If you are a foodie, then Singapore is going to blow you away with the mouth-watering array of street food on offer from its diverse communities, each with its own unique culinary creations. The best places to sample these dishes are undoubtedly the local hawker centres, and here are four of the best.

Chinatown Complex Food Centre
Start in Chinatown at this massive hawker centre, which boasts over 200 stalls serving authentic and affordable delights. Begin your day like a local with Hainanese kaya toast, soft-boiled eggs, and black coffee. Of course, for something heartier, try a steaming bowl of laksa, fragrant claypot rice, or Cantonese-style cai fan. Don’t miss out on delicious pan-fried bao and dumplings, ideal for a quick snack!

Maxwell Food Centre
Another favourite is the Maxwell Food Centre, only around a 6-minute walk from Mercure ICON Singapore City Centre, an ideal base for your culinary escapades. This hawker centre has some of the best restaurants in Chinatown, Singapore, offering Hainanese chicken rice, oyster cakes, char kway teow, Hokkien prawn mee and more. For something sweet, enjoy fried banana fritters or red bean sesame balls, the perfect ending to a hawker feast!

frying
Image by photographybycarlossan from Pixabay

Lau Pa Sat
At Lau Pa Sat, cultures and cuisines meet in the best way possible. This bustling hawker centre offers everything from laksa and nasi lemak to fried carrot cake and chee cheong fun. A definite highlight is Satay Street; outside at night, Boon Tat Street transforms into an open-air satay hotspot, where you can enjoy grilled chicken, mutton, beef or prawn, served with a yummy peanut sauce under starry skies!

Tekka Centre
For Indian and halal delights, head to Tekka Centre in Little India. Apart from retail shops, it also has a hawker centre-like food court that has been serving authentic dishes for generations. Feast on flavourful mutton briyani, tandoori chicken, masala dosa, or seekh kebabs. Pair spicy curries with garlic or cheese naan and enjoy a refreshing cup of teh tarik (pulled milk tea) too for the ultimate foodie experience.

Don’t Forget This Pro Foodie Tip
If you don’t know what stalls to try, here’s a trick: follow the longest queue. In Singapore, a long line at a hawker centre stall usually means something delicious is waiting at the end, so trust the locals and dig in!