Top 25 Must-Eat Local Food in Singapore

Unsure of what you should eat in Singapore? Singapore, living up to its reputation as a food paradise, has a plethora of scrumptious local food! From delectable dishes to traditional snacks, we’ve curated a list just for you:

1. Nasi Lemak
2. Kway Chap
3. Wanton Noodle
4. Hainanese Chicken Rice
5. Char Kway Teow
6. Bak Kut Teh
7. Fried Carrot Cake
8. Ang Ku Kueh
9. Chilli Crab
10. Bak Chor Mee
11. Yong Tau Foo
12. Rojak
13. Prawn Noodle
14. Chicken Curry Noodles
15. Hainanese Curry Rice
16. Chwee Kueh
17. Kaya Toast
18. Youtiao (Dough Fritters)
19. Cheng Tng
20. Kueh Pie Tee
21. BBQ Chicken Wing
22. Satay Bee Hoon
23. Crab Bee Hoon
24. Cereal Prawn
25. Tutu Kueh

1. Nasi Lemak

Nasi Lemak is one Singapore’s most beloved local food dishes. It is a Malay dish that consists of aromatic coconut rice, paired with sides like ikan billis, fried egg, peanuts, cucumber and sambal. Traditionally a Malay dish, there are currently various renditions of this delicious dish. Nasi Lemak sold at Chinese stores offers other mouth-watering sides like deep-fried fish cake, sausages, luncheon meat and stir-fried vegetables.

Recommendations:

Punggol Nasi Lemak

• Address: 238 Tanjong Katong Rd, Singapore 437026
• Opening hours: Friday-Wednesday, 4.30 pm-11.30 pm (Closed on Thursdays)

Aliff Nasi Lemak

• Address: 49A Serangoon Garden Way, #01-27, Singapore 555945
• Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 7.30 am-3 pm (Closed on Mondays)

2. Kway Chap

Kway Chap is a Teochew noodle dish consisting of flat and broad rice noodle sheets, served with an assortment of pork cuts like pork belly, pigskin, pig intestines, together with egg and beancurd.

Recommendations:

Chai Chee Kway Chap

• Address: 216 Bedok North Street 1, #01-67, Singapore 460216
• Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 7 am-1 pm (Closed on Monday and Thursday)

3. Wanton Noodle

Influenced by Hong Kong’s Wonton Noodle, Singapore’s version of Wonton Mee (Noodle) is commonly eaten dry with Char Siew (Chinese BBQ Pork), Wontons and vegetables. Many Singaporeans like to pair their Wonton noodle with Pickled Green Chillies for that additional sour kick!

Recommendations:

Eng’s Char Siew Wonton Mee

• Address: 287 Tanjong Katong Rd, Singapore 437070
• Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 10.30 am-8.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Yong Chun Wan Ton Noodle

• Address: 115 Bukit Merah View, 01-56 Henderson Rd, Hawker Centre, 151115
• Opening hours: Friday-Wednesday, 5.30 am-1 pm (Closed on Mondays)

4. Hainanese Chicken Rice

As far as local food in Singapore goes, Hainanese Chicken Rice is arguably the most popular dish of them all. It is a dish of fragrant seasoned rice with poached chicken, served with garlic chilli that packs a punch. This local food dish was adapted by Chinese immigrants from Hainan province in southern China based on a popular Hainanese dish called Wen Chang chicken.

Recommendations:

Boon Tong Kee @ Balestier

• Address: Balestier Road 399 401 & 403, 329801
• Opening hours: Monday-Friday(11 am-3 pm, 5-9.30 pm), Saturday-Sunday(11 am-9.30 pm)

Delicious Bonelesss Chicken

• Address: 865 Mountbatten Road #B1-85/87 Katong Shopping Centre, Singapore 437844
• Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 10.45 am-7 pm (Closed on Mondays)

5. Char Kway Teow

In Hokkien and Teochew, Char means “stir-fried” and kway teow refers to flat rice noodles. This dish consists of flat rice noodles stir-fried with cockles, lap cheong (chinese sausage), eggs, chives and bean sprouts.

Recommendations:

Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee

• Address: 531A Upper Cross St, #02-17, Singapore 051531
• Opening hours: Monday-Saturday, 6am-3pm(Closed on Sundays)

Meng Kee Fried Kway Teow

• Address: 22A Havelock Rd, #01-07, Singapore 161022
• Opening hours: Monday-Saturday, 9am-6pm (Closed on Sundays)

6. Bak Kut Teh

Bak Kut Teh is a comforting dish that consists of tender pork ribs simmered in a mixture of aromatic herbs and spices. Enjoy Bak Kut Teh with a cup of string oolong tea, believed to be able to dilute or dissolve the amount of fat in this pork dish.

Recommendations:

NG AH SIO Bak Kut Teh (Rangoon Road)

• Address: 208 Rangoon Rd, Hong Building, Singapore 218453
• Opening hours: Monday-Sunday, 9am-9pm

Tiong Bahru Bak Kut Teh

• Address: 58 Seng Poh Rd, Block 58, Singapore 160058
• Opening hours: Monday-Sunday, 11am-9pm

7. Fried Carrot Cake

Known as “Chai Tow Kway”, this is a popular local food dish for breakfast for many Singaporeans. There are two variations of Fried Carrot Cake, black and white. The white version is fried with eggs while the black one is fried with dark soya sauce which therefore gives the dish slight sweetness.

Nope, it is not a cake or a dessert; Neither is it a fried version of the Western Carrot Cake!

8. Ang Ku Kueh

Ang Ku Kueh aka Red tortoise cake is an oval-shaped Chinese pastry with soft glutinous rice flour skin wrapped around sweet or salty fillings. Some popular fillings for the local food dish include mung bean paste, yam, coconut and peanut. This traditional Kueh is often prepared for joyous occasions like a newborn child’s first month birthday or an elderly’s birthday.

Recommendations:

Ji Xiang Ang Ku Kueh

• Address: 235 Victoria St, Singapore 188027
• Opening hours: Monday-Sunday, 7am-7pm

146 Famous Bukit Merah Ang Ku Kueh

• Address: 146 Jalan Bukit Merah, #01-1086, Singapore 160146
• Opening hours: Monday-Sunday, 7.30am-7.30pm

9. Chilli Crab

A mouth-watering dish that originated in Singapore, Mud crabs are stir-fried with egg, in a semi-thick, sweet and savoury chilli and tomato-based sauce. It is best paired with Mantous (steamed buns).

Recommendations:

Jumbo Seafood

• Outlets: Jewel Changi Airport, Dempsey Hill, ION Orchard, Riverside Point, East Coast Seafood Centre

Uncle Leong Seafood (Punggol)

• Address: 6 Tebing Lane, Punggol E, #01-03, Singapore 828835
• Opening hours: Monday-Sunday, 4.30-10pm

10. Bak Chor Mee

Bak Chor Mee aka Minced Meat Noodles is a popular Singaporean noodle dish. This dish consists of the noodles (mee kia aka thin egg noodles), minced pork, pork wontons and pork lard.

Recommendations:

58 Minced Meat Mee (New Upper Changi Road)

• Address: 58 New Upper Changi Road, #01-151, New Upper Changi Road Hawker Centre, Singapore 461058
• Opening hours: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, 6am-2pm (Closed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday)

Xing Ji Rou Cuo Mian

• Address: #01-07 85 Bedok North Street 4, Singapore 460085
• Opening hours: Friday-Wednesday, 11.30am-11.30am (Closed on Thursdays)

11. Yong Tau Foo

Yong Tau Foo is a Hakka Chinese dish consisting of fresh ingredients like tofu filled with ground meat mixture or fish paste, fishcakes and vegetables stuffed with fish paste. This dish is served as a soup dish or it can also be eaten dry.

Recommendations:

109 Yong Tau Foo

• Address: 90 Circular Road, Singapore 049441
• Opening hours: Monday – Saturday, 11am-10pm

Goldhill Hakka Restaurant 1997

• 299 Changi Road, 299A, Singapore 419777
• Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday, (Weekdays: 11am-3pm, 5-9pm, Weekends: 11am-9pm)

12. Rojak

Rojak is a fruit Salad that consists of cucumber, dough fritters, turnip, and pineapple tossed in a sweet and flavourful tamarind shrimp paste with crunchy peanuts. This dish is highly addictive and we highly recommend you to try it if you haven’t!

Recommendations:

Lau Hong Ser Rojak

• Address: 281 Onan Road, #02-14, Singapore 424661
• Opening hours: Monday-Sunday, closed on Wednesdays and Sundays. (Thursday, Friday, Monday: 4.30pm-1am, Saturday, Tuesday: 4.30pm-12am)

13. Prawn Noodle

Prawn Noodle Soup, also widely known as “Hae Mee” in Singapore, can be found at numerous Hawker Centres and Kopitiams (Coffeeshops) in Singapore. It is made up of noodles, typically yellow noodles, bee hoon or kway teow in a prawn and pork broth, garnished with prawns, kang kong (water spinach) and pork ribs.

Recommendations:

Beach Road Prawn Mee

• Address: 370/372 E Coast Rd, Singapore 428981
• Opening hours: Wednesday-Monday, 7am-4pm (Closed on Tuesdays)

Da Dong Prawn Noodles 大東蝦麵

• Address: 354 Joo Chiat Rd, Singapore 427600
• Opening hours: Wednesday-Monday, 7.30am-2pm (Closed on Tuesdays)

14. Chicken Curry Noodles

To all curry lovers out there, one of Singapore’s popular local food is curry chicken noodles! Slippery noodles submerged in curry chicken is simply sumptuous!

Recommendations:

Da Po Hainanese Chicken Rice & Curry Chicken Noodle

• Address: 505 Beach Road, #B1-53 Golden Mile Food Centre, Singapore 199583
• Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 11am-8pm (Closed on Mondays)

Ah Heng Curry Chicken Bee Hoon Mee

• Address: 269B Queen Street, Singapore 182269
• Opening hours: Friday-Wednesday, 8.45am-4pm (Closed on Thursdays)

15. Hainanese Curry Rice

Hainanese Curry Rice is a Singaporean dish that consists of steamed white rice drenched in curry and gravy, accompanied by chicken cutlets, chap chye, fried egg and braised pork. It is certainly a hearty dish!

Recommendations

Beach Road Scissor-Cut Curry Rice

• Address: 229 Jalan Besar, Singapore 208905
• Opening hours: Monday-Sunday, 11am-3am

Loo’s Hainanese Curry Rice

• Address: 71 Seng Poh Rd, #01-49, Singapore 160071
• Opening hours: Monday-Sunday(closed on Thursdays), 8am-2.45pm

16. Chwee Kueh

Chwee Kueh is a popular breakfast dish in Singapore. It is a type of steamed rice cake served with savoury preserved radish and sambal sauce.

Recommendations:

Chwee Kueh (Eunos)

• Address: 4A Eunos Crescent, Singapore 402004
• Opening hours: Monday-Sunday(Closed on Wednesdays), 8am-8pm

Xin Xi Chwee Kueh

• 58 New Upper Changi Road, #01-150, Singapore 461058Ori

17. Kaya Toast

Kaya Toast is a dish that originated in Singapore and it is often consumed during breakfast. Kaya toast consists of two slices of toast with butter and kaya, commonly paired together with half-boiled eggs and coffee.

Recommendations:

Ya Kun Kaya Toast

• Website: Ya Kun Kaya Toast

Heap Seng Leong

• Address: 10 North Bridge Road, #01-5109, Singapore 190010
• Opening hours: Monday-Sunday, 5am-6pm

18. Youtiao (Dough Fritters)

Youtiao is a lightly salted dough fritter, which can be found in numerous hawkers and food courts in Singapore. This snack is commonly eaten at breakfast and it pairs well with soy milk and rice congee.

Recommendations:

Xin Xin You Tiao

• Address: 105 Hougang Avenue 1, #02-19, Hainanese Village Centre, Singapore 530105
• Opening Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 6-11am (Closed on Fridays and Mondays)

Yong Hua You Tiao

• Address: 16 Bedok South Road, Singapore 460016
• Opening hours: Monday-Sunday, 11am-9pm

19. Cheng Tng

Cheng Tng which literally means “clear soup” is a traditional Singapore dessert that is made up of dried longan, ginko nuts, sago pearls, barley, lotus seeds, candied winter melon and agar strips. This dish can be found at almost all local dessert stalls. Quench your thirst with a bowl of refreshing dessert!

Recommendations:

Ye Lai Xiang Cheng Tng

• Address: 1 Bedok Road, Singapore 469572
• Opening hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 9am-7.30pm (Closed on Monday and Tuesday)

Four Seasons Ching Tng

• Address: #01-34, 448 Clementi Avenue 3, Singapore 120448
• Opening hours: Monday-Sunday, 9am-10pm

20. Kueh Pie Tee

Kueh Pie tee is a Peranakan dish made up of crispy pastry tart shells filled with savoury shredded Chinese turnips, topped with prawns and eggs.

Recommendations:

Ann Chin Popiah

• Address: 335 Smith Street, Chinatown Food Centre #02-112 Singapore 050335
• Opening hours: Monday-Sunday, 8am-8pm

Kway Guan Huat Joochiat Popiah

• Address: 95 Joo Chiat Road, Singapore 427389
• Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 9am-2pm(Closed on Mondays)

21. BBQ Chicken Wing

A dish that can be found at hawker centres and food courts, Singapore BBQ Chicken Wings are paired with lime and piquant chilli sauce. This savoury dish is appetising and finger-licking good!

Recommendations:

Ah Hwee BBQ Chicken Wing & Spring Chicken

• 1220 East Coast Park, 14, East Coast Lagoon Food Village Singapore 468960
• Opening hours: Monday-Sunday, 3pm-10pm

Sin Bedok North BBQ Chicken Wing

• Address: 85 Bedok North Street 4, #01-12, Singapore 460085
• Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 3pm-12am

22. Satay Bee Hoon

Satay Bee Hoon is a dish of blanched bee hoon (thin rice vermicelli), seafood and vegetables drenched in a rich nutty gravy, similar to the sauce served with Satay.

Recommendations:

Shi Wei Da FengShan Satay Bee Hoon

• Address: 85 Bedok North Street, #01-41, Singapore 460085
• Opening hours: Wednesday-Monday, 4pm-12am (Closed on Tuesdays)

Teochew Satay Bee Hoon

• Address: 6 Tanjong Pagar Plaza #02-46, Singapore 081006
• Opening hours: Monday-Sunday, 9.30am-3pm

23. Crab Bee Hoon

Crab Bee Hoon consists of rice vermicelli and whole mud crab submerged in a flavourful and milky broth. Looking for a hearty meal? We highly recommend you to try this dish if you haven’t.

Recommendations:

Crab Kingdom

• Address: 25 new Upper Changi Road #01-654, Singapore 462025
• Opening hours: Monday-Sunday, 12.15pm-11pm

Uncle Leong Seafood (Punggol)

• Address: 6 Tebing Lane, Punggol E, #01-03, Singapore 828835
• Opening hours: Monday-Sunday, 4.30-10pm

24. Cereal Prawn

Cereal Prawn is a dish, commonly found at Zi Char stalls in Singapore. Crispy fried prawns are coated in an aromatic buttery sauce topped with crunchy cereal.

Recommendations:

Keng Eng Kee Seafood

• Address: 124 Bukit Merah Lane 1, #01-136, Singapore 150124
• Opening hours: Monday-Sunday, 11.30am-2pm, 5-10pm

Kim’s Place Seafood

• Address: 45 Joo Chiat Place, Singapore 427769
• Opening hours: Monday-Sunday, 11am-10.30pm

25. Tutu Kueh

Tutu Kueh is a round-shaped steamed rice flour kueh typically filled with coconut, peanuts or palm sugar. It is a light and delectable snack for everyone!

Recommendations:

Tan’s Tu Tu Coconut Cake

• Address: 22A Havelock Road, #01-25 Singapore 162022
• Opening hours: Monday-Saturday, 12-3pm (Closed on Sunday and Thursday)

Haig Road Putu Piring

• 970 Geylang Road, #01-02, Al-Azhar Coffeeshop, 1 Onan Road Singapore 423492
• Opening hours: Monday-Sunday, 10.30am-9pm

Over to you

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