15 hawkers to fill up on at Maxwell Food Centre

Maxwell Food Centre is not just a paradise for hawker fare, but is a historical icon. It started as a wet market in 1929, stayed open during the Japanese occupation and was home to the first of the government’s many “family restaurants” back then that served meals at just 8 cents to citizens. 

It was only in 1986 did it really take shape as a food centre: 70 or so street food hawkers were relocated from the back lanes of China Street into one location, essentially collating some of the best hawkers at that time, at Maxwell Food Centre. 

It was mostly known for traditional Chinese foods but evolving times has seen the food centre welcome new hawkers and, consequently, new cuisines. The offerings have shifted to include Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian and, even, a local brewery-cum-mini-tap room. 

Walking into the bustling food centre can be quite intimidating — after all, it is crowded at all hours, morning to night. You can’t go wrong with any of the stores there but if you don’t know where to start here’s a list of 15 of my favourite stores at Maxwell Food Centre: 

1. Rojak, Popiah & Cockle

Maxwell Food Centre, 01-56, 1 Kadayanallur Street
Open: Monday to Tuesday and Thursday to Sunday (11.30am to 8.30pm)

Why visit? The store only has three items available — rojak, popiah and cockles, as its namesake suggests. The store is, interestingly, split into two “shopfronts”. An auntie doles out popiah on the left and an uncle tosses up rojak and prepares cockles on the right. For the seafood fans, it seems like cockles are only available on selected days, so it’s really luck of the draw if you’re craving them!

Everything is prepared upon order, so expect a bit of waiting time. While the stall has increased its stock to last till night, its popularity often means it sells out or has limited ingredients (particularly for the rojak) as it nears closing time. 

Crowd favourites: The Chinatown popiah (from S$1.80 for one) is generously packed with sweet yet savoury stewed turnip, hard-boiled egg, plus ground peanuts, fresh cabbage, carrots and bean sprouts for crunch. Opt for the spicy version, if you can handle it. 

The Chinese-style rojak (from S$4) here is crunchy, sweet, tangy and punchy. Made upon order, the liberal use of prawn paste forms an umami foundation of which is bolstered by ingredients such as tamarind paste and torch ginger, to name a few. Each plate — even the smallest at S$4 — is packed. You can even add on century eggs or grilled cuttlefish sheets for extra texture. 

Check out 13 best popiah stalls in Singapore to try.

2. Jin Hua Sliced Fish Bee Hoon

Maxwell Food Centre, 01-77, 1 Kadayanallur Street
Open: Monday to Friday (11.15am to 7.30pm)

Why visit? Named after Jin Hua Cinema that used to stand next to Maxwell Food Centre (now taken over by Fairfield Methodist Church), Jin Hua Sliced Fish Bee Hoon is the place to go for Cantonese-style fish soup. 

For over two decades, the Hu brothers have earned a loyal following for its robust and milky stock, which is made up of fish bones, yellow beans, lao mu ji (old mother hen), and a slew of aromatic ingredients, from ginger to shrimp paste. One of the key steps is frying the snakehead fish bones prior to tossing them into the stock pot as it imparts more umami. 

Crowd favourites: You can’t go wrong with the sliced fish bee hoon (from S$5). The brothers meticulously prepare fresh snakehead fish daily, deboning (for the stock) and slicing them thick. Each bowl comes with ample fish slices, tomatoes, tofu, bok choy, and the option of adding milk. The broth is already rich on its own but the milk further marries the ingredients when cooked atop the stove. 

Or have the best of both worlds with the mixed fish bee hoon soup (S$8, S$10 or S$12) which comes with the aforementioned fresh sliced fish and the fried variation. The fried variation uses dory fish for its meaty yet flaky texture, which is retained as the uncles do not batter them. Fried till the exterior has a nice golden colour, it is best enjoyed after soaking in the rich broth. 

Here are 14 other spots for comforting fish soup in Singapore.

3. Sisaket Thai Food

Maxwell Food Centre, 01-85, 1 Kadayanallur Street
Open: Monday to Sunday (11.30am to 8pm)

Why visit? The menu at Sisaket Thai Food is huge. Half the shopfront is made up of pictures of classics they offer. You’ve everything from single servings of pad thai and basil chicken with rice to shareable plates of fried sea bass and tom yum mor fai (tom yum seafood soup). 

What keeps regulars coming back is its restaurant-quality dishes — whipped up by a Thai female chef — and its affordable prices. You’ll easily fill up on authentic Thai cuisine here without breaking the bank. 

Crowd favourites: Call me basic but wherever I have a craving for Thai food, it would be easily satisfied by a plate of basil chicken with rice (from S$5.50). It has everything you’d want from a comforting Thai meal — sweet, salty, spicy and incredibly aromatic. It comes with a fried egg with crisp edges and a gooey centre that’s best mixed into the rice with the sauce. 

The pad see ew (S$5) sports a similar taste profile with the added satisfaction of chewy kway teow noodles. There’s a hint of smokiness courtesy of the chef’s expert handling of the wok. The serving here is generous and is enough to feed two — just order an extra main and you’re set. 

Enjoy authentic Thai food at these 5 eateries in central Singapore.

4. Mr. Appam

Maxwell Food Centre, 01-99, 1 Kadayanallur Street
Open: Monday, Wednesday to Saturday (9.30am to 8.30pm)

Why visit? Perhaps it was serendipity — when Vietnamese-born, Singapore permanent resident Nguyen Thi Kieu Hanh bid for a store at Maxwell Food Centre, she envisioned a Vietnamese store featuring her own recipes. She used to be a chef at popular pho spot Nam Nam, after all. She won the bid but there was an interesting problem — the store was allocated for Indian food. 

Rather than back down, Hanh took up her Indian friend’s suggestion to sell his favourite childhood snack of appam. She spent four months perfecting her recipe at home and introduced the traditional snack with innovative flavours — inspired by Chinese min jian kueh stores — to the CBD crowd.

Crowd favourites: Hanh admits that many of the customers — a mix of Chinese and Indians in general — come by during tea time. Light, slightly tangy and sweet, the original appam (S$4 for two pieces) is the perfect mid-afternoon snack. She ferments her own rice better, which sports a tangier note. Made a la minute on her appam chatti, it comes with the signature crispy, frilly laces and a spongy centre. Use your hands and dip it into a mix of orange palm sugar and grated coconut. 

For something more indulgent, go for the princess appam (S$3.80 per piece). The standard appam gets a whole egg, mixed just a little to scramble the yolk, melted cheese and just a light sprinkling of brown sugar to marry the two together. But what’s really enticing is the aroma of the margarine that Hanh adds while the appam is cooking. It also makes the frilly lace extra crispy.

5. Alimama Green Chilli Chicken Rice & Prawn Noodle

Maxwell Food Centre, 01-09, 1 Kadayanallur Street
Open: Monday to Sunday (11am to 8.30pm)

Why visit? One of the more unique options at Maxwell Food Centre, Alimama serves up an interesting menu of authentic Indonesian flavours as well as zhuzhed up Chinese-style prawn noodles and laksa. 

Its Indonesian selection is more popular and features rice dishes with your option of fried or baked, chicken or fish. Due to the dishes’ popularity, she has a huge wok of oil ready to fry as well as a fire-up grill, powered by charcoal. 

Her take on prawn noodles and laksa stands out with its luxurious ingredients — think big prawns, scallops and crayfish, and it is worth the treat if you’re looking to spend. 

Crowd favourites: Its namesake green chilli chicken rice (S$7.50) might be one of the best meals you can have here. The juicy chicken leg (drumstick and thigh) is deep-fried to give the skin a nice, flavoursome crust, right before it is served with a heavy ladle of their earthy and spicy (not for the weak) hand-pounded green chilli sambal. While the exact ingredients are a secret, you’re instantly hit with tonnes of aromatics, such as ginger, shallots, green bird chilies, and (if I would hazard a guess) candlenuts. Along with fragrant rice, it comes with a sayur lodeh that’s heavy on the coconut milk and a spoonful of red sambal. 

If you’re willing to wait, you’ll be rewarded with the nasi ikan bakar or grilled fish rice (S$12). A whole fish is grilled over charcoal for about 15 minutes, ensuring that you get a nice crispy skin, all while the flesh within stays juicy and tender. The equation is complete when it gets smeared with the red sambal. Give it a squeeze of lemon and have it with the mix of kecap mani with fresh red onions.

6. China Street Hum Jin Pang

Maxwell Food Centre, 01-28, 1 Kadayanallur Street
Open: Monday to Sunday (4.30pm to 8pm)

Why visit? When second-generation hawker Li Shu Hui took over father’s hum jin pang store, she continued the tradition of letting customers fry their own dough fritters. The stand has a giant wok with bubbling oil in the middle, which Li would toss rolled-out fritters into. Customers would be armed with long chopsticks that they would use to flip the fritters and pick them out when they are ready.

The store is an icon of Maxwell Food Centre, having been there for more than three decades. Li, who helped out since she was a kid, is well-familiar with the tradition started — in the past on busy days, customers would offer to help her father fry the fritters as a kind gesture or, as we would like to call it, kampung spirit. Heartwarming tale aside, these are delicious dough fritters, stat. 

Crowd favourites: Despite inflation, Li has maintained the affordable price of S$1 for five pieces of hum jin pang. The cheapest in CBD and, perhaps, Singapore, it is also one of the best. 

It is available in only two flavours, red bean for sweet tooths or five spice powder for those wanting a more savoury treat. These golden pillows are airy and chewy, and the definition of a perfect hum jin pang.

7. Fu Shun Shao La Mian Jia

Maxwell Food Centre, 01-71, 1 Kadayanallur Street
Open: Monday to Saturday (11.30am to 5pm)

Why visit? Some of the best Cantonese roast meats are found, not within fancy restaurants, but at your good ol’ hawker centres. Fu Shun Shao La Mian Jia is one great example. Singaporean Chan Tuck Kwai opened the store in 2008 to snaking queues, thanks to his perfect charcoal roasts at budget-friendly prices. 

His menu revolves around the three roasts — duck, pork belly and barbecued pork char siew — wontons and dumplings, served with either rice or egg noodles.

Tip: Be prepared to wait as there’s going to be a queue at all hours. You’ll instantly know which store it is as regulars would’ve already started waiting for the shutters to open way before opening time. 

Crowd favourites: Even with a short queue (five or so people before you), you’re going to be looking at a 30-minute wait at least. Make your time worth and go all out with the three roast combo with noodles (S$8) — if you really want to impress the uncle, order in Cantonese.

You get a handful of roast duck, crispy pork belly and char siew with curly egg noodles drenched in its housemade dark sauce that’s equal parts sweet and savoury. The duck, albeit a bit dry, has the ideal crisp skin while the other two boast just enough fat to keep each bite as satisfying as the next. Remember to mix in a scoop of its chilli paste into the noodles.

If you’re a fan of its char siew and want to savour that savoury, slightly smoky flavour on its own, go for its wanton noodles (S$4). Here, you get an additional serving of plump wantons that could easily stand out on their own.

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8. Ye Lai Xiang Tasty Barbecue

Maxwell Food Centre, 01-94, 1 Kadayanallur Street
Open: Monday to Friday (12pm to 2.30pm, 6pm to 8.30pm)

Why visit? When it comes to Hainanese-style western food, Ye Lai Xiang Tasty Barbecue ranks high. Generous servings aside, it is one of the few places where you’d still get original recipes that effectively fuse elements of British and Nyonya cuisine. 

Late owner Mr. Leong founded the store at Tanglin Halt in 1971 after the British  pulled out of Singapore, giving Singaporeans a taste of this unique take on western fare. The store moved to Margaret Drive Food Centre in 1976, with his third son, Vance, eventually taking over the store. Vance continues to run the store with his father’s original recipes when they reopened in Maxwell Food Centre in 2011. 

Crowd favourites: The pan-fried chicken chop or pork chop (S$9.50) is smoky, juicy and larger than most but what keeps most coming back is actually its homemade brown sauce. Vance does it the same as his father, using a bone and vegetable stock as a base for other flavoursome ingredients, such as red wine, vinegar and Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce, to name a few. The sides are the usual suspects of crinkle fries, salad and a buttery sweet bun. 

The chicken cutlet (S$10) is proper guilty pleasure. A massive portion of chicken thigh is thinly breaded and fried to a beautiful golden crunch, and served with a splash of that brown sauce. If you’re anything like me, you’d pair it with one of the citrusy beers from Welcome Ren Min (which we delve into below!). 

9. Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake

Maxwell Food Centre, 01-05, 1 Kadayanallur Street
Open: Monday to Saturday (9am to 8pm)

Why visit? Any trip to Maxwell Food Centre would not be complete without Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake. The second-generation hawker doles out this Fuzhou snack — my family endearingly refer to them as UFOs due to its round shape with a fat centre — of rice-based batter filled with your choice of seafood.

The store’s history dates back to 1962. Madam Pang Siew Ting sold her hometown dish to support her five children, with her daughter, Madam Hoon, eventually taking over the store. She’s done a fantastic job at that too. Not only did she earn a spot on the Michelin Bib Gourmand list, she’s also received rave reviews from the late Anthony Bourdain.

Crowd favourites: Hoon made no changes to her mother’s recipe and continues to prepare the batter by hand. Rice grains are first soaked overnight before it is ground with flour to create a thick, white batter. 

Every order of oyster cake (S$2.50 per piece) is fried a la minute — a spoonful of batter is packed with oysters, minced meat, prawns and cilantro and fried to a gorgeous golden brown. Let it cool off and have it with its fresh-tasting sweet chilli.

10. Welcome Ren Min

Maxwell Food Centre, 01-33, 1 Kadayanallur Street
Open: Monday to Thursday (5.30pm to 10.30pm), Friday (12pm to 11pm), Saturday (12pm to 10.30pm) and Sunday (12pm to 9.30pm)

Why visit? Welcome Ren Min easily stands out, with its minimalistic sign board featuring a red plastic chair (the sort you’ll often see at hawkers or kopitiams). That aside, in a hawker centre, it’s one of the few stalls that doesn’t serve food. Its a craft brewery and “mini” taproom doling out bottles, pints and, even, growlers of local and international craft beers out of a hawker store at Maxwell Food Centre. 

Formerly known as 3rd Culture Brewing Co., owner Manbeer Singh made the change in 2020 to reflect the team’s communal spirit and their connection to hawker culture. Its offerings include 12 rotating taps as well as a selection from breweries around the world. 

Its popularity (and their regulars’ continued support) has also led to the brand expanding its repertoire to include its own beers, which range from its own creations that’s brewed in Singapore or limited-time collaborations with international breweries. 

Tip: The place can get busy so check out its Untapped page for their rotating menu, along with vibrant descriptions. 

Crowd favourites: Get acquainted with the Bigish-Leap (from S$15 for a 340ml serving), its first New England-style double IPA. The whooping 7.6% ABV (alcohol by volume) may be intimidating but it boasts lively grapefruit and citrusy notes nestled against a backdrop of stone fruits. It easily pairs with many of the delicious offerings from its neighbours. 

Both new and seasoned drinkers will enjoy what its Yi Jian Zhong Qin quadruple fruited goose (from S$12 for a 340ml serving) will bring to the dining experience here. For the uninitiated, “yi jian zhong qing” means “love at first sight” in Chinese. 

For this drink, fruits are added to the beer after its primary fermentation, allowing the beer to take up the fresh fruit flavours. Here, they use a blend of mulberries, raspberries, golden berries and passion fruit for that lovely red hue and a tantalising tropical brew, resulting in an initial tartness interspersed with citrus and jam-like sweetness. 

11. Old Nyonya

Maxwell Food Centre, 01-04, 1 Kadayanallur Street
Open: Monday to Tuesday, Thursday to Sunday (11am to 9pm)

Why visit? You’ll rarely find Peranakan cuisine in hawkers. The dishes are labour-intensive, often involving a multitude of ingredients that require tonnes of prep. Yet, husband-and-wife duo Tony and Ruby, have managed to dole out these decadent plates at a budget-friendly price at Old Nyonya.

Tony mastered the recipes from his aunt, who has spent decades in the kitchen. True to any Nyonya chef, every component is painstakingly prepared from scratch. Tony can be spotted prepping early in the morning, and even after closing hours. His aunt may have retired at 90 years old, but it is clear that Tony is continuing her culinary legacy and introducing locals and tourists alike to hearty Nyonya fare. 

Crowd favourites: Go for the rendang chicken (S$6). The indulgent rendang sauce that drapes the tender chicken thigh is complex and redolent with aromatic spices. Mix in its piquant sambal (tread lightly if you can’t handle your spice), and play around with its various toppings —  cucumber, housemade achar, fried anchovies and boiled egg — for the perfect bite.

Its laksa (S$5 or S$7) is a warm hug. On the lighter side, the laksa showcases Tony’s delicate use of spices. Some may find that its broth isn’t as lemak (creaminess from coconut milk), but its rendition makes for a comforting meal that fuels CBD folks without giving them that dreaded post-meal coma. 

Here’s another spot for authentic and affordable Nyonya cuisine.

12. Dan Lao

Maxwell Food Centre, 01-73, 1 Kadayanallur Street
Open: Monday to Sunday (11am to 8.30pm)

Why visit? Ong Zhen Ning earned the nickname of “dan lou” (or “egg boss” in Cantonese) when he was working as part of the opening team for Eggluts over at Scotts Square. He eventually adapted the name Dan Lao for the chain of hawker stores now populating the island, alongside his team of young hawkers. Joining him are Jermain Choo (part of the Eggslut opening team), Howard Ng and Joan Lim. 

Dan Lao’s calling card is its scrambled eggs rice bowls that’s reminiscent of those you’d get in a cha chaan teng in Hong Kong. Simple and comforting, the bowls come with your choice of protein topping — the choice is succinct at just five but each delivers a unique flavour to the otherwise unassuming dish. Furthermore, to ensure the quality and taste, much of their ingredients are made in-house and cooked to order. 

Tip: Keep a lookout on its socials for limited-time flavours. 

Crowd favourite: Any order will come with the same base of silky yet fluffy eggs atop warm long-grain rice. The scrambled eggs come seasoned and slightly runny, perfect for mixing into the rice case. 

For toppings, its signature is the chicken cutlet (S$7) for good reason. Marinated in fu ru (red fermented beancurd), basted and fried till the skin turns crips, it makes for a juicy, umami bite. 

Another highlight is its char siew (S$7). The marinated pork is cooked sous vide, making it delicately tender. A burst of the blow torch gives the slices an aromatic crackling top, akin to the traditionally roasted variation. 

13. MS Dessert Shop

Maxwell Food Centre, 01-068, 1 Kadayanallur Street
Open: Monday to Sunday (9am to 8.30pm)

Why visit? Traditional Chinese desserts may be hard to come by nowadays but the two lady bosses of MS Dessert Shop continue to deliver these homemade goodies at an affordable price at Maxwell Food Centre daily, without fail. The shop name MS refers to miss for the two ladies, as does its Chinese name “hua jie” (flower lady) on its signboard.

The duo are veteran hawkers, particularly for desserts — they have ample experience selling Chinese desserts in Chinatown and Bedok separately. It was only in 2022 that the two friends decided to join hands and open their own right in the CBD. It aims to provide a low-cost treat to old folks, as well as the busy office workers in the area.

Crowd favourites: Its pulut hitam (S$1.50) is as rich and as creamy as you’d expect. The black glutinous rice is cooked just till it reaches a gooey consistency, with a slight bite for texture.

The errant weather will have you reaching for the peach gum dessert (available in hot and cold, S$2.80). Albeit pricer, it comes generously filled with collagen- and amino acid-rich peach gum. Collected as a resin from Chinese peach trees, it is often consumed for its health benefits, ranging from maintaining youthful skin to cooling properties. The amber-like resin is slow-cooked with dried longan and wolfberries to make up this nourishing sweet broth. 

14. Baguette Huong Viet Vietnamese Cuisine

Maxwell Food Centre, 01-42, 1 Kadayanallur Street
Open: Monday to Thursday (9am to 9pm)

Why visit? Golden Mile Complex may be gone, but one of its favourite tenants has returned as a hawker at Maxwell Food Centre. Previously located right outside the Thai supermarket at the historic complex, it has since found a new home to continue serving up Vietnamese classics, such as summer rolls, pho and, their most popular, bánh mì (Vietnamese sandwich). 

You’ll be hard pressed to miss its visually-appealing storefront — minimalist black signboard aside, you’ll instantly notice the window display of freshly baked baguettes and rows of its sauces, fillings and aromatic toppings. 

Crowd favourites: Of the six banh mi available, the beef banh mi (S$7.50) is a clear winner — the baguette is crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, allowing it to absorb the saucy filling of stir-fried beef with onions. The handmade chicken pate may not have added much flavour, but it imparted a creaminess that tied the beef with the pickled vegetables, chilli and coriander. It gets messy so grab tissues before diggint in.

Another favourite is the grilled pork vermicelli with spring rolls (S$7), otherwise known as bun thit nuong. The bed of chewy rice noodles is topped with fried spring rolls, chunks of fatty grilled pork sausage, pickled vegetables and fresh lettuce. The key here is the nuoc cham, a citrusy fish sauce-based sauce to douse and toss your ingredients with. Sweet, salty, sour and spicy, it makes for a filling yet refreshing dish in Singapore’s weather. 

Check out these 15 other locations for Vietnamese fare.

15. Jiang Nan Wei Dao

Maxwell Food Centre, 01-62, 1 Kadayanallur Street
Open: Monday to Friday and Sunday (11.30am to 8.30pm)

Why visit? Fans of Din Tai Fung will be happy to know that you can now dig into the Taiwanese chain’s famed signatures at an affordable price right at Maxwell Food Centre. Jiang Nan Wei Dao is manned by Shandong natives, Sun and his wife, the former of whom spent years training in the kitchens of Din Tai Fung and Paradise Group. 

Sun even spent a year adjusting the recipe, specifically the spice blend, to recreate the authentic taste of his former workplaces, within a hawker store. The menu is relatively vast and includes a range of fried rice, noodles and handmade dumplings with various toppings and sauces. 

Crowd favourites: The simplest dish is often the best way to “test’ a chef, and Sun scores a full hundred with his pork chop noodle dry ($6.50). The star is clearly the massive slab of pork chop. It is lightly crisp, tender and just enough heat from the black pepper. 

It also comes atop a generous bed of Chinese pulled noodles, lightly dressed in a soy-based seasoning that allows his homemade chilli crisp to shine. Tip: You can also add a splash of vinegar which lends acidity to the whole dish.  

If you’re keen on more, order a side of the prawn wontons in chilli oil (S$6.50 for eight pieces). Plump with silky, gossamer skins drenched in a spicy, sweet and savory sauce, this moreish plate is value-for-money. For a fiery kick, you can even drizzle more of that homemade chilli crisp on top.

For more places to explore, check out our list of Michelin Bib Gourmand awardees that you can get delivered to your own home, as well as the latest openings in town this month. 

Rojah, Popiah & Cockle, Old Nyonya, Dan Lao, MS Dessert Shop, Baguette Huong Viet Vietnam Cuisine, and Jiang Nan Wei Dao are on the GrabFood Delivery Service and offer free delivery (up to S$3 off) with GrabUnlimited.   

Do explore the GrabFood Dine Out service for awesome deals.  

Alternatively, book a ride to Maxwell Food Centre for these food options.