Tekka Centre

It was renamed Zhujiao in 1982. Nobody called it that, and in 2000 the sign gave up.

Tekka is the food centre for a group that can't agree on lunch: Indian vegetarian meals on banana leaves, North Indian cooking, Malay food and Chinese vegetarian stalls sit within a few steps of each other on the ground floor. Split up, order separately and meet back at one table. The compromise is that every stall is its own business, with its own hours and ways of paying, so do one lap before you commit.

A name worth fighting for

The name took some winning. In 1982 the stallholders of the old Tekka Market crossed the road to a new complex called Zhujiao, a pinyin rendering of the old name that locals found hard to read and pronounce; the National Heritage Board records that the public felt it didn't sound like the original at all. In November 2000 it officially became Tekka Centre, and everyone carried on calling it what they always had.

Hokkien speakers called the area tek kia kha, the foot of the small bamboos, after the clumps along the Rochor Canal. The Malay name, Kandang Kerbau, means buffalo pens, after the cattle sheds and slaughterhouses that operated here into the 1920s. The first market opened across the street in 1915 and by the 1930s was known as a "people's market" for fresh meat, vegetables and seafood. That site is now Tekka Mall.

How to do it well

The current building, refreshed after a renovation that closed it from 2008 to 2009, works on two floors beside Little India MRT. On the ground floor, banana-leaf sets cost more than single plates, so decide whether you're having a meal or a snack before you queue. If you have dietary needs, ask at the counter rather than assuming. Then walk through the wet market, where the seafood includes Sri Lankan crabs and some of the vegetables are flown in from India. Upstairs, shops sell traditional Indian clothing, cheap casual wear, tailoring and hardware, plus Taoist and Buddhist items.

There are Chinese stallholders who speak Tamil and Indian stallholders who speak Chinese, the kind of fluency you only get from decades behind neighbouring counters. It is a reminder that this is a workplace before it is a sight, so keep photos considerate around people shopping or working.

Make it a morning

Tekka pairs naturally with the Indian Heritage Centre on Campbell Lane, whose own directions point visitors to the bus stop in front of Tekka Centre and to its basement car park. Do the galleries first and come back hungry, or eat first and walk lunch off among the artefacts. NEA has scheduled a cleaning closure for 30 November to 1 December 2026, so pick another day that week.

Good to know Tekka Centre is beside Little India MRT. NEA has scheduled a cleaning closure for 30 November to 1 December 2026. Stalls set their own hours and payment arrangements, so confirm details for the day you visit and ask stalls directly about ingredients if you have dietary needs.

Hungry for another market? Our food centres guide has the rest.

Tekka Centre | 665 Buffalo Road, Singapore 210665 | Nearest MRT: Little India