Hawker Centers in Singapore: Budget Traveler’s Guide

If you’re spending any amount of time in Singapore, I highly recommend stopping by a hawker center. It’s where all the vibrant street food cuisine in Singapore lives, and if you want to try local food then you gotta visit them! You don’t have to be a foodie to enjoy going to one, and even if you just want a refreshing lime drink or kopi-o it’s well worth going to a center!

This post will talk about the history of the hawker center (briefly), recommend some hawker centers to visit, explain how to order in a hawker center if you’ve never been in one, and recommend some tours that take you to hawker centers if you don’t want to go by yourself.

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What’s a Hawker Center, Anyway?

If you’ve ever been to a farmer’s market in the US, or a night market elsewhere in Southeast Asia, then you’re already basically familiar with a hawker center.

Singapore doesn’t have outdoor markets or food stalls. They used to! Those were the “hawkers,” the people who sold quick, cheap meals on the streets. The movement to have indoor-only food stalls started in the 1950s and 1960s, as a solution to improve public hygiene while preserving Singapore’s vibrant street food culture.

Rather than have outdoor food stalls with dozens of small businesses on the street, Singapore’s contained them in open-air buildings! Usually you’ll have a bunch of small food stalls specializing in a particular dish or style, with a marketplace below or nearby.

For tourists, hawker centers are a great way to explore Singapore’s food culture at an excellent price! You get to sit among locals and soak in the atmosphere while enjoying great food. I highly recommend stopping by at least one hawker center on your next visit to Singapore!

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What Kind of Food is in Hawker Centers?

You’ll find everything from Chinese, Malay, Indian and Peranakan dishes to Western (including french fries and hamburgers) and fusion foods! You can get breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and drinks. Whether you’re craving something savory, something sweet, something spicy or just basic noodles and rice, you can find it at a hawker center.

For more on which foods to try in Singapore, check out some of my suggestions here.

Which Hawker Centers to Visit

Admittedly I haven’t been to too many hawker centers (yet), but I do have some suggestions depending on where you’re staying:

Maxwell Food Centre

This one is always busy because it’s in the middle of Chinatown and thus mostly where tourists go as that’s where some of the best sights are found. There’s some very good stalls in here, including two excellent ones that do Hainanese chicken rice. I did find this one to be the warmest, so if you’re heat-sensitive then maybe just go and get some takeaway instead of sitting down.

Address: 1 Kadayanallur St, Singapore 069184

Open: 8:00 am – 2:00 am

Geylang Serai Market and Food Centre

If you’re staying at Betel Box Backpackers Hostel (my favorite hostel in Singapore) then this is within walking distance from there, just down the road about 10 minutes away. Otherwise if you’re in the area looking at the painted ladies of Singapore (Peranakan houses!) then this is roughly straight up the road about 20 minutes away. Very large hawker center with some great breakfast and lunch options, and there’s a market on the side with food, clothing, souvenirs, etc.

Address: 1 Geylang Serai, Singapore 402001

Open: 7 AM–2:45 PM

Tiong Bahru Market

My friend took me to this one and it was so nice! Very big seating area with plenty of tables and doesn’t feel crowded like some other markets. Wet market on the bottom floor which is interesting to walk through if you like looking at (dead) fish. If you’re shopping over in Orchard Rd. you can take the metro to Havelock station and then walk about 10 minutes to the market.

Address: 30 Seng Poh Rd, Singapore 168898

How to Order at a Hawker Center

In Singapore hawker centers, each stall handles its own orders. You need to go up to the stall and order your item; if you want more than one thing then you’ll have to visit each stall separately.

Most hawker centers accept QR code payments BUT they only work with Singapore banks. Otherwise you’ll need to pay with cash. I’ve yet to see a hawker stall that accepts credit cards, unfortunately.

To order at a stall, if there’s a line then get in the line and proceed as usual (wait your turn, get up to the counter and then tell them what you want and pay). If there’s no line, then go up to the counter and get the owner’s attention (politely) or else they may be too busy to notice you’re standing there.

After ordering, wait near the stall for your food. It usually only takes a few minutes and you can pick it up and go to a table to over to another stall for a second order.

The stall will provide a tray and utensils. After you’re done eating, put the tray and your plates and everything in the tray collection points. Sometimes they’re separated into halal and non-halal trays. If you’re not sure if you ate something non-halal, just put it over there anyway just in case.

Visitors to hawker centers seat at tables like this. You usually end up sharing with strangers– don’t be alarmed! It’s totally normal and it’s a great way to meet locals.

Singapore Hawker Center Food Tours

Tours are a great way to explore an area, especially if you’re nervous about going by yourself. Or even if you just want some guidance on which food is the best to buy! Going with a local tour guide will solve either of those problems and it’s a fun experience as well.

Here’s three tours which either make hawker centers the focus or they stop by as part of a larger tour:

Street Food, Cultural & Historical Tour of 3 Ethnic Quarters: If you’ve only got 1 day and want to see as much as you can, this tour covers Chinatown, Little India, and Kampong Glam which have the BEST food in Singapore! The tour includes visits to hawker centers, markets, and temples. Bonus: it’s in a van so you can go between stops in air conditioned comfort.

Local Hawker Food Tour with Tastings: A 3 hour tour with a max of 10 participants, this small-group tour takes you through Chinatown and its hawker center(s).

After Dark Local Street Food & Nightlife Tour: This tour takes you along the Clarke Quay area at night, which is basically when the whole thing comes alive with music and food. The group goes to a nearby hawker center as part of the tour activities.

Interested in more Singapore tour options? Check out some of my recommendations here!

Final Thoughts

Hawker centers are an important part of Singapore’s cultural and food heritage, and I highly recommend visiting at least one during your visit there. Not only will you get yummy food to try, but you’ll get to experience local life!