During trying times like these, do continue to support our local hawkers by getting takeouts or ordering local hawker food from delivery apps such as Deliveroo and Foodpanda.

Here are 5 hawker centres in Singapore where you can order your favourite local dishes from and have them delivered to your doorstep.

Photo Credit: Ah Tai Hainanese Chicken Rice on Facebook & @paulasjunk14

#1 MAXWELL HAWKER FOOD CENTRE

Loved by both tourists and locals alike, Maxwell Hawker Food Centre is one of the most popular hawker centres in Singapore and there are many famous hawker stalls that have long queues every day.

If you’re a chicken rice lover, you will be glad to know that Ah Tai Hainaese Chicken Rice is available to order on Foodpanda. The Steamed Chicken Rice is a hit. Besides chicken rice, there are other stalls to check out, including Rojak, Popiah & Cockle, a Michelin-Recommended stall; and the crowd-favourite Jin Hua Sliced Fish Bee Hoon.

Available for food delivery on Foodpanda.

Maxwell Food Centre
1 Kadayanallur St
Singapore 069184
Open Daily: 8am – 2am (stall hours might differ)

#2 CHOMP CHOMP FOOD CENTRE

Arguably one of the most popular supper spots in Singapore, Chomp Chomp Food Centre is in the heart of Serangoon Gardens. Some of the hawker stalls at Chomp Chomp you can order via Foodpanda include Traditional Hai Nam Fang Yuan Satay, AMK 409 Fried Carrot Cake, and even desserts from Ding Hao Sugarcane & Desserts!

If you’re a fan of barbecued food, Chomp Chomp has an array of choices, but our favourite remains the Large Sambal Stingray from Lucy BBQ Seafood on Deliveroo.

Available on Foodpanda and Deliveroo.

Chomp Chomp Food Centre
20 Kensington Park Rd
Singapore 557269
Open Daily: 4pm – 12.30am (stall hours might differ)

Read our guide on the best dishes at Chomp Chomp Food Centre.

#3 OLD AIRPORT ROAD FOOD CENTRE

This hawker centre was voted “Best Hawker Centre In Singapore” last year when 96.3 HAO FM launched its “The Search for Singapore’s Best Hawker Centre” campaign, garnering the most votes and twice as many votes as its nearest competition.

You will be overjoyed to know that Michelin-Recommended stall Hua Kee Hougang Famous Wanton Mee is available for delivery on both Foodpanda and Deliveroo, starting at S$5.90. Other options from Foodpanda include Fried Carrot Cake, Albert Street Prawn Noodle, and Xin Bee Congee.

Available on Foodpanda and Deliveroo.

Old Airport Road Food Centre
51 Old Airport Rd
Singapore 390051
Open Daily: 6am – 11pm (stall hours might differ)

Read our guide on the best eats at Old Airport Road Food Centre.

#4 YISHUN PARK FOOD CENTRE

One of the newer hawker centres in the hawker scene, Yishun Park Food Centre was opened in 2017. A modern take on the traditional hawker centres, the founders wanted to attract the younger generation and encourage them to support local hawkers.

Be sure to order the Atas Wing Meal from Ah Tan Crispy Chicken Har Cheong Gai, which is available on both Foodpanda and Deliveroo. Deliveroo also has options such as Thunder Tea Rice from Ah Lock Tofu, and Beef Brisket Noodles from One Mouth Noodle. Foodpanda has Belgian Chocolate Pancakes from Munchi Delights and Century Egg and Lean Meat Congee from Li Fang Congee.

Available on Foodpanda and Deliveroo.

Yishun Park Food Centre
51 Yishun Ave 11
Singapore 768867
Open Daily: 6am – 10pm (stall hours might differ)

Photo Credit: @jennysggoh

#5 BUKIT PANJANG HAWKER CENTRE

This hawker centre is one of the newest in the hawker scene as well, opened by NTUC Foodfare back in 2018. Selling tasty, delectable food at affordable prices, its no wonder everyone who dines here is spoilt for choice.

Hawker favourites include Prawn Noodle from Zai Lai Prawn Noodle, Fishball Noodle from You Xiang Teochew Noodles, Chicken Rice from Tong Fong Fatt Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice, and Fried Carrot Cake from Father & Son’s Fried Carrot Cake And Char Kuey Teow.

Available on Foodpanda.

Bukit Panjang Hawker Centre and Market
2 Bukit Panjang Ring Rd
Singapore 679947
Open Daily: 6am – 10pm (stall hours might differ)

We Singaporeans love our hawker food – oh, yes we do. But as with all relationships in life, some love are a little more toxic than others. I got a local dietitian to help shed light on what dishes we should keep a distance from. Check out Singapore’s 10 unhealthiest hawker dishes, listed according to total calories. I do apologise for the impending heartbreak.

10. CHICKEN SATAY AND SAUCE
5 sticks of satay with 5g of sauce each (75g) = 185cal

Well, this is a small number – what’s the big deal, right? But this is a lot of calories, fat (10g) and sodium (249mg) in a small amount of food. Typically you’ll have satay alongside other dishes as well. Oh, and if you wolf down 10 sticks, you would have already hit about one-third of your daily fat allowance.

9. CHENDOL
Grass jelly, red bean and pandan jelly served in a sweet coconut milk base soup (368g) = 386cal

Who can resist the addictive combo of gula melaka and coconut milk? But it is precisely all of its sweet goodness that’s leading to the high calorie count. Plus, a bowlful has about nine teaspoons of sugar. Chendol has a high glycaemic index (GI), which means it’s digested and released into the body quickly, giving you a spike in energy that crashes, and leaves you tired and hungry quickly.

8. FRIED ECONOMIC BEE HOON
Fried vermicelli with fried luncheon meat and fried egg (273g) = 427cal

A favourite at breakfasts, this dish will almost hit your daily limit for cholesterol (300mg) at 219mg, so be careful with the rest of the day’s intake. Luncheon meats are also highly processed and contain a lot of MSG, which will make you thirsty. Try to reach for water instead of a sweet drink.

7. BLACK FRIED CARROT CAKE
Fried radish with egg and sweet sauce (295g) = 493cal

This dish scores high marks not just in taste but in all the wrong nutrients as well. There is a lot of fat in it (35g), because it’s usually cooked in pork lard. There is also a lot of sugar from the sweet sauce (up to 6 teaspoons) and about 1,289mg of sodium – this is more than half of your 2,000mg daily requirement.

6. MEE GORENG
Yellow noodle with vegetables, egg, cooked in tomato and chilli sauce (309g) = 500cal

This one’s a real danger for adults with hypertension as the salt content of 1,851mg is close to one entire day’s requirement of 2,000mg. A large proportion of mee goreng’s calories come from fat (20g), which makes the quality of the calories low. A dish with high quality calories would be a better balanced one (think salads with olive oil dressing and lean meats).

5. LAKSA LEMAK
Noodles with prawns and fish cakes in coconut-based soup (540g) = 591cal

The richness of the coconut milk which gives laksa that wonderful full-bodied mouthful is also the undoing of this dish – nutritionally. More that half the fat (32g) comes from saturated fat (17.8g), which is harmful to the heart. The sodium levels are right up there as well at 1,588mg.

4. CHICKEN RICE
“Roasted” chicken with skin, served with rice and chilli sauce (382g) = 607cal

The rice, while delicious, was cooked swimming in chicken fat. The total fat count here is at 23g, which is about one-third, or half of your daily requirement, depending on your gender. A fatty meal takes about four hours to digest – a plate of this will leave you sluggish and sleepy after you eat it, especially with a rush of serotonins (a feel-good hormone) from the high carbohydrate content. Again, watch the sodium too (1,287mg).

Read: recommendations on some of the best chicken rice in Singapore.

3. NASI LEMAK
Coconut rice with fried chicken wing, fried egg, fried anchovies and chilli sauce (306g) = 657cal

This one’s my personal favourite and I’m horrified to find it third on the list. The fat content of 25g is high and it’s all thanks to the rich coconut milk-soaked rice and deep fried accompanying dishes. At 657 calories, this exceeds your “budget” for a meal, based on a 1,800cal diet.

2. MEE SIAM
Thin, white rice noodle, hard boiled egg and dried beancurd in tangy gravy (655g) = 694cal

A bowlful of mee siam always looks so unassuming, until you find out about the high amount of carbohydrates from the noodles and sugar-laden gravy (92g). This dish also takes home the award for highest amount of sodium, clocking in a whopping 2,659mg – that’s one entire day’s allowance and a third of tomorrow’s.

1. CHAR KWAY TEOW
Rice noodles fried with cockles, Chinese sausage and sweet sauce (384g) = 744cal

This tasty plate of wok hei-heavy kway teow noodles tops the list at 744 calories. It is also extremely heart-unfriendly with it’s high levels of fat (38g) – of which 70% is saturated fat (29.2g) – and cholesterol (234mg). It gets most of its calories from the sweet sauce, highly processed meats and pork lard used. Also take note of the sodium levels, which sits at 1,459mg.

So there you go, remember that you don’t have to cut these hawker favourites from your life forever – they are after all, as Singaporean as they come. Enjoy them no more than once a week, and choose healthier dishes for your other meals on the days you decide to indulge.

Expert source: Jaclyn Reutens, clinical dietitian at nutrition consultancy Aptima Nutrition & Sports Consultants www.aptima-nsc.com

About the writer:
Ruby Tan used to write for Her World, and is now a freelance writer with a dream to travel the world. She believes that the some of best things in life don’t have to be bought. If you want to make a friend, share travel tips and advice, or even to discuss deeply about life, write to her at rubytan.work@gmail.com