10 Bedok hawker and coffee-shop stalls for wallet-friendly comfort food

Bedok is one of Singapore’s most densely populated areas. And, in our small nation of foodies, where the people are, good food goes, too. 

As a lifelong eastie, it’s hard to make a list of just 10 recommendations — it’s a little like being asked to pick a favourite child. But here are my picks for a long, tough day when you need something to soothe both stomach and soul.

1. Jiak Song Mee Hoon Kway

18 Bedok South Road, 01-45
Nearest MRT station: Bedok
Open: Monday to Sunday (7.30am to 8.30pm)

Jiak Song Mee Hoon Kway opened in Bedok last year and has since received rave reviews for its smoky broth, freshly made hand-cut noodles and well-marinated minced meat. Owned by Aaron Wong, a MasterChef Singapore Season 1 contestant, the business opened its first stall in Telok Blangah in 2020.

My top pick here is the signature all-in combination of mee hoon kway with minced pork, pork slices, and pork and shrimp balls, with dry or soup options.

The mee hoon kway is made to order, so be prepared to wait. But the process does it no disservice at all — the noodles are thick, doughy and pack quite the bite. Paired with peaty, umami-rich soup, crispy ikan bilis and a gooey egg yolk, this ban mian is a flavour bomb that leaves you craving more.

What to order: Signature all-in combo mee hoon kway (from S$5.50), limited-edition Kurobuta mee hoon kway (from S$5.80)

2. Boon Kee Fishball Noodles & Laksa

Tong Bee Coffee Shop, 92 Jalan Senang
Nearest MRT station: Kembangan
Open: Monday to Saturday (6.45am to 3.15pm) 

With red plastic chairs for seats and matching bowls of the same tint, Boon Kee Fishball Noodles & Laksa has been serving up delicious noodle meals to regulars, Kembangan residents and workers of the nearby Chai Chee industrial district for more than 40 years.

For years, I’ve been a huge fan of its laksa with generous portions of fishcake slices, cockles and tau pok (tofu puffs). The soup base can certainly hold its own, with rich notes of coconut milk and homemade rempah in every spoonful. 

Diners who aren’t quite game for a spicy meal can take their pick from tasty mee pok, fishball noodles and even a signature Malaysian-style mee tai mak in black sauce.

If you’re looking to make a trip there for lunch, be sure to arrive as early as you can. It tends to sell out by early afternoon and will shutter for the day shortly afterwards.

What to order: Laksa (S$3.50), mee pok (S$3.50)

3. Ashes Burnnit

Springleaf Eating House, 01-468, 69 Bedok South Avenue 3
Nearest MRT station: Bedok
Open: Monday to Thursday (11.30am to 3.30pm, 4pm to 8pm), Friday to Sunday (11.30am to 3.30pm, 4pm to 8.30pm)

Serving charcoal bun burgers, truffle fries and salads at hawker prices, halal-certified Ashes Burnnit sees long mealtime queues almost daily.

Its bestseller is a truffle mushroom burger, comprising sauteed mushrooms, American cheese and a juicy beef patty atop its signature buns. The truffle fries are a must-try as well.

If burgers aren’t quite your thing, the lamb chop, which comes with fries, coleslaw and garlic bread, is a good alternative, too. 

After opening four stores here, the Ashes Burnnit team recently announced an upcoming outpost in New York City, bringing “Singapore-style omelette sandwiches” to a truly international audience.

What to order: Truffle mushroom burger (from S$8), truffle fries (S$5), lamb chop (S$12.90)

4. Prawn & Mee

Block 216 Bedok Food Centre and Market, 01-54, 216 Bedok North Street 1
Nearest MRT station: Bedok
Open: Tuesday to Sunday (9am to 2pm)

Formerly a Japanese fusion eatery named Plum & Rice, this stall rebranded itself to Prawn & Mee a few years back to serve next-level prawn noodles with accessible ingredients.

When I visited, there was a small crowd of customers milling around even before the store’s shutters were fully raised at 9am. And be warned: It sells out fast — sometimes way before its official closing time.

The menu is simple, minimalist and modern. Besides the usual options of dry or soup, diners can decide between just prawn noodles, or a mix of pork ribs and prawn noodles. I would recommend the latter, which consists of a healthy portion of peeled fresh prawns and tender ribs layered with soft cartilage for some bite.

What to order: Prawn noodles (from S$4), pork ribs and prawn noodles (from S$4)

5. King of Fried Rice

FoodHub@Bedok, 01-0633, 209 New Upper Changi Road
Nearest MRT station: Bedok
Open: Monday to Sunday (11am to 9.30pm)

This self-proclaimed carby monarch is well-known for its Din Tai Fung-style fried rice at truly affordable prices. Since King of Fried Rice’s original store opened at Golden Mile Tower, the franchise has expanded briskly in the last few years — with a whopping 23 branches islandwide to date.

It’s not hard to see why. With a range of customisations available, or in its own words “a sick variety of fried rice”, there’s something for everyone. Diners can choose how they’d prefer their rice cooked — namely egg, mala, tom yum, or XO — and top off the meal with a protein.

If you’re not feeling adventurous, the dependable pork cutlet egg fried rice will satisfy you.

What to order: Pork cutlet egg fried rice (S$8.50), crabmeat and tobiko mala fried rice (S$13.50)

6. Hock Hai Curry Chicken Noodles

Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre, 01-58, 208B New Upper Changi Road
Nearest MRT station: Bedok
Open: Tuesday to Sunday (9am to 11pm)

Take a jaunt just round the corner from King of Fried Rice to yet another foodie hotspot — Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre.

Hock Hai Curry Chicken Noodles, a Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient in 2019 and 2021, has called this place home since it moved from its original Hong Lim location. As the name suggests, curry chicken bee hoon (rice vermicelli) is the stall’s mainstay, but it also serves satay bee hoon.

The star here is its thick, luscious gravy, which blankets spongy tau pok and fishcakes. Upon placing your order, the curry and other ingredients are dished out and topped off with potato chunks, chicken strips and your choice of noodles.

What to order: Curry chicken bee hoon (from S$4), satay bee hoon (from S$4)

7. Chef Kin HK Wanton Noodle (Bedok)

FoodHub 59, 59 New Upper Changi Road
Nearest MRT station: Bedok
Open: Monday to Sunday (7.30am to 8pm)

Snaking morning queues are a common sight at Chef Kin HK Wanton Noodle, but any true-blue Singaporean knows that this means the food is worth the wait.

Instead of the usual Singaporean-style wanton noodles that often comes with char siew, dark sauce and small wantons, chef Kin’s dishes are done Hong Kong-style — more commonly seen in restaurants instead of hawker centres.

Here, the wanton noodles come with a small side of leafy vegetables, nestled atop a bed of thin, eggy noodles, plump wantons, and chock-full of shrimp and meat. As with most wanton noodle stalls, the usual choice of dry or soup applies.

The braised beef brisket noodles, composed of tender slices of meat and noodles, are also popular.

What to order: Wanton noodles (S$5), braised beef brisket noodles (S$5.50)

8. Inspirasi

Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre, 01-64, 208B New Upper Changi Road
Nearest MRT station: Bedok
Open: Monday to Saturday (11.30am to 8.30pm)

The queue at Inspirasi is constant and impressive, often stretching across the hawker centre’s corridor in a steady stream of hungry folks in search of tasty comfort food.

This family-run stall has been around since 1970. It’s best known for its soto ayam, a savoury chicken noodle soup with shredded meat, and mee rebus — yellow egg noodles in a thick gravy, topped with generous portions of green chilli, fried shallots and a hard-boiled egg. Some customers ask for lontong — compacted rice cake — to go with their orders, instead of the usual noodles.

The begedil — deep-fried potato fritter — is a must-try, so be sure to add that to your meal.

What to order: Soto ayam (S$3), mee rebus (S$3), begedil (50 cents)

9. Seng Hiang Bak Chor Mee

Bedok 85 Market, 01-08, 85 Bedok North Street 4
Nearest MRT station: Bedok
Open: Thursday to Tuesday (3.30pm to 12am)

Bedok’s Fengshan Market and Food Centre — or Bedok 85, as it’s more casually known — has a reputation for being quite the foodie paradise. Think mouthwatering sambal stingrays, smoky satay sticks and piping-hot zi char with oh-so-good wok hei.

One of the food centre’s main draws is Seng Hiang Bak Chor Mee. This stall opens late into the night, dishing out steaming bowls to an appreciative supper crowd. 

Here, diners have the choice of dry or soup — the former comes with a piquant housemade chilli sauce, and the latter a rich, garlicky broth with a smattering of minced pork. The minced meat noodle soup is generally the more popular of the two, drawing fans from across the island.

What to order: Minced meat noodle soup (from S$2.50)

10. 75 Ah Balling Peanut Soup

Bedok 85 Market, 01-25, 85 Bedok North Street 4
Nearest MRT station: Bedok
Open: Monday to Sunday (11.30am to 10.30pm)

Head to 75 Ah Balling Peanut Soup, also located at Bedok 85 Market, for a chewy, comforting dessert to round up your meal.

Each bowl comes with a choice of three to six tang yuan (or ah balling, in Teochew) with your choice of filling and soup. Patrons can choose from traditional fillings or contemporary riffs — take your pick from black sesame, red bean, peanut, yam, or matcha.

Soup-wise, the stall offers ginger, peanut, almond, and longan tea. Mix and match as you please, but my usual order is a mixed bowl of black sesame and peanut glutinous rice balls in ginger soup.

Take a careful bite into the soft yet QQ (bounciness associated with fishballs, glutinous rice balls and certain types of noodles) glutinous rice coating to reveal the warm, oozy core, then wash it down with a sip of ginger broth. Tangy and mildly spicy, it whets your appetite for more.

What to order: Peanut and black sesame tang yuan with ginger soup (from S$2.50), yam and red bean tang yuan with peanut soup (from S$2.50)

All the places on this list — except Prawn & Mee, Hock Hai Curry Chicken Noodles, and Inspirasi — are on the GrabFood delivery service. You can also book a ride to these places.