Best local food in Singapore - What and Where to Eat?

Singapore is a delicious and interesting gourmet hotspot, and we know the best places to dine there. Find out with Travelner the top local food in Singapore.

1. Chilli Crab

Possibly one of the national dishes of Singapore, one of the most beloved special family dishes and one of the famous foods when you’re visiting as well. This is the combination of hard-shell crabs, semi-thick gravy and tomato chilli base, and eggs. The source is not all that spicy despite its name but its sauce is pretty unique. It is tastier if you eat it with bread or fried buns!

Where to get it:

• Red House Seafood Restaurant: 68 Prinsep Street, Singapore 188661
• No Signboard Seafood: 414 Geylang Singapore 389392
• Long Beach Seafood: Blk 1018 East Coast Parkway, Singapore 449877
• Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood: 122 Casuarina Road, Singapore 579510
• Crab Party: 98 Yio Chu Kang Road, Singapore 545576

2. Laksa

If you want to try the mixture of Chinese and Malay flavors all in a single bowl, you should definitely try this dish. There is a different kind of laksa, but the basic recipe consists of starch in a bowl of laksa, gravy or curry, some pieces of protein, and vegetables and herbs. You can try Asam Laksa, Curry Laksa, or Katong Laksa.

Where to get it:

• 328 Katong Laksa: 51/53 East Coast Road, Singapore 428770
• Sungei Road Laksa: Blk 27 Jalan Berseh, #01-100 Singapore 200027
• Janggut Laksa: 1 Queensway, Queensway Shopping Centre, #01-59, Singapore 149053

3. Bak Kut Teh

Bak Kut Teh is popular throughout Singapore and Malaysia with Chinese origins, meaning pork bone tea in English. Pork ribs, garlic, salt, and white pepper are boiled in water until the pork becomes tender and other ingredients are mingled into the pork bones in order to create a comfortingly flavorful soup. Rice and often braised tofu and preserved mustard green, hot tea is served with Bak Kut Teh.

Where to get it:

• Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh: 7 Keppel Road, #01-05/07, PSA Tanjong Pagar Complex, Singapore 089053 (closed on Mon)
• Song Fa Bak Kut Teh: 11 New Bridge Road #01-01, Singapore 059383
• Ng Ah Sio Pork Ribs Soup: 208 Rangoon Road, Hong Building Singapore 218453 (closed on Mon)
• Leong Kee (Klang) Bak Kut Teh: 321 Beach Road, Singapore 199557 (closed on Wed)

4. Hokkien Mee

Hokkien Mee is one of the most popular fried noodle hawker dishes in Singapore which features a combination of yellow egg noodles, white fried rice noodles, seafood, and bean sprouts. According to the customers’ requirements, Hokkien Mee is making a drier or with a gravy sauce and served with some sambal chilli sauce.

Where to get it:

• Eng Ho Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee: 409 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10, #01-34, Teck Ghee Square Food Centre, Singapore 560409
• Ah Hock Fried Hokkien Noodles: 20 Kensington Park Road, Chomp Chomp, Singapore 557269 (đóng cửa mỗi Thứ ba)
• Chia Keng Fried Hokkien Mee: 20 Kensington Park Road, Chomp Chomp, Singapore 557269
• Original Serangoon Fried Hokkien Mee: 556 Serangoon Road, Singapore 218175

5. Chicken Rice

Although it is just a simple mixture of boiled chicken, rice, and sauce, this Chicken rice ranks as one of the most well-known and beloved dishes to eat in Singapore. This is special because the rice is cooked with chicken stock, ginger, garlic, and pandan leaves as well as served with red chilli, often sweet dark soy sauce.

Where to get it:

• Boon Tong Kee: 401 Balestier Road, Singapore 329801
• Ming Kee Chicken Rice & Porridge: 511 Bishan Street 13, Singapore 570511 (closed on alt. Tues)
• Tian Tian Chicken Rice: 1 Kadayanallur St, #01-10, Maxwell Road Hawker Centre, Singapore 069184 (closed on Mon)
• Wee Nam Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice Restaurant: 101 Thomson Road, #01-08, United Square, Singapore 307591

6. Char Kway Teow

Char Kway Teow is actually fried rice cake strips, one of the signature local favorites. This is a dish of flat rice noodles, shrimp paste, sweet dark sauce, pork lard, stir-fried with egg, chilli, bean sprout, Chinese sausage, and cockles. Char Kway Teow takes some serious skills from chefs by cooking at a high temperature to make the dish smokier.

Where to get it:

• Hill Street Char Kway Teow: Blk 16 Bedok South Road, #01-187, Bedok South Road Market & Food Centre, Singapore 460016
• Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee: Blk 531A Upper Cross Street, #02-17, Hong Lim Food Centre, Singapore 510531
• No. 18 Zion Road Fried Kway Teow: 70 Zion Road, Zion Riverside Food Centre, #01-17, Singapore 247792 (closed on alt. Mon)
• Guan Kee Fried Kway Teow: Blk 20 Ghim Moh Road, #01-12, Ghim Moh Market And Food Centre, Singapore 270020

7. Carrot Cake

This is not a Western dessert, it is just one of the standard and common Singapore dishes which you can find at every food centre throughout the city. Despite its name, it does not contain any carrots instead of containing rice cakes, white radish, and eggs. Most popular version in Singapore though is the chopped up version with radish cake cubes.

Where to get it:

• Carrot Cake 菜頭粿 (that’s the literal name of the store): 20 Kensington Park Road, Chomp Chomp Food Centre, Singapore 557269 (closed on all Tues)
• Fu Ming Carrot Cake: Blk 85 Redhill Lane, Redhill Food Centre, Singapore 150085
• Hai Sheng Carrot Cake: Blk 724 Ang Mo Kio Ave 6, Market and Food Centre, #01-09, Singapore 560724
• He Zhong Carrot Cake: 51 Upper Bukit Timah Rd, Bukit Timah Market, and Food Centre, Singapore 588172

8. Wanton Mee

One of the most popular noodle dishes you must try in Singapore was influenced by Hong Kong cuisine. The familiar mixture of wanton dumplings filled with pork, egg noodles, and some small boiled vegetables with a small bowl of soup on the side. The wanton dumplings may be either deep-fried or moisture dumplings. There are two types of Wanton Mee noodle, the spicy type with chilli whereas the non-spicy version with tomato sauce is suitable for children.

Where to get it:

• Fei Fei Wanton Mee: 62 Joo Chiat Place, Singapore 427785
• Kok Kee Wanton Mee: 380 Jalan Besar, Lavender Food Square, #01-06, Singapore 209000 (closed every 3 weeks on Wed & Thur)
• Parklane Zha Yun Tun Mee House: 91 Bencoolen Street, #01-53, Sunshine Plaza, Singapore 189652

9. Fish Head Curry

Yet another beloved dish influenced by South India, China, and Malaysia is Fish Head Curry. Variants consist of a huge fish head and cooked vegetable in a curry which has an added tinge of sourness from tamarind fruit and served with rice or bread. Usually accompanied by a glass of local lime juice or “calamansi”.

Where to get it:

• Gu Ma Jia (assam-style): 45 Tai Thong Crescent, Singapore 347866
• Bao Ma Curry Fish Head (Chinese-style): #B1-01/07, 505 Beach Road, Golden Mile Food Centre, Singapore 199583
• Zai Shun Curry Fish Head (Chinese-style): Blk 253 Jurong East St 24, First Cooked Food Point, #01-205, Singapore 600253 (closed on Wed)
• Karu’s Indian Banana Leaf Restaurant (Indian-style): 808/810, Upper Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 678145
• Samy’s Curry (Indian-style): 25 Dempsey Rd, Singapore 249670

10. Tau Huay

This is a Chinese dessert made with bean curd tofu, sugar syrup, grass jelly, or soya bean milk. There are different types of Tau Huay with different flavors such as mango, melon, or sesame and it can be eaten hot or cold.

Where to get it:

• Rochor Original Beancurd: 2 Short Street, Singapore 188211
• Lao Ban Soya Beancurd (gelatinous type): #01-127 & #01-107 Old Airport Road Hawker Centre, 51 Old Airport Road (closed on Mon)
• Selegie Soya Bean: 990 Upper Serangoon Road, Singapore 534734

Above is the famous local food in Singapore that Traveler wants to share with you. Hope the article has brought you useful knowledge. If you need a Singapore travel guide, please contact us!