Cafes
A growing favourite with the young working crowd. Designer coffee places like Starbucks, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Coffee Club have become the in places to hang out with friends. Most cafes serve Western food like sandwiches, pizzas and pasta.
Coffee Shops
These can be found in most housing estates outside the city and are usually located on the ground floor of apartment blocks or in 2-storey. Even till today, Singaporeans gather at coffee shops not just to eat and drink, but also to chat or even play a game of checkers. Although the older coffeehouses are slowly being phased out, they are still the place to go if you want to get cheap and good food served with a slice of true Singapore life, not forgetting the thick, black local coffee that comes in a porcelain cup.
Fast-food
A favourite with children and teenagers, fast food arrived in Singapore in the late 70s and is today a familiar sight everywhere. There’s McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Pizza Hut, Burger King, MOS Burger and much much more.
Hawker Centers and Food Courts
Together with hawker centers, food courts are the people’s main eating choice when dining out. You can find hawker food widely available here, a meal averagely costs about $3 or more. Food courts are usually found in shopping malls, and are air-conditioned and thus more expensive. For example, a plate of noodles that cost $3 in a hawker center may cost $4 in a food court. The choice of food is also more cosmopolitan, with some food courts even offering Italian, Korean, Japanese and Greek cuisine all in the same place. Be warned: at the more popular food courts, you could find people waiting behind you for your seat; so if you like to take your time, go during off-peak hours. Unlike hawker centers, you have to carry your own food to your table.
Food courts generally can be found in most shopping centres. There are usually at least one hawker centers in every HDB housing estates. Like Ang Mo Kio, Ghim Moh, Marine Parade, Old Airport Road, Whampoa. Enjoy your Singapore food discovery! For hawker centers, refer to some of the popular ones below:
Adam Road Food Center
This hawker center was recently upgraded. With a new facade and more parking space, it is very popular with lunch time crowds. More than 50% of the stalls serve Malay or Indian food. Good Nasi Goreng, Roti Prata, western food can be found here. Do not miss the BBQ seafood and the famous Nasi Lemak stall!
Location: Junction of Dunearn Road and Adam Road.
Chomp Chomp Food Center
Located at Serangoon Garden, this hawker center was recently upgraded. Wide variety of food at a reasonable price. Many stalls from the Botanic Garden hawker center had migrated here.
Location: Serangoon Garden.
Lau Pa Sat Food Center
Lau Pa Sat is the largest remaining Victorian filigree cast-iron structure in Southeast Asia. Located in the heart of Singapore's business district, it is a favorite meeting place of the locals. Built in 1894, Lau Pa Sat was a wet market and has now been restored and converted into a food centre offering a wide variety of local food.
Location: Boon Tat Street, Shenton Way, Robinson Road.
Getting There: Take the MRT to Raffles Place Station (EW14) and walk towards Robinson Road.
Newton Circus Food Center
The most well known hawker center in Singapore. If you are a seafood lover, do not miss this place, lots of BBQ seafood stalls can be found here. There are also many variety of food, including Hokkien Prawn Noodles, Fish Porridge, Chicken Rice and many more.
Location: Newton Circus, entrance at Cavenagh Road.
Getting There: Take the MRT to Newton Station (NS21).
Zion Road Riverview Food Center
People working around Orchard and Great World City usually drive or walk to this hawker center for lunch. You can find a wide variety of food here.
Location: Zion Road, directly opposite Great World City.
