Fish head curry was invented here by South Indian cooks working with Chinese-preferred ingredients. Peranakan cuisine is what happened when Chinese migrants married into Malay communities. Even chicken rice, imported from Hainan, isn’t made the Hainanese way anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Twenty-five dishes, with what they cost and where to find them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The national dish and the default answer to “what should I eat first.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Poached or roasted chicken over rice cooked in chicken broth. Tian Tian at Maxwell Food Centre, stall 10, S$5\u20137.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The three condiments \u2014 chilli, ginger, dark soy \u2014 carry the dish. Use all of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On price range:<\/strong> stalls like Hao Ge at Bendemeer Market sell chicken rice at S$2.80 for breast meat, S$3.30 for thigh. At the other end, restaurants charge SGD 30 for the same thing. The S$5 hawker version is usually the best of the three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whole crab in a sweet-spicy tomato-egg sauce, East Coast Seafood Centre, S$60\u201380\/kg. Order mantou buns with it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Less spicy than the name suggests \u2014 the dominant note is sweet. The buns exist to mop up sauce, and skipping them means missing the point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Budget S$120\u2013180 for two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rich coconut noodle soup with prawns and fishcake. 328 Katong Laksa, S$6\u20139.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Katong style has noodles cut short so the whole bowl can be eaten with a spoon \u2014 a local innovation, and once you’ve tried it the standard version feels inconvenient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pork ribs in a peppery herbal broth with rice and you tiao. Song Fa, Clarke Quay or City Hall, S$10\u201316.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Singapore’s version is a clear white-pepper broth, unlike the dark herbal Malaysian style. The easiest entry point for anyone nervous about spice or unfamiliar flavours.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Flat noodles wok-fried with cockles and Chinese sausage. Hill Street Char Kway Teow, S$4\u20137.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Judged on wok hei<\/em> \u2014 the smoky char that only comes off a properly hot wok. Eat it where you buy it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coconut rice with sambal, crispy anchovies, and peanuts.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Malay contribution to the national breakfast canon. Add fried egg or fried chicken, which everyone does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A whole fish head in tangy South Indian curry. Muthu’s Curry, Race Course Road, S$20\u201330 to share.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Invented in Singapore.<\/strong> No equivalent exists in India. A South Indian cook adapting to a local market where fish heads were cheap and Chinese customers prized them \u2014 the whole logic of Singaporean food in one dish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yellow noodles and rice noodles braised in prawn and pork stock. Squeeze the lime, add the sambal. S$5\u20138.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Minced pork, liver, and wontons over noodles. Order it dry \u2014 the black vinegar and lard dressing is the entire appeal. S$5\u20138.<\/strong> Several Michelin-listed stalls serve this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Singapore’s version comes with char siew and is usually served dry, unlike the Hong Kong soup version. S$4\u20136.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Simple fish-paste balls with noodles. One of the standard hawker items tracked in national price statistics, and among the faster-rising in recent years.<\/strong><\/a> S$4\u20136.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Deep stock made from prawn heads and shells. Soup or dry. S$5\u201310.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yellow noodles in a sweet-savoury Malay gravy. <\/strong>The national average price rose from S$3.26 in 2019 to S$3.79 in 2023.<\/strong><\/a> Potato-thickened gravy, boiled egg, fried tofu, lime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toast with coconut-egg jam and butter, soft-boiled eggs on the side, and coffee. S$5\u20137 for the set.<\/strong> Ya Kun and Toast Box are the chains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The eggs get soy sauce and white pepper. That’s not optional seasoning \u2014 it’s the dish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n South Indian flatbread with curry for dipping. Plain, egg, cheese, and increasingly absurd variations. S$1.50\u20133 each.<\/strong> Many prata shops run 24 hours, which makes this the default late-night food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Steamed rice cakes topped with preserved radish. S$2\u20134.<\/strong> Unglamorous, ubiquitous at breakfast, and quietly excellent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A soft spring roll of braised turnip, carrot, dried shrimp, and peanut. S$2\u20134.<\/strong> Sweet sauce, no frying \u2014 an easy first Peranakan-adjacent dish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The local coffee ordering system, which is genuinely a system:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Swap “kopi” for “teh” and it’s tea. Prices are climbing \u2014 one Clementi stall’s kopi-o went from S$1.10 to S$1.40 in a matter of weeks.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Peranakan (or Nyonya) cuisine came from intermarriage between Chinese migrants and Malay communities. It’s the food you can’t easily eat anywhere else in the world.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Chicken braised with buah keluak, a fermented black nut with a flavour somewhere between truffle and dark chocolate. The signature Peranakan dish<\/strong>, and genuinely divisive \u2014 worth trying precisely because you can’t predict your reaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coconut and palm sugar dessert with sweet potato, taro, and tapioca.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brightly coloured bite-sized cakes built on coconut and pandan. Photogenic, and the easiest Peranakan thing to bring home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Spiced fish paste grilled in banana leaf. S$1\u20132 per piece.<\/strong> Excellent with beer, which is how most people encounter it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shaved ice over red beans, sweetcorn, jelly, and syrup. S$3\u20135.<\/strong> In this climate, less a dessert than a necessity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The king of fruits, and Singapore is where the best Southeast Asian varieties converge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Practical warning:<\/strong> durian is banned on the MRT<\/strong>, in most hotels, and in many public buildings. The MRT signage is explicit about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Musang King runs S$30\u201350\/kg<\/strong>. Cheaper varieties exist and are a reasonable starting point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grilled skewers with peanut sauce. The evening satay street at Lau Pa Sat is the classic setting.<\/strong> S$0.80\u20131.20 per stick, ordered in tens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Everyday hawker dishes sit between S$3.50 and S$7. Anything above S$8\u201310 signals either premium ingredients or a tourist-priced location.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Michelin Bib Gourmand plaques appear on hawker stalls here.<\/strong> It’s not a contradiction \u2014 look for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Stalls open at different times.<\/strong> Breakfast items disappear by midday. Satay is evening-only. Check before travelling for a specific stall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Spice is adjustable.<\/strong> “Less spicy” and “no chilli” both work, and sambal can usually be served on the side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Halal options are extensive.<\/strong> Most Malay and Indian stalls are halal-certified, with signage displayed. Useful to know if you’re hosting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Three days \u2014 the non-negotiables:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Five days \u2014 add:<\/strong> 6. Char kway teow 7. Hokkien mee 8. Satay 9. Fish head curry 10. Roti prata<\/p>\n\n\n\n Longer \u2014 then attempt:<\/strong> Peranakan cuisine and durian. Those two are the difference between having eaten in Singapore and having eaten Singapore<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The country’s food is unusual in delivering genuine quality at genuinely low prices \u2014 a combination most cities have lost. Working through this list at hawker centres will teach you more about the place than any amount of sightseeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Information current as of July 2026. Prices and stall details change.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKlook.com<\/a><\/ins>\n2. Chilli crab<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Laksa<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. Bak kut teh<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5. Char kway teow<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
6. Nasi lemak<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
7. Fish head curry<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nNoodles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
8. Hokkien mee<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
9. Bak chor mee<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
10. Wanton mee<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
11. Fishball noodles<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
12. Prawn mee<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
13. Mee rebus<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nBreakfast and snacks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
14. Kaya toast<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
15. Roti prata<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
16. Chwee kueh<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
17. Popiah<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
18. Kopi and teh<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Order<\/strong><\/th> You get<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Kopi<\/td> Coffee, condensed milk, sugar<\/td><\/tr> Kopi O<\/td> Coffee, sugar, no milk<\/td><\/tr> Kopi C<\/td> Coffee, evaporated milk, sugar<\/td><\/tr> Kopi Kosong<\/td> Coffee, nothing else<\/td><\/tr> Kopi Peng<\/td> Iced coffee<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nPeranakan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
19. Ayam buah keluak<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
20. Bubur cha cha<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
21. Nyonya kueh<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
22. Otah<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nDessert and the rest<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
23. Ice kacang<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
24. Durian<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
25. Satay<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nBudget by day<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Daily spend<\/strong><\/th> What that looks like<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead> S$25<\/td> Three hawker meals plus coffee \u2014 the standard tourist hawker budget<\/strong><\/td><\/tr> S$50<\/td> Two hawker meals plus one restaurant<\/td><\/tr> S$120<\/td> Includes a chilli crab dinner<\/td><\/tr> S$300+<\/td> Fine dining or omakase<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nFour things worth knowing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nIf you’re short on time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nSources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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