6 Best Foods in Singapore & Dishes To Try in 2024

Are you planning a trip to Singapore this year? You’ll want to try several dishes during your stay in the country. Singapore is best known for having delicious seafood and chicken dishes. You’ll want to try as many authentic Singapore cuisines as possible.

So, we put together this guide to help you find the best food in Singapore and all the dishes you need to try in 2024. Let’s dive in!

1. Hainanese Chicken Rice

Many locals recommend that tourists try the Hainanese chicken rice dish and regard it as an unofficial national food. There are plenty of street vendors that sell this dish. Plus, you can find various local restaurants specializing in Hainanese chicken rice. Each place has its twist on this classic dish, so you can have a different experience everywhere you go in Singapore.

This dish features poached chicken cut into small pieces served on a bed of delicious garlic and ginger rice. The meal is topped with tangy chili sauce, adding a kick to the flavor. Some versions of the dish also include soy sauce.

You’d usually eat this in a bowl, but some food stalls serve it as rice balls that you can eat from your hands, making it a more convenient way to enjoy the Hainanese chicken as you explore.

Overall, you must try Hainanese chicken rice if you’re going to Singapore in 2024. It has a rich flavor, is filling, and is a great way to experience the local culture.

2. Laska Curry

Laska is a spicy coconut curry soup. It’s rich and loaded with tasty veggies and rice noodles. The main protein of the dish is usually poached shrimp, tofu, fish, or chicken. It includes beans, cilantro, boiled eggs, shallots, and garlic. The final topping is sambal, a spicy chili paste adding a bit of heat to the dish.

Singapore-style laska curry is well-known around the world. It’s comforting and a must-try for anyone traveling there. It’s creamy, sweet, and spicy, making it popular. You can find it in many hawker stalls, typically eaten for breakfast or lunch.

There are also three different versions of laska curry for you to try, including:

Laska lemak (curry laska): This variant uses a thick, creamy coconut soup base, seafood, and hardboiled eggs.
Asam laksa: This type of laska is tangier than the standard laska. It uses fish, mint leaves, and tamarind, giving it a distinct sour taste.
Sarawak laska: This type of laska is usually less spicy than standard laska because it doesn’t use chili in the soup base.

3. Chili Crab

Next, chili crab should be on your list of dishes for your trip. Singaporean chili crabs are stir-fried in sweet, spicy sauce. This dish uses mud crabs for their sweet flavor profile. It’s a delicious dish that any seafood lover needs to try.

The tangy sauce consists of red chili paste, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, shallots, and many other spices. It’s also often served with eggs, rice, and mantou, a steamed bun.

You can find this dish all over Singapore, usually in seafood restaurants and hawker stalls. You’ll discover that most places have unique secret chili sauces, giving you a different flavor each time you enjoy this dish.

This seafood dish originated in Singapore in the 1950s when Cher Yam Tian added chili sauce to her stir-fried crabs instead of her usual tomato sauce. The dish became famous when she sold it from a food cart with her husband. Today, many people consider it to be Singapore’s national seafood dish.

4. Char Kway Teow

This dish contains stir-fried noodles as its base and is very popular in Singapore. This dish features flat rice noodles called kway teow. They’re very chewy and soak up the rich flavors of the sauces.

You also get a combination of seafood and meat with this dish since it uses Chinese sausage and prawns. Beaten eggs are added on top, adding a savory coating to the noodles as they cook. Most versions of this dish also include bean sprouts, chives, and soy sauce. You also often receive chili paste on the side. So, if you like a bit of spice, use it.

You’ll want to try this because it’s an iconic Singaporean dish representing this country's culture and unique heritage. It can also offer you an authentic experience with street food since local vendors often serve it.

This dish has plenty of local variations, so you’ll want to try it from a few different places in Singapore.

5. Ice Kachang

Are you looking for a sweet dessert to try? Ice kachang is an ice ball dessert that you can find in many street stalls in Singapore. It’s also common in hawker centers and local restaurants, so you should have plenty of chances to try it.

Ice kachang features shaved ice flavored with bright syrups. You can also try various flavors, including red beans, condensed milk, and rose. Jellies are usually added to the top for more color and flavor.

Sometimes, this dish is served with durians, a unique fruit you’ll want to try while in the country. The last common topping would be sweet corn kernels, adding a lot of texture.

In short, you’ll want to try ice kachang while you’re in Singapore. It’s sweet and a beloved treat for many of the people who live there.

6. Sambal (Barbequed) Stingray

Sambal stingray is another local favorite in Singapore, so you’ll want to try it. You can find it at seafood street stalls and hawker centers. It’s very tender and offers a unique culinary experience.

The stingrays are marinated in sambal, which includes chili and a variety of spices, then grilled. It’s served with lime or garlic sauces often as well.

Overall, if you want to try a truly unique seafood dish in Singapore, sambal stingrays should be one of your top picks.