I read about the old airport road food centre in Singapore in Kevin Kwan’s best-selling book, Crazy Rich Asians, which was later transformed into a super hit movie of the same name starring Henry Golding and Constance Wu.
The movie naturally wasn’t as crispy as the book, but that’s true perhaps for most book-to-movie transformations. When I visited Singapore recently, I made it a point to hit the streets outside the Kallang airport and check out the food.
And Kevin Kwan was so right about Singaporean street food when he called the same ‘true originators of fusion cuisine’ in his book. So I decided to compile a list of all the places you must check out – scroll down and find out now!
Top 15 Best Food Stalls at Old Airport Road Food
The old airport road food centre is located on the runway of the Kallang Airport in Singapore. Locals love visiting the region for all the hawkers selling street food that’s delicious and cheap. And like most things in Singapore, even this region is vast with a solid 150 shops only on the first level, followed by various, sundry shops on the next level.
It was difficult, but after a few visits, I managed to find out the top ten food stalls in the region. Simply scroll down and find out all that you need to know about the same.
1. Xin Mei Xiang Zheng Zong Lor Mee (新美香正宗卤面)
This is the place where you will find the best Lor Mee in Singapore. Lor Mee is a Hokkien-based street food that’s sticky and is usually served with flat noodles that are both thick and yellow. You might dismiss it as bland or even starchy, but any Asian street food lover will tell you how satisfying and comforting the dish tastes!
Location | 51 Old Airport Road, #01-116 Old Airport Road Food Centre, Singapore 390051 |
Opening | 6 am – 2 pm between Sundays to Tuesdays | 7 am – 2 pm Wednesdays to Saturdays | Thursdays – closed |
Online Presence | |
Offerings (with Price) | Lor Mee (S$6/big, S$5/medium, and S$4/small) |
2. Roast Paradise (烧味天堂)
Owned by Kai and Randall, Roast Paradise is famous for its caramelized Char Siew cooked in the KL-style. The owners launched the shop when they were only in their early twenties and it has been several years then – you can still spot both Kai and Randall roasting some meat at peak hours.
Location | 51 Old Airport Road, #01-121 Old Airport Road Food Centre, Singapore 390051 |
Opening | 11:30 am – 6 pm between Tuesdays to Saturdays| 11:30 am – 3:30 pm on Mondays| 11:30 am – 5:30 pm on Sundays |
Online Presence | |
Offerings (with Price) | 300g Char Siew (S$15), Hakka Noodles ($4.00), and Char Siew Rice/Noodles with Roast Pork ($4 – $5.50) |
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3. Hua Kee Hougang Famous Wanton Mee (華記后港祖傳馳名雲吞麵)
The old airport road food centre is known for several different varieties of Singaporean street food. One such food alternative is the scrumptious Wanton mee which is made in a unique way in this food joint. The line of people waiting outside the stall makes the popularity of the dish and the quality of the same obvious to visitors.
Location | 51 Old Airport Road, #01-02 Old Airport Road Food Centre, Singapore 390051 |
Opening | 11 am – 10.30 pm between Tuesdays to Sundays | Mondays – closed |
Online Presence | |
Offerings (with Price) | Wonton Soup, Dumpling Soup, Fried Wonton, and Hua Kee’s Wanton Noodles(S$3.50/small, S$4/medium, S$5/big) |
4. Homemade Springroll (富城食品自制薄饼)
There will be days when you would not want to eat anything relatively lighter than those thick noodles or even rice bowls. The old airport road food centre is well known for the Homemade Springrolls, Fucheng Food Pancakes, Springroll Wrappers, and Pancake Wrappers. These look fresh and taste crisp – what more could you want from a spring roll?
Location | 51 Old Airport Road, #01-94 Old Airport Road Food Centre, Singapore 390051 |
Opening | 8.30am – 11pm between Sundays to Mondays |
Online Presence | |
Offerings (with Price) | Popiah (S$1.70), Kueh Pie Ti ($3.50), and Kueh Pie Ti (S$2.50) |
5. Rong Yi Local Handmade Pau (榮意本地手工包點)
Finding the perfect street food at a cost-effective price is possible only when you look at the corners, and that’s exactly where this gem of a place is hidden amongst all the old airport road hawker stalls. The handmade dim sum and buns that you will find here taste amazing, especially the filling that’s so juicy and tasty – my personal favorite!
Location | 51 Old Airport Road, #01-01 Old Airport Road Food Centre, Singapore 390051 |
Opening | 7 am – 10 pm between Sundays to Mondays |
Online Presence | |
Offerings (with Price) | Da Pau (S$1.60) and Coffee Pau (S$0.80) |
6. Famous Old Airport Road Oyster Omelette (驰名旧机场炒蚝煎)
What is the chance that any shop with the word ‘famous’ is actually famous or even good enough? The stall even says, “Buy genuine, say no to copy,” but the food’s so good and so famous! The subtle flavor of the oysters blended with a large quantity of eggs makes things pretty tasty.
Location | 51 Old Airport Road, #01-154 Old Airport Road Food Centre, Singapore 390051 |
Opening | 11 am – 2 pm & 5.30 pm – 9.30 pm on Mondays and between Wednesdays to Fridays | 4.30 pm – 9.30 pm on Saturdays | Tuesdays – closed |
Online Presence | – |
Offerings (with Price) | Fried Oyster Omelette, Fried Prawn Omelette, Fried Cuttlefish Omelette (S$8/big, S$6/medium, and S$4/small) |
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7. Hua Ji Xo Fish Head Bee Hoon (华记xo鱼头米粉)
The bright yellow signboard and the long queues made me wonder what was so special about this place? After an hour or so, I understood the point. It was the yum bowl – some fried fish accompanied by white soup. My visit to the old airport road food centre would be incomplete without a trip to this crazy place – another personal favorite!
Location | 51 Old Airport Road, #01-118 Old Airport Road Food Centre, Singapore 390051 |
Opening | 12.30 pm – 10 pm between Fridays to Wednesdays| Thursdays – closed |
Online Presence | |
Offerings (with Price) | Fish Head Bee Hoon Soup (S$6) |
8. J. & J. Special Beef Noodles (J. & J. 特色牛肉面)
It’s obvious from the name that this place is well known for the specialty beef noodles that they excel in making! The beef tendons and slices of braised beef taste just divine. And that’s not all. The place is also known for serving some mouthwatering Wagyu beef accompanied by noodles or even rice.
Location | 51 Old Airport Road, #01-122 Old Airport Road Food Centre, Singapore 390051 |
Opening | 10.30 am – 9 pm between Tuesdays to Sundays | Mondays – closed |
Online Presence | |
Offerings (with Price) | Braised Beef Noodle (S$7.50/big, and S$5.50/medium) |
9. Lao Fu Zi Fried Kway Teow (老夫子炒粿条)
The Char Kway Teow is one local dish that I have learned to appreciate over my multiple visits to the old airport road food centre. The best part? Don’t think you will get the same type of fried noodles every time – it totally depends on who is frying your noodles but be sure that all variations are going to be tasty!
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Location | 51 Old Airport Road, #01-12 Old Airport Road Food Centre, Singapore 390051 |
Opening | 11.30 am – 11 pm between Mondays to Fridays | 10 am – 11 pm on Saturdays and Sundays |
Online Presence | |
Offerings (with Price) | Lao Fu Zi Fried Kway Teow (S$4) |
10. Toa Payoh Rojak (大巴窑)
I love revisiting the Old Airport Road Food Center time and again. The reason being I love the food here, and the Toa Payoh Rojak is one of my personal favorites. The sauce is creamy and sweet with a strong flavor of shrimp paste. The most unique thing, in this case, is the spinach that simply improves the overall experience of the same.
Location | 51 Old Airport Road, #01-116 Old Airport Road Food Centre, Singapore 390051 |
Opening | 11 am – 10 pm between Thursdays to Tuesdays | Wednesdays – closed |
Online Presence | |
Offerings (with Price) | Rojak with spinach, youtiao, bean sprouts, tau pok, served with crushed peanuts (S$4) |
11. Wang Wang Curry Puff
You won’t ever forget the taste of the Wang Wang curry puff crust. The owner of the stall spends hours handcrafting each and every roll and creates layered flaky crust. It is needless to say that the Crispy Curry Puff is a must-try. You can also try different filling options like Black Pepper Chicken ($1.60).
Location | 27 Bendemeer Rd, #01 01, Singapore 330027 |
Opening | Tue-Sun 10 am to 7 pm |
Online Presence | https://www.instagram.com/wangwangcurrypuff/ |
Offerings (with Price) | Black Pepper Chicken ($1.80)/ Yam Paste Black Pepper Chicken ($1.80)/ Yam Paste ($1.60) |
12. Dong Ji Fried Kway Teow
You can try Fried Kway Teow at Dong Ji, which is one of the best dishes to taste at the old airport road in Singapore. You’ll find the Kway Teow less dry and less sweet here at Dong Ji. They are very careful with the preparation of each plate, and the place gets flooded with people waiting in line for a bite.
Location | 51 Old Airport Rd, #01-115 Food Centre, Singapore 390051 |
Opening | Daily 9:30 am to 9:30 pm |
Online Presence | https://www.instagram.com/wangwangcurrypuff/ |
Offerings (with Price) | Kway Teow ($2 – $3.50) |
13. Roast Paradise
The old airport area has a place called the Roast Paradies, and the place speaks for itself. They often have a long queue waiting in line for their delicious KL-style roast meats. Two cooks traveled to Malaysia just to perfect this recipe and serve it to hundreds of food lovers waiting in line every day.
Location | 51 Old Airport Rd, #01-121, Singapore 390051 |
Opening | Mon-Sat 11 am to 8 pm |
Online Presence | https://www.instagram.com/wangwangcurrypuff/ |
Offerings (with Price) | Char Siew Rice ($4.50/$5.50) |
14. Nyonya Chendol
When it’s pretty hot outside, you want to just get under a shed and try a bowl of Chendol at Nyonya Chendol. The bowls are pretty cheap, and you can have one for just $2. The original bowl doesn’t come with red beans and sweet corn. But, if you want, you can also get a bowl with red beans and sweet corn added. It’ll cost you $2.50. Their Durian Chendol is also worth the try.
Location | 51 Old Airport Rd, #01-115 Food Centre, Singapore 390051 |
Opening | Daily 9:30 am to 9:30 pm |
Online Presence | https://www.facebook.com/nonyachendol/ |
Offerings (with Price) | Nyonya Chendol, Durian Chendol ($2 – $3.50) |
15. Cho Kee Noodles
If you want a variety of noodles, then Cho Kee Nooldes is a place worth checking out around the old airport area. The flavours change according to your choice of ingredients, like seaweed, beetroot, mee pok, egg, tomato, or whole grain noodles. If you are visiting this place, don’t forget to try the Fried Wanton Noodles ($5.50/$6.50). You can also try the Chicken Feet Noodles and Mushroom Noodles based on your preferences.
Location | 51 Old Airport Rd, #01-04 Food Centre, Singapore 390051 |
Opening | Mon-Fri 11 am to 3 pm, 6:30 pm to 9 pm |
Online Presence | |
Offerings (with Price) | Fried Wanton Noodles ($5.50/$6.50)/ Chicken Feet Noodles and Mushroom Noodles ($4.50 – $5.50) |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
The places you must check out at the Old Airport Road hawkers in Singapore are as follows,
1. Dong Ji Fried Kway Teow.
2. Wen Wen Pork Rib Big Prawn Mee.
3. Hock Lam Street Popular Beef Kway Teow.
4. Tan Beng Otah Delights.
5. Nam Sing Hokkien Mee.
The oldest Hawker center in Singapore is the Singapore Zam Zam Restaurant, which has been exiting since 1908. One of the most popular dishes found here is the Murtabak which costs only five Singaporean dollars.
Currently, there are about 110 stalls in the Old Airport Food Centre. By 2027, there will be at least another 13 stalls joining the peasant number. That’s great, considering you will have so many stalls to choose from while exploring local Singaporean food.
And It’s A Wrap!
So, are you planning to check out the old airport road food center in Singapore any time soon? If you live in Singapore, then head over to this street food heaven at the earliest. For the rest, you can wait for your turn! If you are planning a trip to Singapore, you can’t miss out on so many delicious food alternatives.
Don’t forget to let us know about your experience with street food in the comments below.
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