After eating my way through Singapore several times, I can say with confidence that there’s no place on earth for foodies quite like Singapore!
The food culture in Singapore revolves around its famous hawker centres. No matter where you are in the Lion City, you’ll stumble upon these informal food courts, where you’ll find a wide array of the city’s finest culinary delights.
On my three trips to Singapore, I’ve likely spent more time exploring its food scene than traditional sightseeing. My Singaporean food adventures took me to countless hawker centres. With each visit, I gobbled scrumptious Singaporean dishes, tasting everything from Malay favorites like nasi lemak to Chinese-inspired plates like char kway teow.
Tastebuds getting excited? Get them prepped with this guide to what to eat in Singapore, including my recommendations for where to eat and what to expect…
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!
Laksa
I can’t help but begin my Singaporean food journey with one of my all-time favourite Southeast Asian dishes, laksa. I found this exotic and flavourful noodle soup everywhere up and down the Malay Peninsula.
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. Compared to asam laksa—Penang’s twist on the Peranakan dish—Singaporean curry laksa tastes less sour and less fishy. It features a richer broth for a taste that’s more adaptable to most 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 like chicken, shrimp, or 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.
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. (You may want to add sambal to it, though, for a little more flavour and a nice kick.)
Char Kway Teow
Char kway teow is one of Singapore’s most famous noodle dishes and, along with laksa, one of my personal favorite Singaporean foods. As you probably guessed from the name, this dish originates from China. But Singapore’s version is, arguably, 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 that’s stir-fried along with ingredients like 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.
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.
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, 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. Try the chili crab HOLYCRAB at Capitol Singapore, which offers the perfect fusion of sweetness and spiciness.
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, 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 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 that’s simply delicious.
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 penetrate 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 at 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 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.)
When hunger hit, I demolished oyster omelettes a couple of times around the Chinatown Complex, like at 80 Huat Huat. 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 chili 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.
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. 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 a fish or chicken than other sea creatures like squid. It also lacks that fishy taste that turns so many travellers off seafood.
For some of the city’s tastiest sambal stingray, I’d recommend making the trek out to Stingray Goh Chew Kee Seafood in the Newtown Food Centre. The sambal here is the perfect balance of spicy, sweet, and tangy!
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 is as easy to find as any food in the city.
Hainanese chicken rice originally hails from Hainan province, but many foodies would agree, 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.)
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
We can’t end without mentioning Singapore’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.
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. I’d recommend checking out Soulfood Nasi Lemak at 17 Beach Rd. It offers some of the city’s tastiest nasi lemak.
