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Singapore boasts a melting pot of cuisines, incorporating a rich heritage of food dishes consisting of Chinese, Indian, Malaysian and other influences, reflecting the diversity of its population. As a tourist, there are probably many more Singaporean dishes you need to try, but as the list is too extensive, we narrowed it down to a manageable ten!
Often referred to as one of the national dishes of Singapore, chili crab is one of the most beloved special family dishes in Singapore, and it’s among the most famous things to eat in the city when you’re visiting as well.
Crabs, which are often black mud crabs, are cooked in a thick goopy sauce that’s sweet and salty with a hint of sourness. Many versions of Singapore chili crab include egg in the sauce to make it thick and richer, plus some blended chilies for flavor, and tomatoes. Despite the dish being called chili crab, it’s really actually just a touch spicy, but the chilies give more of a fragrance to the dish.
After finishing the crab, polish off the remaining gravy with mantous (small fried buns) that ensures you don’t let any of those delicious sauce go to waste!
Try it:
Long Beach Seafood
#01-04 East Coast Seafood Centre
Hours: 2:30 pm – 12:15 am on Monday to Thursday, 1:30 pm – 12:15 am on Friday, 11:30 am – 1:15 am on Saturday and Sunday
Prices: Expect to pay around $100 SGD per person
Although it’s just a simple combination of boiled chicken (or roasted chicken, if you want), paired with flavorful rice and sauce, this Hainanese influenced dish, ranks as one of the most popular and beloved dishes to eat in Singapore.
I think just about everyone in Singapore has their own favorite version or favorite restaurant or hawker stall that serves it, each varying by the way the chicken tastes, the texture, the taste or oiliness of the rice, and then most definitely the different styles of sauces – some more spicy, others more gingery or salty. Chicken rice can commonly be found in Singapore and is as ubiquitous as the pho in Vietnam!
Try it:
Tian Tian Chicken Rice
Maxwell Food Centre, 1 Kadayanallur St
Hours: 11 am – 8 pm (closed on Monday)
Prices: We had the ½ chicken for $12 SGD, but you can just get rice topped with chicken for much less
Laksa is one of the ultimate demonstrations of the combination of Chinese and Malay flavors and ingredients all in a single bowl. Noodles, often rice noodles, make up the foundation and starch of a bowl of laksa, followed by a gravy or curry, some pieces of meat (pork and/or prawns), and often some vegetables and herbs.
There are many different types of laksa, some that include rich coconut milk, and others that are more water based. Laksa is very popular throughout the Malay peninsula, and when you’re in Singapore you’ll find a number of extremely famous laksa restaurants. A must try for noodle lovers who love spicy food.
Try it:
328 Katong Laksa
53 East Coast Road
Hours: 10am – 10pm daily
Prices: Starting from $5 SGD per person
Delight in the different textures and flavors of the Malay dish: nasi lemak. The term translates to “rich rice”, perfectly describing the rice steamed in creamy coconut milk.
In addition to the rice, nasi lemak is often served with some type of sambal chili sauce, plus fried anchovies (bilis). But after that, it’s really up to the restaurant what is additionally served – sometimes it’s a variety of different curries like rendang, and sometimes it’s lighter, less spicy things like fried chicken and fish. Nasi lemak is traditionally eaten for breakfast as it’s aromatic and soothing, but nowadays it’s common for other meals as well. Throughout Malaysia and Singapore, nasi lemak is a very popular dish, and provides a twist from just an ordinary plate of steamed rice with side dishes.
Try it:
Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak
2 Adam Rd, #01-02, Adam Road Food Centre
Hours: 7 am – 5 pm (closed on Friday)
Prices: We had the biggest plate for $5.50 SGD per person
When it comes to stir fried noodles, one of the ultimate Singapore favorite is the char kway teow. This sinfully delicious dish is made with flat rice noodles and sweet dark sauce stir-fried with egg, pork lard, Chinese sausages and fish cake, Char Kway Teow was intentionally made to be loaded in fats because laborers in the past needed a cheap source of energy, and what better way than to get that from one fatty meal!
Cockles are also usually added, as there was plenty of it in Singapore’s port island. A Penang Char Kway Teow variation exists as well, using chives and prawns and lacks the sweetness that is distinctive of Singapore-style Char Kway Teow.
Try it:
Hill Street Char Kway Teow
#01-41,16 Bedok South Rd
Hours: 10:30 am – 5:30 pm on Tuesday – Sunday (closed on Monday)
Prices: $4 SGD for a plate
Although there are similar versions of the dish served throughout Southeast Asia, bak chor mee is a true Singaporean dish. Bak chor mee, meaning minced pork and noodles, usually consists of egg noodles, topped with minced pork, some other pork ingredients, and a sauce made with vinegar, chili, and soy sauce.
The noodle dish is served dry (just coated with all the flavor of the chili oil and sauce), but with a light broth soup on the side. What we highly enjoyed about Singapore bak chor mee was the flavor of the sauce – it was slightly oily, with a wonderful vinegar sourness and chili fragrance. There are a number of legendary hawkers that serve bak chor mee, and it’s a must eat Singaporean food.
Try it:
Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodles
Block 466 Crawford Lane #01-12
Hours: 9:30 am – 9 pm daily (closed on first and third Monday of each month)
Prices: You can choose from $5, $6, $8, or $10 SGD for a bowl.
Yet another cross-cultural dish that has been popularly adopted by Singaporeans is the Roti Prata. Roti Prata is of Indian origin, has a Malay name, and is eaten by all Singaporeans!
A fried flour-based pancake, popular Roti Prata variants include adding cheese, eggs, mushroom, onions or even chocolates and strawberries to the batter. The dough is tossed, flipped and stretched multiple times into a large thin layer before folding the edges inwards.
Some outlets also stretch the dough so thin that it turns crispy when fried on the metal pan. These are called ‘paper’ or ’tissue’ prata. Prata is served with fish or chicken curry while some people like also prefer to sprinkle sugar onto it.
Try it:
The Roti Prata House
246M Upper Thomson Road
Hours: 7am – 2am on Monday – Thursday, Sunday; 7am – 4am on Friday and Saturday
Prices: 6 SGD per person for 3 Roti Pratas and a drink.
Literally translated to pork bone tea, bak kut teh is a dish that’s popular throughout Malaysia and Singapore with Chinese origins. Although one would think the pork is cooked in tea, tea is not actually included in the recipe!
The basic recipe for bak kut teh includes pork ribs that are boiled in water along with white pepper, lots of garlic, and salt, until the pork become tender and all the flavor of the pepper and garlic is mingled into the pork bones to create an extremely flavorful soup. Bak kut teh is eaten with a bowl of rice, and often some other Chinese side dishes like preserved mustard greens or braised tofu. This dish is one of the ultimate comfort foods in Singapore, and we can just imagine ourselves craving for it back home.
Try it:
Outram Park Yahua Rou Gu Cha
7 Keppel Rd, PSA Tanjong Pagar Complex
Hours: About 7 am – 4 am from Tuesday – Sunday (closed on Monday)
Prices: Ribs cost $7 SGD per bowl, our meal was $18 SGD per person.
Just like many other Singaporean dishes, fish head curry is the result of a combination of cultures, and it’s a dish with an interesting history.
As the story goes, there was an Indian chef who was faced with the challenge of cooking for a group of Chinese. Since the fish head is one of the most loved parts of the fish for many Chinese, the chef decided to cook an Indian style curry, and include the fish head. It was a genius idea, and it’s one of Singapore’s iconic and uniquely Singaporean dishes – and one of our personal favorites as well. Nowadays in Singapore there are generally considered two main different types of fish head curry, the south Indian style, and the Chinese style.
Try it:
The Banana Leaf Apolo
54 Race Course Rd
Hours: 10:30 am – 10:30 pm daily
Prices: Full menu range of prices, we had the large fish head curry and a few other dishes for $30 SGD per person
Blending Malay and Chinese culture, the one and only traditional Singaporean breakfast – Kaya Toast is our number 1 choice for a breakfast meal in Singapore. The traditional bread is an old school rectangular white loaf, toasted on a bread grill, lathered with kaya (a sweet jam made from coconut cream and sugar), then slapped with a thick slice of butter that slowly melts within two slices of warm bread.
Eaten together with soft-boiled eggs and a cup of coffee, this meal is the perfect way to start a day!
Try it:
Chin Mee Chin Confectionary
204 East Coast Rd
Hours: 8:30 am – 4 pm from Tuesday to Sunday (closed on Monday)
Prices: Our bill for kaya toast, drinks, and soft boiled eggs came to $4.20 SGD per person
I had the trip of a lifetime, and you can too. Read more about my journey here!
