After eating my way through Singapore three times, I can say with confidence: There’s no place on earth for foodies quite like the Lion City. The sheer range of Chinese, Malay, and Indian cooking (which I could effortlessly find all under one roof wherever I was in the city) still catches me off guard, even on repeat visits.
Singapore’s food culture revolves around its hawker centres. I’ve spent more time at these informal open-air food courts than at any traditional tourist attraction. (And I don’t regret a single minute of it!)
On each of my three trips to Singapore, I gobbled down scrumptious Singaporean dishes, tasting everything from Malay favorites like nasi lemak to Chinese-inspired plates like char kway teow.
Here’s what I’d recommend eating on a first visit to Singapore, and where I’d go to find it…
Laksa
I can’t help but begin my Singaporean food journey with one of my all-time favourite Southeast Asian dishes: laksa. No matter where I was on the Malay Peninsula, from Singapore to Penang, I found this exotic and flavourful noodle soup everywhere.
Each region puts a different spin on laksa. But Singapore might well have some of the tastiest varieties I tried on my travels throughout Malaysia and Singapore.
In Singapore, the most common (and, in my opinion, the most delicious) variety is curry laksa. The first bowl I had in Singapore hit differently than the asam laksa I would try in Penang a week or so later.
Singaporean curry laksa tastes less sour and less fishy than Penang’s twist on the Pernakan dish. I preferred its richer broth and feel the taste is more adaptable to most Western palates.
Most versions of laksa around Singapore share common characteristics such as a coconut-milk-based broth, vermicelli noodles, and a variety of meats & seafood, including chicken, shrimp, and cockles.
Keep on the lookout for a special Singaporean variation called katong laksa. It features noodles cut into more manageable-sized pieces and is eaten only with a spoon.
The first restaurant I tried katong laksa at, 328 Katong Laksa in Tiong Bahru, has closed down since my last visit. It’s since reopened at a new location at 1 Queensway #01-60.
The broth at 328 Katong Laksa was the standout for me. It’s thick, coconut-heavy, with a hit of chilli and prawn oil that sneaks up on you toward the end of the bowl.
I’d also recommend Terry Katong Laska in the Amoy Street Food Centre, one of central Singapore’s must-visit hawker centres. It’s got a creamy broth that’s not too heavy, with the same characteristically springy, cut noodles.
(I’d add a little sambal to it, though, for a little more flavour and a bigger kick.)
Char Kway Teow
Char kway teow is one of Singapore’s most famous noodle dishes and, along with laksa, it’s one of my personal favorite Singaporean foods.
As you probably guessed from the name, this dish originates from China. But Singapore’s version is its most famous variety.
Searching Singapore’s streets for its most delicious Chinese cuisine, I stumbled upon char kway teow on almost every corner of the city. This tasty meal tosses broad rice noodles in a sweet, dark-soy-based sauce. They’re stir-fried along with ingredients such as eggs, bean sprouts, Chinese sausages, pork fat, cockles, and fish cakes.
One of my favorite places to chow down on char kway teow is at the Lau Pa Sat Food Pavilion. This market is located near the central business district and is set in a stunning Victorian-style pavilion. (It’s got a fantastic beer garden/patio, too.)
The version I ate at Lau Pa Sat was loaded with cockles and had a sauce that was rich without being too greasy or heavy.
I also enjoyed sampling char kway teow at Hill Street Fried Kway Teow at the Chinatown Complex Food Centre and on Chinatown Food Street. Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee at the nearby Hong Lim Food Centre is also a good option.
If I had to pick one, it’d be Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee for its silkier, more balanced bowl. (It’s got a Michelin Bib Gourmand recommendation for a reason).
Hill Street Fried Kway Teow would be my choice, though, if I were in the mood for more smokiness and intensity. (And if my stomach was empty enough to handle the “heavier” plate.)
Chili Crab
Chili crab—and its variant, black pepper crab—is one of the dishes most associated with Singaporean cuisine. Despite its name, chili crab isn’t an overly spicy dish. In fact, when I finally tried it on my second trip to Singapore, I found it surprisingly succulent and pleasant.
To prepare the dish, chefs both boil and fry hard-shell crabs to maintain their distinctively juicy texture.
The crabs are served in a sweet tomato-based chili sauce. It’s tasty enough to be sopped up and savoured on its own with the accompanying fried buns.
I saw chili crab on restaurant menus throughout the city, but it wasn’t as easy to find at the more budget-friendly hawker centres, where I ate a good chunk of my meals on my trips to Singapore.
If you want to try something beyond the standard version, HOLYCRAB at Capitol Singapore is worth visiting for their green chilli crab. The house-made sauce is built on lemongrass, candlenut, and two types of green chilli. (I didn’t see anything like this anywhere else in the city.)
Hokkien Mee
Hokkien mee was brought to Singapore by Chinese workers from Fujian. It’s since become one of the city-state’s most popular and distinguishing foods. No matter which hawker centre I visited around Singapore, I found several stalls with hokkien mee on the menu.
This delicious noodle dish is quite simple. The Singaporean variety of hokkien mee tosses stir-fried wide egg noodles in a soy, vinegar, and chili sauce. It’s combined with various seafoods like prawns or squid. In true Singaporean fashion, a lime wedge and a little sambal are added for flavour and punch.
Don’t confuse hokkien mee in Singapore with the similarly-named hokkien char mee. This variety is arguably more common. It fries up round egg noodles in a dark soy sauce that’s saltier and less crisp than its Singaporean namesake.
Both varieties are delicious, but for me, the sambal and crispier texture give the Singaporean version an edge.
I’d recommend checking out the fried hokkien mee at You Fu Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle (#02-186) in the Chinatown Complex Centre.
The version I tried featured yellow noodles, bee hoon, egg, prawns, and slices of pork belly. The noodles were fried in a signature prawn broth that adds a strong umami flavour to the dish. It was one of the most satisfying noodle dishes I tried in the city.
Fish Head Curry
Adventurous eaters will love a chance to prove their limits with fish head curry. This Singaporean staple draws influences from the city-state’s Indian and Chinese communities.
And in case you’re wondering, this dish is as weird-looking as you’d imagine.
To make it, a fish head (either half or whole) is cooked in a spicy curry. This lets all of its—ummm?—goodness penetrates the entire dish. It’s then served as is.
Okay, so it may not look the part, but fish head curry is packed with flavour. The more Indian-influenced varieties lean towards fiery and savoury tastes. The tamer Chinese versions are sweeter and less rich. Some even add tamarind water for an extra punch of sour.
While I witnessed its “glory” on menus throughout the city, I wasn’t quite brave enough to stomach this one. (I’m not all that into super “fishy” flavours, to be honest.)
I’ve heard good things, however, about the fish head curry at Samy’s Curry Restaurant (25 Dempsey Rd). It’s a little out of the way from the city centre, but it can be combined with a visit to the nearby Singapore Botanic Gardens.
Oyster Omelettes
Oyster omelettes are a classic Chinese dish with Hokkien and Teochew roots. I’ve tried these delicious snacks all throughout Asia, from Hong Kong to Taipei.
The Singaporean version of oyster omelettes isn’t much different than others I’ve sampled. It mixes eggs with flour and oyster and fries them up to perfection.
While I’d normally think of egg dishes as a breakfast meal, oyster omelettes are an all-day affair at Singapore’s most famous hawker centres.
(And I’m totally okay with that because they’re absolutely delicious.)
The texture is what keeps me coming back to this street food. It’s crispy, with slightly charred edges that give way to a gooey, starchy center, with plump oysters that burst with brine in between. The chilli vinegar on the side cuts through the richness perfectly.
When hunger hit, I demolished oyster omelettes a couple of times around the Chinatown Complex, like at 80 Huat Huat (#02-080). If you’re wandering around Chinatown, they’re quite easy to find, and it’s well worth sampling a couple of varieties.
PRO TIP: Don’t forget to squeeze a little chilli vinegar onto your oyster omelette to get the full Singaporean flavour extravaganza!
Satay
Famous all over Southeast Asia, satay is one of the region’s most loved street food staples. It’s hard to pin down a single taste profile for satay. Each stall I tried as I ate my way around Singapore had its own unique take on this classic skewered food.
While wandering around the streets of Singapore, I found myself sampling endless varieties of chicken, pork, lamb, and beef satay. No matter which grilled meat I chose, the distinctive spicy peanut sauce made every bite a revelation.
(Yes, it’s that freakin’ good.)
I loved tasting satay from a variety of street vendors at the so-called Satay Street, running along Boon Tat Street outside of the Lau Pa Sat food pavilion. It’s got a cool feel to it as well, with the smoke drifting from the grills with the lights of the CBD as a backdrop.
The satay at Satay by the Bay at Gardens by the Bay was also superb. (With beautiful surroundings for your meal to boot.)
Sambal Stingray
One of the most popular hawker stall foods in Singapore, barbecue sambal stingray is as distinctive a dish as any in the city. This street food is an absolute must-have while visiting Singapore.
The dish consists of a stingray slathered in sambal, which is a concoction of tomatoes, shrimp paste, and chilis. The stingray is slow-grilled to perfection inside a banana leaf.
Even if you’re not a huge seafood fan, you might still enjoy chowing down on some sambal stingray.
Surprisingly, I found the texture to be more like fish or chicken than other sea creatures like squid. It also lacks that fishy taste that turns so many travellers off seafood. (Myself included.)
For some of the city’s tastiest sambal stingray, I’d recommend making the trek out to Stingray Goh Chew Kee Seafood (#01-19) in the Newton Food Centre.
The sambal here is the perfect balance of spicy, sweet, and tangy. It’s heavy on onion and has a proper char on the fish that you don’t always get at other stalls.
Hainanese Chicken Rice
Simpler food pleasures than Hainanese chicken rice don’t come around often. Although there’s not a whole lot to it, this dish has long been a favorite in Singapore. And it’s as easy to find as any food in the city.
Hainanese chicken rice originally hails from Hainan province, but many foodies would agree that it was perfected here in Singapore.
This famous Singaporean dish features juicy strips of steamed chicken slapped atop a bed of rice. Both the chicken and the rice are cooked in a flavourful chicken (and sometimes pork) broth infused with ingredients like ginger, garlic, and pandan leaves. On the Malay Peninsula, it’s often topped off with a bit of sambal chili for an extra flavour kick.
On my first trip to Singapore, I had my first Hainanese chicken rice experience at Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice in the Maxwell Food Centre.
It was nothing short of divine simplicity. Every bite was chock-full of umami, and every morsel of chicken was perfectly cooked and juicy.
(Famously, both Gordon Ramsey and Anthony Bourdain also gave the Hainanese chicken rice here a big thumbs-up, so I’m in good company with my recommendation.)
PRO TIP: Thanks to its celebrity endorsements, the line-up at Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice is often overflowing. If you don’t want to stick out the wait, I’d also recommend Ah Tai Hainanese Chicken Rice just down the aisle. In my opinion, its signature dish is just as good.
Kaya Toast
I can’t end an article about what to eat in Singapore without mentioning the city’s most famous breakfast dish (and its only truly local one): kaya toast.
This morning-time snack spins together two slices of bread, smothered in kaya (a coconut egg mix) and grilled with a buttery layer in between.
Most of the kaya toast I’ve seen offered in Singapore is also served with soft-boiled eggs seasoned with pepper and dark soy sauce. Crack ’em open, dip it, and dig it!
One of the most popular spots for kaya toast in Singapore is Ya Kun Kaya Toast. I saw this local cafe chain in neighborhoods all around the city, including Clarke Quay, Kampong Glam, and Marina Bay.
The kaya at Ya Kun Kaya Toast is sweet and coconut-forward, with a faint grassy sweetness from the pandan that you won’t find in any other spread. Their bread is cracker-thin and crispy, with a cold slab of butter inside.
(After dipping it into the soft-boiled eggs with a splash of soy sauce, I immediately understood why locals eat this for breakfast every day.)
Nasi Lemak
Although not entirely Singaporean, nasi lemak is still one of the city’s most sought-after snacks. The dish originates from Malaysia. (In fact, some would label it as the national dish there.)
Nasi lemak consists of rice steamed in coconut cream. It’s topped with fried anchovies, sambal chili paste, peanuts, and egg to add a little protein and flavour.
Once served mainly at breakfast, nasi lemak has become an all-day affair in Singapore. New generations of Singaporeans have upped the dish’s game by adding extras like cuttlefish balls and chicken.
The first time I tried this at Maxwell Food Centre, I was pleasantly surprised by the flavours of this deceptively simple dish. I’m not generally a fan of fishy flavours, yet the anchovies mixed with the coconut rice and sambal ended up being a combo my taste buds loved.
As nasi lemak is a Malay dish, there’s no better place to grab some than around Kampong Glam, Singapore’s Malay-Muslim quarter.
For nasi lemak near Kampong Glam, I’d recommend The Coconut Club (269 Beach Rd). It holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand, and the fluffy, coconut-forward rice alone justifies the visit.
