Singapore is a food haven and its food (and hawker) culture has been praised by many (including celebrity chef, Gordon Ramsay ?). Despite Singapore having the notorious reputation of being the most expensive country in the world, you can still easily find cheap, good eats in the form of hawker food in this modern metropolis ?
P.S. Heading to Singapore soon for a getaway? We've got the perfect 3D2N Muslim-friendly Singapore itinerary for just under RM700!
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Most hawker centres and food courts are strategically placed in residential neighbourhoods or tourist hotspots. There are even a few in Singapore’s business district. Prepare for a gastronomical adventure as we list down 12 delicious, cheap eats in Singapore’s food courts or hawker centres that are near Singapore’s attractions!
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Near Sentosa:
1. Thaksin Beef Noodle (Seah Im Food Centre)
Indulge in Thai cuisine at Seah Im Food Centre, located opposite Singapore’s largest mall, VivoCity and Sentosa Island. Here, you will find one of two Thaksin Beef Noodle stalls in Singapore. The hawker stall, named after a famous Thai politician, serves authentic Thai beef noodles (from SGD 5) and Pad Thai (from SGD 3) at affordable prices.
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A bowl of Thaksin beef noodles fills your tummy with juicy, tender beef chunks ? You can add chewy beef tripe to your bowl of noodles and if you are daring enough, you can spice up your bowl of noodles with extremely spicy chilli flakes!
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Halal Status: Halal-Certified
Price range: SGD3-7
Opening Hours (Seah Im Outlet): 10am – 9.30pm Daily (Opening hours affected during Public Holidays)
Address (Seah Im Outlet): 4 Seah Im Rd, Seah Im Food Centre, Singapore 099115
Nearest MRT Station: Harbourfront (Northeast/Circle Line)
For more Thai cuisine options in Singapore, check out our list of amazing food spots, which serve your favourite Thai dishes!
Near Kampong Glam/Bugis Street:
2. Haji Kadir Food Chains (Golden Mile Food Centre)
Sup Tulang is an under-rated local dish, loved by many Singaporeans and it is here at Haji Kadir Food Chains hawker stall in Golden Mile Food Centre where you will find arguably the best Sup Tulang in Singapore. Golden Mile Food Centre is just a short bus ride from Kampong Glam and the Singapore National Stadium and Singapore Indoor Stadium. The owner has been selling Sup Tulang for decades and Singaporeans from all over the country come here just to get their tulang fix ?
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Mutton bones served piping hot in a red, spicy gravy is perfect for an evening meal with your mates. Do be warned though, it can get messy. Really messy! Avoid wearing light colours or your favourite tops. And don’t forget to suck out the gelatinous bone marrow hidden inside each bone ?
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Halal Status: Muslim-Owned
Price range: From SGD8
Opening Hours: 11am – 11.30pm Daily (Closed on Alternate Wednesdays) (Opening hours affected during Public Holidays)
Address: 505 Beach Road, Golden Mile Food Centre, #B1-13/14, Singapore 199583
Nearest MRT Station: Nicoll Highway (Circle Line) or Lavender (East-West Line)
#HHWT Tip: Travelling Singapore on a budget? We've got 13 exciting and free things you'll definitely love in Singapore!
3. Burgs by Project Warung (Golden Mile Food Centre)
Craving for gourmet burgers but not willing to splurge on them? Then, head over to Burgs by Project Warung, located in the same hawker centre as Haji Kadir Food Chains. The guys behind Burgs may just be hawkers but they produce restaurant-quality gourmet burgers.
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Their signature burgers ? made with their very own handcrafted beef patty and their homemade sauce, include The Classic (from SGD 5.50) and their Bacon and Cheeseburger (from SGD 7). Complete your meal with a generous portion of sides, namely their Okonomi Fries or Cuban Fries.
Credit: Burgs by Project Warung on Facebook
Halal Status: Muslim-Owned
Price range: SGD4.50-9.50
Opening Hours: 11.30am – 8.30pm Daily (Opening hours affected during Public Holidays)
Address: 505 Beach Road, Golden Mile Food Centre, #B1-24, Singapore 199583
Nearest MRT Station: Nicoll Highway (Circle Line) or Lavender (East-West Line)
4. Fitra Chicken Rice (Food Junction @ Bugis Junction)
The national dish of Singapore, chicken rice, is a must try if you are visiting Singapore and if you happen to be in the Bugis or Kampong Glam vicinity, check out Fitra Chicken Rice located at Bugis Junction’s top floor food court.
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Unlike most chicken rice stalls in Singapore, Fitra’s signature 3 Treasure Rice stands out from the rest. At just SGD 7.50, you get chicken cooked 3 ways on your plate of chicken rice – roasted, steamed and chicken cooked with soya sauce. If you prefer to keep it simple, you can get a plate of chicken rice (steamed or roasted) for SGD 4.50. Yummy ?!
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Halal Status: Halal-Certified
Price range: SGD4.50-7.50
Opening Hours (Bugis Outlet): 10am – 10pm Daily (Opening Hours affected during Public Holidays)
Address (Bugis Outlet): 200 Victoria Street, Bugis Junction, #03-30, Singapore 188021
Nearest MRT Station: Bugis (East-West and Downtown Line)
Near Gardens by the Bay/Marina Bay Sands:
5. Black and White Jumain Satay (Satay by The Bay)
Who wouldn't love chunks of barbecued meat served on skewers? A delicacy enjoyed by many in Southeast Asia, Satay is another dish which could be found in all four corners of Singapore, more notably in the hawker centre conveniently named, Satay by The Bay!
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Located just a stone’s throw from The Gardens by The Bay and Marina Bay Sands, Satay by the Bay serves one of, if not, the best satay in Singapore. Amongst the many satay stalls in the hawker centre, Black and White Jumain Satay is owned by a Muslim. Enjoy your skewered meat with an amazing backdrop of Marina Bay and the Supertrees of The Gardens by The Bay ?
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Halal Status: Muslim-Owned
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm Daily (Opening Hours affected during Public Holidays)
Address: 18 Marina Gardens Drive, Satay by The Bay, Singapore 018953
Nearest MRT Station: Bayfront (Downtown Line)
For more food options in Marina Bay, check this list out!
Near Little India:
6. Brisket King Beef Noodles (Food Republic @ City Square)
Up your beef game with Brisket King Beef Noodles located in the food court of City Square, a shopping mall located down the road from Little India. The moment you get closer to the stall on the top floor of the mall, the aroma of garlic and spices linger in your nose.
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The broth is thick and refreshing, and it compliments well with your noodle of choice ? The beef, however, is on a whole new level. We would recommend getting the full set of beef noodles with 3 types of meat (SGD 9) - beef chunks, chewy beef tendon and delicious beef tripe. If you don’t fancy tripe or tendon, then the basic bowl of beef noodles cost just SGD 5.
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Halal Status: Halal-Certified
Price range: SGD5-9
Opening Hours: 10am – 9.45pm Daily (Opening hours affected during Public Holidays)
Address: 180 Kitchener Road, City Square Mall, #04-31, Singapore 208539
Nearest MRT Station: Farrer Park (Northeast Line)
P.S. Shopping in Little India? Don't forget to stop by Mustafa Centre for some bargain shopping!
7. Allauddin’s Briyani (Tekka Centre)
Briyani rice, or Nasi Briyani, is a native Indian dish and found its way into Singapore’s food culture back then. Conveniently located along Little India in Tekka Centre, Allauddin’s Briyani serves a generous portion of the Indian delicacy.
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Served alongside a protein of your choice, Allauddin’s fragrant Briyani rice is one to try! For just SGD 5, you can get a huge serving of chicken, fish or mutton Briyani. The fragrant rice, tender meat and flavourful curry is enough to make you go back for seconds ?.
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Halal Status: Muslim-Owned
Price range: SGD5-7
Opening Hours: 9am – 7pm Daily (Opening hours affected during Public Holidays)
Address: 665 Buffalo Road, Tekka Centre, Singapore 210665
Nearest MRT Station: Farrer Park (Northeast Line)
P.S. Check out our guide on Little India to find more yummy eats at Tekka Centre and Little India!
Near Orchard Rd:
8. Encik Tan (313@Somerset)
Looking for cheap and good local cuisine? Then, check out Encik Tan. Encik Tan can be found all over Singapore and more notably at 313@Somerset. Amongst the many luxurious, expensive restaurants along Orchard Road, Encik Tan’s Somerset outlet gives you an option to eat cheap in Singapore’s shopping district.
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Get a taste what the locals eat at Encik Tan. Have a delicious bowl of fish ball noodles and wanton noodles (from SGD 4) or a yummy plate of curry rice ? (from SGD 4.30) after your shopping trip in Orchard Road. Wash it down with Encik Tan’s refreshing lime juice (additional SGD 1 with every meal).
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Check out this link to find other Encik Tan outlets in the city!
Note: Prices of dishes may differ in different outlets
Halal Status: Halal-Certified
Price range: From SGD4
Opening Hours (313@Somerset Outlet): 8am – 10pm Daily (Opening hours affected during Public Holidays)
Address (313@Somerset Outlet): 313 Orchard Road, 313@Somerset, #B3-39/40, Singapore 238895
Nearest MRT Station: Somerset (North-South Line)
P.S. Check out these 16 halal eateries in Orchard Road near prayer spaces!
Near Chinatown:
9. Big Bowls Project (Amoy Street Food Centre)
As their name suggests, good things come in big bowls. Muslim-owned Big Bowls Project brings Halal Japanese rice bowls ? to Singapore’s hawker scene. The items on their menu look deceivingly costly with ingredients such as salmon and mentaiko (pollock roe) but fret not, you won’t have to fork out more than SGD 10 for a bowl of goodness!
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Their stall at Amoy Street Food Centre, located in the CBD, recently opened its doors with a rather small menu*. Try out their signature cooked salmon rice bowls (Szechuan Black Bean, Tom Yum or their own homemade recipe) at SGD 8, served with a side of onsen egg. Mentaiko and truffle oil salmon rice bowls cost a little more at SGD 9.50.
Credit: Big Bowls Project on Facebook
* The guys at Big Bowls Project are looking to expand their menu. Check them out on their Facebook page for updates.
For more information on Big Bowls Project, check out our feature on them.
Halal Status: Muslim-Owned
Price range: SGD8-10
Opening Hours: 11.30am – 2.30pm on Weekdays (Opening Hours affected during Public Holidays)
Address: 7 Maxwell Road, Amoy Street Food Centre, #02-90, Singapore 069111
Nearest MRT Station: Tanjong Pagar (East-West Line), Telok Ayer (Downtown Line)
Near Singapore Botanic Gardens:
10. Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak (Adam Road Food Centre)
Nasi Lemak, a staple in Singapore and Malaysia, is coconut-infused rice served alongside spicy sambal and sides such as fried chicken wings. The Malay dish can be found in almost every hawker centre or food court in Singapore.
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Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak sells affordable, mouth-watering Nasi Lemak (from SGD 2.90) in Adam Road Food Centre along the outskirts of Singapore’s shopping district. The owner of this award-winning hawker stall took over the business from his late father and business is still running strong ?
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Adam Road Food Centre is a great place to dig into yummy local dishes especially after a long walk around Singapore Botanic Gardens, located south of the hawker centre.
Halal Status: Muslim-Owned
Price range: SGD2.90-5.90
Opening Hours: 7am – 6pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. 7am to 5pm on Wednesdays and Sundays. Closed on Fridays. (Opening Hours affected during Public Holidays)
Address: 2 Adam Road, Adam Road Food Centre, #01-02, Singapore 289876
Nearest MRT Station: Botanic Gardens (Circle Line)
Near Henderson Waves:
11. 786 Char Kway Teow (Bukit Merah View Market & Hawker Centre)
Here is yet another local signature dish, the Char Kway Teow. It is quite rare to find a Muslim selling Char Kway Teow in a hawker centre. If you head to the back of Bukit Merah View Market and Hawker Centre, you will find an energetic, friendly Chinese-Muslim man showcasing his fine stir-frying skills ?
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786 Char Kway Teow serves arguably the best Halal Char Kway Teow in Singapore. Prices of each plate of Char Kway Teow start from as low as SGD 3 and did we mention you can add extra cockles? Each generous serving of Char Kway Teow is packed with flavour but do note, you might have to wait a while for your plate, especially during peak hours.
Bukit Merah View Market and Hawker Centre is a short 20-minute walk from the beautiful Henderson Waves, a highlight of a 10km trail known as the Southern Ridges. Do check out this stall after walking the trail ?♂️.
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Halal Status: Muslim-Owned
Price range: SGD3-5
Opening Hours: 2.30pm – 10pm (Friday to Wednesday), Closed on Thursdays (Opening Hours affected during Public Holidays)
Address: 115 Bukit Merah View, Bukit Merah View Market and Hawker Centre, #01-28, Singapore 151115
Nearest MRT Station: Tiong Bahru (East-West Line)
Near Chinese and Japanese Gardens:
12. Deanna’s Kitchen (Padi Emas Coffeeshop)
Padi Emas Coffeeshop in Jurong East, located a short bus ride from Jurong Lake Gardens, is where you will find Deanna’s Kitchen, a Muslim-owned prawn noodles hawker stall ?. The stall is without a doubt, one of the very few halal Chinese-style prawn noodles stall in Singapore.
Credit: Deanna’s Kitchen on Facebook
Following their success in their first outlet in Toa Payoh, the owners opened not 1 but 2 outlets in Jurong and Bedok. The broth is rich, and their prawns are juicy and freshly cooked. Go big with their Very Big Prawn Noodles (SGD 13). Feeling hungry? Then, get their Seafood Platter (SGD 39), complete with a whole lobster ?.
Credit: Deanna’s Kitchen on Facebook
Check out our Ramadan feature of Deanna’s Kitchen here.
Halal Status: Muslim-Owned
Price range: From SGD3.50
Opening Hours (Jurong Outlet): 10am – 2pm and 5pm – 8pm (Wednesday – Friday), 9am – 3pm on weekends. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. (Opening hours affected during Public Holidays)
Address (Jurong Outlet): 214 Jurong East Street 21, Padi Emas Coffeeshop, Singapore 600214
Nearest MRT Station: Jurong East (North-South and East-West Line)
Feeling hungry now? With this list in mind, check out Singapore’s amazing, multi-cultural hawker food scene the next time you visit the lion city. Ready your stomachs though because you will be in for a food adventure of your life!