Singapore: 11 Popular Dishes to Try

Singapore is one of the great food destinations of the world. From street food to fine dining, there’s something for every taste and every budget.

The dishes of Singapore have deep roots that give insight into the history of this unique city-state.

Here, Chinese, Malaysian, and Indian cultures create a unique melting pot of a country. It’s this special blending of cultures that has made Singapore an island with absolutely delicious food.

In Singapore, expect lots of chicken, duck, pork, and seafood. And along with rice, you’ll see lots of spicy soups and slippery noodles.

Singaporeans are obsessed with food. Eating is a way of life here. For that reason, locals have strong opinions on who makes the best version of each dish. A fact that Crazy Rich Asians made sure to highlight.

If visiting Singapore, embrace their way of life and go crazy over food. With the numerous hawker stalls and restaurants, it’s an easy place to indulge.

To get you started, here are 11 of the most classic foods to know in Singapore, plus where you can try them!

Chilli Crab

Chili crab is the ideal seafood dish. It’s beloved by Singaporeans – and for good reason.

For authentic chili crab, not every crab will do though. You’ll need a special variety: the mud crab.

These crabs are known for their sweet and juicy meat, making them the perfect complement to the spiced chili sauce.

To make chili crab, mud crabs are stir-fried in a sauce made of tomatoes and chili. Often times, depending on the recipe, beaten egg will be added to the red sauce to thicken it as well.

The end result is a succulent crab that’s sweet, savory, and slightly spicy.

Chili crab is usually served with a side of mantou.

What are mantou? They’re buns that are either fried or steamed, and they’re perfect for soaking up all the extra sauce.

Where To Try It:

Roland Restaurant

Hainanese Chicken Rice

You’ll find Hainanese chicken rice everywhere in Singapore. From street food to fine dining, it’s one of the most common dishes in the country.

Originally brought to Singapore by Chinese immigrants, chicken rice is now beloved by all Singaporeans. It’s so popular, in fact, that chicken rice is considered to be the national dish of the country.

To make this dish, chicken is boiled, which gives the skin a bit of a soft and gelatinous texture. The juicy chicken is then sliced and served with fragrant rice that’s been cooked in chicken stock, ginger, and pandan leaves.

Chicken rice will come served with a chili sauce on the side. Sometimes you’ll get a ginger sauce or fresh cucumber as well.

As it is the national dish, locals have strong opinions on where to find the best chicken rice. While opinions vary, the deciding factors usually come down to the rice and the chili sauce.

Where To Try It:

Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice

Laksa

Peranakan cuisine was born from the combination of Chinese and Malaysian cultures. And one of the most popular Peranakan dishes is laksa.

While there are different varieties of laksa, the most common one in Singapore is a curry noodle soup that’s distinguishable by its spicy flavor and red-orange color.

Laksa broth is flavored with dried shrimp and gets a creamy consistency from coconut milk. The noodle soup is then topped with a variety of ingredients like prawns, cockles, fish cake, and beancurd.

Some vendors will have you select your toppings from a buffet. Then they’ll add broth and your choice of noodles for a customized bowl of laksa. Others create the combination for you. Either way, it’s creamy, spicy, and delicious.

Where To Try It:

Famous Sungei Road Trishaw Laksa

Kaya Toast

Kaya toast is the ultimate Singaporean treat. Mainly served for breakfast or afternoon tea, it’s a sweet sandwich that is typically accompanied by a cup of kopi (coffee) or teh (tea).

To make kaya toast, you add cold slices of butter and a generous slathering of kaya (coconut egg jam) between two slices of toasted bread.

The butter is cut thick enough so that it melts very slowly from the warmth of the bread. You end up with a sandwich that’s both creamy and sweet.

Kaya toast is usually served with soft-boiled eggs on the side. You crack the runny eggs into a bowl and top them with a dash of soya sauce and a sprinkle of white pepper.

To eat, dip the kaya toast into the eggs, and enjoy!

Where To Try It:

Killiney Kopitiam

Char Kway Teow

Literally translating to “stir-fried rice cake strips”, char kway teow is really just that.

Strips of wide rice noodle are stir-fried in pork fat over really high heat with dark soy sauce, chili, egg, and bean sprouts. The noodles are then topped off with prawns, cockles, or Chinese sausage.

Char kway teow was first created to keep laborers full and energized on the cheap. Now, it has a reputation for not being the most healthy dish due to its high-fat content.

Since char kway teow doesn’t serve the same purpose as it once did, some vendors have tried to keep up with modern times. Their new variations use oil rather than lard and some will add extra vegetables to up the nutritional value.

Where To Try It:

No. 18 Zion Road Fried Kway Teow

Carrot Cake

Carrot cake in Singapore is probably unlike any carrot cake you’ve ever seen before.

How so? Well, for one, it’s not actually made with carrots.

Here, carrot cake is made by steaming a mixture of rice flour and white radish (which is sometimes called white carrot), chopping it up, and then frying it with garlic, eggs, and preserved radish.

This savory cake comes in two varieties – black or white. The black cake has a sweet dark soya sauce added to the fried mixture while the white does not.

The black variety will be a bit sweeter and also a bit crispier due to the caramelization of sugars from the dark soya sauce.

Fortunately, many hawker stalls selling carrot cake offer a mix of the two so you can try both. It’s the best of both worlds!

Where To Try It:

Lau Goh Teochew Chye Thow Kway

Popiah

Popiah is a Hokkien style fresh spring roll. Egg, crushed peanuts, and vegetables such as stewed turnip, carrot, and bean sprouts are wrapped in a paper-thin wheat flour skin to make these fairly healthy rolls.

In some variations, you may find hoisin, chili, prawns, or sausage inside as well.

Once only prepared for major festivals, popiah is now common in daily life and sold in hawker centers throughout the country.

Popiah parties are also popular, where friends will gather in their homes to master the art of popiah rolling.

Where To Try It:

Ann Chin Popiah

Hokkien Mee (Hokkien Noodles)

Hokkien mee (or Hokkien noodles) is a favorite dish throughout Singapore and Malaysia.

With roots from the Hokkien province of China, it will vary slightly depending on where you’re enjoying it.

In Singapore, Hokkien mee is a noodle dish consisting of a combination of egg and rice noodles stir-fried in a stock made of prawn heads and pork bones.

Prawns, squid, pork, and egg are added, and it’s served with a side of lime and sambal (red chili sauce) to mix in.

Where To Try It:

Ah Hock Fried Hokkien Noodles

Ice Cream Bread Sandwich

One of the quirkier dishes to make the list is the ice cream bread sandwich. This iconic dessert is sold from carts throughout Singapore.

The sandwich is simply made by putting a brick of ice cream in a piece of bread.

Most vendors will have different flavors of ice cream to choose from like strawberry, vanilla, durian, or mint.

The bread is typically a slice of white bread or rainbow bread, although some vendors offer wafers instead.

Either way, it’s a delicious treat to enjoy in the tropical climate of Singapore!

Where To Try It:

Vendors can be found throughout the city, but some can always be found along the shopping street of Orchard Road or Clarke Quay.

Bak Kwa

Bak kwa is a type of meat jerky originating from China. A popular treat traditionally eaten during Chinese New Year, bak kwa is now sold year-round in shops throughout Singapore.

Often made from pork, beef, or mutton, the meat is marinated with soy sauce, salt, sugar, and spices. It’s then grilled over charcoal, adding a nice smokey flavor.

Although it can be made from various cuts of meat, the preparation process results in a salty and sweet dried meat that tends to be more tender than the beef jerky we’re accustomed to in the States.

Where To Try It:

Lim Chee Guan (3 locations)

Roti Prata

Roti prata is a South-Indian specialty that is hard not to love.

It’s a type of flatbread that starts off as a dough consisting of flour, ghee (clarified butter), and water. It’s then stretched out and cooked to be crispy, yet soft, and served warm.

It’s typically paired with a serving of curry that’s the perfect complement for dipping the bread.

In a modern twist, some roti vendors will have sweet versions on their menus as well. These dessert roti are often paired with condensed milk, ice cream, chocolate, or fruit.

Where To Try It: