What to Eat at Chinatown Singapore
If you’re looking for a delicious and authentic experience while in Singapore, you need to visit Chinatown. This historic area is full of amazing food options, from street stalls to sit-down restaurants. Here are some of the best dishes to try while in Chinatown Singapore.
Table of Contents
- No Time to Read? Here’s a Snappy Summary of This Article
- #1 – Yum Cha
- #2 – Hao Lai Wu
- #3 – Kok Sen Restaurant
- #4 – Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice
- #5 – Tong Heng
- #6 – Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao
- #7 – Chef Leung’s Authentic Hand-milled Rice Noodle Rolls
- #8 – Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck & Kway Chap
- #9 – Ann Chin Popiah
- #10 – 168 CMY Satay
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Have a Place to Recommend?
- Meanwhile, Check out Tropika Club’s Ecosystem of Websites
No Time to Read? Here’s a Snappy Summary of This Article
Iconic Street Food Galore: Chinatown is a treasure trove of street food, from Michelin-recognized stalls to traditional hawker delights, like La Mian and Xiao Long Bao, offering rich flavors and authentic experiences.
Noodles and Soups Abound: Dive into a variety of noodle dishes and comforting soups, such as Heng Kee’s Curry Chicken Bee Hoon Mee, and savour the comforting flavors of Dong Fang Hong’s Sotong Ball Seafood Soup.
Hawker Legends: Discover long-standing stalls like Poy Kee Yong Tau Foo, known for its robust soups and fresh ingredients, or relish Ma Bo Lor Mee’s luscious noodles with a perfect balance of tenderness and viscosity.
Hearty Rice Dishes: Enjoy classics like Hainanese Chicken Rice and savory braised duck, each plate showcasing the culinary heritage and robust flavors Chinatown is famed for.
Dumplings and More: Delight in handcrafted dumplings at Ji Ji Wanton Noodle Specialist, where generations have perfected the art of noodles, or indulge in Yong Xiang Xing Dou Fu’s renowned fish paste yong tau foo.
Affordable Delights: With a price range from as low as S$3.00, Chinatown offers a gastronomic adventure for every budget, making it a must-visit for food lovers.
#1 – Yum Cha
Introduction:
Yum Cha Restaurant first opened its doors in the heart of Chinatown. Yum Cha first started out in 2000 near Temple Street, Chinatown, with the aim of bringing back the dim sum tea house concept in a shophouse setting, with marble tables and wooden chairs for a nostalgic feel. Away from the hustle and bustle of city life, Yum Cha Restaurants offer a unique dim sum dining experience – be it for lunch or dinner.
Famed for its large variety of dim sum, ranging from traditional recipes such as Fish Roe with Siew Mai and Xiao Long Bao, to some of our chef’s modern creations, such as Mango Prawn Sesame Fritters and Truffle Mushroom Bao. Yum Cha Restaurants have also extended their menu to include in favourite local items and seafood dishes, such as their Salted Egg Prawns and Roasted Peking Duck.
Menu Items:
- STEAMED DIM SUM ($3.80 – $10.80)
- FRIED DIM SUM ($4.20 – $7.80)
- RICE FLOUR ROLL & CONGEE ($2.00 – $5.80)
Location:
20 Trengganu Street (Off Temple Street), 02-01 Singapore 058479
Contact: +65 6372 1717
Website: Website Link Here
#2 – Hao Lai Wu
Introduction:
Popular family-style steamboat BBQ buffet restaurant located in Chinatown. Unique steamboat in crystal pot. Smokeless BBQ! Trendy China-style decor. Fully air-conditioned. Over 95 dishes to choose from! Special discount for kids & seniors. Highly recommended by Capital958FM ,Seth Lui.The Smartlocal,Eatbook.sg, The LohBros and renowned bloggers in Singapore.
Menu Items:
- Buffet Lunch ($12.80++ – $28.80++)
- Buffet Dinner $12.80++ – $28.80++)
Location: 37 Smith St, Singapore 058950
Contact: +65 6221 0065
Website: Website Link Here
#3 – Kok Sen Restaurant
Introduction:
Now into its third generation, the Wong family has been serving cze char classics like seafood, tofu in claypot and curry fish tail at various locations for nearly 50 years. This Cantonese-style restaurant most famous dish is its Big Prawns Bee Hoon Soup. Customers have been ordering it almost every single time they come. So tasty that they would always finish it till the last drop.
Menu Items:
- Claypot Yong Tau Foo (From S$17.60)
- Big Prawns Crispy Noodle (From S$23.35)
- Black Bean/Dry Beef Hor Fun (From S$9.55)
- Black Bean Sauce with Fish Head / Sliced Fish (From S$17.60)
Location: 32 Keong Saik Road, , Singapore, 089139
Contact: +65 6223 2005
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Read Also:
Top 10 Best Eats at Chinatown Food Centre
#4 – Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice
Introduction:
““Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice” has been handed from father to daughter-in-law Mdm Lim when the stall moved from the streets into a hawker stall. Mdm Lim have worked at hawker stalls since she was 12 at a wanton mee stall. At 16 years old, she helped her then boyfriend’s father at “Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice”. Hawker life is in her blood. Now, she managed the stall together with her sisters and cousin – all women power team!
The reason why “Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice” is a cut above its competitors is because it doesn’t compromise on cooking time and ingredient quality. Each claypot of rice is cooked from scratch by steaming over a gas stove for 5 minutes, after which ingredients are added and the claypot is transferred to sit over a blazing charcoal flame for the next 20 minutes. This explains the long waiting time. However, there’s the option to call and book in advance now.”
Menu Items:
- Claypot Rice (Price $5 to $20)
- Black chicken herbal soup (Price from $2.50)
- watercress pork rib soup (Price from $2.50)
- lotus root pork rib soup (Price from $2.50)
Location: Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre, #02-198/199, 335 Smith Street, 050335, Singapore
Contact: +65 6227 2470
Website: Website Link Here
#5 – Tong Heng
Introduction:
Bringing you joy in a bite for every occasion since their founding in 1935. Taste the freshness and timeless tradition of their different handmade pastries, providing both sweet and savory pastries for the customer to choose.
Menu Items:
- Wife Pastry $2.00
- Egg Tart $2.20
- Century Egg Pastry $2.20
- Red Bean Pastry $2.00
Location: 285 South Bridge Road Singapore 058833
Contact: +65 6223 3649
Website: Website Link Here
#6 – Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao
Introduction:
Arguably the best dumpling stall in hawker center. The dumplings skins are thin with generous firm meat filling, the folds are even so you wouldn’t bite into any thick dough part. Their fried dumplings are properly pan fried instead of deep fried in some lazy stalls and the meat filling is juicy and firm not mushy. Their wanton in hot oil is the best with right balance of spice, savoury and acid, consider eating with a bowl of noodle to complete the meal.
Situated in the heart of Chinatown, Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao specializes in handmade Xiao Long Baos that rival that of those served in certain upscale restaurants. For 6 bucks, you can get 10 pillows of porky goodness handmade with love. The pork filling was tender and well seasoned, and the broth was flavourful. It’s rare to find Xiao Long Baos with a skin that can hold its glorious contents sturdily but Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao has done it. The skin is just right, not a millimetre thicker or thinner than it should be. Visit them during non-peak hours as the queue gets crazy during peak hours!
Menu Items:
- Xiao Long Bao (Price $6.50)
- Szechuan Spicy Wanton (Price $5)
- Sour & Spicy Noodle (Price $3.50-$4)
- Beef Noodles (Price $3.50-$4)
Location:
335 Smith Street, 02-135 Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre Singapore 050335
Website: Website Link Here
#7 – Chef Leung’s Authentic Hand-milled Rice Noodle Rolls
Introduction:
Chef Leung is a native Hong Konger, but he’s cheffed in Singapore for a good few decades, including 18 years at Raffles Hotel, setting up the Chinese restaurant there. Today, Chef Leung’s Authentic Hand-milled Rice Noodle Rolls is a family effort, with his children and wife working alongside.
The menu at Chef Leung’s is basic: there are five rice noodle roll options, and two congee ones. There was also a chef’s special congee the morning we were there, although this is seasonal, subject to availability of dried oysters, AKA hou see.
Menu Items:
- Prawn ($4.50)
- Char Siew ($4)
- minced Pork ($3.50)
- Seafood Congee ($5.50)
Location: 335 Smith Street, #02-096, Chinatown Complex, Singapore 050335
Website: Website Link Here
#8 – Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck & Kway Chap
Introduction:
Chicken rice balls, you probably have eaten it. Now how about duck rice balls? While I am a supporter of downright traditional heritage food, I can’t deny that modernisation has its charm too. Now, how about having duck rice bento in Chinatown Food Centre with golden lava egg? Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck & Kway Chap (金记潮洲卤鸭) has always been serving classic teochew braised duck for more than 30 years. It was only recently that the second-generation hawker, Melvin, puts a fresh look on classic by coming up with Duck Rice Bento to attract the younger crowd.
Gimmicky indeed. But you can’t deny that it has help to bring media eyeballs to this shop. That’s the power of product packaging. Nothing changes, the recipe remains the same, yet placing our traditional duck rice into a Japanese bento box does have a different feel. Now before you get too excited at having duck rice balls in a bento set, let’s take a step back and look at what’s in it. For $8 a platter, you get a generous portion of yam rice rolled into balls, tender braised duck, beancurd, offals , pickled vegetables and Japanese-style runny yolk lava eggs. While innovation is welcoming, what distinguishes it as the quality of the dish. Slices of braised duck meat were still succulent, retaining a bite but adequately tender. The yam rice topped with dried shrimps and fried shallots was little mild in flavours, but it’s softer and sticky enough to form a ball. Look, there are also daikon slices to separate the rice balls! When you combined the rice with other dishes in the set, it forms a perfect formula.
Menu Items:
- Braised duck porridge (Price $2.50/3 )
- Braised duck rice (Price $3 )
- Braised duck noodle (Price $)
- Kway chap set meal (Price $3.50)
Location:
335 Smith Street, 02-156 Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre
Singapore 050335
Contact: +65 90189052
Website: Website Link Here
#9 – Ann Chin Popiah
Introduction:
Ann Chin Popiah was founded in 1958 by Mr Lim Kam Chwee, who travelled from FuJian Province, China to Singapore in the 1940s.
In his early days, Mr Lim struggled from juggling odd jobs to support himself and his family. He have always strongly believed that as long as one are willing to work hard and have the willingness to learn, it is only a matter of time before one becomes successful.
It was only in the late 50s that Mr Lim finally had his break in life. After having done multiple “Coolie” jobs at the docks and taking up “Hawker Assistant” jobs at the night markets, Mr Lim realized that he could use his Hand Made Popiah Skin Making skill he mastered back in FuJian, China to carve a name for himself.
With this idea in mind, he took out all of his savings and invested in a pushcart and named it “Ann Chin” (or 安珍 in Chinese). In order to save cost, many of the parts used on the pushcart were recycled from old pushcarts.
In 1958, Mr Lim finally set up shop in “Orh Kio” (or 黑桥 in Hokkien), which is currently named as Upper Thomson Road. It is widely known by neighbors and fellow customers that Mr Lim’s skin is fragant, thin and chewy.
Since then, his unique skill of Hand Made Popiah Skin Making has been passed down to his children. Although Mr Lim have already passed on, but his legacy still lives.
Menu Items:
- Popiah DIY Party Set 18 Rolls (Price $35)
- Fun sized Popiah Set (Price $25)
- Fun Sized Kueh Pie Tee Set (Price $30)
- Handmade Popiah Skin (Price $11)
Location: 335 Smith Street, #02-112, Singapore, 050335
Contact: +65 8189 4699
Website: Website Link Here
#10 – 168 CMY Satay
Introduction:
Usually described as a satay stall, this old school Satay beehoon, a vanishing dish at that, seem overlooked by most diners. Especially when there are no lack of famous eats at this Chinatown Hawker Centre, even myself, when after satay, go for another stall’s offerings. Satay beehoon, mainly to many bloggers are about the Satay sauce. Thick fragrant and smooth satay kuah with plenty of chunky peanut drenched over fresh ingredients and blanched beehoon, thus the star is the sauce. I beg to differ. There are little satay beehoon stalls left dotted over the island, some of the most famous ones even have a factory making satay sauce delivering to other stalls islandwide. This stall, I noted over lunch, has no queue but readily walk in orders. Mainly older folks, going for their satay beehoon, or their cuttlefish kangkong, another vanishing dish.
Menu Items:
- Pork Satay
- Chicken Satay
- Mutton Satay
- Ketupat Rice
Location: 335, Smith Street, #02-168, Chinatown Complex, Market & Food Centre, 050335
Contact: +65 9475 2907
Website: Website Link Here
Conclusion
As the editor of Tropika Club Magazine, I immerse myself in the vibrant culinary scene of Chinatown, Singapore. This bustling area is a haven for food lovers, offering a blend of traditional flavors and modern twists. Through thorough research and engaging with our readers, I’ve found that the allure of Chinatown lies in its rich tapestry of street food and hawker stalls.
From savoring the rich, comforting bowls of Heng Kee’s Curry Chicken Bee Hoon Mee to the delicate, handcrafted dumplings at Ji Ji Wanton Noodle Specialist, each bite tells a story. These dishes are more than just food; they are a testament to the cultural heritage and passion of the people behind them. It’s been a pleasure sharing these experiences, and I encourage everyone to explore Chinatown’s culinary offerings. You won’t just enjoy the food; you’ll connect with a part of Singapore’s soul.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What are the must-try dishes in Chinatown?
A: Aside from the well-known dishes mentioned in the blog, try unique treats like Ma Bo Lor Mee and traditional sweets from local bakeries.
Q: Are there any vegetarian options available in Chinatown?
A: Yes, there are plenty of vegetarian dishes, including tofu-based meals and vegetarian noodles.
Q: What time should I visit Chinatown to avoid crowds?
A: Weekday mornings and late afternoons are the best times to visit for a less crowded experience.
Q: Can I find halal food options in Chinatown?
A: Yes, several stalls and restaurants in Chinatown offer halal-certified options for Muslim visitors.
Q: How do I get to Chinatown using public transport?
A: You can take the MRT to Chinatown station on the Downtown Line (DTL) or North East Line (NEL).
Q: Are there any cultural or historical sites to visit nearby?
A: Nearby attractions include the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, Sri Mariamman Temple, and Chinatown Heritage Centre, offering rich cultural experiences.
Have a Place to Recommend?
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