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328 Katong Laksa and Roxy Square facing each other across East Coast Road
Suggested planKatong (East Coast Road)

The great Katong laksa showdown, then gelato

Edited by Jamie   Updated 11 October 2026
Total time
2½–3½ hours
Budget
Under S$30 — Laksa at Janggut (S$6–8) and 328 Katong Laksa (S$7.30 small, S$9.30 large), kueh chang from about S$4.50 at Rumah Kim Choo, and gelato at Birds of Paradise (price not listed).
Works on
Every day
Timing
Start around 11.30am so you reach the gelato after it opens at noon; any day.
Stops
4 stops, in order
Good for
A friend, A group, Myself
Directions to the first stop

Days are worked out from each stop's usual opening hours; check before you go.

Janggut says it has the original Katong laksa. Share a bowl there and at 328, and referee.

A lunch built around an argument, for friends, a small group or a solo eater with an appetite and opinions: two Katong laksa shops, a rice dumpling house and a gelato to cool off, all on one stretch of East Coast Road. The compromise is capacity. Two bowls is a lot, so share each one and compare, and start around 11.30am.

Janggut Laksa, Roxy Square. It claims the original Katong laksa, from the hawker who first cut the noodles short, and laksa is the only thing on the menu, which tells you how seriously it takes the job. Check its hours before you go.

328 Katong Laksa. The other side of the argument, open since 1998, with a short menu built around a thick, punchy broth. Taste the two side by side and decide for yourself; Katong has had this argument for years and shows no sign of finishing it.

Rumah Kim Choo. The rice dumpling business Lee Kim Choo founded in 1945, with Peranakan goods downstairs and a heritage gallery upstairs that puts the neighbourhood's food in context. It is the walk between laksa and dessert; take a kueh chang home for later. Check kimchoo.com for opening hours.

Birds of Paradise Gelato Boutique. The botanical gelato brand that began on East Coast Road in 2016: chrysanthemum, hojicha and a cone that smells of thyme. It opens at noon, so it lands neatly after lunch. Settle the laksa verdict before the gelato softens anyone's judgement.

The plan

  1. Laksa, round one: Janggut Laksa

    The self-declared original; laksa is the only thing on the menu at Roxy Square. Check hours before you go.

    Hours: Daily 10.30am–4.30pm

  2. 12.15pm · Laksa, round two: 328 Katong Laksa

    Thick, punchy broth; share a bowl to compare.

    Hours: Daily 9.30am–9.30pm (51 East Coast Road)

  3. Dumplings and history: Rumah Kim Choo (Kim Choo Kueh Chang)

    Peranakan goods downstairs, heritage gallery upstairs. Check kimchoo.com for opening hours.

    Hours: Daily from 10am; closing time 9pm or 10pm (check before you go)

  4. 2pm · Something cold: Birds of Paradise Gelato Boutique (Katong)

    Botanical gelato from noon; try the thyme cone.

    Hours: Sun–Thu 12pm–10pm; Fri–Sat 12pm–10.30pm

If it rains

All four stops are indoors on the same stretch of East Coast Road, so only the short walks between them need an umbrella.