Sin Heng Claypot Bak Koot Teh

Sin Heng Claypot Bak Koot Teh is a simple shop on Joo Chiat Road that specialises in pork rib soup cooked in claypots. It dates back to 1981, and a second-generation owner now runs it.

It holds a Bib Gourmand in the 2026 Michelin Guide Singapore, an award for good food at fair prices. The name uses a less common spelling: you will usually see the dish written as bak kut teh.

What to order

Most people come for the soup, and the shop makes two styles. Peppery soup is the kind most visitors will meet in Singapore. The herbal style is harder to find, so it is worth trying here.

• Classic Bak Koot Teh: the peppery, Teochew-style soup, made with pepper and garlic. Michelin's inspectors found the broth rich without too much heat, and the ribs tender.
• Special Bak Koot Teh: the herbal, Hokkien-style soup. Dark soya sauce makes it a little sweeter. The pot also holds lettuce, corn, button mushrooms and fried beancurd skin.
• Innards Soup: pork liver, pork intestines and lean pork slices in the peppery broth.
• You tiao: fried dough sticks, ordered on the side. Eat them plain or dip them in the soup.

To make it a full meal, add white rice, yam rice or mee sua, which are thin wheat noodles served in soup.

Beyond the soup

The kitchen also cooks zi char, the Chinese stir-fried dishes that Singaporeans often share around a table. Sesame oil chicken is the one to know. It comes in a claypot too, and Michelin's inspectors liked its juicy wings and nutty, lightly sweet sauce.

Other choices include claypot prawn with vermicelli and sambal kang kong, which is water spinach fried with chilli paste. Omelette can be made with minced meat, onions, prawns or chye poh, a preserved radish. Menus change over time, so ask what is available on the day.

The setting

Michelin describes this as a simple shop, so come for the food rather than the decor. It suits a hot, filling meal with a friend or a small group. Sharing a soup and one or two stir-fries lets you try more of the menu.

Good to know before you go

• Diet: pork is at the centre of this menu, so the soups do not suit diners who avoid it.
• Paying: the Michelin Guide says credit cards are accepted.

Getting there

The shop is at 439 Joo Chiat Road, unit #01-01. The postal code is 427652. Enter it into a map app, or show it to your taxi driver.

Nearby

Joo Chiat rewards a walk before or after a meal. See the colourful terrace houses at the Koon Seng Road shophouses, then buy Nyonya rice dumplings at Kim Choo Kueh Chang. For something cold, try Birds of Paradise Gelato Boutique in Katong.

You can browse more restaurants in Katong and Joo Chiat or our hawker favourites in Singapore. Staying over? See hotels in Katong and Joo Chiat. New to the local food? Our Singapore food guide lists 15 dishes to try first.