singapore Street Food: 5 Spots You Shouldn’t Miss

One of our favorite things about Singapore was trying the street food. And we certainly ate a lot during our 3 days in Singapore. Unlike our typical vacations where we look for the best trendy restaurants in town, this trip was ALL about the hawker stalls. In this post, we’ll give you the lowdown on the best Singapore street food and must-order drinks and snacks.

If you watched Crazy Rich Asians, you’ll remember that one of the first things they did after landing was visit a hawker center (food courts with a variety of food). It’s here where you’ll not only find cheap eats but Michelin-star stalls with rave reviews from Time Out Magazine and food critics alike.

Singapore’s dining scene is unlike anywhere we’ve travelled with a melting pot of cuisines with Chinese, Indian, Malaysian and Indonesian influences. Follow us along our journey with our top picks.

5. Sample Singapore’s National Dish, Chicken Rice

Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice at Maxwell Food Center is one of Singapore’s busiest food stalls with such fans as Gordon Ramsey and Anthony Bourdain. But what is Hainanese chicken rice? In short — it’s seasoned poached chicken with rice, served with chilli sauce and garnished with cucumber. It was created by immigrants from Hainan province in southern China as a cheap and easy meal.

We hit up the Maxwell Food Center as part of a tour with Sneak Peek Singapore. Kevin immediately hopped in line, since this stall wasn’t part of our tour (that sampled foods from other stalls with no wait). The line moves quickly, but anticipate a wait of 20-30 minutes. We BARELY got our chicken in time before our tour nearly left us behind. The stall sells other dishes like vegetables with oyster sauce and cuttlefish. But you basically come here for one dish only — the famed Hainanese chicken rice. We recommend ordering the most popular option — a medium-sized chicken rice priced at $5 Singaporean dollars (or about $3.60 USD).

What’s the verdict? Was the wait worth it? We think so. The rice was perfectly cooked. Though, the chicken tasted pretty similar to other places we tried.  If you have the time to wait (and patience), add it to your foodie check list. Or if you hate waiting like me, tag team with another person to wait in line. I had a great time exploring the food hall and fetching snacks and drinks for Kevin as he read a book in line. Or as I like to think of it, the ultimate team work!

4. Eat at The Cheapest Michelin-Starred Meal in the World

Hawker Chan has become a global phenomenon, expanding outside Singapore with outlets across Asia and Australia. But Singapore is where it all started. In 2016, the humble stall located in the Chinatown Food Complex was awarded a Michelin star for its $1.40 USD chicken and rice dish (making history as the cheapest meal on the list that includes such exclusive company as Napa’s French Laundry and Chicago’s Alinea). And as they say, the rest is history. Today you’ll find long lines stretching out the back with about a 45 minute wait time.

If you don’t have a lot of time to kill, we suggest going to the newer outpost of Hawker Chan, located just across the street from the Chinatown Food Center. While it isn’t the original stall, the restaurant serves the same exact food with seating inside a fully air-conditioned restaurant. Some complain about the higher prices at the sit-down restaurant. But it’s a meal less than $5, so I mean, perspective people!

We ordered the soya chicken, noodles, vegetables and the char siu, or Chinese barbecue pork. The chicken might be what earned it the Michelin stripes, but we found the barbecue pork as the real standout. We plowed through the meal and could have easily ordered more of the pork. Now only if it could expand to LA.

3. Cool Down with Sweet Thai Tea and Boba

One of the best things we did in Singapore was take Monster Tour’s Asia 101 Food Tour, where we ate and drank our way through Chinatown, Little India, Kampong Glam, Bugis and Orchard Road. The 5-hour walking tour covers a lot of ground, with insight on Singapore’s history mixed with snacks along the way. They offer small group tours, so one of the best tips we have is getting cold drinks along the way. My favorite spot that our guide recommended was Bhai Sarbat Stall in Kampong Glam, the Muslim center of Singapore.

Get ready for a show as servers mix the tea by elaborately pouring it from high above their heads.

If you’re into boba tea, you’re just a short walk from the popular chain, LiHo Tea (Kevin’s top pick). There are over 90 shops across Singapore where you can try authentic Singaporean milk tea. But we recommend ordering the Earl Grey Milk Tea and Brown Sugar Pearl. And yes, it also comes in a fun tote bag to carry it.

2. Sample Popiah at Newton Food Centre (and Everywhere You See it!)

Newton Hawker Centre is outside the main city center, but well worth the journey. We ate at five different hawker centers and this spot was my favorite. I could see why Crazy Rich Asians was shot here — based on the energetic atmosphere alone.

Newton is also one of the best places to try the deliciousness of popiah. What in the world is popiah? We’ve traveled a lot and NEVER heard of it. Popiah (pronounced po-pee-ah) means “thin wafer” — a reference to the outside soft shell. It’s stuffed with vegetables and a sweet sauce. And similar to a fresh spring roll. I had it pretty much at every hawker center (and clearly obsessed!).

Popiah is light so you can easily eat several and not feel too guilty (or at least that’s what I told Kevin!). And it’s less than $1 USD per roll. If you’re getting it at a hawker spot, you’ll want to know the local customs on ordering. My recommendation would be to claim your seat first by marking them with packets of napkins. Not every stall provides napkins, so make sure to purchase a pack at a convenience store (or bring it with you from home). Water bottles don’t work (since people might think it’s garbage).

Most locals will recognize you’ve marked your spot by the napkin trick. The other tourists? Not so much. You might just need to tip them off about the unspoken napkin rule. Finally, be sure to note your table number since some stalls will deliver the food to you after ordering.

1. Chow Down on Hot Paratha at Mr Mrs Mohgan

It was our last day in Singapore when we stumbled upon this hidden gem. I didn’t think anything could top the popiah. Then, we tried Mr Mrs Mohgan super crispy roti prata.

This is one of Singapore’s best kept secrets, located in an open-air food court along Joo Chiat Road. Come early, since they often sell out. Each crispy paratha is shaped by hand, topped with oil and then thrown on the griddle and fried. It’s a one man operation so expect to wait even if there is no line.

There is a wide variety of paratha to choose from, but we went with their popular crispy cheese roti and super crispy plain prata which is sweet like a dessert. I’m not sure how healthy of a breakfast it is (I loved the irony of it being next to a stall with the word “Fatty” in its name). But hey, you’re on vacation so just enjoy it while you can.

Looking for other ideas for Singapore? Be sure to check out our action packed 3 day itinerary in Singapore that covers all the major spots. Or if you’re into Crazy Rich Asians, you won’t want to miss our top 5 places in Singapore to live the high life.