Guide to Punggol Coast Hawker Centre: Over 40 stalls including Michelin-recognised names
Look past its generic name, because this sloppy, glistening plate of Hokkien mee is anything but. You can still visit the original stall at Whampoa Food Centre, which has been around since 1974, though expect to wait in line with at least 10 other people. The Whampoa outlet is listed in the Michelin Bib Gourmand guide, but reviews are mixed, with some lamenting the lack of pork lard. Fret not, though, as this stall in Punggol dishes out a decent amount of lard on the side, alongside generous helpings of tender squid rings and prawns. As for the noodles and gravy, they've got a darker-than-usual tinge and a satisfying smokiness that keeps you going back for more. Slap on some of that homemade chilli sauce for the perfect bite. Prices start at $5.20 for the small size, $7.30 for medium and $9.40 for large.
2. South Buona Vista Braised Duck
This 50-year-old braised duck stall is making a glorious comeback after a short hiatus following the shocking news of its closure – yes, the stall made headlines when owner Mr Ang Chiap Teck announced his retirement back in 2024. With some convincing, the Desker Road eatery now calls this new food centre home. Expect braised duck done Teochew style, that is, spiced with star anise, cloves and cinnamon. A plate of duck rice is priced at $5 with the option to switch to yam rice for $1.50. Drench the meat in two types of chilli sauce – the standard vinegary Teochew dip with chilli and garlic, or a pungent sambal with hae bee hiam. Add on sides like sambal kang kong and tofu to complete the meal ($8 each).
3. Hock Hai (Hong Lim) Curry Chicken
Not to be confused with Ah Heng's and Heng Kee's curry chicken bee hoon noodles at Hong Lim Market, Hock Hai's original stall is actually located in the far east, at Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre. For $5.50, you get a heaping bowl of slippery yellow noodles, bean sprouts, generous chunks of potato that aren't quick to get mushy, and of course, several pieces of chicken thigh and breast with the skin on. The soup is incredibly lemak (fatty and rich in flavour) and laced with just enough spice to pack a punch and keep you going back for more. It doesn't have the same thick, springy fishcake slices that we love from Ah Heng's at Hong Lim Market, but what it lacks in ingredients it makes up for in... portion size ($6.50 for the medium and $7.50 for large). Be warned: inhaling a bowl of these noodles will leave you stuffed for hours.
4. Hee Hee Steamed Fish & Seafood
This is Hee Hee Steamed Fish & Seafood's seventh branch on the island now, but it's evident why the stall remains as popular as it is. For $10 flat, you get a whole grouper to yourself, steamed Cantonese-style with scallions, coriander and ginger, and doused in a fragrant light soy sauce. It's good for sharing among two people as well, with the option of adding rice on the side for $0.70 per bowl – talk about value. Despite the more traditional, home-cooked-style dishes and how the stall is popular among the older crowd, the owners are actually new generation hawkers who started out as fishmongers, sourcing some of the best, freshest catches off Singapore's shores. It's evident in the grouper, which is steamed to perfection till the flesh is tender and succulent, best enjoyed with the tangy Thai chilli sauce provided on the side.
5. Jade's Chicken
It's 2025, so of course you'd be able to find a Korean fried chicken stall in a hawker centre in Singapore, and a halal one no less. Jade's Chicken is Korean-owned and serves up the kind of Korean fried chicken we're more than familiar with – think crowd-favourite flavours like sweet spicy (yangnyeom), soy sauce (ganjang) and even a lesser-seen addictive honey butter flavour. These go at $18 for half a chicken and $29 for a whole. Want to keep it classic? The original chicken is priced at $14.50 for half a chicken and $28 for the whole chicken. There's a bevvy of side dishes keeping in line with the Korean theme too, from kimchi pancake ($8) and kimchi soup ($6.30) to tteokbokki ($7) and ramen (from $6.90), which you can jazz up with various toppings.
6. Hakka Leipopo
Hakka Leipopo is the answer to haters who claim Singapore's hawker centres have nothing but carb-laden, greasy plates to offer. The relatively young hawker brand has four outlets islandwide, and is set on reviving the love for a sorely misunderstood dish in Singapore: lei cha (thunder tea rice). Each bowl (from $5) is loaded with a vibrant medley of greens – long beans, sayur manis, chye sim and cabbage. And for extra texture and umami, you've got crunchy peanuts, pickled radish and dried shrimp thrown into the mix as well. Don't hold back on that mint green gruel – it layers on plenty of depth, with flavours of tea leaves and herbs like basil and mint. Health junkies can opt for brown rice (additional $0.50) or no rice at all. And if you've got space in your belly, add on a platter of deep-fried yong tau foo ($7.20), where you can get anything from fishpaste-stuffed bittergourd to tofu puffs, depending on what's available that day.
7. Pin Wei Hong Kong Style Chee Cheong Fun
Punggol residents now need not travel all the way to Farrer Park for a plate of this Michelin Selected chee cheong fun. The hawker joint commands snaking queues at its Pek Kio outlet, and for good reason. Each glossy roll is made freshly on-site and lined with generous servings of your choice of topping, from char siew ($4.50) to prawns ($5.50) and scallops ($6.50). Try the Hong Kong-style scallop chee cheong fun for a change – the bouncy texture of the scallops complements the silky-smooth rice noodle rolls and makes for a satisfying mouthful. You can also order plain chee cheong fun without any toppings ($3.50). Doused with a special light soy sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds with a dollop of chilli, they're delicious on their own. The stall also has outlets in Anchorvale Village and Woodleigh Village Hawker Centre.
8. What The Puff
Young hawkers Yuan Ming, Brandon Lim and Oh Chin Jie run What The Puff, where they try to level up the cult-favourite traditional snack without reinventing the wheel entirely. What started as a single stall in Changi Village Hawker Centre has now evolved to four outlets islandwide. What The Puff doles out flaky, piping-hot pastry pockets with unique fillings that don't go over the top – think char siew chicken ($2.50), black pepper chicken ($2.50) and even a cheesy version ($2) that's quite popular among the young crowd. They've got sardine puffs ($2) as well, the long-overshadowed sister of the curry puff. Of course, everything is homemade. And if you're wondering if they sell the classic, yes, they do. The original curry puff ($2) comes packed with the usual suspects of chicken, potato, egg and curry.
9. Ah Balling Peanut Soup
Ah Balling Peanut Soup needs no introduction, but for the uninitiated, this heritage hawker stall has been around since 1947, serving comforting bowls of peanut soup with tangyuan (stuffed glutinous rice balls). Yes, the brand already has six outlets across the island, but in our books, any hawker centre with an Ah Balling stall gets an immediate upgrade – it's dessert settled, no further questions. Ordering is as easy as it gets – choose your tangyuan flavours, then choose your soup base. A bowl of four tangyuan with soup is priced at $2.90, five for $3.40 and six for $3.70. Flavours include the classic sesame (our pick) and peanut, as well as yam, matcha and red bean. If you're not quite a fan of the crumbly, sweet peanut soup, go for the ginger, almond, or longan red date soup instead.
10. Munchi Pancakes
Min jiang kueh (or apam balik) – a traditional peanut pancake snack – is making a return among Gen Z, and Munchi Pancakes is one of the reasons why. The viral brand is Singapore's first halal min jiang kueh stall, with humble beginnings in a small coffee shop in Yishun back in 2016. While it used to only sell peanut and coconut flavours, Munchi Pancakes now offers unique twists on the nostalgic snack with green tea and charcoal-flavoured crusts, and fillings like red bean ($1.60), kaya ($1.80), black sesame ($2), and Biscoff ($2.50). Each pancake comes with a crisp crust and a warm, fluffy yet chewy middle. The stall also offers Munchi pancakes (from $1.80), which are a flatter version of min jiang kueh, and Mini Munchies (from $4.90 for six) for a more bite-sized, snackable option.
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