With my growing obsession with Singaporean food, I knew I had to scoot across the city to visit the legendary Old Airport Road Food Centre. And I wasn’t disappointed!
Opened in 1973, Old Airport Road Food Centre offers one of the most classic hawker centre experiences in Singapore. At this bustling food court, I felt like I was in foodie heaven, with over 150 hawker stalls to choose from.
Although it was further afield than the other hawker centres I’d come to know and love on my trips to Singapore, visiting this one was a must for rounding out my appreciation of Singapore’s food scene.
Not sure where to start? In this quick & easy guide, I’ll share the tastiest foods and hawker stalls I discovered at Old Airport Road Food Centre…
Looking for more ideas for your trip? Check out our Singapore Travel Guide for recommendations on what to do, see & eat, and where to stay!
What to expect
After already logging many hours at other food courts in Singapore, I wasn’t surprised by the variety of high-quality dishes I experienced at the Old Airport Road Food Centre.
Truthfully, there weren’t many dishes in the usual Singapore food repertoire I didn’t find here!
Compared to hawker centres in and around the Singapore CBD, I noticed a more local feel here. Many of the stalls here are family-run—in some cases for generations!
Wandering through the maze of stalls, I watched locals filter to their favourites. Of course, I followed their lead to the top food stalls where I found many of my Singaporean food favorites, including rojak, satay, bee hoon, or char kway teow.
Best part? You can get many of these dishes for around the price of a cup of Starbucks coffee!
(And which is more fulfilling? Easy answer!)
Where & what to eat
Like most hawker centres in Singapore, my advice is the same: To find the tastiest food here, follow your nose and the queues to the most popular stalls.
Here are a few of my favorite hawker stalls to watch out for on your visit…
Xin Mei Xiang Zheng Zong Lor Mee (#01-116)
Awarded a Michelin Plate and a local People’s Choice food award in 2018, this popular stall served up some of the most delicious lor mee I tried in the area. The dish tosses thick yellow noodles in a thick egg & starch gravy. It’s full of savoury flavours with a dash of spice!
Whitley Road Big Prawn Noodles (#01-98)
Whether you choose the dry or soup versions, it doesn’t matter: The prawn noodle dishes at this famous hawker stall could be destined to become one of your new Singaporean food favourites!
The classic pork rib version is most palatable for the average Westerner. (Unless you love the thought of pork liver or eat on the more adventurous side.)
Hougang Famous Wan Ton Mee (#01-35)
To attack my noodle cravings with a vengeance, I grabbed a bowl of the signature wonton noodles at this famed hawker stall. They were just the trick, with noodles cooked to a perfect springy texture, topped with char siu and dumplings, and packed with umami flavours.
Nam Sing Hokkien Fried Mee (#01-32)
After chatting with a few locals, I learned that this noodle joint is one of the most famous stalls here. The signature hokkien mee bursts with prawn, squid, eggs, bee hoon, and egg noodles. It’s a game-changer! Expect a long wait in the queue.
Toa Payoh Rojak (#01-108)
Rojak is one of the specialties at Old Airport Road Food Centre. And this, I was told by one of the locals, is one of the best stalls to try it.
I’m glad I took the recommendation, as it was one of the biggest culinary revelations on my trip!
The rojak here is as fresh as it gets. It features a mix of bean sprouts, spinach, and tofu topped with a sweet & savoury shrimp sauce and crushed peanuts.
(I’m not normally a tofu fan, but, wow, this one was good!)
Freshly Made Chee Cheong Fun (#01-155)
For its silky texture, chee cheong fun became one of my go-to delights on my Singapore trips. This hawker stall is a great place to get it at the Old Airport Road Food Centre.
Try the char siew (BBQ pork) version. It’s got a extra dash of flavour that’ll change your appreciation of chee cheong fun forever!
Lao Ban Soya Beancurd (#01-127/#01-107)
Got a sweet tooth? Take this Singapore dessert on for size! This popular stall serves up some of the silkiest soya beancurd I tried while in Singapore. It’s the perfect cap for your Old Airport Road hawker food experience!
Getting there
By MRT: Via Singapore’s public transportation, the easiest way to get to the Old Airport Road Food Centre is by MRT. The closest MRT Station to the hawker centre is Dakota MRT (CC8) on the Circle Line.
From Exit A, it’s a quick 5-minute walk.
