This section has been written by our Singaporean local, Felicia
For many of us, eating our way through Singapore might be just as memorable as the books.
This city takes food seriously. Hawker-centre, three-generations-of-the-same-recipe, queue-at-7am-for-chicken-rice seriously.
Here’s what you need to know before you arrive, and be hungry.
Hawker Centres
These are open-air food halls, and they are the heart of Singapore eating.
Dozens of stalls under one roof, each one specialising in one or two dishes, most of them run by people who have been cooking the same thing for decades.
You order from different stalls, grab a table, and eat. It’s cheap, it’s fast, and it’s genuinely some of the best food in the city.
Sometimes, you might be sharing your table with strangers, but that is the beauty of the hawker centres.
Albert Centre Market & Food Centre on Queen Street is a two-minute walk from the venue you can explore.
Lau Pa Sat, our farewell dinner spot, is a famous Victorian cast-iron market near the waterfront.
Maxwell Food Centre in Chinatown is worth the short MRT hop if you want to try the legendary Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice. Yes, there will be a queue; and yes, it’s worth it.
Dishes to try
Try these rockstars of the local cuisine:
- Hainanese Chicken Rice – poached chicken over fragrant rice with chilli and ginger sauces)
- Laksa – spicy coconut noodle soup
- Char Kway Teow – stir-fried flat rice noodles with egg and bean sprouts
- Roti Prata – crispy Indian flatbread, eaten with curry
- Nasi Lemak – coconut rice with fried egg, sambal, anchovies and peanuts
- Bak Kut Teh – pork ribs in a herbal or pepper broth
For the breakfast of champions, try a local favourite: Kaya toast – charcoal bread with coconut jam and butter, eaten with soft-boiled eggs and local coffee.
If you only manage half that list, you’ve done well.
The (Almost) National Dish: Chilli Crab
One of the many dishes that Singapore is most famous for.
Mud crab cooked in a tangy, sweet, slightly spicy sauce that you mop up with fried mantou (steamed buns). Messy, wonderful, worth it at least once.
You won’t find this at the hawker centres, tho. This would be available at most seafood restaurant. Our advice: do not wear white to eat this and be prepared to get your fingers dirty!
Hawker Centre (and Food Court) etiquette
A few things that will make your life easier.
Placing a packet of tissues on a table means the seat is taken.
This is completely normal and universally understood. You might even see waterbottles, mobile phone/phone cases. Do not remove those and sit. Someone will come to claim their table!
Queue at the stall, order, and pay – then they will prepare your food.
If a stall has a long line, that’s information: join it.
Don’t expect air-conditioning at hawker centres; that’s not what they’re for. Do expect ceiling fans and cold drinks.
Food courts are the air-condition version of the hawker centres! In case you need some reprieve from the heat.
Vegetarian Food
Most hawker centres have at least one dedicated vegetarian stall – sometimes Chinese, sometimes Indian – and many dishes across the centre are naturally plant-based or easily adapted.
The phrase “no meat, no seafood” works. That said, check on seemingly simple dishes; fish sauce and dried shrimp turn up in places you might not expect. When in doubt, ask the stall holders.
Spice levels
Singapore food has a wide range. Some dishes are mild (Chicken Rice, most noodle soups), some will quietly rearrange your face.
Laksa can go either way; Bak Chor Mee (minced pork noodles) varies by stall.
As a general rule: if there’s a small dish of chilli on the side, it’s optional. If it’s cooked in, it’s in.
Late-night eating
Singapore doesn’t really stop. Including their food.
Many hawker centres and kopitiams (traditional coffee shops) stay open late, depending on the stalls.
If you find yourself hungry at midnight, you are in exactly the right city. Lau Pa Sat is a good bet in the evenings, and the Satay Street stalls along Boon Tat Street outside fire up every evening.
We’ll share a short list of late-night spots near the venue in the delegate pack.