Singaporeans and food are synonymous. In fact, I’d always joke that eating is our favourite pastime. The thing is, why wouldn’t it be when we have some of the most amazing and mouth-watering dishes on the planet?
The best part about Singapore is that our food is highly influenced by our society. Since it is diverse and made up of multiethnicities, such as Chinese, Indian, Malay, and Peranakan, to name a few, every culture’s dish has become the traditional dish of Singapore.
That said, navigating the food scene in Singapore may not be very straightforward, especially for our friends from Europe or America.
We want to be as helpful as possible, so we have put together essential things you need to know about Singapore’s food culture, especially how to navigate our hawker centres like a local. With the help of this guide, you will definitely be well-equipped to explore Singapore’s food culture, hopefully even better.
Table of Contents
Historical and Cultural Background
The beauty of our Lion City is that we are made up of various ethnic groups. While the majority of us are Chinese, Malay and Indian, we also have smaller ethnic groups like Peranakan, Javanese and many others.
What does this mean? Singapore food culture is a reflection of a melting pot of cultures; you’ll always have a tonne of options when it comes to cuisines!
Thanks to our historical ports, which brought traders from all over the world to trade spices, rice, and other marine products, today, you can get a little bit of something from all over Asia, resulting in the most unique blend of Singapore cuisines!
Hawker Centres: The Heart of Communal Eating and Heritage
In Singapore, you will quickly observe that we practise communal eating as a community. It is very common to order dishes that are shared by the whole table (with family or friends). At times, it is also common to observe people exchanging their plates to try a little bit of everything!
So, don’t expect to have starters or main courses to eat individually! That said, our hawker centre or food court is central to this communal eating habit, plus it is also the best place to experience all the unique and different dishes under one roof.
You will find a blend of flavours and dishes from all ethnicities being offered, making hawker centres a one-stop hub to immerse in the Singaporean food culture.
Since they have been around since the 1960s, they have managed to preserve many traditional dishes in Singapore and continue to serve patrons a piece of culture! These recipes, knowledge and skills are also often passed down to family members who continue to run the hawker stalls for many years.
Signature Dishes
With so many options, one can easily be overwhelmed. To avoid that, here, we’ve outlined a few dishes that are a must-try in Singapore!
Hainanese Chicken Rice
Aromatic rice cooked in chicken broth, accompanied by roasted or poached chicken, the Hainanese chicken rice is synonymous with Singapore’s food culture. Savour this dish with the usual condiments that give you a kick – chilli sauce and a tangy garlic paste. Oh, don’t forget the hot piping soup that is served on the side.
Char Kway Teow
Kway Teow basically means rice noodles, and Char is short for charred – charred rice noodles ARE Char Kway Teow, and no, your visit is not complete if you don’t savour a plate of this.
Stir-fried in a large wok, the usual suspects on the plate beside the rice noodles are bean sprouts, cockles, shrimp, soy sauce and garlic!
Laksa (Curry and Assam variants)
A noodle-based soup dish, Laksa is a bowl of goodness featuring ingredients like rice noodles, fish cakes, tofu and cockles. The soup is made up of curry paste and coconut milk, which makes it extremely rich and flavorful!
The lesser-famous sibling, on the other hand, features quite the opposite—a tangy and tart tamarind-based broth featuring lemongrass, ginger flower, pineapple, mint leaves, and rice noodles. Both are certified finger-licking good!
Chilli Crab
Chili Crab is the epitome of Singapore’s food culture and is one of the dishes that distinguish us from our friendly neighbour, Malaysia! This dish features mud crabs cooked in chilli sauce, which is usually served with fried buns, also known as mantou. The sweet, spicy, tangy, thick sauce is also sometimes served with piping hot rice.
Orh Luak (Oyster Omelette)
Orh Luak, or oyster omelette, is a melt-in-the-mouth omelette containing starch and egg batter. To make this dish better, they added juicy small oysters—because why not?! Make sure to have this dish at one of the local hawker centres, as it is pretty specific to Singapore and maybe Malaysia only!
Tips for trying these dishes
Here are some helpful tips on where to try some of the signature dishes in Singapore and what it might generally cost you:
- Hananese chicken rice: try them at Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice at Maxwell Food Centre for around S$5 per plate.
- Char Kway Teow: Visit Hill Street Fried Kway Teow at Chinatown Complex. Expect to pay around S$5 per serving.
- Laksa: For the curry base, try it at 328 Katong Laksa; for the asam base, try it at Sungei Road Laksa. Expect to spend around S$6-8 for either variant.
- Chili Crab: Jumbo Seafood and No Signboard Seafood are both famous but this dish can cost quite a bit as crabs are generally an expensive seafood, so expect to pay around S$60-80.
- Orh Luak: Katong Keah Kee Fried Oysters at the Chinatown Complex do it best, with each plate only costing around S$6-8.
Dining Etiquette and Practices
Common Dining Practices in Singapore
As we mentioned before, it is very common for Singaporeans to practise communal eating. This just means that the community often eats with family, sharing their dishes rather than eating individually. This allows everyone to try a little bit of all the various dishes that they have ordered.
It is also important to note that most food is prepared slightly spicy. If you’re not one to deal well with spiciness, always ask for the food to be prepared without spice. Most restaurant or stall owners will be happy to oblige.
Eating at hawker centres
When you are at a hawker centre, you will instantly observe a few rules so to speak. Firstly, you will be sharing your table, which is extremely common. At times, a busy hawker centre may have limited seats, so don’t be shy to ask others who are dining if you can have the empty seats next to them.
Next is the ordering culture. You will not be ‘served’ like in traditional restaurants. Walk around, make your pick, and order directly from the stall. Pay for your food and pick it up directly at the stall before eating.
Once you’re done, clean up after yourself to ensure that the next customers can also eat peacefully at the table. You just need to collect all your cutlery and plates, place them on the tray that your food was served on, and return the whole tray to the return stations nearby. This will ensure that the hawker centres can offer a pleasant dining experience to everyone!
Tipping culture and service charges
Tipping is not a culture in Singapore. On the other hand, your bill will come with a 10% service charge, so it is not necessary to add any tips.
Tipping is absolutely non-existent at hawker centres or other casual eateries, which is also why eating at hawker centres is considered extremely cheap in Singapore.
Best Hawker Centre in Singapore
Now that we have covered all bases when it comes to food and the do’s and don’ts when it comes to Singapore food culture let’s look at some of the places that you cannot miss when you’re in town!
Chinatown Complex Food Centre
I cannot help but say right away that this hawker centre has a Michelin-starred stall! Yes, you read that right! (Malaysia, you got ah? Just kidding!)
Located at 355 Smith Street, this hawker centre offers 260 food stalls, offering a variety of cuisines. You will be spoilt for choice. The building, which is close to 40 years old, has been recently renovated, so it has newer toilets and amenities, making the experience a much more pleasant one for patrons.
While most hawker centres in Singapore will feature similar dishes, there are a few dishes that you might not find easily. Here are some of our favourites and must try in this hawker centre :
- Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle – 1 Michelin Star chicken rice!
- Ann Chin Popiah – crispy on the outside, scrumptious on the inside!
- Fatty Ox HK Kitchen – tender beef brisket on springy egg noodles.
- Jia Ji Mei Shi – breakfast for dinner, why not?! Yam cake and Chee Cheong Fun are my favourites!
Old Airport Road Hawker Centre
Another gem in Singapore, the Old Airport Road Hawker Centre boasts multiple stalls with wonderful options to satiate your cravings or to experience Singapore’s food culture at a hawker centre simply.
Take note: the hawker centre will be undergoing renovations until 30 September 2024 to upgrade the tables and chairs, install more fans and lights, and refurbish the restrooms, all to increase its functionality.
That said, once renovations are complete, try some of the famous dishes served in this hawker centre. My favourites include :
- Ru Ji Kitchen – freshly made fish balls and fishcakes.
- Xin Mei Xiang Zheng Zong Lor Mee – recommended by the Michelin Guide
- Whitley Road Big Prawn Noodles – big prawns, pork ribs, spicy-savoury chilli paste served with yellow noodles in combination with flat/vermicelli noodles
- Dong Ji Fried Kway Teow – fried rice noodles with egg, bean sprouts, cockles and a lot of wok-hei flavouring!
Tiong Bahru Food Centre
In the 50s, Tiong Bahru Food Centre was all the rage as it was the first ‘modern’ market to be built in a housing area. It’s no wonder many patrons consider this food centre one of their favourites.
The unique thing about this place is that the ground level features a wet market while the second floor boasts multiple food stalls. There are some star dishes that you must try here. Our favourites include:
- Qing Feng Yuan – serves Teochew style fish soup.
- Koh Brother Pig’s Organ Soup – soup with cut pieces of pig organs, such as pig liver, tripe, intestines, and pork belly
- Hong Heng Fried Sotong Prawn Mee – featured in Michelin guide; serves fried noodles with prawns and squid.
- Tow Kwar Pop – grilled tofu filled with bean sprouts and cucumber and served with pineapple slices, sauce and turnip on the side.
Top restaurants to experience fine dining
Singapore’s food culture is definitely led by the various hawker stalls offering cultural food made from recipes from a hundred years ago. But that does not mean that the food scene hasn’t grown over the years.
In fact, the fine dining scene is equally impressive and has so much to offer! Here are some that we think are worth a try, as long as your budget allows!
Altro Zafferano
An Italian restaurant right smack in the CBD by Marina Bay that offers exceptional South Italian cuisine with Singaporean influences. Try the fresh and light Tagliolini with Langoustine Carpaccio, Amalfi Lemon Garum, and Sea Grape, which features al-dente tagliolini with fresh langoustines and a beautifully made scampi sauce.
Ocean Restaurant by Cat Cora
100% sustainably sourced seafood, cooked in a Mediterranean-Californian style featuring Asian modern twists.
Sounds interesting? Doesn’t stop there, because when you dine here, you’re literally dining in an aquarium surrounded by thousands of fish species!
Get the Seared Line Caught Sea Bass with cauliflower, salsa, clam, and baby squid.
Burnt Ends
Watch the chefs in action at one of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants while savouring their scrumptious meat dishes! Try the Flat Iron, Burnt Onion, and Bone Marrow for a full meat experience that will leave you wanting more. Or go for their popular pulled pork sanger for something different.
Tips for Food Tourists
Generally speaking, Singaporean food involves a few things that you will encounter and need to be ready for. Firstly, it is spicy, so you need to be able to handle it.
Now, the good thing is some dishes may not be spicy or with the spicier sauces that are served on the side that you can easily omit (read: Hainanese chicken rice).
However, if you don’t want to miss some of the spicier dishes, like chilli crab, make sure you have some milk on hand to help you with the spice!
Next, if you have any dietary constraints like vegetarian or Halal food, fret not – the city has it all! For vegetarian cuisine, you will easily find them in the many Indian restaurants in Singapore. As for halal options, certain famous areas like Kampong Glam and Geylang Serai can offer you some of the best local hala dishes.
What about budgeting for your meals? As an overall, you can get away with dishes ranging anywhere from S$5 to S$10, especially at hawker centres. However, if you want to splurge, meals at proper sit-down restaurants can easily cost above S$50 to S$200 per person!
Finally, make the most of your trip with technology to check the best food spots in Singapore. Use local apps like Burpple and HungryGoWhere for reviews on eateries or specific food recommendations. For different ideas, you can also check out blogs like our page and Instagram content dedicated specifically to Singaporean food.
Unique Food Experiences
Fusion cuisine and modern interpretations
Don’t mistake us for those who cling to their food from the past! In modern times, Singapore’s food culture has evolved to produce many mind-blowing reiterations and fusions! An example would be the reimagined kaya toast as ice cream.
If you’re interested in exploring these types of cuisine, we recommend restaurants like Wild Rocket and The Masses, which are pretty good at ‘playing’ with their food!
Food festivals and events
We are also not short of events and festivals that celebrate food. The highlight is our annual Singapore Food Festival, which features many food-themed activities, cooking demonstrations, and more.
Another event to visit is the World Gourmet Summit, which brings together local and international chefs worldwide. Both will allow you to dive deep into our local and fusion Singapore food culture.
Unique dining experiences
When it comes to unique dining experiences, we are always reinventing ourselves by introducing new ones, like dining underwater, where you can be surrounded by marine life at Underwater World in Singapore while savouring your dinner.
You could also take in the skyline and go to restaurants like CÉ LA VI for stunning city views. The options are endless!
Conclusion
In a nutshell, everyone visiting Singapore will have something that will satisfy their palate. Be it the street food of Singapore or the fine dining restaurants here, you will never be disappointed.
We urge you to keep an open mind and don’t hesitate to ask people around you for recommendations. This way, you will be sure to stumble upon some hidden gems only known to the locals.
Every dish is a story about how our ancestors discovered Singapore and made it what it is today. So, we take our food very seriously and would love for everyone around the globe to share the experience. We hope you will enjoy Singapore’s food culture as much as we do!
