Food Tours & Cooking Classes

Planning a Singapore food tour

Food is one of the best ways to get to know Singapore. A Singapore food tour takes you through hawker centres, markets and old shophouse streets, with a small taste at each stop. You can join a guided tour, take a cooking class or follow a route on your own. Each option suits a different kind of traveller.

Guided food tours

A guide helps you order, explains each dish and shares the story of the area. This is useful early in your trip, when stall signs and local words can be confusing.

What to expect

• Several stops: most tours visit a few stalls or shops, with small tastings at each.
• Walking: expect to walk between stops, often in the heat.
• Small groups: many tours keep groups small so everyone can hear the guide.
• Morning or evening: mornings suit markets and breakfast dishes. Evenings suit hawker suppers.

How to choose a tour

• Check which dishes are included and whether they suit your diet.
• Tell the operator about allergies before you book. Stalls cook in small, shared spaces.
• Ask if your guide is licensed. Tourist guides in Singapore need a licence from the Singapore Tourism Board.
• Read recent reviews and check the cancellation policy.

Cooking classes

A cooking class lets you take Singapore food home with you. Classes often focus on well-known local dishes, such as laksa, chicken rice or Peranakan curries. Peranakan food blends Chinese and Malay cooking, with rich spice pastes and coconut. Some classes start with a walk through a wet market to buy ingredients.

• Book ahead, as classes are often small.
• Check whether you cook yourself or watch a demonstration.
• Ask if you can take the recipes home.

Want to taste Peranakan food before you cook it? Try Candlenut in Dempsey, or learn the history at the Peranakan Museum. The Peranakan Food topic has more.

Self-guided food trails

It is easy to build your own food tour. Pick one area, order small portions and share dishes so you can try more.

Chinatown

Start at Maxwell Food Centre for chicken rice. Then walk on to Chinatown Complex Food Centre. For a ready-made plan, follow Chinatown Cheap Eats Crawl: A Half-Day Route. Add the Chinatown Heritage Walk between meals.

Little India

Try banana leaf rice, prata and Indian sweets. Tekka Centre is a good first stop. Komala Vilas serves South Indian food nearby. For ideas, read Dishes to Try in Little India: A First-Timer's List.

Kampong Glam

This historic quarter grew up around Sultan Mosque. Try murtabak at Zam Zam Restaurant or Malay dishes at Hjh Maimunah. If you visit the mosque, dress modestly and go outside prayer times.

Katong and Joo Chiat

The east is known for Peranakan food and colourful shophouses. Try a bowl at 328 Katong Laksa, then buy kueh (small cakes) at Kim Choo Kueh Chang. Finish with a walk past the Koon Seng Road Shophouses.

More route ideas are in Food Itineraries and Walking Itineraries.

Tips for any food tour

• Pace yourself. Share plates so you have room for every stop.
• Carry cash and tissues. Some stalls take cash only. Tissues are handy, as napkins are not always provided.
• Check days off. Many stalls close one day a week.
• Return your tray. It is expected at every hawker centre.
• Beat the heat. Walk in the morning or evening, wear light clothes and carry water.

FAQs about food tours in Singapore

How long is a typical food tour?

Most last a few hours. Check the tour details for the number of stops and tastings.

Are food tours worth it?

They help on a first visit, when the dishes and ordering habits are new. If you like to explore alone, a self-guided route works well too.

Can food tours cater for allergies or special diets?

Many can if you tell them early. Hawker stalls cook in small spaces, so cross-contact is possible.

What should I wear on a food tour?

Light clothes and comfortable shoes. It is hot and humid all year, so bring water and an umbrella for sudden rain.