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An unwritten code of rules that’ll have you eating like a local in Singapore’s hawker stalls in a heartbeat! 🍜
In a place where food is a lifestyle, love is delivered on plates and, “Have you eaten yet?” is a form of greeting, Singapore’s hawker centres and their numerous stalls are the thumping pulse of the city.
On any given night, you’ll find office workers, parents and students sitting elbow to elbow, wiping sweat from their foreheads, fingers sticky with sambal stingray, and cooling down with soursop juice.
While a gurgling cauldron of laksa unites crowds of all ages around a hawker table, you wouldn’t want to offend your fellow eaters. Here are a few rules of etiquette that’ll have you eating like a local in no time.
While many places accept credit cards, some stalls only accept cash.
You’ll find that your spare change will stretch a long way - with dishes about SG$6.20 on average, you’ll easily score a feast under SG$20. As an added bonus, your pouch of coins and notes will help you evade those sneaky international transfer charges!
Left your cash at home? Simply stroll over to one of the handy ATMs on the outskirts of the hawker centre where you’ll be able to withdraw some before wandering through the technicolour maze of stalls.
Tissues aren’t just to mop up the spill of Hainanese chicken rice or to pick up the crumble of your roti - they are there to reserve a seat.
If you see a small packet of tissues on a table, or an umbrella across a row of seats, steer clear - it’s a sure sign that the table has been reserved by another patron. You too can experience the freedom to roam around the multicoloured stalls - it only takes placing a pack of tissues on the table you wish to sit at!
Forgotten your tissues? Fear not, you can buy a pack from the peddlers walking around the hawker centre. Otherwise, walk or take a grab (Singapore’s preferred rideshare app) to a chemist - like Watsons or Guardian - to find a bulk pack before your feast.
Eating is a communal affair at hawker centres, so don’t be surprised if you’re sharing a table with other hungry patrons. Similarly, it’s completely courteous to ask people if you can sit at the same table as them.
Don’t be shy - treat people with respect and you may find that you come out with more friends along the way. It’s also a great way to see what others are ordering and to get recommendations on the best stalls to check out.
Remember your table number. Queue politely, and be prepared for the line to snake through and around tables of people eating.
Each stall will proudly display their dishes on brightly lit signs on top of the stall - and it's common to find each item labelled with a letter and number (like 'C-1'). When you get to the front of the line, just give them your table number and the numbered item you’d like to order.
While each stall is slightly different, there’s a few local favourites: sambal stingray, laksa, nasi lemak, popiah, satay and wonton noodles. Noodles have “dry” or “soup” options. Soup noodles are exactly as described: your noodles will come in a bowl of soup. Dry options usually mean the noodles are served with a light sauce, with the broth served on the side.
And if you’re still frozen with indecision when you reach the front of the line, go with whatever the person in front of you has ordered, or point to what is being made in the window!
Some hawker centres have uncles and aunties who roam around taking drinks orders, trays balanced expertly on one hand, with the other hand digging furiously into a bumbag for spare change. They usually take cash (with the occasional one whipping out a card reader).
If you can’t get the attention of your local drinks person, head over to a drinks stall. Cool down with a fresh coconut or a freshly crushed sugar cane juice - its subtle sweetness and cloudy yellow tang will get you back on your feet in record time.
For something more adventurous, try the soursop juice - a milk coloured sour-sweet drink, studded with creamy seeds of the soursop fruit (similar to a spiky custard apple). For something more filling, many drinks stalls sell local desserts such cendol and ais kacang - a mountain of shaved ice studded with red beans, creamed corn, grass jelly and a rainbow of other local condiments.
When you’re done be sure to place all your rubbish in the bins provided and return your tray, cutlery and bowls to the marked racks. Be particularly conscious of the Halal racks and the non-Halal racks. Wash your hands at a washing station near the outskirts of the hawker centre and you’re good to go!
Maxwell Food Centre (of Crazy Rich Asians fame), Lau Pa Sat and Amoy Street Food Centre are well-trodden favourites.
If you’re looking to branch out, check the map on the National Environment Agency’s website which sorts all 118 of Singapore’s Hawker Centres by name, location and opening months.
For Halal travellers, check out the handout on Halal-friendly hawker centres and restaurants on the Visit Singapore website.
Like any great city, Singapore is fuelled by caffeine. Here’s a quick guide on how to order coffee and tea in Singapore.
A quick rundown:
So, a kopi (pronounced “ko-pee”) is black coffee with condensed milk. For those with a sweet tooth, a kopi-C will get you a coffee with evaporated milk, and a kopi-O will get you a classic black coffee with sugar. Those looking for a caffeine hit without sugar (like a long black) should order a kopi-O kosong. If the heat’s got you beat, ask for a kopi peng - an “iced coffee”.
Similarly, teh is hot tea with condensed milk, teh-C is tea with evaporated milk, and teh-O kosong will get you a tea without milk or sugar.
For a local favourite, order a teh tarik, a tea that’s “pulled” between two containers, leaving a frothy sweet light drink. For the best of both worlds, order a kopi-cham or a yuanyang, a hearty drink that mixes tea and coffee into a smooth brew.
Not a tea or coffee lover? Try another favourite - a milo dinosaur, a sweetened milo heaped with milo powder on top or a bandung - a creamy pastel pink drink made by stirring rosewater into condensed milk.
