10 Best Food Stalls at Maxwell Hawker Centre [2022] 

Singapore has some breath-taking highlights like the Merlion, Marina Bay Sands, Sentosa Island, and most importantly the local hawker stalls. Consequently, no matter how much you shop or enjoy sight-seeing, hunger pangs will never leave you, nor will local food options. So, whether you’re a tourist or staying in Singapore, Maxwell Food Center is a hotspot in the city you cannot miss out!

From China Street Fritters, Lao Ban Beancurd, and Hoe Kee Congee, to Lim Kee Banana Fritters, and Fried Sweet Potato Dumplings. These are some of the regular favourites that have been prevalent over the years. However, don’t get overwhelmed by the number of options they shower you with, since we got your back!

Rightly so, we have curated a list of the most delicious Food Stalls at Maxwell Hawker Center that make for a perfect feast just for you!

1. Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice

Who believes in the choices of Celebrity Chefs Gordon Ramsey and the late Anthony Bourdain? Well, Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice is one of their favourites and that’s how popular their signature Chicken Rice really is. Chicken Rice is not only Singapore’s favourite local delicacy but also has authentic preparations. Hence, you can grab its best version right here at Maxwell Food Center.

Apart from throwing a party in your mouth, they are recognized as the best Chicken Rice stall with a Michelin Bib Gourmand award as a gold feather in its cap. With such a prestigious award, you can only imagine how tasty their dish might really be. The fragrance of the rice can be felt from afar and the succulence of the chicken is divine in itself. Being ridiculously popular in Singapore, they have even branched out Hong Kong. Yet their prices remain the same – reasonable and worth every penny. Lastly, here’s a quick warning –  There’s always a queue at Tian Tian so try to avoid the peak lunch hours if possible.

What to expect: Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice costs $3.50 and comes in three sizes: small, medium, and large. You can also try the Ah Tai Hainanese Chicken Rice which is located 2 stalls away from Tian Tian.

2. Jin Hua Fish Soup

One of the oldest stalls at Maxwell Food Center. Jin Hua has been sitting on the fish soup throne for the past 20 years now. Not only do they serve tender and thick chunks of deep-fried fish, but also rich broth with silky noodles packed in large punches of flavour. Thus, making it the perfect place to expect lip-smacking bowls of hearty fish soup.

On the other hand, the Grouper Fish Head is definitely more flavoursome. The goodness of the grouper along with a richness of milk balances beautifully when the strong tinge of ginger cancels the fishiness.  Besides, you can also choose if you want your fish fried or sliced. Also, you can choose which carb you want to add – rice or noodles. Most importantly, you can choose whether you want milk or not in your dish. Overall, it’s an iconic hawker dish is tastier than it looks.

What to expect:  Jin Hua Fish Head Bee Hoon starts from $4 for Cantonese-style fish soup that’s rich with flavour. The Fried Fish Meat Noodles costs $5 and the Grouper Fish Head Noodles costs $8

3. Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake

It takes a true artist to make something as balanced as an Oyster cake. Unlike it’s deceiving simple appearance, each oyster cake consists of minced meat, fresh prawns, oysters studded in a rice batter alongside cilantro. Ideally, it’s supposed to be soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. In fact, the most fun part is adding chilli sauce to it!

Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake dishes out the most amazing hand-made Oyster Cakes keeping the crunch and fluffiness alive where they should be. Furthermore, it is an old and traditional dish and won’t be available all over Singapore very easily. Maxwell Fuzhou is one of the very few places that retains the recipe, vibe, and authenticity of the dish. In other words, it’s worth a try!

What to expect: Oyster Cakes costs $2 each piece.

4. Popo & Nana’s Delights

Anyone who lives in Asia knows the significance of ‘set meals’. It’s value-for-money evenly segregated in your plate. Popo Nana serves Peranakan and Eurasian food, unlike many other hawker centres. In fact,  they drive a daily rotation of four set meals, where each set comes with your choice of white or brown rice, vegetables, and a bowl of soup of the day.

Consequently, all set meals are very reasonably priced. Moreover, they contain absolutely no MSG. Hence, this makes people feel at home and want to come back for more. Perfect for those who want to grab a quick bite between shopping sprees or weekday lunches, this can be a serious addiction to comfort. Equally important, they use only fresh ingredients and no frozen meat.

What to expect: All sets cost $6. Try the Chicken Rendang which is well-marinated moist and tender chicken served with thick rendang sauce.  

5. Ye Lai Xiang Tasty Barbecue

What the other mood-lifter besides Pizza and Dessert? That’s right, Chicken Cutlets! Indeed, Chicken Cutlets are inevitably tasty and Ye Lai Xiang Tasty Barbecue serves an extraordinary edition of it. In fact, you can expect a large slab of crispy and aromatic Chicken Cutlet accompanies with some mixed vegetables and crinkle-cut fries alongside a fluffy sweet bun in one portion. Sounds wholesome? It is! Most importantly, they serve grilled meat in generous portions. Thus, making them one of the best Hainanese Western food stalls in Singapore.

Being a value-for-money dish, it’s also served with an in-house sauce which is sweet and complements the cutlet amazingly. Moreover, you have a sweet bun to wipe out the excess sauces and juices. Are you drooling already? Then imagine this: Succulent chicken chop, poured over with a special brown sauce with butter bun and canned beans. Open your eyes, it’s not a dream. Maxwell Food Center has it all!

What to expect: Chicken Cutlet costs $8 and the Hainanese-Western food for $7

6. Hum Jin Pang

Seasons change but the warm and fuzzy feeling of wanting a delightful fried dish on your palate stays! To fulfil all your hunger pangs, we have the universally favourite dish in this stall – Dough Fritters. What’s so special? You can join the team and make your own by giving them a hand while they fry the delights for you. So, drop by at Hum Jin Pang and have some fun!

However, they have 2 ways of serving dough fritters — Five Spice Salt and the Sweet Red Bean edition. Besides being chewy and fluffy, they are also savoury yet coated with sugar. Moreover, the lady at the fryer drowns the dough in sesame seeds before frying it for an adding crunch. As a result, you will experience a toasty aromatic flavour. This is a traditional snack which is a winner while you want to grab a quick bite.

What to expect: Five Spice Salt and Sweet Red Bean cost $1 for 6 pieces.

6. Zhen Zhen Porridge

There is a whole different breed of humans who LOVE porridge and if you’re one of them, this stall is a compulsion to visit! Zhen Zhen serves a thick porridge with broken grains in extremely generous portions of meats, vegetables, and seasonings. Thus, it cannot possibly taste bland or subtle and instead dense and wholesome. A shoutout to all those people who think porridge is boring and flavourless, this one will change your perspective for good!

Inevitably, the queue at Maxwell Food Center’s Zhen Zhen stall speaks volumes about the premium quality of the dish. Therefore, the immense fame it holds. Furthermore, they shut pretty early in order to control the crowd they manage to gather. As a result, you should go slurp a bowl as soon as you can in the day. 

What to expect: Despite its popularity, their bowls still cost $3 with heavily topping ingredients. Try their sliced fish with shredded chicken and century egg to lay the best on your taste buds all at the same time.  

7. Special Shanghai Tim Sum

All those who had their heart stuck in the now-extinct Queenstown Magaret Drive Food Centre will be ecstatic to find their Special Shanghai Tim Sum at Maxwell Food Centre! Truly an ancestral brand which is now managed by their great-grandchildren, Special Shanghai Tim Sum is renowned for making its own dumplings every day. In fact, the freshness of these dumplings will be felt as soon as you indulge into the first bite and it melts in your mouth.  

In addition, these soft dumplings are prepared with a flavoursome concoction of well-marinated minced meat and chives, coated with a crunch on the outside. Hence, feel free to dunk it in some Vinegar sauce while it feels like the best match to tantalize your senses. Lastly, the special Chilli sauce steals the show!

What to expect: Try the Guo Tie or Fried Dumplings that costs $4 for 8 pieces and the Tong Xin Ju Special Shanghai Tim Sum at the same price.

8. China Street Rickshaw Noodles

Slurpy Noodle is an undying staple from the sacred history of traditional hawker dishes in Singapore. China Street Rickshaw Noodles has been crowning this throne for the past 70 years now and is probably the only stall still selling this dish on the island. Meanwhile, an interesting fact about their names is that it was meant to be a dish used to sustain rickshaw drivers in Singapore back in its time.

Hence, their prices are very affordable and their story is very thoughtful. In-case you’re looking for a sinful variation of the dish, go for the chewy and scrumptious Economy Noodles coated in a sweet-savoury sauce. Don’t miss sprinkling your dish with their fried toppings. Especially the battered prawns to complete your meal.

What to expect: There are two types of Noodles – the yellow noodles or the mee sua. While the regular Rickshaw Noodles cost $1, the Economy Noodles costs $1/$1.50 and top it up with battered prawns worth $0.40 each portion.

10. Marina South Delicious Food

This one’s a stall that is known to be visited by many famous celebrities, such as Chow Yun Fat. The aroma and sound of wok-fry is an organic route to take for attracting customers towards you. Hence, this is exactly how Marina South Delicious Food naturally entices people at Maxwell Food Center. So, if you’re looking for some extraordinary but perfectly authentic Singaporean wok-fried st­­aples, this one’s your go-to.

Marina South Delicious Food’s forte lies in retaining the typical Wok Hei flavours in their dishes prepared by frying maestros. Nonetheless, if you are launching on a local food spree in Singapore, then make sure to add this stall to your list. Besides, the usual carrot cake, Oyster Omelette, Hokkien Mee, etc. that you would otherwise enjoy at Maxwell Food Center.

What to expect: Char Kway Teow costs $4 for the small variation and $5 for the large one. Also, try the Fish cakes costs $1.50.

In conclusion, Maxwell Food Center is conveniently a stone’s throw away from Chinatown and Tanjong Pagar MRT stations, so your weekday lunches and weekend outings are all tastefully sorted. For more local delicacies, check out our best curations on Singapore’s best local breakfasts, home-based food businesses, websites for authentic local food.