Chinatown Complex

Top choice in Chinatown & the CBD


Leave Smith St's revamped 'Chinatown Food Street' to the out-of-towners and join old-timers and foodies at this nearby labyrinth, now home to Michelin-starred Hawker Chan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle. You decide if the possible two-hour wait is worth it. Other standouts include mixed claypot rice at Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice and the rich satay at Shi Xiang Satay.

For a little TLC, opt for Ten Tonic Ginseng Chicken Soup at Shen Xi Soup. Come evening head over to Smith Street Taps for craft and premium beers on tap – not what you'd expect in a hawkers centre!

Stalls are open from early in the morning, with lunchtime and 5pm to 7pm being the busiest hours. Most places shut by 8pm, though a few remain open until after 10pm.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Chinatown & the CBD attractions

1. Buddha Tooth Relic Temple

0.08 MILES

Consecrated in 2008, this hulking, five-storey Buddhist temple is home to what is reputedly a tooth of the Buddha, discovered in a collapsed stupa …

2. Chinatown Heritage Centre

0.13 MILES

Delve into Chinatown's gritty, cacophonous backstory at the immersive Chinatown Heritage Centre. Occupying several levels of a converted shophouse, its…

3. Sri Mariamman Temple

0.14 MILES

Paradoxically in the middle of Chinatown, this is the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore, originally built in 1823, then rebuilt in 1843. You can't miss the…

4. Jamae Mosque

0.17 MILES

The mint-green Jamae Mosque welcomes hundreds of worshippers each day. The current building was completed between 1830 and 1835, and is considered one of…

5. Singapore City Gallery

0.19 MILES

See into Singapore's future at this interactive city-planning exhibition, which provides compelling insight into the government's resolute policies of…

6. Siang Cho Keong Temple

0.25 MILES

Small, Taoist Siang Cho Keong Temple was built by the Hokkien community in 1867–69. Left of the temple entrance you’ll see a small ‘dragon well’: drop a…

7. Thian Hock Keng Mural

0.26 MILES

Spanning 44m, this mural, painted by Singaporean artist Yip Yew Chong (accountant by weekday, artist by weekend), tells the story of Singapore's early…

8. Al-Abrar Mosque

0.28 MILES

Incorporated in a row of shophouses, Al-Abrar Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in Singapore. At prayer times worshippers often spill out onto the…