Three days is enough to eat very well in Singapore, as long as you stop zigzagging across the island. This plan groups every meal by neighbourhood, so each day you take one or two MRT rides and walk the rest.
Day 1 covers Chinatown and the CBD. Day 2 is Little India and Kampong Glam. Day 3 heads east to Katong, Joo Chiat and the sea. Every stall below was checked against 2024 to 2026 coverage, with the unit number, the dish to order and one thing worth knowing. If you have never eaten at a hawker centre before, read our first-timers guide on the flight in.
Before You Go
Pick your days carefully. Many hawkers take one rest day a week, and Monday is the most common. This plan works best Wednesday to Sunday. Where a stall closes on a particular day, we say so.
Check for cleaning closures. NEA shuts every hawker centre for a few days of cleaning or repairs at set points in the year, and individual stalls close for holidays without much warning. Each of our hawker centre pages shows the next closure, so check the page for each centre the day before.
What to bring: - Cash in small notes. Most stalls now display an SGQR code, which takes NETS QR and several local wallets, and PayNow is common, but a foreign card often will not work at a hawker stall - Tissue packets, to chope (reserve) a table and because most stalls do not supply napkins - Wet wipes for sticky tables and satay fingers - A refillable water bottle and an umbrella, which doubles as sun cover
Weather and timing. It is hot and humid all year, and afternoon storms are common. Eat breakfast and lunch early, before the 12pm office rush in the CBD, and save the open-air centres for after dark when it is cooler. Read our etiquette guide for tray returns and table manners.
Rough daily budget. Most hawker plates in this guide cost S$4 to S$8, a kopi or teh is around S$2, and satay runs about S$1 a stick. Eating five times a day and sharing the seafood, expect roughly S$35 to S$60 per person, plus MRT fares. Prices rise every year, so treat these as ranges, not quotes.
Day 1: Chinatown and the CBD
Everything today is walkable. Telok Ayer, Maxwell and Chinatown MRT stations all sit within 15 minutes of each other on foot.
Breakfast: Ya Kun Kaya Toast, Far East Square
Where: 18 China Street, #01-01. Nearest MRT: Telok Ayer (Downtown Line).
Order: The classic set of kaya toast, two soft-boiled eggs and a kopi.
Note: This is the flagship of a brand that started as a coffee stall, and it reopened after renovation on 26 August 2026. Crack the eggs into the saucer, add a dash of soy and white pepper, and dip the toast. Our kopi decoder explains what to say at the counter.
Lunch: Maxwell Food Centre
Where: Maxwell Food Centre, 1 Kadayanallur Street, opposite Maxwell MRT (Thomson-East Coast Line).
Stall: Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice, #01-10/11.
Order: Steamed Hainanese chicken rice, with the chilli and ginger on the side.
Note: Tian Tian is open 10am to 8pm and closed on Mondays. Arrive close to opening to beat the lunch queue. Not sure how to order? Our chicken rice guide covers dark or white meat, rice and sauces.
Afternoon Snack: Chinatown Complex Food Centre
Where: Chinatown Complex Food Centre, second floor, a short walk from Chinatown MRT.
Stalls: Old Amoy Chendol, #02-008, open daily 10am to 8pm, and Ann Chin Popiah, #02-112, open daily 8am to 8pm.
Order: A bowl of chendol to cool down, and a roll of popiah to share.
Note: This is the largest hawker centre in Singapore and the stall numbering is confusing. Use the unit numbers, not your sense of direction. If it is Wednesday to Sunday, Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao at #02-135, a Michelin Plate stall, is worth a detour for soup dumplings.
Dinner: Lau Pa Sat Satay Street
Where: Lau Pa Sat, 18 Raffles Quay. Satay Street runs along Boon Tat Street outside. Nearest MRT: Telok Ayer, Raffles Place, Downtown or Shenton Way.
Stall: Satay stalls 7 and 8.
Order: A mixed set of chicken, beef or mutton and prawn satay with peanut sauce, ketupat (rice cakes), cucumber and onion.
Note: Satay Street opens at 7pm on weekdays and 3pm on weekends. Stalls 7 and 8 run separate cash and card queues, and you may be handed a buzzer and a wait of half an hour, so order first, then find a table on the street.
Supper (Optional)
Lau Pa Sat's main hall is open 24 hours and Satay Street runs until 3am. If you are still standing, a second round of satay with a cold drink under the Victorian cast-iron roof is a fine way to end day one.
Day 2: Little India and Kampong Glam
Start at Little India MRT (North East and Downtown Lines). Kampong Glam is about a 20-minute walk south, or one stop on the Downtown Line to Bugis. Most food today is Indian Muslim, Malay or North Indian, so it is a good day for halal eating, but ask at each stall if certification matters to you.
Breakfast: Tekka Centre
Where: Tekka Centre, 665 Buffalo Road, next to Little India MRT.
Stall: Zam Zam Muslim Food, #01-217/218/244, open daily 6am to 4pm. (Not the same as Singapore Zam Zam, the restaurant in Kampong Glam you will visit this afternoon.)
Order: Roti prata with curry, or the poori set. Pair it with a teh tarik from one of the drinks stalls.
Note: Go before 9am, when the wet market downstairs is at its busiest and most photogenic. Our prata decoder explains kosong, telur and plaster.
Lunch: Tekka Centre
Stall: Delhi Lahori, #01-266, open daily 11am to 7pm.
Order: Tandoori chicken or the butter chicken set with fresh naan. If you want rice instead, Zam Zam Muslim Food's fish or chicken biryani is the other classic order here.
Note: Delhi Lahori was awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2024. Breads come out of the tandoor in batches, so be patient and eat them hot.
Afternoon Snack: Walk to Kampong Glam
Walk down to Kampong Glam, past the golden domes of Masjid Sultan. The neighbourhood's restaurants sit on North Bridge Road, opposite the mosque. Mid-afternoon is quieter, so this is the time to order a single murtabak to share rather than queueing at dinner.
Where: Singapore Zam Zam, 697-699 North Bridge Road. Nearest MRT: Bugis.
Order: Mutton murtabak with a side of curry, and another teh tarik.
Note: Zam Zam traces its history to 1908 and is usually open 7am to 11pm daily. Murtabak comes in small, medium and large, and small is plenty for two.
Dinner: Swee Choon Tim Sum, Jalan Besar
Where: Swee Choon Tim Sum, 191 Jalan Besar. Nearest MRT: Jalan Besar (Downtown Line), one stop from Bugis.
Order: Steamed buns, siew mai, mee sua kueh and whatever comes out of the steamer next.
Note: Swee Choon closed on Tuesdays for decades, but since January 2026 the Jalan Besar flagship opens daily, 7am to 2am, and until 4am on Fridays, Saturdays and the eves of public holidays. It is a restaurant rather than a hawker stall, so expect higher prices, but it is a Jalan Besar institution.
Supper (Optional)
Swee Choon's late hours make it a natural supper stop, so you can swap it in here and have an early, lighter dinner of leftover murtabak instead.
Day 3: Katong, Joo Chiat and the East
Today uses the Circle Line, then the Thomson-East Coast Line, which opened its Katong and Marine Parade stations in June 2024.
Breakfast: Old Airport Road Food Centre
Where: Old Airport Road Food Centre, Blk 51 Old Airport Road. Nearest MRT: Dakota (Circle Line).
Stalls: Xin Mei Xiang Lor Mee, #01-116, open daily 7am to 4pm, and Whampoa Soya Bean, #01-68, open daily 8am to 8pm.
Order: A bowl of lor mee, the thick braised gravy noodles, then a cold tau huay (soya bean pudding).
Note: This is one of the best-loved centres in the east, built on the site of the old Kallang Airport. If you come back later in the day, Nam Sing Hokkien Mee at #01-32 (from 10am, closed Mondays) does one of the most respected plates of Hokkien mee in Singapore.
Lunch: 328 Katong Laksa
Where: 51 East Coast Road, about an 8-minute walk from Marine Parade MRT (Thomson-East Coast Line). From Dakota, a taxi or ride-hail is quicker than changing trains.
Order: Laksa, with a slice of otak-otak on the side.
Note: Open daily, 9:30am to 9:30pm. The noodles are cut short so you eat Katong laksa with a spoon only. Ask for less chilli if you are cautious: the broth is already rich with coconut.
Afternoon Snack: Kim Choo Kueh Chang
Where: 60 Joo Chiat Place, or the smaller branch at 111 East Coast Road, a short walk from 328 Katong Laksa. Both open daily 9am to 9pm.
Order: A box of ondeh-ondeh, a mixed box with kueh lapis, and a Nyonya bak chang (rice dumpling) for later.
Note: Kim Choo started in 1945, when Madam Lee Kim Choo sold rice dumplings under a banyan tree. It is takeaway only and not halal-certified. Walk it off among the pastel Peranakan shophouses on Koon Seng Road.
Dinner: East Coast Lagoon Food Village
Where: East Coast Lagoon Food Village, 1220 East Coast Parkway. Nearest MRT: Siglap (Thomson-East Coast Line), then walk via Siglap Link and the East Coast Park Service Road.
Stalls: Haron Satay 55, #01-55, closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Stingray Forever BBQ Seafood, #01-43. Lagoon Famous Carrot Cake, #01-40, closed Tuesdays.
Order: Charcoal satay, sambal BBQ stingray on banana leaf with lime, and a plate of black and white chai tow kway.
Note: Stingray Forever's listed opening days have changed between reports, so call or check its social pages before you go. Avoid Tuesday for Day 3, when several stalls here are shut. Arrive before sunset for a table near the beach, and expect a queue at Haron.
Supper (Optional)
The sea breeze is the point here, so linger. Ahmad Spring at #01-58 (closed Tuesdays) grills satay and chicken wings until about 11pm if you want one more round.
Getting Around
- Day 1: Telok Ayer (DT18) for breakfast, Maxwell (TE18) for lunch, Chinatown for the afternoon, and walk back to Lau Pa Sat.
- Day 2: Little India (NE7/DT12) for Tekka Centre, Bugis for Kampong Glam, Jalan Besar for Swee Choon.
- Day 3: Dakota (CC8) for Old Airport Road, Marine Parade (TE26) for Katong, Siglap (TE28) for East Coast Lagoon.
Tap in and out with a contactless bank card or phone. Most journeys in this guide take under 20 minutes. Late at night, a taxi or ride-hail is easier, especially from East Coast Park.
If You Have More Time
Spend a fourth morning at Tiong Bahru Market, a short ride from Chinatown, for chwee kueh and old-school breakfast. For a Malay feast in the east, Geylang Serai Market is unmatched, especially in Ramadan. And if you only have one evening left in town, Newton Food Centre is touristy but easy, with seafood and satay until late. Eating halal? See our halal hawker food guide. Staying near the bay? Our Marina Bay Sands hawker guide covers the closest centres. When you want something close to your hotel, our near me page finds the nearest hawker centre.
