Hawker food is a national treasure of Singapore. Hawker Centres are one of the many places to eat, but they also serve as far more than that. They bring together an amalgamation of cuisine and culinary heritage sets apart the culture of Singapore. And the experience of eating at a hawker centre with kids is one you don’t want to miss.
Read on to find out about more about hawker centres in Singapore, where to find them; and more importantly what to order when visiting a hawker centre with kids. (We’ve got you covered!).
What is a Hawker Centre?
Singaporean cuisine has influences from Chinese, Malaysian, Indonesian and Indian cuisines. These food cultures are staple to local Singaporeans; both as foods they cook daily at home, and eat (often) daily in the cities many hawker centres.
The concept of Hawker Centres is centuries old in Singapore. They are essentially an open-air food court that houses a variety of food stalls at affordable prices. And there is something so embracing about the entire culture of hawker food.
There’s the sound of grills sizzling and the buzz and chatter of a whole amalgamation of Asian languages. Trolley carts clang past stacked with trays amidst the resounding calls of hawkers shouting out orders.
Add to that, the smells and tastes of Asian food from all directions of the continent curated in tiny stalls each hawker family has owned for decades. You have to experience this in Singapore.
Hawker dishes you need to try
- Hainanese Chicken Rice: Well cooked chicken and rice with aromatic broth flavours and pandan leaf. This is often considered to be Singapore’s national dish due to its popularity.
- Wanton Mee: Springy egg noodles served with dry char siew (barbecued pork) and leafy greens.
- Nasi Lemak: A Malaysian dish with multiple options laid out on the plate around a central serving of coconut rice. Often include omlette, deep-fried anchovies, peanuts and deep-fried chicken.
- Fried carrot cake: This Singaporean version of a carrot cake is not actually a dessert. Rather, it is one of the most communly consumed breakfast dishes. (We decided we had to try it, regardless of time of day). It is infact a savoury dish made with white radish, which some call white carrot…
- Hokkein Mee: A noodle dish with bean sprouts, stir-fried pork belly, shrimp, spring onions and leafy greens. You can’t really go wrong!
- Guo tie dumplings: Guotie are shallow-fried in a wok; literally pan fried dumplings. (The name even translates at ‘pot stickers’!). These don’t need any further introduction… Simply delicious.
Dining at a Hawker Centre with kids
I don’t know about you, but our kids seem to thrive in a situation where they have some control over the choices we are making. A hawker centre is the perfect opportunity to support that and encourage them with independence in some decision making.
A local Hawker Centre (like Dunman Food Centre) is a safe, small and manageable space for them to take control of the ordering.
It isn’t as overwhelming as some Asian night or food markets can be. And in all honesty, the locals are so busy in their routines of dining at their favourite hawker stall that you won’t be drawing the often-normal amount of attention of dining elsewhere.
Food orders at Singapore’s hawker centres are incredibly affordable, so it makes sense to let the kids have some freedom for choice. Each hawker centre is comprised of multiple stalls and stands centered around dining tables so you can pick and choose what they want to eat and all sit together.
And, there’s always oodles of noodles and easy-eat rice dishes to choose from. Plus, the traditional style of basic deserts are more often than not actually sweetened naturally exactly as they have been for decades. A win-win option for parents and kids!
Favourite hawker food to order with kids
- Chicken rice: A kid-friendly version of Singapore’s famous national dish. It is officially as it sounds; simple and satisfying with pieces of chicken and steamed rice. *Great for fussy little tummies.
- Singapore Egg Fried Rice: This is a great family friendly meal choice and most likely if you are ordering at a Hawker Centre with kids, the stall cooks will automatically leave off any chili. This dish is a safe bet and just as tasty without spice.
- Roti prata: This is an Indian style fried pancake which our kids always love. You can order it with egg or banana (and sometimes with cheese which they reckon tastes the best!).
- Satay skewers: Chicken or beef satay sticks are another easy choice. These can be ordered with plain rice and usually come with a peanut dipping sauce that is reminiscent of crunchy mainstream peanut butter.
- Ice Kacang: This is a popular coffee shop style dessert (a little bit like the shaved ice dessert halo haloin the Philippines). Originally made out of shaved ice and red beans, toppings can also include multicolour syrups, grass jelly, condensed milk and ice cream. It’s worth hunting out!
- Soya Bean Drinks: This might sound less appetizing when compared to Western ideals of fast food drinks, but our kids loved trying the different drinks and jellies.
Expert tip/serious-suggestion-to-note-down for a kid-friendly Hawker Centre: Check out Tekong Soya Bean Drinks & Curd on the second floor of Dunman Food Centre. We ordered a few random glasses of fresh soya milk and grass jelly for less than $1 per glass. The soya milk is sweet, fresh and a little bit exciting due to the unknown jelly!
5x Hawker Centres to hunt down and dine at
- Dunman Food Centre: This one is our favourite. It is only a small Hawker Centre by Singapore standards (a good choice to start with if you want to fly under the radar somewhat) but the 30 stalls pack a punch with taste. Handy to Joo Chiat area.
Address: 271 Onan Rd 424768
- Bukit Timah Food Centre: This Hawker Centre is actually located right above a wet market which is awesome to visit with kids. There is a large variety of food options from duck rice to chicken wings and fried carrot cake. (Worth a try!).
Address: 116 Upper Bukit Timah Road
- Lau Pa Sat: This is one of the biggest and oldest running Hawker Centres in Singapore at over 120 years old. There are 54 stalls and 14 mini restaurants to satisfy the hoards of crowds that frequent here.
Address: 18 Raffles Quay 048582
- Maxwell Food Centre: This is a great place to experiment with local cuisine. And dishes are budget-friendly (great for parents too).
Address: 1 Kadayanallur St, Singapore 069184
- Haig Road Market & Food Centre: Over 70 cooked food stalls plus a vibrant wet market and grocery area. This hawker centre has a buzzing great atmosphere and is handy to the Joo Chiat and Peranekan House area.
Address: 14 Haig Road, Haig Road Market & Food Centre 430014
Have you experienced Singapore’s hawker centres with your kids? What was their favourite dish??
