Like many of our friends, we are always in search of cheap and good food in Singapore. What is “cheap” or “good” is relative. A reasonable place to start is the Bib Gourmand places recognised in the 2018 Singapore Michelin Guide which defines these eating places as follows: “The Bib Gourmand list recognises restaurants and street food establishments offering quality cuisines at a maximum price of S$45”. Which sounds like places with cheap and good food in Singapore. Here are 10 such places featuring Singapore local food.
New Lucky Claypot Rice 新鸿运⽡煲饭
The New Lucky Claypot Rice is a famous claypot rice stall at Holland Drive Food Centre. Each pot is prepared and cooked over charcoal stoves only when ordered. The process takes time and the wait can be a long one. The smart way to eat this Bib Gourmand restaurant is to call and order in advance, both for eating in or taking away. Read more.
New Lucky Claypot Rice
Blk 44 Holland Drive
#02-19
Singapore 270044
Tel: +65 67787808
Opening Hours: Time: 11am – 1.30pm, 5pm – 8.30pm, Closed on Wednesday except Public Holidays
Hong Kee Beef Noodle 桐记牛肉粿条
Hong Kee Beef Noodle 桐记牛肉粿条 sells noodles at $5 and $6 per bowl. The extra $1 gives you more beef. There is the usual choice of noodles and soup or dry versions. Read Cheap Meal in Amoy Street Food Centre.
Amoy Street Food Centre, #01-42
Mon to Fri: 11am – 7.30pm
Sat to Sun: 9am – 2.30pm
Kok Sen Restaurant 国成球记餐室
Kok Sen Restaurant is a Singapore zi char outfit that was named a Singapore Bib Gourmand restaurant in the 2016, 2017 and 2018 editions of the Singapore Michelin Guide. Located in the Keong Saik dining enclave, the humble Kok Sen restaurant ticks all the boxes of what makes a good local restaurant in Singapore – traditional coffee shop atmosphere, good food, friendly service and fairly priced. Being air-conditioned is a bonus. Read more.
31-32 Keong Saik Road
Tel 6223 2005
Opening hours:
Lunch 12:00-14:30
Dinner 17:00-23:00
Nearest MRT Station: Outram
Michelin Guide Website
Chuan Kee Boneless Braised Duck
Chuan Kee specialises in braised duck (Teochew style) only i.e. no roast duck or char siew or other roast meats. This Bib Gourmand receipient was a new entrant to the Singapore Michelin Guide in 2018. The easiest way to order a complete duck meal is to order their set meals which have $3, $4 and $5 options. The differences among the sets lie in the quantity of duck and the peripheral items like the stewed peanuts, beancurd and braised egg. We selected the $5 version which has a bit of everything. It certainly qualifies as cheap and good food in Singapore. Read Two Ghim Moh Duck Rice Stalls.
Chuan Kee Boneless Braised Duck
Unit #01-04 Blk 20 Ghim Moh Road Market & Cooked Food Centre
Ghim Moh Road
Singapore 270020
Shi Hui Yuan Hor Fun Speciality 实惠园
The storefront of the stall that sells the Bib Gourmand Hor Fun, Shi Hui Yuan, is simple and uncluttered. They only sell one thing – hor fun. But it is available with different permutations of toppings – mushroom, chicken feet, chicken, duck, braised spare ribs etc. There are large tubs of gravy which is where the magic of this stall lies. Read more.
Shi Hui Yuan Hor Fun
#02-33 Mei Ling Food Centre
159 Mei Chin Road
Singapore 140159
Opening hours: 08:00-14:00 Thursday to Sunday
Lao Fu Zi Fried Kway Teow
The char kway teow of Lao Fu Zi Fried Kway Teow has wok
Lao Fu Zi Fried Kway Teow ⽼夫⼦炒粿条
#01-12, Old Airport Road Food Centre
51 Old Airport Road
Singapore 390051
Tel: 83334828
Bismillah Biryani Restaurant
Bismillah Biryani Restaurant in Little India is an eatery that is included in the Singapore Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand list. Occupying two old shophouses along Dunlop Street, the restaurant has become an experiential travel destination of sorts. Tourists eat there so that they can say they have an authentic experience of local cuisine and culture. Bismillah Biryani Restaurant is certainly quite an interesting restaurant in a colourful location and it does serve pretty good Biryani Rice and Kebabs. Read more.
Bismillah Biryani Restaurant
50 Dunlop Street
Singapore 209379
Tel: +65 9382 7937
Opening Hours: 11.30 am -3 pm; 5.30 pm – 9 pm
Nearby MRT Station: Rochor, Jalan Besar
New Ubin Seafood Bukit Batok
New Ubin Seafood Hillview takes up a large part of the canteen space on the 6th level of the Lam Soon Industrial Building. This is not the most posh of locations but it certainly has character. Carpark lots are plentiful around the building but the best access if you are driving is to go up the ramp that leads to the car park on level 6. The canteen is then directly accessible from the carpark. They serve largely zhi char style of food as well as some mean steaks (Western style). Read more.
New Ubin Seafood
63 Hillview Avenue, Level 6 (Canteen)
Singapore 669569
Opening Hours:
Mon: 5:30-10pm
Tue-Sun: 11am-2pm, 5:30-10pm
A Noodle Story 超好⾯
Much has been written about A Noodle Story at Amoy Street Food Centre, a hawker stall listed on the Michelin Bib Gourmand Guide since 2016. It caused a storm in a noodle bowl when it published a post on its Facebook page with the heading “I’m Going Totally Naked With You！” After that Facebook post was published, we went to eat the famed Singapore styled ramen of A Noodle Story. We would say that both the story about their noodles and the Facebook post are worth retelling. Read more.
A Noodle Story
Amoy Street Food Centre
#01-39 7 Maxwell Road
Singapore 069111
A Noodle Story Opening Hours:
Mon – Fri : 11.15 am – 2.30 pm
5.30 pm – 7.30 pm
Sat : 10.30 am – 1.30 pm
Closed on Sunday
Nearby MRT Station: Tanjong Pagar
Zai Shun Curry Fish Head 载顺咖喱鱼头
Zai Shun Curry Fish Head Curry 载顺咖喱鱼头 in Jurong East received official recognition of their culinary prowess when they were listed as a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant in the 2017 Singapore Michelin Guide. But fans of high quality steamed fish have known this restaurant for years. It is located at the western part of Singapore – in Jurong East, near Yuhua Food Village. Zai Shun opens from 7 am in the morning and there is usually a full house at lunchtime. We have not tried their curry fish head but they have lots of other choices and their steamed fish selections are what draws many regulars. Read more.
Zai Shun Curry Fish Head
Block 253 Jurong East Steet 24, #01-205
Singapore 600253
Thanks for reading our list of 10 Bib Gourmand restaurants for good and cheap food in Singapore. Happy Eating!
The Ordinary Patrons | Real Dining Experience of Ordinary People
an independent Singapore food blog
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