Chinatown Complex

Very interesting place, one of those where everything happens in the same spot and European like me finds himself totally lost between the signs he can’t read, culture he can’t comprehend and food and produce he can’t recognize. It might be frustrating at first, but it’s also so… different and oriental that you would come back over and over again. It’s super noisy, but in a very fascinating way. Something well worth seeing.

Surprisingly good place to find delicious and cheap food. Bad thing is the place can get really hot since it’s not air conditioned. Walk around the place to find some hidden stalls only the locals know. There will be long queues in front of them. Price is lower than other places in Singapore but the taste is on average, slightly better or much better. Overall it’s a good place to have your meals here.

Welcome to hawker food heaven The food here was some of the best Asian food you can find in Singapore. When we visited we had the mouth-watering satay, chilli oil wontons and some famous Singapore chicken rice that didn't disappoint. This is the best food complex for those foodies out there.

The hawker stalls on the upper floor of the centre are some of the best in the city. While not as finely polished as Lau Pa Sat, the Chinatown complex hawker centre has a great selection of food that would suit families and backpackers in a tight budget. We were able to get a selection of foods to suit ourselves and the kids, plus a cheeky beer or two, and leave plenty of change for dessert. Most places only accept cash, and bring some small change to use the toilets (10c) or use toilet paper (20c) Highly recommended.

Chinatown Complex is a must-visit while exploring Singapore. The atmosphere is lively and authentic and it can get quite warm and crowded during peak hours. Navigating the maze of stalls might be challenging. They also have various retail stalls on the ground floor, offering a glimpse into local daily life.

I'm not sure why Google has this place as just a hawker centre, because Chinatown Complex is more than a hawker centre - housing a wet market at its basement level and a sundries market at its first floor; with the hawker centre at its second floor. Maybe it's because the hawker centre here is (apparently) the largest in Singapore with 226 stalls thereat albeit some of them not taken up when I was there today. Anyway, Chinatown Complex draws a lot of locals and tourists to its building and is a IMO historical icon in Chinatown. That said, the place may appear dingy to some, but heck, it's historical - and apparently, it's up for some refurbishment or more than that in 2026. The hawker centre is mostly serving Chinese or local Chinese cuisines with few or no other cuisines on offer. Well, it is Chinatown isn't it.

Chinatown Singapore was an immersive experience. The vibrant streets, colourful temples, and lively markets created an energetic ambience. There were older people dancing at the center, which was fun to watch. Highlights 1. Lots of street food: Delicious local cuisine. 2. Buddha Tooth Relic Temple*: Stunning architecture and Buddist culture. 3. Unique souvenirs. 4. Great cultural immersion Rich heritage.

A lot of delicious food stalls for a reasonable price. There's a king ice cream cone, which is super delicious and attracts a lot of foreigners. The vibe is entirely different at night so I suggest visiting it at the daytime and night both. If you don't have time, choose the night time. You can find seafood, dumplings, and a variety of cultural food.

Such an amazing place to try new local foods. Singapore is known for its fusion of food. This place is a definite winner in terms of great food! Check it out and you will be blown away!

We could see why this was one of Singapore's best hawker markets! There are so many food stalls with a wide variety of offerings. Everything was super yummy and the market was very clean. We had a guide with us to help us determine which food to get & how to order it, it could've been a bit overwhelming if we were just on our own

So interesting to learn about the Hawker Centres in Singapore on our Chinatown Tour with Cheyenne from Indie Singapore Tours. So many food stalls. Definitely try the Michelin star Hainanese chicken rice. This classic dish is a poached chicken with seasoned rice served with chili sauce and fresh cucumbers. The rice is cooked in the chicken broth. Such a delicious local treat.

While visiting Chinatown, came across this hawker place and zeroed in on this cendol stall as we needed to make a comparison with the cendol in Malacca. It did taste a little different but it was just as good as ever. Come here for cendol and for a meal while you are at it!

This is one of Singapore's best hawker markets in Singapore. There's a lot of hawkers and it can be a bit overwhelming. Some of the best food hawkers are in tucked away little corners, so make sure you do a thorough walk through before you settle on anything. You'll find lots of fascinating clothing and knick nack shops. Anything and everything is for sale here. There's lots of wandering and perhaps a few treasures to be discovered. There's also a wet market selling produce and other groceries. A fascinating way to learn about local food.

The good news is that the MRT drops you right off here. I've visited here during both the day and night. The pretty lights are worth seeing at night. The outdoor vendors are open from late morning to early evening. There's always a trend. This time the trend is having your name carved on a good luck stone. Nice. There are plenty of places to eat outdoors, if you enjoy eating in the 90 degree, high humidity weather, which it appears many people do. There are beautifully painted murals down various side streets.

Must see and do things while here in Singapore. So many shops and restaurants to see and try here. Awesome go to place to eat and drink or get souvenirs. Omiyage/pasulubong/gifts whatever you want or need can be found here. There's too many things too mention about this wonderful place.

This food court is home to the famous Michelin-rated Hawker Chan, which serves the soy sauce chicken rice. There's also a host of other hawkers that have your usual food court selections. This is a very mainstream food court in SG- right next door to Buddha Tooth Relic Temple And Museum. Also, Jia Ji Mei Shi has good chee cheong fan- this is rice noodles. Downstairs is all shops to buy your typical souvenirs- trinkets, knick knacks, cheap clothes (if you're Chinese, maybe you know of the Chinese granny clothes). You can also buy a red ornament to hang below your car's rearview mirror so that everyone who walks by your car will know that you're Asian. If you have to use the restroom, you have to pay 10 cent toll like the old Singapore days. There's an aunty that collects at the front of the restroom. Anyways, this food court is pretty awesome. It's a great area to explore for tastes and sights.

Mysterious Hot Humid Funky Huge!!!!!! walk in, downstairs in the large circular warehouse-y feeling place, cement everywhere: clothes and flea type articles for sale. Go all the way to the top, and the stalls are plentiful ! Go to one for the best popia, another for duck, another for Hainan chicken, and yet another for kaya ( coconut jam) toast. It's def a trip coming here, not even quite sure how to get in. Not enough light, not enough water....benches everywhere. Buk kut teh, I know I went to the top stall : longest queue ( no brained). Amazing amazing food all over Singapore.

This is probably the largest hawker center around and a bit overwhelming. There were so many selections and some stalls sell very similar things. There are a few with long lines (especially the Hong Long style roasted meats one). I came here with a mission to find the stall with clay pots and could not find it despite walking all over repeatedly. I settled for something else after 20 mins of circling. They really ought to put a directory together or put it online in a website with a map. I would recommend this place for any meal as you can surely can find something you like or want.

After a day at Universal Studio, I wasn't ready to turn in early. We got back to the hotel around 8pm and I ventured out after I freshened up a bit. I was hungry so I scoped what is around and landed here. A lady approached me and lured me into ordering from her food stand. I was actually looking to order my first bowl of soup but the curry rice won me over. For under $5 SGD, I got a plate packed full of carbohydrates, proteins, and fat. Though the curry was a bit watery but it had some heat and was quite delicious. The fried pork chop was tough as a rock but the over-easy egg took this dish to another level. I love eggs on everything! The fried chicken was juicy. The lady asked if I wanted fish, I thanked her but declined but she still threw some in... =/ I did not eat it because it looked slimy. It was steamed. I enjoyed it. Her smile and talkative nature was definitely unique compared to the other folks working behind the counter. Nothing more comforting than a plate of curry rice. Oh my... I wish I was back in Singapore.

The stalls were great. Lots of variety of food to choose from. I ordered Hainanese chicken with rice with duck sauce. Definitely good and tasty!

My first impression when coming to this particular hawker center was that it was extremely overwhelming and big. There were over 200 food stalls to choose from here. It was daunting to find what we wanted to eat. When we found a stall we liked a lot, we made a note of its exact location on GoogleMaps so we didn't have to find it again next time. Thankfully, one of these food stalls was quite popular and traceable on GoogleMaps (Lian He Ben Ji Claypot). That being said, the food was pretty amazing here. The claypot rice took the longest time to come to us, since the stall made it as we ordered it. It was probably an hour before we were able to eat it. As we waited for the claypot rice, we ate various other items like their laksa, satay, and charkway teow (stir fried beef noodles). All were good. But, the standout was that laksa! Man oh man was that the creamiest laksa I've ever had in my life. The broth looked more like a cream sauce with the huge amount of shrimp roe they placed in. The noodles had great texture, and close to spaghetti. It was perfect for all that creamy soup to coat around it. Every bite was heaven. Great shrimp, coconut, and lemongrass flavors coming through. It was quite possibly my favorite dish at this hawker center, and in Singapore overall. The satay was good, but it wasn't as aromatic as the satay at Satay by the Bay. I still enjoyed eating it while I gulped down my bottle of ice cold Coke Zero (it was so freaking hot, and there's no AC at all). The charkway teow had some great wok hey (aka flavor from the heat of the wok). But, I wished the noodles were bouncier and held their shape. They were just kind of soggy. Finally, our claypot rice arrived, and they were huge. The stall didn't understand my brother, and they made double the order of claypot rice for us. Safe to say we were stuffed by the end of this dinner. Too much food! But, the claypot rice was amazing. From the rice, to the Chinese sausages, to the salted fish, to the chicken, it was all fragrant and delicious. Definitely pour that dark soy sauce all over this claypot rice and mix all the ingredients well. What's best is to combine some crispy rice that's created from the bottom of the claypot with the soft rice. It was yummy. Definitely come here when you have a specific goal about what to eat. Be patient as well, since navigating this massive center can be exhausting. Please get some cold drinks as this place doesn't have AC, and you will wither way from the heat and humidity. You could go to the mall and get food in the comforts of AC. But, you can bear the heat and have some really delicious (and definitely more affordable food) at this Hawker Center. Come check his spot out.

After visiting a few hawker centers, this one is definitely one of my favorites. Conveniently located in Chinatown, this is a great place to stop by for a bite to eat after you're done with souvenir shopping / exploration in Chinatown. For the food, simply go to the second floor, and bam! You'll be greeted with food stalls upon food stalls and the delicious smell of various food wafting around. As a tourist, I was pretty overwhelmed at what to eat and where to start. My suggestion to anyone who hasn't been to a hawker center before is to walk around first and observe the food prior to just jumping to a stall and ordering right away. Since the place was quite big, it did take some time for my friends and me to explore the different food stalls and making mental notes at which ones we wanted to try. Best plan when traveling with a group of people is to pick a general eating spot, split up, get whatever food you desire, and regroup at the eating area. The eating area itself is scattered around with tables and chairs. For the food stalls, there was a huge variety that ranged from only fresh fruit smoothies / drinks to various cuisines like Chinese, Indian, Singaporean, Indonesian and etc. If you need food suggestions, simply go line up for food stalls that have huge lines. Most likely, these food stalls are either popular with locals/tourists, or the food is pretty cheap and tasty. I used this tactic and ended up with delicious food that I at first, had no idea what I was eating. For food here, I highly recommend lining up for the Food Street Fried Kway Teow Mee. Simply put, it's noodles mixed with a spicy like sauce, seafood like taste and such. Not sure what else goes into it, but it is one tasty dish!! To find this stall, look for a long line (or at my picture). The wait is definitely worth it and it's cool to see the chef in action on making your meal. As for drinks, pretty much most of the drinks stalls have similar prices (price average around $1-3). As for another random dish I tried, the green bean rice dumping at the Jia Ji Mei Shi food stall was amazingly good. With its sticky rice texture on the outside, and the green bean taste mixed in with the meat and rice......man, this was so yummy and at the same, mad filling on the tummy. If you do order this dish, I highly recommend getting the sweet and spicy chili sauce with it. So good. Overall, prices for most food stalls is pretty cheap (with a few exceptions on higher end seafood dishes) and you do get the option of picking your portion sizes that range from small to large. I spent roughly $5 that landed me 2 food items + 2 drinks and that alone made me go into a food coma. Make sure you bring cash since most places don't take credit cards. After eating, I recommend checking out the first floor where it's like a mini clothing market that sells various clothes and small trinkets :)

It's in the second floor. This is the largest one I've been too. You can get lost here bc there are a lot o corners nooks and crannies Some stalls open as early as 8 and as late as 10 pm then after it turns into s young Hang out. Nice the street below is temple on one side smith. Which are more touristy and cost double but you get to enjoy watching tourists like me.

Chinatown complex market and food centre. #02-167. Don & Udon $5.50 for Gyu Niku Don. Just a nice name, slightly overpriced and less quantity (they serve kids meals size) as main meals. Taste so so. Do not recommend as other Gyu Don elsewhere taste better and slightly more quantity to serve as lunch or dinner.

Chinatown Complex: grungy, unbearably hot, dirt cheap...and yet awesome food. This is definitely a local's style food court upstairs in a sprawling ugly concrete building above a market in Chinatown. We went for breakfast a couple times since we were staying across the street and they have pretty much everything you could want. Mainly there for Bedok chee kueh (google "chee kueh", and then go try some) and it didn't disappoint. Look for the stall right by the escalators to the left. We also ran into an enthusiastic local, who told us the soy sauce chicken stall here is actually better than the Michelin starred one across the street, which was a nice little tip. Satay available later on in the day, but the famous Tian Tian fish porridge stall way in the back is open early. And popiah. So much goodness in one place! There's even a craft beer stall (this place is actually becoming hipsterfied?).

One of the oldest .. like all eateries in SG it gets real busy during peak times. Especially now that one of the stalls that's been there donkeys years won a michelin star.. being non singas I just love hawker centre food.. to all non locals... follow the pack. If u see a line it generally is pretty darn good!! tonight I ventured here in search of the Michelin star Soya Chicken rice... But was too late.. all finito before 5pm already! was on my own and scouted slot of things I wanted to try due to noticeable local popularity.... I ate ... FUKIEN MEIN ... heard some loud crazy wok action and smelt the "鑊氣" ! Turned the corner and noticed a line forming decided to get into the action.. had this already at Lau pasat but this one was better. The noodles and gravy had that extra flavour due to more of the 鑊氣. I was actually content BUT saw another line so I mosied up behind an uncle ... and raised my victory fingers when asked how many cus my mouth was drawing a long sip if the sour sop!! 2 X POPIAH... I would have to say one of the best so far... in SG if u want to ward off vampires eat their popiahs.. man they use a lot of garlic. But at this stall it was the right amount of everything. sauce garlic and the crunchy thingy bob Soursop.. um watered down but still decent for $2 Chicken rice.. the line was getting crazy luckily I joined 5 min early otherwise would be waiting around corner. Again hmmmm chicken was good but rice was a let down.. had to waddle out..

There was so much variety and they were cheap! Get something small from different stalls to try! I loved all the drinks/juices that I had got. Kumquat was my favorite! This plate of food was only $7 and two people couldn't even finish!

One of the many hawker centers in SG. This one is right smack in the heart of Chinatown. Dining area upstairs and shopping downstairs. Plenty of stalls to choose from depends on your cravings. Some has longer queue than the rest. Personally it's all the same for me.

During my trip to Singapore, besides trying the chicken rice, I have try something new and tasty, also regarded as heritage traditional food in Singapore called Prawn noodle. This store name is HEY ME! which caught my eyes as Prawn noodle in Chinese is called Hae Mee :) The soup itself is prawny and full of flavor without MSG, the prawn is fresh and crunchy, I added a pork rib for only $1 which the meat is so tender and fell off the bone. Forget about the long queues, HEY ME! is a must try when you in Singapore in Chinatown. 2nd floor at the Chinatown complex market.

Maybe I came on a wrong day... A lot of the stalls were closed during my late afternoon visit. I found the set up a little confusing as one have to go around corners to get to certain areas and the alley ways are narrow with barely enough space to walk around. I won't make a special trip just to come here for food but if you are in the area, not a bad place to just come and chill. At least one can get a ice cold beer from The Good Beer Company to go with all these street food!

It's not pretty, but it's very real. Especially the dining area. Very bottom floor is the wet market while the shops are street level, and hawker stalls are upper level. I'm reviewing the hawker stalls. If you've got friends who all have different tastes, this might be a good option. Everyone can buy what they went then regroup at the table. Lots and lots of stalls mainly catering to the older demographic, which means some of these stalls have been around for a long time and are tried and true. Open air but densely packed (with both the hot stalls and people) so it can get really muggy and uncomfortable during peak hours. Just expect to sweat. Also, there are toilets somewhere in the middle, and I think it's ten cents for entry. It's impossible to give an average rating of the food since there are so many stalls, which should ideally be individually rated, but overall, prices are very reasonable. Some stalls only open in the afternoon, so if you're coming for a particular place make sure you know what time they open (e.g., claypot place only opens after 3pm/4pm). My favorite is one of the herbal soup places. But I say go around and try what you want, don't necessarily join a queue just because you think if there's a line it must be good. The wet market is worth checking out if you want to buy some fruits to eat back in your lodging. Prices for tropical fruits are way less than what you'd pay in your home country. And if you ask, the vendor will cut off the extra twigs for you after weighing so you have less to carry and less to throw away back at the hotel.

After 2 nights of meandering hopelessly around the dark, empty streets of Chinatown, we were elated one morning when we took an unexpected detour and stumbled upon the Chinatown Food Street sign. Glimpsing red lanterns running all along the street, we thought we had struck gold. Unfortunately, walking into the wake of shops and tourists revealed this place to be quite touristic with pushy vendors touting wares that I wouldn't buy. However, the old-fashioned architecture was interesting to look at, and we discovered the Chinatown MRT at the very end of the street and made a mental note to come back for dinner. I guess we came back too late on a Wednesday night for dinner, because all the stalls were pretty much closed. The only one still serving food was a Japanese Korean place, so I got the chicken bibimbab for $4.00, while my bf got the kimchi udon with beef for $3.80. He liked his meal, but I was a bit disappointed with mine. The food wasn't very hot, and the rice didn't get crispy in the plastic bowl.

This is great food court/hawker complex in Chinatown. It is a couple blocks away from the Chinatown metro stop but you will pass through active parts of Chinatown while traveling towards this food court. Inside you will find a vast array of food stalls selling all sorts of traditional dishes that Singapore is known for. Across from the food court you will see the famous "Michelin star soya sauce chicken and rice" restaurant. This restaurant is operates a standing restaurant and their original food stall is inside the Chinatown complex. The food stall inside the complex is half the price! The chicken and rice is tender and delicious and a safe bet if you are warming up to eating at hawker stalls. There are often lines so if you are set on this stall you may want to come during interim hours. Many options to choose from that are affordable, authentic, and delicious.

I was super lucky to stay here for a full week and I loved every minute of it. It's a lot larger than I thought and crosses over multiple streets so be sure to explore all of it. More near outram station, they have a wet market on the bottom of the hawker station with food stalls upstairs. Over in the People's Court side in the actual building with shops, there's a bunch of foot reflexology/foot massage places that charge about $18 SIN for about 45 mins. That's on the second floor. You're welcome. The only reason this gets 4 and not a 5 is that this place can be pretty dirty. Especially in the morning, after a night of happy customers eating and drinking.

Good amount of food options (like really tons of food options) and lots of seating. It's easy to find (only a few steps away from the MRT). There's also lots of variety. There are essential Singaporean foods like bee hoon and also Cantonese foods like chopped meat. I would definitely come back.

Tons of variety of food stalls, it's hard to pick one, but pick we did and had some duck and some other things that I know not what they were. Delicious, way too many pigeons roaming about for me to be comfortable. There was also a lovely red dragon prowling round and a man with a drum. Definitely a must see.

As a local who's been to many, many, many hawker centers, Chinatown is a pretty good one I would visit if I were around the area (and hungry lol), but probably would not make a dedicated trip just to visit (unless I'm bringing friends who're visiting!), mostly because they don't have the Best of any of my fave hawker dishes. It's located above the market and close to both Chinatown & Outram Park MRT stations. The tables are color coded according to which area they're in - makes it much easier if you're trying to find a friend. Everyone (or most people) would know about the newly minted Michelin newbie Hong Kong Soy Sauce Chicken, and if you don't you'd likely see the line snaking across three rows of stores (estimated wait now: 2 hours at lunch time). Other fave picks: 1) An Ji - well known for its zichar dishes - the wait may be long but worth it! I particularly liked their fish sliced noodles soup with incredibly thick and fragrant soup (without tasting too milky). The beef noodles with gravy had wok hei and I loved the thick sauce ladled over it. 2) Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao - check out the separate Yelp listing. Solid and affordable Xiaolongbaos at $5.50 for 10. Not sure if a better deal for xlb exists?!? 3) Food Street Char Kway Teow - It seems to be the only store specializing in char kway teow and its gooood. The lines are long at dinner or peak hours but decent for the rest of the day (of course, Outram Park Char kway Teow is just around the corner too). This is a more wet-style of frying. 4) Jin Ji Duck and Kway Chap - nestled in the corner near the red tables (and unfortunately, also a sizable population of pigeons sigh), recognizable by the newspaper articles hung on the store. They offer yam rice with braised duck, which is sadly becoming more rare. Their noodles (kway teow) have a chewy and perfect texture too, unlike what you usually get from any random store's kway teow, and I really enjoyed slurping down the bowl of noodles. The only grouse is that they don't give very generous portions of duck. 5) Tai Hwa Coffee/drinks store - more of a local haunt - many uncles and aunties queueing up here for their kopi! (And my parents first brought me here lol.) Also near the red tables. They make a mean cup of kopi C! Though other types of kopi are also popular: it just depends what you ordinarily order. It's thick and has a slight burnt taste, and is also very strong. Reminds me of the kopi at Suntec City food court (popular among the CBD crowd). 6) boiled soups - near the back entrance above the durian shop on the first floor. It's not often you find boiled Chinese-style soups like old cucumber or watercress. I'm not a diehard fan of these soups but great if you're in the mood for some lighter fare! Because carrot cake is my all-time fave hawker dish, the ones I've tried from Super Mommy store and another one near the green tables are both pretty decent. Not the best, not something I'd travel for, but authentic and satisfies the craving. The best way to eat at a hawker center IMO is to split many dishes with friends!

Visited Chinatown Complex Market for Give Me More, a new stall that's brightly lit in a dull hawker centre and specialises in Taiwanese rice bowls. With attractive prices paired with generous portions, Give Me More is definitely worth visiting. I dug into what seems to be their prized dish, their Braised Pork Rice ($5). We were impressed by their portions. The dish is made up of rice drizzled with light soy sauce, braised pork spread over half the bed of rice, grilled kai lan, onions and a halved marinated soft-boiled egg. http://eatbook.sg/give-me-more/

They have recently revamped this street with with a glass canopy which covers the entire street, This structure protects hungry foodies from the elements, making a Singapore food crawl all the more enjoyable. Just like any hawkers center, you can move from stall to stall and sample all sorts of munchies and small meals to customize your own little repast. I stepped up to a chicken and rice stand, for what was something like my billionth serving of Singapore's signature dish. I enhanced this selection with a nice selection of satay from a nearby hawker stall. Squid and chicken satay? Why yes, I don't mind if I do. Smith Street also has clean seating on the side of the street, and they seem to do a nice job of cleaning up the tables as soon as someone leaves. However, as good as Smith Street is, it can get a bit sticky for it is outside after all, and unlike a hawker stand, searching for a toilet can be a bit problematic. Still, besides a cornucopia munching to be had, Smith Street is also lined with a number of souvenir shops and specialty items; purchase some Chinese herbs for some old school healing. All and all, Smith Street is a nice change from a typical hawker center.

Of the 5 hawker centres that I was able to go to, this one is my favorite. The food here is cheap, the portions are a good size to sample everything, but most importantly, the food is just amazing. Make sure to stop by Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao for XLB and On Tap to wash down all the heavenly delicacies.

I love coming to this street - though it can be a little bit commercial at times - with all the tourists, etc., but the standard of the food is still pretty authentic. There are quite a few options, when you dine in the evening, it's pretty cool and airy, and you get all the staples of Singaporean food fare. The MRT station is just nearby - so it's pretty easy to get to. What I Love: The options for food here is great - I love the Drinks & Desserts stall, the Fried Hokkien Mee, Char Kway Teow, Orh Luah and Ah Balling are yummy to the max. From the Drinks & Desserts stall, I would recommend the Coconut Juice, Water Chestnut Drink & Ice Kacang. The other Desserts are yummy too - but I always have the Ice Kacang there. There is a Seafood Stall that's really famous at the end of the street - it sells Ikan Bakar, Deep Fried Baby Squid, and quite a few other local delicacies. The City Satay stall is FAB!!! Gotta TRY!!! Hard to get yummy Satay in Singapore - so I do feel that they do pretty good ones. What I Don't Love: Absolutely nothing!! :)

We are in Singapore now during Chinese New Year so hoards of locals. The place is huge. So many clustered stalls offering various local food, desserts, and drink. One line must have snaked 20-30 people easily. I never figured out which stall it was for. And lots of stalls are closed in observance of the new year. It can be taunting. Narrow aisles and very noisy. Food prep appears questionable and flatware, trays, and dishes also. But it's another day now and I'm fine. We walked around and around. Ended up having chicken rice. So so. Chicken breast meat somewhat dry. Rice somewhat hard. Which stall? Can't recall. Sweet little couple runs it. Take your food and find an empty table. Communal ones too. Public toilets available. $0.10 Singapore.

Well I actually didn't know this place existed until a local friend dragged me through a dreary bottom level and up the escalator and ... this place is massive!!!! There must be about 150 stalls and seating for 500 people at least. There are corridors and alleys of hawker stalls that just wind all around the second level. We went on a Saturday morning around 10am and it was bustling with locals out for some quick cheap breakfast. The stalls don't sell expensive seafood type dishes like Newton Circus - but there is still a huge variety. $5 will get you a hearty meal. This is definitely a local centre, not really a touristy place - it's a little more edgy and not as sparkling as some of the more touristy hawker centres. The tourists are plentiful at street level especially at the eateries along 'eat' street but not many seem to venture up here. It was a good place to watch locals grab a quick bite and also head across to the 'wet' market and do their weekly shopping. This complex is a short stroll from the Temple Street exit of the Chinatown MRT station.

This huge hawker center in the midst of Chinatown is an excellent way to familiarize yourself with an essential part of Singaporean food culture. There is an immense number if different food stalls on the second floor so whatever type of Asian food you feel like it should be possible to find here. The environment is jot relaxing or nice but it does fee authentic and even when it is busy it feels fairly clean and orderly. There are some excellent options for food and even for beer there are some good stalls. Well worth a visit both for tourists and people living here.

Of all the hawker centers I visited, this one was by far my favorite! Yes... I'm a sucker for Chinese food, and being in Chinatown, well, this place has an unfair advantage. I think what makes this place fun is not just the huge variety of food, but the fact that this multi story complex is also a huge mart for random souvenirs and goods. Just outside the food centre, you'll find more touristy things,a street of Chinese bakers, more Chinese restaurants, etc. I'm a big fan!

All I can say is that this place is huge, and while it is not my first encounter with the wonders of the Singapore Hawkers centres, it was one that I was drawn to simply because of the promise of two awesome beer stalls inside (the Smith Street Taps and the Good Beer Company). The ground floor is basically a huge market, which is effectively the extension of the rest of the markets in Chinatown, and in the basement is where all you do you food shopping, however if you are looking for a bite to eat it is on the second level where you head because there are simply so many stalls here you just do not know where to begin. Mind you, this is Singapore, so it isn't like your local food hall where you buy your lunch (or dinner) and one of the stalls and eat it, but rather you buy selections of food from the various stalls scattered around. One will sell Chinese, another Indian, another desert, and another drinks (including beer). You then take your purchases to one of the many tables and prepare for a feast. Mind you, it is quite loud in here, but the smells are amazing, and if you are here after six, make sure you go and check out the Good Beer Company (and Smith Street Taps).

We had just touched down in Singapore from our 2.5 hour flight on Jetstar Airlines from Bangkok with not having had any type of water or beverage or even food except some bananas at 7am. It was already noon people. So hungry. So after we got into our room, changed, we headed straight out. First Maxwell Food Center was shut down for renovations. Bummer. Oh well keep trekking as closed shops would never deter a Yelper. So onward and outward dodging tourist after tourist, "Out of my way, I'm hungry!" is going through my brain as I've only one thing on my mind and that's "get something yummy into my belly." We finally found our first set of food stalls on Smith Street and settled on #7. For a small plate of noodles for $5, it wasn't anything special. Three pieces of shrimp, a lemon, and watery noodles. Actually anything tasted good at that point. We should have just gone to the second level of the complex as they had more food and even cheaper options and probably better food. It's ok. I'm here for 5 days. That complex is mine to conquer. Mwahahahaha.

Best way to get there from city center is by MRT. It's so hot outside and the indoor air conditioned walk way will take you through a series of interesting shops and advertisements and art work. China town is small but with over 200 stalls of hawkers on the second floor, there are tons of cooking styles to choose from. If you're with a friend, decide where you want to eat first, then look for a table and have one of you save the space and one gets the meal. During lunch time, it is packed qith people. If you are in the mood for shopping for souvenirs and such, there are tons of stores on the street level. The complex has a fruit and vegetable stands on the lower level too. It's not hard to find. From the Chinatown stop, head towards the Pagoda then follow the walking street lined with stands.

Went back for a late breakfast. Since it was Monday, more than half the stalls were closed but still plenty to chose, including those delicious peanut pancakes. Even better with coconut filling. Now that I've had a chance to compare, this is one of the larger and cleaner hawker centers. Inexpensive and lots of goodies with the main focus on Chinese food (duh). Plenty of tables and breezy spots to sit and enjoy your food.

Chinatown Complex is a hawker center right next to the Buddha's Tooth temple in Chinatown. Lots of great stalls here!