Meet the newest kid in town: Market Street Hawker Centre.
Located a mere two minute walk from Raffles Place MRT, this spanking new hawker centre officially opened on 5 April 2022 and is housed within the towering CapitaSpring building.
Despite its recent opening, Market Street Hawker Centre actually has an incredibly rich history. It was originally known as Golden Shoe Hawker Centre when it was first launched in May 1984, and in 2017, it relocated to Amoy Street and was renamed as Market Street Interim Hawker Centre.
After years of temporary locations, Market Street Hawker Centre has finally found its permanent home along Market Street. There are a total of 56 food stalls spread across two storeys, which are connected via escalators located in the middle of the hawker centre.
For those visiting the hawker centre for the first time, you’ll find its entrance snuggled at the intersection of Market Street and Chulia Street, right opposite UOB Plaza.
I visited Market Street Hawker Centre on a weekday afternoon and was surprised at its spaciousness and cleanliness.
There were plenty of tables and chairs strategically placed throughout the space, ranging from two-seaters to round tables that can fit groups of 10. More than that, I loved how there was sufficient space between each table. No more having to squeeze between tables or queues!
Just in case you haven’t figured out what’s for lunch the next time you’re back in the office, here are 10 wallet-friendly stalls that you should absolutely try when you’re at Market Street Hawker Centre.
1. Golden Nur (#03-11 & #03-12)
Golden Nur is a must-try whenever you’re at Market Street Hawker Centre. This humble family business has been doling out nasi briyani for the past 40 years and has faithfully followed the hawker centre through its various relocations.
Its gleaming green signboard is hard to miss, especially since Golden Nur occupies two stalls in the hawker centre! Head to #03-11 if you’re looking to order its classic Crispy Chicken Briyani (S$6.50) and #03-12 if you’re looking for Soto Ayam (S$3.50/S$4) instead.
If you’re a fan of the classics, try Golden Nur’s Curry Chicken Briyani (S$6.50), which comes with aromatic long-grain briyani rice, rich curry, chicken, and a generous serving of crispy batter bits.
Be sure to head down early as its briyani sells out fast!
+65 9060 4355
Mon to Fri: 6.30am – 8pm, or until sold out
Closed on Sat and Sun
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2. Hock Gooi Hainanese Curry Rice (#02-03)
You can never go wrong with a classic plate of Hainanese curry rice, and Hock Gooi Hainanese Curry Rice certainly lives up to that expectation. Its curry rice sets are priced affordably at S$3.50 each, making this a super wallet-friendly meal at Market Street Hawker Centre.
Go for the traditional Hainanese Pork Chop Set (S$3.50), which comes with a pile of white rice, crispy pork chop, chap chye, an egg, all of which are doused in housemade curry sauce.
While I would’ve preferred if the curry was thicker like gravy, I really enjoyed the pork chop as it was decently thick and breaded well, resulting in a satisfying crisp with each juicy bite. You can also choose from Hock Gooi’s other sets, including Braised Pork Set (S$3.50) and Curry Chicken Wing Set (S$3.50).
Mon to Sat: 6am – 3pm, or until sold out
Closed on Sun
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3. Sunrise Traditional Coffee & Toast (#02-15)
Get your coffee fix from Sunrise Traditional Coffee & Toast, a popular kopi stall located on the second floor of CapitaSpring. A cup of Kopi O (Hot) costs only S$1.10 while Teh (Iced) costs S$1.70.
It also offers several breakfast options, namely Kaya Toast Set (S$3.50) and Soft Bun Set (S$3.50), and you might be pleased to note that all its bread sets come complete with two soft boiled eggs and your choice of kopi o or teh o.
What sets Sunrise Traditional Coffee & Toast apart from other stalls is its coffee powder, which is freshly ground in-house. In fact, if you’d like to order some of its high grade coffee powder, you can order it on its Shopee site here or place an order for self-collection via Whatsapp at +65 8531 4156.
Mon to Fri: 6am – 4.30pm
Sat: 6am – 1.30pm
Closed on Sun
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4. Tiong Bahru Wanton Mee (#02-19)
Tiong Bahru Wanton Mee always draws long queues at Market Street Hawker Centre, especially during lunchtime, and it’s because of its signature dry wanton mee, which comes with a thick sauce that goes perfectly with its springy noodles.
Its dishes are priced affordably and come in generous portions. Try its Wanton Noodle (S$4.50/S$5.50), which comes in either dry or soup versions. Online reviews have raved about this stall’s char siew, which comes in thick cuts, and has just the right amount of fat, meat and smoky char.
Alternatively, you can try Tiong Bahru Wanton Mee’s Shredded Chicken Hor Fun or Roasted Pork Noodle (both priced at $4.50/S$5.50) instead.
Mon to Fri: 7.30am – 4pm
Closed on Sat and Sun
5. Wei Nan Wang Hock Kian Lor Mee (#02-05)
As its name suggests, Wei Nan Wang Hock Kian Lor Mee only sells one item on its menu at Market Street Hawker Centre — Lor Mee (S$3.50/$4).
Run by an elderly couple in their 80s, the hawker stall first opened at the now defunct Boat Quay Food Centre in 1975. This means that the elderly couple has been dishing our lor mee for close to 50 years— really impressive!
Its Lor Mee is well-known for its soup-like gravy, which is less starchy than at other lor mee stalls, as well as its generous amount of ingredients, including shredded fish meat, braised meat, meatballs, fried crackers, and pork skin.
Mon to Fri: 7am – 2.30pm
Closed on Sat and Sun
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6. Ah Liang Ipoh Hor Fun (#02-04)
What makes Ipoh hor fun so different from its local version is its silky flat rice noodles, which often comes with shredded chicken, braised mushrooms and a savoury gravy.
Ah Liang Ipoh Hor Fun is located on the second floor of CapitaSpring and serves up to 10 different varieties of this dish, including Seafood Hor Fun (S$5/S$6) and even Crab Meat Hor Fun (S$4/S$5)!
A popular order combination is the classic Shredded Chicken Hor Fun (S$4/S$5) with an à la carte top-up of Fried Fish Dumplings (S$1.80 for two pieces).
This famous pairing features two plump fried fish dumplings, slippery hor fun noodles, a generous amount of shredded chicken, and Ah Liang’s characteristic savoury dark sauce which has a herbal tinge to it.
Mon to Fri: 9.30am – 3pm, or until sold out
Closed on Sat and Sun
7. Tian Ci Traditional Prawn Noodle (#03-18)
Named as one of the most underrated prawn noodle stalls in Singapore, Tian Ci Traditional Prawn Noodles is an old-school prawn mee stall that has followed Market Street Hawker Centre since its days at Golden Shoe.
Its signature dishes include its Prawn Noodles and Intestine Prawn Noodles, with prices starting from S$4 and going all the way up to S$9. Be sure to have a sip of its hearty broth— boiled for hours from pork bone and prawn stock— which goes perfectly with its dry noodles, which are coated in a savoury and spicy sauce.
Definitely something I’d consider on a rainy day!
Mon to Fri: 6am – 2pm
Closed on Sat and Sun
8. Yummy Nyonya Peranakan (#02-22)
Looking to jazz up your usual caifan order? Visit Yummy Nyonya Peranakan, an unassuming stall at Market Street Hawker Centre that dishes out yummy beef rendang and a wide variety of other nyonya dishes such as chap chye and curry chicken.
Most of its dishes are priced pretty affordably— for example, a single plate of Beef Rendang, Chap Chye and Chye Sim will only set you back S$5.
The Beef Rendang is an absolute must-try, having been stewed for several hours in a savoury rendang gravy. Be sure to try the rest of its ingredients too, such as the grilled eggplants, which are served with a dollop of fresh sambal.
Mon to Fri: 7am – 3pm, or until sold out
Closed on Sat and Sun
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9. Heng’s Authentic Teochew Mee Pok (#02-20)
While this stall’s signboard reads as Heng’s Authentic Teochew Mee Pok, loyal fans would be more familiar with its original name instead— Say Seng Authentic Teochew Mee Pok.
This stall goes a long way back. It was first founded in 1960 and used to be located at Golden Shoe Hawker Centre, specialising in Teochew-style mee pok. Its previous owner retired and a second-generation owner, Mr Heng, has since taken over the business.
Its Mee Pok comes in three sizes— S$4, S$5 and S$6, and it’s a simple but satisfying lunch fix. Its ingredients are pretty straightforward and consist of chilli flakes, vinegar, soy sauce and sesame oil, but each bowl comes paired with freshly fried garlic and lard which are fried in-house from 4am every morning.
Mon to Fri: 7am – 2.30pm
Closed on Sat and Sun
10. Market Street Nasi Lemak (#03-22)
A visit to Market Street Hawker Centre isn’t complete without Market Street Nasi Lemak, a famous stall known for its homely nasi lemak with its characteristic green-tinted pandan-flavoured coconut rice.
It has three sets: Set 1 (S$4.30), which comes with a fried chicken drumstick, Set 2 (S$4.30) which comes with a fried chicken wing, and lastly, Set 3 (S$3.50), which features a fried fish. All sets come with fried egg, otah, lontong and ikan bilis.
This modest plate of nasi lemak comes packed with flavour— a light fragrance from the coconut rice, juicy chicken drumstick or wing, and of course, the addictive saltiness from the crispy ikan bilis— which makes it a perfect option for breakfast or lunch.
Do note that they sell out quite fast and usually close at around 2.30pm!
Mon to Fri: 8.30am – 7.30pm, or until sold out
Sat: 8.30am – 3pm
Closed on Sun
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Market Street Hawker Centre
86 Market Street, Singapore 048947
Market Street Hawker Centre
86 Market Street, Singapore 048947
