The 7 Best Hawker Centres in Singapore

Hawker Centres are open food courts which serve a variety of low-cost foods, and they are particularly popular across Southeast Asia, most commonly found in Singapore, but also found in Hong Kong, Indonesia and Malaysia. 

Despite its small size, there are plenty of hawker centres in Singapore where you can delve into traditional Singaporean cuisine, as well as other Southeast Asian and global favourites. These are the 7 best hawker centres in Singapore.

Hawker Heaven: 7 Unmissable Street Food Centres in Singapore

1. Maxwell Food Centre

Heralded by some visitors as the most authentic food market in Singapore, Maxwell Food Centre is well worthy of its reputation.

With so many traders under one roof, offering up freshly-cooked meals, Maxwell Food Centre can become very busy at lunch and dinner times – but this is a surefire sign that the food they serve up is excellent, particularly when none of the vendors have a short queue during busy times!

Expect lots of traditional Singaporean stalls, serving up a range of food from sweet and savoury dim sum to stir-fried noodles, charred barbecue meats and vegetables and curries. However, the beauty of hawker centres – especially one like Maxwell Food Centre – is that you can sample some international dishes, too – and why not visit a few stalls instead of just one?

In the space of a 30-minute visit, you could sample foods from as far afield as Singapore, Italy, Australia and Mexico – a real hub of international cuisine, hawker style. 

Address: 1 Kadayanallur Street, Singapore 069184

Opening Hours: 08:00–22:00 Monday–Sunday

2. Haig Road Market & Food Centre

The unique charm about Haig Road Market & Food Centre is that, alongside its 70 cooked food stalls, it has a wet and a grocery market attached to it. Some stalls even encourage visitors to purchase fresh food from the market and let them use their fresh ingredients in their cooking.

This unique approach to hawker means that fresh ingredients are simply the norm. Whether you want to purchase some locally-grown vegetables or some fish caught just that morning, and bring it to your favourite food stall and have them work their magic on it, or simply want to browse the market before indulging in some sweet treats at the food centre, the choice is yours.

This is easily one of the best hawker centres in Singapore because you’re not just supporting local food vendors, but by buying ingredients or food at the market, you’re supporting local farmers, fishermen, fruit-growers and more – all while enjoying some of the freshest and tastiest produce in SIngapore at one of the city’s best hawker centres.

Address: 14 Haig Road, Singapore 430014

Opening Hours: 06:00–22:00 Monday–Sunday

3. Newton Food Centre

Popularised from being featured in the 2018 movie Crazy Rich Asians, Newton Food Centre is an iconic hawker centre in Singapore. 

Smaller than many other hawker centres, Newton Food Centre focuses on quality over quantity. Nevertheless, the diverse range of food stalls ensures that guests can experience the very best on offer: from Danish seafood to Thai breakfasts, visitors can still go on a culinary journey around the world in Newton Food Centre.

This is an ideal place for foodies who want a quieter experience of a hawker centre, and indeed, a good introduction to what to expect from a traditional Singaporean hawker centre if you have never been to one before.

Treat yourself to some rich food and cool off in the sweltering Singaporean heat with an ice-cold beer from one of the stalls – the perfect end to a foodie day out.

Address: 500 Clemenceau Avenue North, Singapore 229495

Opening Hours: 00:00–00:00 Monday–Sunday

4. Chomp Chomp Food Centre

Chomp Chomp Food Centre is your perfect hawker centre for late-night cravings. Opening at 16:00, it gets very busy late at night, but it’s the perfect place to explore late-night food culture in Singapore.

In addition, Chomp Chomp Food Centre also has a strong focus on local delicacies and traditional Singaporean food rather than international food, so while you may not find hamburgers, pizzas and tacos here, you’ll instead find an introduction to traditional Southeast Asian cuisine.

Their star dish, which many vendors offer, is either pork, chicken or mutton ketupat served with pineapple sauce, and if that doesn’t make your mouth water, we don’t know what will! Chomp Chomp Food Centre is a favourite among Singapore locals, so you know it’s going to be good and authentic if the locals flock there regularly.

Whether you’re craving satay kebabs, dripping in homemade peanut sauce or a lighter vegetable omelette, washed down with a freshly-squeezed fruit juice or an icy-cold beer, you’re truly spoiled for choice in this fantastic hawker centre on Kensington Park Road.

Address: 20 Kensington Park Road, Singapore 557269

Opening Hours: 16:00–00:30 Monday–Sunday

5. Old Airport Road Food Centre

Recently reopened after a huge renovation, Old Airport Road Food Centre has fully cemented itself in Singaporean foodie culture as one of the best hawker centres in the country.

Visitors’ nostrils are filled with the aroma of eastern spices as they walk through the doors into the huge food court, where vendors are cooking up everything from hand-cut noodles to stir-fried fish – the hardest decision you’ll make is which vendor to visit first.

Moreover, the prices at Old Airport Road Food Centre are some of the best in the country – as long as you bring around 10 Singapore Dollars (€6.80), you will easily be able to visit at least four different vendors, and leave full and satisfied.

Keeping their prices affordable and their food top quality is a sign of an excellent hawker centre, and Old Airport Road Food Centre rightly deserves its place on this list.

Address: 51 Old Airport Road, Singapore 390051

Opening Hours: 06:00–22:30 Monday–Sunday

6. Amoy Street Food Centre

This hawker centre is spread across two storeys, and with the quality of food and the quantity of vendors selling their goods, you’ll simply have to visit again, and again, and again.

Amoy Street Food Centre has been open since 1983, and when a hawker centre has not just been surviving, but thriving, for over four decades, you know that they’re doing something right.

Specialising in fusion food, this is a real paradise for foodies. Expect Japanese ramen done Singapore style, with fiery noodles and a satay-based sauce drizzled over crispy fried chicken, or the world-famous crispy curry puffs: pastries filled with aromatic spices, vegetables and sometimes meat – heaven in a couple of bites.

Whatever you fancy, make sure to explore all of the individual stalls because we can guarantee one thing – while you won’t have room to fit them all in in one trip, you’ll know exactly which ones you’ll want to try when you visit for a second, third and fourth time!

Address: 7 Maxwell Road, Singapore 069111

Opening Hours: 06:30–21:00 Monday–Sunday

7. Golden Mile Food Centre

Another hawker centre which stretches across two floors, Golden Mile Food Centre, found along Beach Road in Singapore, is a must-visit next time you’re in the country.

Specialising in Singaporean food, with many of the vendors bringing their own twist to the classics (particularly from Chinese and Vietnamese vendors), this is a great place to eat comfort food favourites as well as traditional Singaporean options.

Whether you want a classic sweet and sour chicken with egg fried rice, or want to push the boat out a little more and try the infamous durian fruit, or simply sit back and enjoy a bubble tea, the options are just about limitless at Golden Mile Food Centre.

This is an ideal place to visit for those who want to try authentic Singaporean food, while also having the option to explore more recognisable favourites. All vendors are priced very generously, so it’s equally a good place to visit if you’re on a budget.

Address: 505 Beach Road, Singapore 199583

Opening Hours: 11:00–20:00 Thursday–Tuesday, 12:00–20:00 Wednesday