Our obsession with food is mind boggling. Others eat to live, Singaporeans simply live to eat. Singaporeans are willing travel around our tiny island to seek out the best dishes, and Hokkien mee is definitely one of those favourites.
This humble and flavourful noodle dish made with rich stock, prawns, squid, pork belly, and lard cubes traces its roots back to the Fujian province in China. Brought to South-East Asia by early immigrants, the dish has morphed into different variations — the Malaysian variation uses dark soy sauce and thick noodles whereas the Singaporean variation uses thin yellow noodles with vermicelli.
Deciding the best Hokkien mee stall in Singapore is very contentious topic. There are effectively two camps preferring either the dry or the wet type. Here are 18 best Hokkien mee stalls in Singapore worth paying a visit to. Be warned: you may end up feeling famished halfway through reading this guide.
1. Tian Tian Lai (Come Daily) Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee 天天来炒福建虾面
Tian Tian Lai is most worthy of being a contender for the top three positions. It is an unequivocal favourite among Hokkien Mee fans.
The prawn stock is very rich and the noodles are fried to a perfectly gooey texture. If you love lard, this is the place to be. The chef is really generous and the crunchy cubes of fried pork fat add bursts of flavour to every bite.
Tian Tian Lai (Come Daily) Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee 天天来炒福建虾面: Block 127 Toa Payoh Lor 1, #02-27, Singapore 310127 | Tel: +65 6251 8542 | Opening Hours: 9.30am – 6pm (Tue – Sun), Closed on Mon
2. Geylang Lorong 29 Fried Hokkien Mee 芽笼29巷
Despite the name, Geylong Lorong 29 Fried Hokkien Mee is located at East Coast. It is run by the brother of the original stall still located at Lorong 29.
It’s one of the few stalls that still fries its Hokkien mee the traditional way (over a charcoal fire), giving the noodles a wok hei fragrance. This is one of the stalls that’s more generous with its prawns and squid morsels.
Geylang Lorong 29 Fried Hokkien Mee 芽笼 29: 396 East Coast Road, Singapore 428994 | Tel: +65 9733 1388 | Opening Hours: 11.30am – 9.30pm (Tue – Sun), Closed on Mon
3. Swee Guan Hokkien Mee 水源福建面
This is the original Lorong 29 Hokkien Mee stall, but the name has changed to Swee Guan Hokkien Mee because of the current owner.
Fried over a charcoal flame, the noodles have a similar fragrance to the ones at the brother’s stall. Nonetheless, I still prefer this stall, as it’s less goopy and the prawns are much larger.
Swee Guan Hokkien Mee 水源福建面: 549 Geylang Road (Lorong 29), Singapore 389504 | Tel: +65 9817 5652 | Opening Hours: 5pm – 11pm (Daily)
4. Nam Sing Hokkien Fried Mee (Hougang) 南星福建炒虾面 (后港)
Friends love it, but I dread the inconsistency of Nam Sing Hokkien Fried Mee (Hougang) which shifted from Hougang.
No doubt it serves up very good plates of dry-style Hokkien mee, but there have been occasions when it has left me disappointed.
The best times to go are after their rest days and during the off-peak hours.
Nam Sing Hokkien Fried Mee (Hougang) 南星福建炒虾面: Block 51 Old Airport Road,#01-32, Singapore 390051 | Tel: +65 6440 5340 | Opening Hours: 7am till sold out (No fixed rest day)
5. Petaling Street KL Hokkien Mee (Tangs Market)
What is this? Well, it’s Hokkien mee but served up KL-style, in the basement of Tangs Plaza. My Malaysian guests have also concurred that it’s pretty authentic (Malaysia boleh!). Be prepared to fork out more as it’s along Orchard Road.
Petaling Street KL Hokkien Mee (Tangs Market): 310 Orchard Road, Basement One, Tangs Plaza, Singapore 238864 | Opening Hours: 10.30am to 9.30pm (Mon – Sat), 10.30am to 8.30pm (Sun)
6. Sheng Seng Fried Prawn Noodle 生成炒虾麵
It’s pretty hard to find Hokkien mee selling for under S$3 these days. At Sheng Seng Fried Prawn Noodle 生成炒虾麵, for S$2.50, you get a decent heap of noodles with prawns and squid.
There’s always a queue at this stall (I’m convinced it’s driven by the cheap prices), but it tends to clear fast.
Sheng Seng Fried Prawn Noodle 生成炒虾麵: Block 41A Cambridge Road, #01-40, Singapore 211041 | Tel: +65 6299 3981 | Opening Hours: 11.30am – 5pm (Tue – Sun), Closed on Mon
7. Yang Zhou Fried Hokkien Mee 洋洲福建蘇東蝦面
Formerly from Beo Crescent, Yang Zhou Fried Hokkien Mee has now shifted to Bukit Merah.
This is my definition of a healthy portion of Hokkien mee. The chef holds back on the salt (a chunk of his customer base are the older residents in the area), but he goes full throttle with the lard. The freshly made sambal also packs a lovely punch.
Yang Zhou Fried Hokkien Mee 洋洲福建蘇東蝦面: Block 127, Bukit Merah Lane 1, Singapore 150127 | Tel: +65 6273 0429 | Opening Hours: 10am – 8pm (Sat – Thu), Closed on Fri
8. Xie Kee Hokkien Mee 謝記福建面
There always seems to be an endless queue at Xie Kee Hokkien Mee. The chef constantly adds a scoop of soup stock with every order, so the best way is to wait till his current batch is completely exhausted. The last batch of noodles will be infused with a very rich soup stock flavour!
This stall uses the distinctive flat yellow noodle which is akin to linguine or mee pok. The portion sizes are very decent considering the prices (S$2.50 or S$3), and they’re sufficient to fill you up.
Xie Kee Hokkien Mee 謝記福建面: Block 116 Upper Bukit Timah Road, #02-174, Singapore 588172 | Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Daily)
9. Li Xing Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee 利兴炒福建虾麺
This stall serves up a decent plate of Hokkien with lots of soupy gravy.
If the queue at Xie Kee is too long, just pop over and you won’t be disappointed.
Li Xing Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee 利兴炒福建虾麺: Block 116, Upper Bukit Timah Road, #02-145, Singapore 588172
10. Bedok North 85 Fried Oyster
When you need a late night fix of soupy bak chor mee from Bedok 85 but can’t bear the long queue, why not have some Hokkien mee instead? One plate of fried oyster egg and another plate of Hokkien mee should cure those hunger pangs.
Bedok North 85 Fried Oyster: Block 85 Bedok North Street 4, #01-09/10, Singapore 460085 | Tel: +65 8180 7751 | Opening Hours: 4pm – 2am (Daily)
11. Havelock Rd Blk 50 Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee 乌桥頭大牌50炒福建虾麺
This is one of the two stalls in the ABC Brickworks Food Centre selling Hokkien Mee. This one serves the slightly drier rendition whereas the other, “Yi Sheng Fried Hokkien Mee“, serves the wetter version. Both have their pros and cons but I prefer this stall as the chilli is arguably much better.
Havelock Rd Blk 50 Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee 乌桥頭大牌50炒福建虾麺: Block 6 Jalan Bukit Merah, #01-100, Singapore 150006 | Opening Hours: 9am – 2pm & 4pm – 8pm (Wed – Mon), Closed on Tue
12. New Ubin Seafood
New Ubin Seafood has good Angus Ribeye steaks, but did you also know that they do a very good Hokkien mee too? The inclusion of clams improves the flavour of this dish, adding a very rich sweetness. Wok hei is also present in their version of Hokkien mee. Is there anything New Ubin can’t do?
This is certainly one of the more overlooked dishes at this eatery.
New Ubin Seafood: 63 Hillview Avenue, Level 6 (Canteen), Singapore 669569 | Tel: +65 6466 9558 | Opening Hours: 11am – 3pm & 5.30pm – 10pm (Daily) | Website
13. Yi Ji Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodles 義記福建炒蝦面
Yi Ji Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodles 義記福建炒蝦面 serves up a decent plate of Hokkien mee as well. It is slightly on the small size for the price, but the chilli is tongue-numbingly hot. This is really the spiciest chilli I’ve tried with Hokkien mee.
Yi Ji Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodles 義記福建炒蝦面: 965 Upper Serangoon Road, Mee Sek Food Court Singapore 534721 | Tel: +65 8525 2167 | Opening Hours: 6pm – 3am (Mon – Sat), Closed on Sun
14. Ah Hock Fried Hokkien Noodles 亚福炒福建虾面
Regulars at Chomp Chomp Food Centre rate Ah Hock Fried Hokkien Noodles 亚福炒福建虾面 as the best among all the Hokkien mee stalls located there. There’s always a long queue here, so be prepared for the long wait of about 30 – 45 minutes while the chef whips up your order.
If you love lard (like me), stay clear as you will be in for a shock since there is no lard added!
Ah Hock Fried Hokkien Noodles 亚福炒福建虾面: 20 Kensington Park Road, #01-27, Singapore 557269 | Opening Hours: 5.30pm – 12midnight (Daily), Closed on alternate Tue
15. Hainan Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee 海南炒福建面
Hainan Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee 海南炒福建面 has a standard modus operandi, serving up one standard S$3 portion.
So if you are hungry, you will need definitely two servings (consider it a warning). The stock is fried until it is totally infused into the noodles. Also, be prepared for the long queues during lunch time.
Hainan Hokkien Mee 海南炒福建面: 505 Beach Road, #B1-32, Singapore 199583 | Tel:+65 6294 6798 | Opening Hours: 8am – 2.30pm (Tue – Sun), Closed on Mon | Facebook
16. Hong Heng Fried Sotong Prawn Mee 鸿兴炒酥东虾面
If you are into Michelin-awarded hawkers, then this one is definitely for you. Hong Heng Fried Sotong Prawn Mee 鸿兴炒酥东虾面 was in the list for both 2016 and 2017.
Headed by chef Manfred, there was a distinctive wok hei in the prawn noodles. The highlight of the dish was definitely the broth of the Hokkien mee which was super flavourful. The noodles simply soaked up all that delicious broth.
Squeezing the lime in provided an additonal zing to the entire dish. Overall, I would definitely recommend this place to anyone in the area.
Hong Heng Fried Sotong Prawn Mee 鸿兴炒酥东虾面: 30 Seng Poh Road, Tiong Bahru Market, #02-01, Singapore 168898 | Opening Hours: 11am – 8pm (Tue – Sat), Closed on Mon
17. Kim Keat Hokkien Mee
If you are seeking out good old school Hokkien mee, you should definitely put Kim Keat Hokkien Mee on your list.
The prawns aren’t the big tiger prawn varieties which we are accustomed to, but rather the tiny greasyback “Sua Lor“, which gave the dish more ompf. There’s also delicious slices of deep fried sio bak (roasted pork belly) which adds extra flavour to the dish.
You also have the option of enjoying it in the Opeh leaf style, or claypot-style.
Kim Keat Hokkien Mee: Block 92 Toa Payoh Lor 4, #01-264, Singapore 310092 | Tel +65 9456 0413 | Opening Hours: 11.15am – 10pm (Wed – Mon), Closed on Tue | Facebook
18. Soon Kee Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle
If you are a fan of large fresh prawns, generous chunks of squid, and roast pork in your Hokkien mee, you will definitely love Soon Kee Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle! It’s finely balanced between dry and wet, so it’ll appeal to both camps of Hokkien mee lovers.
My only gripe was that the sambal was a little too salty for me. Nonetheless, it’s still one of the heartland gems that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Soon Kee Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle: Li Soon Eating House, Block 155 Bukit Batok Street 11, #01-322, Singapore 650155 | Opening Hours: 8am – 9pm (Tue – Sun), Closed on Mon
Related Guide: Must Try Hawker Food Centres in Singapore
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Editor’s end notes
The ingredients for this humble dish do not vary much; any differences in ingredients would be in the quality used. An example would be fresher prawns at some stalls.
As such, deciding on the “best” dish would rely heavily on the culinary skills of the chef. This is keeping in mind of the subjective nature of our taste buds, be it our preference over the wet or dry variations or the types of chilli used.
I do not have a preference between the wet and dry variations; I am, however, very particular with the type of chilli used — definitely sambal over cut chillis or chilli with vinegar.
There were several stalls which that came highly recommended by friends — Nam Kee Fried Prawn Noodle (Clementi Market), Kim’s Hokkien Mee (Bedok Corner Food Centre), & Xiao Di Fried Prawn Noodle (Serangoon Village) but didn’t make the list. Maybe you would disagree with their omission as well.
Again we are keeping our tastebuds wide open, so feel free to offer suggestions so we might add to this list. But I’ll probably be steering clear of Hokkien mee for the next year.
