Built up a serious appetite while exploring Singapore? Don’t let Tiong Bahru Market Hawker Centre pass you by!
Set in the historical neighbourhood of Tiong Bahru, this culinary hotspot is one of the finest hawker centres in Singapore, offering the whole gamut of Singaporean food favourites from wonton mee & roast duck to char kway teow & chicken rice.
Ready to start exploring this blissful marketplace? Get started with this guide to the Tiong Bahru 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
If you’re used to the “classic” Singaporean hawker centres like the Chinatown Complex Food Centre or Old Airport Road Food Centre, Tiong Bahru Market will be a breath of fresh air.
Although the market dates back to 1955, it’s been recently renovated, leaving Tiong Bahru Food Centre as perhaps the cleanest and most comfortable hawker centre in Singapore. The open-air design combined with the ventilated covered market area creates a more inviting atmosphere than more cramped and claustrophobic food centres elsewhere in the city.
One of the other unique features here is the popular wet market located on the first floor of the complex.
After enjoying delicious Singaporean snacks at one of the top food stalls on the second floor, be sure to pop down to the Tiong Bahru Wet Market to pursue the fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, seafoods among plenty of other goods.
Where & what to eat
Now, let’s skip to the real reason you’re visiting: the delicious food. Unsurprisingly, like most of Singapore’s best hawker centres Tiong Bahru Food Centre delivers in a big way.
As you roam through the barrage of hawker stalls, keep your eyes peeled for some of the following:
- Jian Bo Shui Kueh (#02-05): If you ask around, you’ll find plenty Singaporeans absolutely raving about the chwee kueh at this stall. These soft & silky Teochew rice cakes, topped with chye poh (dry prepared radish) and sesame seeds, release addictive umami flavours you won’t soon forget. Expect a long queue at this famous stall.
- Tiong Bahru Fried Kway Teow (#02-11): No visit to a hawker centre is complete without a taste of char kway teow, one of my personal favourite Singaporean foods. With more than 40 years of history behind it, this food stall serves up both a “light” version of the dish and slightly more expensive ones heavier on seafood and meat.
- Zhong Yu Yuan Wei Wanton Noodles (#02-30): Follow the long queues to this stall, serving up delicious wonton noodles topped with juicy char siu. The signature offering here is their premium bu jian tian char siu, carved from the tender meat under the arm part rather than belly or back. Come early on in the day as their premium char siu tends to sell out quickly. (As I, unfortunately, experienced firsthand!)
- 178 Lor Mee (#02-23): This stall has become famous for topping its lor mee with deep-fried shark meat fritters. The gravy is heavier than most lor mee you’ll find elsewhere, which you’ll either love or could do without.
- Tiong Bahru Lor Mee (#02-80): The other famous lor mee vendor here, this stall skips on the shark and tops their lor mee with ingredients like fried dumplings, fish cake, eggs, and ngor hiang (Singaporean five-spice pork roll wrapped in beancurd skin).
- Min Nan Pork Ribs Prawn Noodle (#02-31): For eating prawn noodles at Tiong Bahru Food Centre, this is the grandaddy of ’em all. Their signature prawn noodles (S$4) feature plumb fresh prawns, thin vermicelli noodles, and, rare for prawn noodles, an ample serving of fishballs. The pork rib noodle here also get high praise among locals.
Getting there
The easiest way to get to Tiong Bahru Market is by MRT. The closest MRT station is Tiong Bahru MRT (EW17). From Exit B, it’s approximately an 8-minute walk via Tiong Bahru Road and Seng Poh Road.