Singapore is the furthest thing from being short of amazing places to eat, and Chinatown is the crown jewel of our vibrant food scene. Nestled in the heart of this culinary haven is Chinatown Complex Food Centre, which sees throngs of locals and tourists alike.
Home to over 200 stalls, this bustling hawker centre offers a little bit of everything — from crowd favourites to tried-and-true hawker staples.
With so much in store, narrowing down the must-tries can be a challenge. Well, we’ve done the legwork for you. Here’s our list of 12 best stalls in Chinatown Complex Food Centre for the ultimate hawker feast!
1. Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao (#02-135)
Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao finds itself on just about every Chinatown Complex Food Centre guide — and for good reason, without a doubt. Run by an Anhui-born chef and his wife, this Michelin-recognised stall draws long queues for its handmade dumplings and la mian.
Xiao long bao at nearly half the price of Din Tai Fung’s? Sign me up. 10 pieces here set you back S$8 — a little pricier than several other dumpling stalls but still works out to be less than a dollar per piece. These morsels explode with savoury broth when torn into, and are chock-full of delicious pork filling studded with fresh chives.
Now behold, the Szechuan Spicy Wanton (S$5.50 for 10 pieces), also known as my personal favourite chilli oil dumplings in all of Singapore. The secret lies in the bits of chye poh that adorn the silky dumplings, which add an addictive umami that complements the tasty filling and tangy mix of vinegar and chilli oil.
Complete your meal with some carbs from the la mian section, including Zha Jiang Mian (S$4.50) and creamy, nutty Dan Dan Mian (S$5.50). The Sour & Spicy Soup (S$2.50) is solid, too.
+65 8595 7710
Wed to Fri: 11am – 8.30pm
Sat & Sun: 10.30am – 8.30pm
Closed on Mon & Tue
2. Zhu Zhu Zai (#02-066)
Venture into the ‘elusive’ Green Zone and you’ll find Zhu Zhu Zai, a gem of a stall that specialises in a variety of homely braised pork dishes. It’s helmed by Madeline, a friendly ex-private dining chef who taught herself how to cook with the aid of just recipe books. A round of applause, please!
Fun fact: the stall gets its name from Madeline’s childhood moniker, which was affectionately coined by her dad.
As a die-hard lover of Taiwanese lu rou fan, I’ve found myself dismayed by one too many renditions here in Singapore. Zhu Zhu Zai’s Braised Pork Rice (S$3.80), though? I dare say that it easily rivals many of those I’ve tasted in the motherland. The tender pork chunks are braised to perfection, with a wonderful melt-in-your-mouth quality that’ll have you going for spoonfuls on end. If you prefer heftier cuts of meat, go for the Braised Pork Belly Rice (S$4.80).
Be sure to pay a visit to the stall on Friday and Saturday evenings, as Madeline unveils a ‘secret’ snack menu from 6pm onwards. Then, you’ll find specials like Garlic Pork Fried Rice (S$3.50), Pulled Pork Nachos (S$8) and Braised Pork Pizza (S$5), an indulgent flame-torched creation of a tortilla wrap topped with braised pork, chilli slices, cherry tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.
Tue to Thu: 11am – 2.30pm
Fri & Sat: 11am – 2.30pm & 6pm – 8.30pm
Closed on Mon & Sun
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3. Hill Street Fried Kway Teow (#02-032)
Hill Street Fried Kway Teow shares a name with another highly-raved stall in Bedok, although the two aren’t associated. Both of their roots can however be traced back to the now-defunct Hill Street Food Centre, where they were situated on different floors (this one was on the second).
You’d want to plan your visit in advance, as the stall is open for just 3 days a week. Even so, its operating hours and days are subject to its owners’ schedules as they have frequent medical appointments. If you’re lucky enough to catch them, you’ll see Uncle donning a pair of safety goggles as he whips up the noodles.
Fried to order, the Char Kway Teow (S$4/S$5) boasts a prominent wok hei — testament to the uncle’s decades of gong fu behind the wok. The silky kway teow is studded with fresh spring onions, taugeh, pork lard, juicy cockles and lup cheong, which imparts a rich sweetness to the dish.
Oh, I should mention that this glistening plate of golden-brown goodness emerged victorious in our char kway teow showdown. Need I say more?
Tue, Thu & Sat: 9am – 5pm
Closed on Mon, Wed, Fri & Sun
4. Hakka HamCha & Yong Tou Fu (#02-123)
I can’t think of a better way to get your daily dose of veggies than with a solid bowl of lei cha, and Hakka HamCha & Yong Tau Foo is where it’s at. The stall is helmed by a talented couple who entered the culinary realm in 2018 and never turned back since. And hey, they even won NEA’s Promising New Hawker Award!
The Hakka HamCha (S$4.50 for puffed rice, S$5 for brown rice) is value-for-money in a bowl. It’s loaded with 10 ingredients, including peanuts and a medley of vegetables freshly prepared fresh every morning.
You’ll also notice that the tea soup bears a darker green hue, as the stall-owners use a larger proportion of leaves and herbs among other ingredients. The product is a dense broth with a rich bitterness that complements the umami mix of vegetables and hae bee.
Don’t forget to give the Hakka Style Yong Tou Fu (S$0.80 per piece, S$0.70 per piece for 7 or more) a try as well. Each piece is stuffed to the brim with their tasty house-made pork and fish paste and deep-fried to a perfect crisp.
+65 9092 2123
Tue to Sun: 11am – 7pm
Closed on Mon
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5. Heng Ji Chicken Rice (#02-131)
For a taste of heritage, head to Heng Ji Chicken Rice. One of the oldest chicken rice stalls in Singapore, it started out as a humble street stall along Smith Street more than 7 whole decades ago. Today, it’s the source of one of the longest queues in Chinatown Complex and continues to please many with its delicious poached chicken done the traditional way.
Their signature Chicken Rice goes for S$3.80 and S$4.80 for the Small and Large portions respectively, although you can opt for the Quarter (S$8/S$9), Half (S$14) or Whole Chicken (S$28) if you’d like a more wholesome meal.
The poached chicken is the epitome of succulent, with a soft bite that oozes with the meat’s sweet juices. It’s doused in a tasty sauce that’s laced with aromatic notes of spring onion and sesame oil — pro tip: drizzle some of that on your rice and have a spoonful of it with the chicken and a refreshing slice of cucumber.
+65 9018 3140
Tue to Sun: 11.30am – 7pm
Closed on Mon
6. Hong Kong Mong Kok Tim Sum (#02-097)
It’s never a bad day for dim sum, and Hong Kong Mong Kok Dim Sum is the place for your fix. This humble stall offers restaurant-quality dim sum at an affordable S$3.50 per serving across its menu. Each item is meticulously handmade, and you’ll be able to watch (in awe) as the stall-owners work their magic on the spot.
A must-get is the Char Siew Bao (S$3.50 per tray of 3), which delivers on value for money in both portion size and flavour. Each cloud-like steamed bun is packed with juicy meat filling that oozes with an addictive sweet-savouriness that’s honey-like yet not overpowering.
Another solid choice is the Char Siew Rice Flour Roll (S$3.50), which stars an equally-delicious combination of that char siew filling and silky chee cheong fun doused in savoury soy sauce.
Those with a penchant for chicken feet will love the peppery Steamed Chicken Feet (S$3.50), while those who prefer to lean on the classics can opt for the Shao Mai (S$3.50 and Xia Jiao (S$3.50).
+65 9735 6312
Wed to Sun: 11am – 5pm
Closed on Mon & Tue
Ji Tuo Hong Kong Style Tim Sum: Freshly-made cantonese dim sum by elderly couple hidden in industrial kopitiam
7. Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice (#02-198/199)
Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice is one of Singapore’s most famous claypot rice stalls, with plenty of devotees and a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand to boot.
Don’t be deceived by the seeming lack of a queue at the stall; each patron places their order and sits down to wait. You can expect a waiting time of about 45 minutes due to the stall’s popularity and how each individual claypot is prepared from scratch and charcoal-fired for 25 minutes.
Lian He Ben Ji offers 3 types of claypot rice: Mixed Rice, Sausage Rice and Chicken Rice, which are all available in 5 sizes ranging from S$8 to S$20.
Their most popular Mixed Rice is a loaded pot that features chicken, lup cheong, salted fish and vegetables. Add in a dash of dark soy sauce, give the dish a thorough stir and you’ll get spoonful after satisfying spoonful of tasty rice complemented by the sweet lup cheong and tender, juicy chicken.
Don’t forget to scrape the burnt rice bits from the sides of the pot for a little added smokiness and textural contrast!
+65 6227 2470
Tue, Wed & Fri to Sun: 3pm – 9pm
Closed on Mon & Thu
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8. Monan Pork Soup (#02-137)
Fancy a bowl of piping hot pork soup for the soul? Trust Monan Pork Soup to take care of that for you. It’s a real porky affair here; they offer just about every delectable part of the pig. From the meat to the leg to the offals, something’s bound to be up your alley here.
The soup base of each dish at Monan Pork Soup is a light yet flavourful broth that’s reminiscent of peppery bak kut teh but has a robust layer of porky depth.
For the stall’s best, get the titular Monan Pork Soup (S$4.30). It’s packed with ingredients, including tender slices of shabu shabu, gelatinous slivers of pig skin, toothsome meatballs and Monan’s signature egg sausage — a creation of eggs that are whipped, piped in sausage casing and steamed.
If you love offals, the Pork Organ Soup (S$5) is just the dish for you. Pig stomach, heart, liver, intestine and skin… you name it, the bowl has it.
+65 9834 9226
Mon to Sat: 11am – 8pm
Closed on Sun
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9. Big Dot Chicken (#02-223)
Fried chicken joints are a dime a dozen in Singapore, but are pretty rare finds in hawker centres. Well, Chinatown Complex is home to Big Dot Chicken, a Halal-certified stall that serves up delicious fried chicken for as low as S$1.50 per piece.
3 cuts of chicken are offered here: Wing (S$1.50), Drumstick (S$2) and Thigh (S$2.50), with both spicy and non-spicy options. These golden-brown indulgences are freshly fried and stored in a display cabinet for you to help yourself to the pieces you’d like. Complete your meal with either a side of fries or nasi lemak.
Big Dot Chicken’s fried chicken could very well rival those you can find at well-known fast food joints. The skin is crispy and seasoned to a tee with a mild peppery kick. The meat within is juicy and tender, and little work is needed to pry it off the bones.
Need a sweet treat after? The stall also offers nostalgic Waffles (S$1) with Peanut Butter, Chocolate or Blueberry filling as well as Traditional Ice Cream (S$1.50).
Tue to Thu: 11am – 3pm
Closed on Fri to Mon
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10. Chef Leung’s Authentic Hand-milled Rice Noodle Rolls (#02-096)
The lengthily-named Chef Leung’s Authentic Hand-milled Rice Noodle Rolls will be any savoury chee cheong fun fan’s go-to breakfast spot. Helmed by native Hong Konger Chef Leung, this stall specialises in the delicious rice noodle dish with various fillings.
Chef Leung serves up 5 types of cheung fun: Plain (S$3.20), Egg (S$3.70), Pork (S$4), Char Siew (S$4.50) and Prawn (S$5). The rice rolls are made fresh on the daily with rice that’s milled by hand, giving it a distinct, clean rice flavour.
Don’t underestimate the Plain variation; the silky cheung fun is doused in plenty of their umami-laden soy sauce and, interestingly, a peanut sesame sauce that enhances the dish with a creamy nuttiness. It’s then finished off wonderfully with some savoury chye poh, crispy shallots and spring onions.
If you’re down for some tasty, creamy porridge, you can also find 4 types of Hong Kong-style congee here, including the likes of the classic Pork Ribs and Century Eggs Congee (S$5) and Watercress Fish Congee (S$6.50).
Wed to Sun: 6.30am – 12pm
Closed on Mon & Tue
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11. Ann Chin Popiah (#02-112)
You must be living under a rock if you’ve never heard of the famed Ann Chin Popiah. The stalwart of popiah stalwarts, this establishment has been serving up solid handmade popiah since 1958 and is a Michelin Guide regular. You’d want to make space for a roll (or two).
Like I said, the Popiah (S$2.20) is a must-try. A piece of popiah skin is slathered with some sweet spicy sauce, topped with a myriad of ingredients — juicy turnips, egg bits, crushed peanuts, lettuce, taugeh and crispy flour bits — before it is rolled up, chopped and served. Each piece is a wonderful amalgamation of flavours and textures lent by each element.
I strongly recommend the Kueh Pie Tee (S$3.70 for 4 pieces), too. Each shell is stuffed with the same savoury stewed turnip filling and crispy flour bits, garnished with egg and a dollop of sweet chilli sauce. I can almost guarantee that the plate will be polished in no time.
+65 8189 4699
Daily: 8am – 7pm
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12. Old Amoy Chendol (#02-008)
Old Amoy Chendol is the definition of no-frills goodness. There are no bells and whistles to this stall, just an ice machine and its one signature item: Chendol (S$2.80). The poster child of local desserts, this simple treat is the perfect ending to any meal and few spots do it as well as this establishment.
A mountain of powdery shaved ice is doused with creamy cold-pressed coconut milk, followed by a dollop of premium azuki beans, a generous scoop of pandan noodles and a drizzle of gula melaka. The winning combination of cold shaved ice with fragrant coconut milk and sweet, mildly smoky gula melaka is all you’d ever want on a blistering hot day in Singapore.
+65 8748 7590
Daily: 10.30am – 6pm
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