Weekend trip tip: Best hawker food stalls at Maxwell Food Centre, Singapore

Ah Tai was the head chef at the Michelin Bib Gourmand Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice (see below) when a dispute with the owner caused him to quit. In the ultimate move of revenge or pettiness, depending on how you see it, he opened a stall in the same row with a similar signboard to sell, you guessed it, chicken rice. Foodies endlessly compare which of the two is better, but Ah Tai has its advantages: a shorter queue and lower prices.

From S$5

Wednesday – Monday, 11am – 7.30pm
Closed on Tuesday

(Image credit: @retinamark / Instagram)

It is bold to sell chicken rice while sandwiched between Ah Tai and Tian Tian, but Alimama differentiates itself by offering fried chicken topped with green chilli. The stall also serves Indonesian-style nasi ayam panggang with a caramelised black sauce, as well as prawn noodles and laksa.

From S$5

Daily, 11.30am – 8pm

(Image credit: @alimama_maxwell / Instagram)

After leaving behind a career as a cabin crew member, Alvan Chew learned to make braised meat at his friend’s hawker stall before offering his take, first at Amoy Street Food Centre and then at Maxwell Food Centre. His signature is the belly bowl, which comes with deeply savoury slices of pork belly, braised taupok, taukwa, and egg, as well as Japanese rice. Or go for the mentaiko belly bowl, which has creamy pollock roe sauce slathered on top.

From S$5

Saturday – Thursday, 11am – 8pm
Closed on Friday

(Image credit: BBraise.sg卤庄 / Facebook)

Hum jin pang, sometimes spelt as ham chim peng, is a fried dough fritter of Cantonese origin. You can see them bobbing in oil as the second-generation owner cooks them with a pair of long chopsticks, and customers can try frying their orders themselves. Hum Jin Pang flavours one with red bean paste and powdered sugar, and another with sesame seeds and five spice powder. Both are equally crispy and airy.

S$1 for five

Tuesday – Wednesday, Friday – Sunday, 4.30pm – 8pm
Closed on Monday & Thursday

(Image credit: @feieats / Instagram)

Danlao roughly translates to “Egg Master,” and the cofounders have reasons to call themselves that. Two of the four owners previously worked at Eggslut before they switched to selling Hong Kong-inspired scrambled egg rice bowls. The runny eggs can be topped with ingredients ranging from char siu to prawn, which the stall mainly prepares in-house.

From S$4.50

Daily, 11am – 8.30pm

(Image credit: @danlao_sg / Instagram)

For classic Cantonese roast meats, Fu Shun Shao La Mian Jia should be your destination. Their pork belly is satisfyingly meaty, while the char siu is smoky and sweet. Also unmissable is the roast duck, with a crispy skin wrapped around juicy meat. You can have all three over rice or egg noodles.

From S$4

Monday – Friday, 11.30am – 5pm
Saturday, 11.30am – 8pm
Closed on Sunday

(Image credit: @merrychristmasmrlawrence / Instagram)

Heng Heng is run by a hawker who learned the craft of making Nyonya-style kueh in the 1960s and has been operating at this location since 1986. Handmade daily, the signature kueh ubi kayu and kueh kosui (darker in colour from the palm sugar) are soft and moist, with the coconut shaving offering a nutty note.

From S$0.80

Monday – Saturday, 7am – 1pm
Closed on Sunday

(Image credit: @hungrlyn / Instagram)

Hock Lai Seng only opened in 2023, but the stall comes from Teochew fishball noodles royalty. Owner Marvin Kan is related to the founder of Ah Ter Teochew Fishball Noodles at Amoy Street Food Centre, where he worked to master the dish. He is now making a name for himself at Maxwell Food Centre, where he churns out a version as good as his grandfather’s, from the bouncy fishballs to the springy noodles.

From S$4.50

Monday – Saturday, 7am – 3pm
Closed on Sunday

(Image credit: @kenko.ammain / Instagram)

This third-generation hawker sells the Hokkien speciality of wu xiang. Typically consisting of meats and vegetables like ngoh hiang, sausage, pork liver roll, egg, fish cake and tofu, it’s meant to be eaten with bee hoon and a side of chilli sauce. Best enjoyed between two people or more.

From S$5

Thursday to Tuesday, 12.30pm – 6pm
Closed on Wednesday

(Image credit: @jiamtaorotee / Instagram)

Look for the red and gold signboard, and the long line outside of Jin Hua, which is famous for the fish soup. Their rendition comes with thick slices of batang, fresh bok choy, silky noodles, and a creamy broth. For more variety, opt for the version with fresh and fried fish, or the fish head for a glutinous chew.

From S$4.50 to S$12 

Friday – Wednesday, 11.30am – 7.30pm
Closed on Thursday

(Image credit: @culivinary / Instagram)

Lao Ban takes the humble soy pudding back to its roots. The brand makes the snack fresh from non-GMO soybeans, does not use any preservatives and gelatine, and yet still produces a silky and thick consistency. The stall also sells almond soya beancurd, soya bean drink, and grass jelly drink.

From S$2

Daily, 11am – 3pm, 5.30pm – 7.30pm

(Image credit: Lao Ban Soya Beancurd / Facebook)

Fuzhou oyster cake is a savoury, disc-shaped fritter from the capital of China’s Fujian province. The stall was started on Tras Street by Pang Siew Ting in 1962, who sold her hometown snack to support her five children. Now run by one of her daughters, she stuffs it with pork, oyster and vegetables, and fries it into a crispy and juicy snack.

From S$2.50

Monday – Saturday, 9am – 8pm
Closed on Sunday

(Image credit: @goodfomood / Instagram)

What would you do if you wanted to sell Vietnamese dishes but ended up with an Indian food stall? For Nguyen Thi Kieu Kanh, she started making appam instead. After the Vietnamese-born Singapore resident won her mistaken bid for an Indian food stall, she turned to a friend and chef from Kerala, as well as YouTube, to master the Indian pancake. She has even put her spin on it with flavours like egg and cheese, and cempedak.

From S$3

Wednesday – Monday, 9am – 8pm
Closed on Tuesday

(Image credit: @bonsuu121 / Instagram)

Old Nyonya offers an elevated take on the classic laksa with meaty crayfish and fresh scallops. The traditional version is just as good, with thick rice vermicelli noodles soaking in a spicy prawn and coconut broth. The dry curry chicken, which is simmered with a homemade spice paste and coconut milk, is also sublime.

From S$5

Thursday – Tuesday, 11am – 9pm
Closed on Wednesday

(Image credit: @heichuanhuili / Instagram)

Of the three dishes this hawker stall specialises in, the rojak is arguably the most popular thanks to the hefty amount of crunchy youtiao mixed with cuttlefish, peanuts, taupok, pineapple, and cucumber. The cockles are also fresh with plump-sized ones among the mix.

From S$3.40

Thursday – Tuesday, 11.30am – 8.30pm
Closed on Wednesday

(Image credit: @erinkn714 / Instagram)

Sultan Kebab looks at the iconic wrap through the lens of Turkish cuisine. Chicken, beef, or lamb (diners can also order a combination of the three) is shaved from a rotating spit and rolled with vegetables and yoghurt, and there is an option to add hummus as well. The stall also has shakshuka, falafel, and the burger-like tombik.

Wraps from S$9

Monday – Thursday, 11am – 9pm
Saturday & Sunday, 10am – 9pm
Closed on Friday

(Image credit: @the_xw / Instagram)

Taste of Jiang Nan offers a bite into dishes that are ubiquitous across China’s southeastern region, including Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Nanjing. The xiaolongbao and wontons in chilli oil are crowd favourites, while the pork chop fried rice is similar to Din Tai Fung’s version at a fraction of the cost.

From S$4.50

Sunday – Friday, 11.30am – 8.30pm
Closed on Saturday

(Image credit: @cxyxcc / Instagram)

Tong Xin Ju was established at Margaret Drive Hawker Centre in 1972 before moving to its current location. They serve the classic Shanghainese dish of xiao long bao, which is meaty and deeply umami. Other dishes include fried pot stickers (guo tie), Shanghai-style rice cakes as well as sour and spicy soup (suan la tang).

From S$4

Tuesday, Thursday – Sunday, 11.30am – 8.30pm
Closed on Monday & Wednesday

(Image credit: @studyorfood / Instagram)

Tian Tian has come a long way since it was just a chicken rice stall at Maxwell in 1987. The brand is now listed in tourist guidebooks, received a Michelin Bib Gourmand recommendation, was part of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants ceremony, and was featured on Anthony Bourdain’s TV series. The hype, though, hasn’t affected them. The glistening meat is juicy and flavourful, and the rice is addictively luscious and aromatic.

From S$5

Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 7.30pm
Closed on Monday

(Image credit: @makoeats / Instagram)

Ren Min is a taproom in Maxwell Food Centre serving both packaged and draft beer. The drinks all hail from local and international craft breweries, and the lineup rotates regularly. Ren Min also started brewing their own beer, which currently range from a hazy pale ale to a fruited gose.

From S$13 a pint

Monday – Thursday, 5.30pm – 10.30pm
Friday, 12pm – 11pm
Saturday, 12pm – 10.30pm
Sunday, 12pm – 9.30pm

(Image credit: Ren Min / Facebook)

Ye Lai Xiang made its name dishing out Hainanese-style Western food at Margaret Drive Food Centre for over three decades until it moved to Maxwell Food Centre around 2010. Now run by the founder’s second generation, the stall offers generous portions of chicken chop, sirloin steak, and fish and chips, with accompaniments from baked beans to coleslaw.

From S$9.50

Monday – Friday, 12pm – 2.30pm, 6pm – 8.30pm
Closed on Saturday & Sunday

(Image credit: @staceyt14 / Instagram)

Zhen Zhen Porridge serves the platonic ideal of Cantonese porridge: thick, smooth, and comforting. The toppings are just as classic, from fish to chicken and century egg.

From S$4

Wednesday – Monday, 5.30am – 2pm
Closed on Tuesday

(Image credit: @fjlie / Instagram)