Chinatown Complex Food Centre

More than 220 stalls on one floor. You will get lost, and that is roughly the point.

Chinatown Complex rewards a long, curious afternoon and punishes a rushed lunch. It is the biggest hawker centre in Singapore, and some of its best cooking is buried in the middle of it. Go with a shortlist of three stalls, start with the claypot rice because it takes longest, and leave the rest for next time. One compromise to check first: a three-month revamp was planned to start in March 2026, and we haven't confirmed what it changed, so check the centre and your stalls are open before you go.

Why it is worth the maze

More than 220 stalls fill the second floor, above a wet market in the basement and shops on the first, which is why first-timers lose their bearings and regulars walk with purpose. It opened on 1 October 1983, when more than 800 street hawkers moved in from Sago, Trengganu, Smith and Temple Streets and Keong Saik Road. It was called Kreta Ayer Complex until the hawkers asked for a name tourists might recognise, and the layout has barely moved since.

That scale is the point and the problem. The second floor has long drawn complaints about rows of near-identical stalls, dim corners and cooking fumes, and those complaints fed the revamp plan: brighter lighting, high-velocity fans, more signs and extra lifts. If the signs are up, you may get lost a little less (we make no promises).

Where to start

Lian He Ben Ji Claypot, at #02-198/199, holds a Bib Gourmand in the 2026 Michelin Guide. Each pot is cooked to order over charcoal, so order first, sit down and expect a long wait for the scorched crust at the bottom. Use the wait for xiao long bao from Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao at #02-135, run by an Anhui-born chef and his wife.

Then the old guard. Heng Ji Chicken Rice at #02-131 began as a street stall on Smith Street more than seven decades ago. Ann Chin Popiah at #02-112 has been rolling since 1958; get the kueh pie tee too. Hill Street Fried Kway Teow at #02-032 traces its roots to the long-gone Hill Street Food Centre and keeps irregular hours, so treat it as a bonus if it is open.

For something gentler, Hakka HamCha & Yong Tou Fu at #02-123 serves thunder tea rice from a couple who won NEA's Promising New Hawker Award. Finish with cendol from Old Amoy Chendol, a no-frills stall with one thing on the menu.

How to do it well

It is at 335 Smith Street, a short walk from Chinatown MRT. Go mid-afternoon rather than at the lunch peak, bring a group so you can split up and queue in parallel, and check rest days: many stalls close one or two days a week.

What to order

• Claypot rice with chicken, lup cheong and salted fish · Lian He Ben Ji Claypot · #02-198/199Bib Gourmand in the 2026 Michelin Guide. Cooked to order over charcoal, so order first and expect a long wait.
• Xiao long bao · Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao · #02-135Run by an Anhui-born chef and his wife; the thing to eat while the claypot cooks.
• Chicken rice · Heng Ji Chicken Rice · #02-131Started as a street stall on Smith Street more than seven decades ago.
• Popiah and kueh pie tee · Ann Chin Popiah · #02-112Rolling since 1958. Get the kueh pie tee as well as the popiah.
• Char kway teow · Hill Street Fried Kway Teow · #02-032Roots in the old Hill Street Food Centre. Irregular hours, so treat it as a bonus.
• Hakka thunder tea rice · Hakka HamCha & Yong Tou Fu · #02-123Thunder tea rice from a couple who won NEA's Promising New Hawker Award.

Good to know Chinatown Complex is at 335 Smith Street, a short walk from Chinatown MRT. A three-month renovation was planned to start in March 2026; we haven't confirmed it has finished, so check that the food centre and your chosen stall are open before you go. Many stalls close one or two days a week.

Chinatown Complex Food Centre | 335 Smith Street, Singapore 050335 | Nearest MRT: Chinatown