11 best hawker stalls to try at Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre

Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre, home of my favourite Chey Sua Carrot Cake is nestled between Braddell and Toa Payoh. On level 1, there’s an entire array of wet market stalls selling fresh meat and vegetables, a few sundry shops, and even an old-school aquarium!

Head up to level 2 and you’ll be greeted by a line-up of nearly 40 cooked food stalls. In the mornings, the hawker centre bustles with life as most of the crowd flocks here for breakfast and a cup of kopi.

So what’s delicious over here? Read on as I’ve compiled a food guide on the 11 best hawker stalls to try at Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre.

1. Jia Le Man Fen Guo加乐面粉粿 (#02-24) 

Jia Le Man Fen Guo加乐面粉粿 has been serving fish soup, porridge, and mee hoon kueh for the past 20 years. The stall is operated by an aunty and a slightly disgruntled uncle — who, honestly, wasn’t the worst I’ve met.

However, that’s not all they specialise in. Step closer towards the stall front and you’ll spot bonus items that aren’t prominently listed on the signboard, such as their old-school Mee Siam (S$4). Towards the evening, the duo also sells Fried Chicken Wings (S$6.50 for 5 pieces) as well as Satay: Pork, Chicken, Mutton and Ketupat for S$0.80 each, with a minimum of 10 sticks.

After much deliberation, we went for their You Mian Dry (S$4). The ingredients were generous, barely revealing any trace of the noodles beneath. Minced meat clusters, a solo meatball, fishcake slices, ikan bilis and green veggies crowned the serving of you mian. But wait — egg floss, too? That was a first for me. I reckon it was added because the stall also sells fish soup. The noodles were perfectly chewy, and the tasty sauce tied the rest of the elements nicely. Overall, it tasted above average, but the egg floss chunks were the icing on the cake — yummy!

Tue to Sun: 9.30am – 7.30pm
Closed on Mon

2. Chey Sua Carrot Cake (#02-30)

Chey Sua Carrot Cake was the very first stall that I visited at this hawker centre, and I’ve been a die-hard fan ever since — even if it means bearing with the aunty’s not-so-friendly demeanour. The stall may seem like it isn’t popular, but there’s actually an invisible queue. Each time I visit, I have to wait at least 20 to 45 minutes for my plate of cai tao kueh. But, trust me, it’s well worth the grumbling stomach. The Carrot Cake comes in 3 sizes: S$3, S$4 and S$5.

Perhaps Chey Sua Carrot Cake is the only stall that does white carrot cake in such a unique manner. If a fried oyster-less omelette and carrot cake were in a relationship, this would be their love child. It’s grilled flat on the griddle, with a chewy texture similar to the starch in orh luak. It’s crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, with mini bits of cai poh adding a delightful crunch. The sweet, spicy chilli also elevates it to the next level. The stall usually sells out before its closing time, so be there earlier to sidestep any unhappiness.

Wed to Sun: 6.30am – 1pm
Closed on Mon & Tue
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3. Grandpa Homemade Cheung Fun (#02-22)

Ever spotted chee cheong fun in unorthodox colours like pink and green? Now you can at Grandpa Homemade Cheung Fun. If you’re afraid of artificial colourings, don’t be! It’s purely derived from spinach and pink dragonfruit, so you can eat them with some peace of mind. You can choose the Original skin, or top up an additional S$0.20 for Dragon Fruit and Spinach. Get ready — there are 13 different fillings to choose from, which is a great dilemma to have!

For something special yet light, get the Egg + Veg (S$4.90) which has creamy egg and green Chinese lettuce infused into the soft skin. For a game changer, dip it into the homemade chilli which injects a ton of umami-rich dried shrimp flavour. You can also go for the Corn + Sausage (S$5.80), where sweet, juicy corn kernels meets savoury lap cheong. Paired with the silky skin and a well-balanced soy-based gravy, every bite bursts with flavour — it’s like a party in your mouth!

+65 9071 3829
Tue to Fri & Sun: 7am – 2pm
Sat: 8am – 2pm
Closed on Mon
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4. Hometaste Hakka Lei Cha (#02-39)

Manned by 2 sisters, Hometaste Hakka Lei Cha has been operating at Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre for the last 7 years. Their thunder tea rice uses less oil, less salt and no MSG. The stall also sells in-house made Beancurd Yong Tau Foo (S$1.50). Feel like treating yourself to a little guilty pleasure? There’s also fried Veg Pancake (S$1.20) and Chicken Cutlet (S$3/S$5) to complement your bowls of lei cha.

I tried the Hometaste Hakka Lei Cha Set Meal (S$5) that comes with a separate bowl of soup with a choice of white or brown rice. My bowl of white rice had bits of mani cai, cabbage, dried prawn, tau kwa, sliced long beans and grounded peanuts. The soup was aromatic with the herbs. Being a thunder tea rice fan, I found this totally up my alley! If you’re looking for an interesting option, go for the Lei Cha Bee Hoon instead.

Order delivery: Deliveroo

+65 8382 4949
Tue to Sun: 7am – 2pm
Closed on Mon
Facebook | Website

5. Come Daily Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee (#02-27)

Come Daily Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee was first established in 1968 before making its move to Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre in 2004. The stall is currently run by the second and third generation, comprising of a middle-aged couple and their son. I’d heard so much about this stall, and I’m glad I finally had the chance to try it.

The Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee (S$5/S$8/S$10) uses the usual yellow mee-thick bee hoon combo and my S$5 plate had 2 prawns, a few sotong pieces and pork belly. Though the colour looked a little on the lighter side, the broth was actually decent and lightly rich in shrimpy goodness. My dining partner found it a little too savoury but it was alright for me. In between mouthfuls, there were hidden pieces of crispy pork lard that imparted a rich, unctuous burst of flavour. My only gripe was the sambal which tasted rather flat and needed a little more punch.

+65 9671 7071
Wed to Sun: 8.30am – 2pm
Closed on Mon & Tue
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6. Yoshi’s Kitchen (#02-18)

Does the idea of omurice nasi lemak tickle your curiosity? If you answered yes, then head to Yoshi’s Kitchen to find out if it works. In case you’re wondering if the owner’s name is Yoshi, it’s not — it’s actually named after one of his cats! The establishment sells nasi lemak bowls with a Japanese-inspired twist – each rice bowl is draped in a “tornado omelette” together with sides like karaage or saba fillets. There are also freshly made kueh lapis like Original (S$2.40) and Pandan Gula Melaka (S$2.80).

The Ultimate (S$11.90) is the stall’s take on big breakfast, consisting of coconut rice served with a whole sausage, a bacon slice, 2 chicken wings, and a hash brown. We also tried the Mentaiko Chicken Karaage (S$6) and added on a slice of Bacon (S$1). The omelette here is nicely done with the ideal creaminess and texture while the sambal veers to the sweeter side.

Order delivery: foodpanda

+65 8062 5633
Tue to Sat: 9am – 2.30pm & 4.30pm – 7.30pm
Sun: 8am – 4pm
Closed on Mon
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7. Pure Soya Bean (#02-28)

Desheng, owner of Pure Soya Bean was previously working at various Italian restaurants for several years before opening his first dessert stall in 2018 at Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre. Initially, he just had a random thought of creating his very own soya milk. But who knew that it would actually become a reality when he started his own freshly-made soya milk and tau huay business?

Utilising 100% non-GMO Canadian soybeans, the bean curd is made from scratch daily without fail. The menu features an assortment of tau huay options such as Grass Jelly Beancurd with Ginkgo Nuts & Red Bean and Lotus Seeds Beancurd (S$3). There’s even Pearly Beancurd (S$2.70), which has chewy bits of boba.

I tried the Silky Barley with Gingko Nuts Beancurd (S$4) which was silky smooth and not overly sweet. The beancurd skin added to the overall smoothness of the dish and the barley bits were addictive.

+65 8868 6681
Tue to Fri: 7am – 1.30pm
Sat & Sun: 7am – 2pm
Closed on Mon
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8. 127 (Lor 1) Fish Porridge • Fish Soup • Seafood Soup (#02-33)

One look at the stall’s name, and you’ll assume that 127 (Lor 1) Fish Porridge • Fish Soup • Seafood Soup specialises in these 3 main dishes. Well, you’re not entirely wrong, but this stall offers so much more! You can get a value-for-money grilled Saba Fish (S$4.50) that’s big and juicy, or something fiery like the Sour N Spicy Seafood Soup (S$5.50/S$7.50) to whet your appetite.

This is also one of the few fish soup stalls I know of that also sells Oyster Omelette (S$5) and Oyster Mee Sua (S$5/S$8) — whatttttt? If you’re not that adventurous, you can get the usual Fish Combination Soup (S$5), Fried Fish Bee Hoon (S$5), or Sliced Fish Ee Mee (S$5).

Wed to Fri & Sun: 9am – 2pm
Sat: 9.30am – 2pm
Closed on Mon & Tue

9. Uggli Muffins (#02-34)

Uggli Muffins is renowned for its imperfect, odd-shaped muffins that have burnt edges that are crispy on the outside. However, when you take a bite, it yields a soft and fluffy texture and is generously stuffed with fillings.

There are over 25 different flavours (S$1.70 each) available such as Baby Peanut Butter, Baby Raspberry, and Baby Roasted Pumpkin. If you do decide to get 10, there will be 2 muffins thrown in for free.

The Baby Raisin + Orange Peel muffin has a light, citrusy orange infusion embedded with tiny pops of sweet raisins. What comes as a surprise are the black sesame seeds that add a touch of nutty flavours. If you’re an Oreo enthusiast, then the Baby Oreo has bits of the signature dark cookies embedded within the buttery muffin.

 +65 9877 9020
Tue & Wed, Fri to Sun: 11am – 2pm
Closed on Mon & Thu
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10. 135 Fishball Noodle (#02-11)

Craving for a bowl of old-school, Teochew fishball mee? Then look no further than 135 Fishball Noodle, a stall that has been around for more than 10 years. It is run by a friendly and chatty uncle.

The menu offers bowls of Dried Fishball Noodle (S$4.50/S$5.50), Kway Teow Mee Soup (S$4.50/S$5.50) and Fish Ball & Fish Dumplings Noodle (S$5.50), which has other ingredients such as minced meat, sotong ball, meat ball, tau geh, fried pork lard, and slices of fishcake.

The noodles and fishballs served here are said to be springy and pair really well with their homemade spicy chilli. If you’re someone that has a huge appetite, then it’s best to go for the large portion instead.

+65 8812 3232
Tue to Sun: 7am – 1.30pm
Closed on Mon

11. Da Cheng Kway Chap (#02-14)

Over at Da Cheng Kway Chap, you’ll have the luxury of customising your very own unique bowl of kway chap. If you’re a non innards person, you can get the usual meat parts like the Braised Lean Meat (S$3) or Braised Pork Belly (S$3) to pair with your bowls of Kway (S$0.80/S$1). Otherwise, you can indulge in various pig’s entrails like the Braised Tongue (S$3), Braised Stomach (S$3), Braised Big Intestine (S$3), just to name a few.

To prevent your meal from getting too jelak, remember to order some sides like Braised Egg (S$0.80), Fish Cake (S$0.80) or Salted Vegetable (S$2) to balance things out. If you’re someone who isn’t fond of Kway, you can opt for White Rice (S$0.50) or Taro Rice (S$1.50) instead.

If mixing and matching your ingredients is too stressful, no sweat! You can always order the 1 Pax Set (S$4.50) or 2 Pax Set (S$10) — easy peasey!

Tue to Sun: 5.30am – 2.15pm
Closed on Mon

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