Chinatown Food Tasting Tour Singapore: 9-10 Hawker Dishes

Taste your way through Chinatown's UNESCO hawker culture with a local guide

A three-hour food tasting tour through Singapore's Chinatown led by a licensed local guide, where you taste 9-10 handpicked hawker dishes and beverages at famous centers while exploring the Sri Mariamman Temple, Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, vintage shophouses and Instagrammable murals. Groups stay under ten guests. Available as a private tour or group departure in English, Chinese or Japanese.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Sri Mariamman Temple10m
2. Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum10m

Explore Chinatown and taste local dishes

• Visit Sri Mariamman Temple
• Explore Ann Siang Hill and photo spots
• Taste hawker dishes at Maxwell Food Centre
• Visit Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum
• Discover Chinatown Complex dining and shopping
• Walk alleys with murals and visit traditional coffeeshop

The experience

Nine to ten dishes is the real measure of this tour. You move through Maxwell Food Centre and Chinatown Complex tasting Singapore's famous chicken rice, Fuzhou pancakes and other hawker specialties picked by your guide, not a sampler menu but the actual meals locals queue for. A bottle of mineral water is included, and the guide speaks English, Chinese or Japanese depending on your booking.

The temples anchor the route. You visit the Sri Mariamman Temple, founded in 1827 and recognized as a National Monument for its architecture, then the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple with its Tang-styled interiors and Buddhist art exhibits. Between the eating and the temples, your guide walks you through Ann Siang Hill (a restored Chinese immigrant quarter with colonial shophouses), and several hidden alleys decorated with murals by local artist Yip Yew Chong. There's a rest stop at a traditional coffeeshop where coffee is still roasted and ground in the backyard, the way it was decades ago.

The whole thing runs three hours. Groups max out at ten people, which means you're not herding through Chinatown in a crowd. Public transportation is available near the meeting point if you need it, and the tour suits all fitness levels.

What’s included

• Three hours with a licensed local guide in English, Chinese or Japanese.
• one bottle of mineral water.
• 9-10 handpicked hawker dishes and beverages at famous centers or Michelin Bib Gourmand Award restaurants.

Options for this experience

2 options

Join in GroupUp to 8 people · Guide in English · 09:30 and 14:00Shared group: Child policy: 1 adult can buy a maximum of 1 child ticket, etc. Any additional child will have to pay the full adult price.

Private TourUp to 10 people · Guide in English, Japanese or Chinese · 7 departure times: the first at 09:30, the last at 15:00Private group

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day7 departure times: the first at 09:30, the last at 15:00

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (10 and older) · Child (3 to 9 years) · Under 3: can't be booked

GroupUp to 10

Live guideEnglish, Chinese and Japanese

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 2 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearby

Operated by LC Travel Planners

Is this one for you?Choose the private tour if your group wants the guide and pace to yourselves. Join the group departure if you're traveling solo or with one or two others and want to meet other travelers while you eat through Chinatown.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Chinese and Japanese.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 9 years). Children under 3 can't be included in the booking.

Can I book this as a private tour just for my group, or do I have to join other travelers?

You choose at checkout: book a private tour for your group alone, or join a group departure with up to ten people total. Both options include the same guide, dishes and stops.

What is the Sri Mariamman Temple and why is it on this tour?

The Sri Mariamman Temple was founded in 1827 by Naraina Pillai, a key figure in Singapore's Indian community, and is recognized as a National Monument for its architectural and historical significance. It's one of two temples you visit to understand Chinatown's religious and cultural layers.

How many dishes do I actually get to taste, and are they full meals or small samples?

You taste 9-10 handpicked dishes and beverages at famous hawker centers like Maxwell Food Centre and Chinatown Complex. These are the actual hawker meals (chicken rice, Fuzhou pancakes and other local specialties) not bite-sized samples.

Are there photo spots on this tour, or is it mostly about the food?

Your guide shows you photo-taking spots on Ann Siang Hill that were featured in the movie Crazy Rich Asians, and you walk through several alleys with Instagrammable murals by local artist Yip Yew Chong. The food is the focus, but the tour builds in time for the aesthetic stops.