What is a Hawker Center?

A hawker center is an open-air food court with many food stalls. Hawker centers are a common feature in Singapore and other parts of Southeast Asia. Independent food vendors have stalls in the hawker center where they cook and sell their food. Hawker centers usually have lots of seating in a cafeteria style. 

Which Hawker Centers should I try?

• Amoy Street Food Centre: The two-storey hawker centre on Maxwell Road is home to a wide range of stalls, selling everything from curry puffs to bowls of sliced fish soup. Stalls to check out: A Noodle Story, Han Kee, Hoo Kee Bak Chang, J2 Famous Crispy Curry Puff, and Yuan Chun Famous Lor Mee.

• Maxwell Food Centre: is home to some of Singapore's best hawker stalls. With over 100 stalls, deciding what to eat can be overwhelming. The most popular stalls here are Tian Tian Chicken Rice and its rival Ah Tai, as well as the fry-it-yourself Hum Jin Pang, which serves plain or red bean-filled dough fritters. Join the queue for Zhen Zhen Fish Porridge or pick from a host of flavofrul curries to eat with steamed white rice at Zhong Guo Jie Hainanese Curry Rice.

• Newton Food Centre: A bustling hawker centre in Singapore's heart, featured in Crazy Rich Asians. You'll discover a vibrant culinary hub that showcases a diverse array of delicious local eats. Check out Hup Kee, known for their tasty Fried Oyster Omelette. Kwee Heng offers an extensive menu of roast chicken and duck dishes. But the one to go for is their Braised Duck Rice or Braised Duck Noodle. They sell out quickly even with the stall’s short opening hours. For something light, there are several satay stalls, but the sticks of satay from TKR Satay are exceptionally juicy. Complement your meal with drinks from Syed Ishak Drinks Stall. The stall makes great Sugar Cane Juice, the perfect thirst quencher for a hot day.

• Satay by the Bay is the place to be when you want to feast over a table full of local delights from BBQ chicken wings to chilli crabs while enjoying the views of the waterfront. There are a variety of stalls selling satay so check them all out and sample a few from each!