As one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Singapore, Tiong Bahru is one that exudes charm like no other.

About a decade ago, Tiong Bahru was simply a tranquil neighbourhood with old school shophouses and local eats. It was not until the recent few years that modern cafes and restaurants started popping up in the area.

There is something about the marriage of old and new that boasts a very comforting vibe that is unique on its own. Here are 8 Things to Love About The Tiong Bahru Neighbourhood in Singapore.

#1 SO MUCH TO EAT

Tiong Bahru has a great mix of sassy cafes and restaurants, and local Asian-style eateries for everybody. We covered a few of our favourite eats here and this includes PS Cafe Petit and Sin Hoi Sai Eating House.

#2 EASILY ACCESSIBLE

Tiong Bahru is easily accessible by car or via public transport. A ton of buses stop right outside the main Tiong Bahru area, including buses from town such as Bus 16.

You can also drop off at Tiong Bahru MRT and take any bus from the mall side (2 stops away) to the main area. If you prefer heading down on foot, the general area in Tiong Bahru where all the cafes and restaurants are is about 5 to 10 mins away.

#3 HIPSTER HEAVEN

We say ‘hipster’ because of the abundance of cool and trendy cafes in the area such as Tiong Bahru Bakery, Drips Bakery Cafe, Forty Hands and Flock Cafe.

And there are occasional lifestyle shops that sell the quirkiest merchandise. For the hipsters and all Indie fans indeed.

#4 LOCAL EATS

If you are not the biggest fan of cafe fare, that’s fine because Tiong Bahru has several local food options include family-style tze char restaurant Sin Hoi Sai – a familiar name that has been around for as long as we can remember.

We also enjoy casual hawker meals at Tiong Bahru Market – pig out on all the local favourites!

#5 NEW & OLD

Tiong Bahru preserves the old while adding in some modern touches.

The old shophouses are well preserved, and we love the short flats as well as the rows of shophouses. The new blend in to the environment, without changing the facade of Tiong Bahru, and instead elevate the whole eclectic feel of the neighbourhood.

#6 OLD SHOPHOUSES

The old shophouses and housing estates are pretty much preserved, especially the older three-storey flats – which is a rare sight in Singapore with all the skyscrapers.

With Singapore progressing so fast, we sure appreciate these old-school buildings and facade.

#7 PLENTIFUL PARKING

If you are ever worried about parking, worry not.

First of all, parking spaces are aplenty along the different roads. However, during peak hours, we suggest parking at the multi-storey car park above Tiong Bahru market. If all else fails, there are open space car parks farther down from the market.

#8 RELAXING VIBES

It is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of city life, but just a visit here soothes our soul. Have dinner at one of the restaurants then head over to a quaint cafe for some desserts and a nice chat with friends.

We also love spending quiet afternoons over a lovely read and a cuppa in one of the many cafes here.

Street food is easily one of the best things a country can offer. Unlike other countries where you eat by the road side, Singapore’s version of street food is what we call hawker food, and they are found in food/hawker centres – which are usually located in the heartlands.

For what is lacking in the electrifying atmosphere of eating by the street, the hawker centres in singapore make up for it by serving clean and tasty food, in a comfortable environment.

Tiong Bahru Market is one of the most popular hawker centres in Singapore. I always go there when I am craving for local food. Here are some of the things that I order when I am eating there.

It is no secret that Singaporeans love queuing up for food. In a way, it acts as a guide to the more popular stalls in a hawker centre, but it is not accurate all the time.

Judging from the queues when we were there on a Sunday morning, the best food stalls in Tiong Bahru Food Centre (in no particular order) are: Pork Ribs Prawn Noodle (#02-31), Koh Brothers Pig Organ Soup (#02-29), Tiong Bahru Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice (#02-82), Wanton Noodles (#02-30), 178 Lor Mee (#02-23) and Tiong Bahru Lee Hong Kee Cantonese Roasted (#02-60).

This is one of the best food in Tiong Bahru Market – Tiong Bahru Lee Hong Kee Cantonese Roasted stall. The long queues are annoying but the Char Siew and Roasted Pork are out-of-this-world-good.

I grew up eating the roasted duck. When I was a kid, my parents would bring me to the old Tiong Bahru Market during the weekends. Ahhh, those were the days.

The chicken rice from Tiong Bahru Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice stall is very very good. To me, they are easily one of the best chicken rice stalls in Singapore. The Steamed Hainanese chicken rice here is wildly popular, but I always prefer roasted chicken, and their rendition is equally good anyway.

Besides the popular stalls that I’ve mentioned, you can also try the following at Tiong Bahru Hawker Centre: Peranakan food like Buak Keluak and Ngio Hiang from the fairly new Daisy Dream Kitchen (#02-36); hot and soupy Kway Chap (#02-43); another Lor Mee option from Tiong Bahru Lor Mee (#02-80); piping hot Char Siew Bao and Siew Mai from Tiong Bahru Pau (#02-18); and handmade fish balls from Teochew Fish Ball Noodle (#02-13).

And of course, no visit to Tiong Bahru Market is complete without eating Chwee Kueh. Among the two Chwee Kueh stalls there, I prefer Jian Bo Tiong Bahru Chwee Kueh (#02-05) – which is one of the few original stalls from the old Tiong Bahru Market.

Singapore Food Blog Review
Tiong Bahru Food Market & Hawker Centre
30 Seng Poh road

For more recommendations, read Bukit Timah Market | Chomp Chomp Hawker Centre | Jurong West Food Centre | Old Airport Road Market | Serangoon Gardens Food Centre