Maxwell Food Centre is one of those rare hawker centers in Singapore that is highly popular with tourists and at the same time, is held in high esteem by locals for its authentic and traditional hawker dishes. The main reason for this is that Maxwell Food Centre is the current home of a myriad of age-old street stalls that originally plied the area around China Square (now part of the CBD). Many of these establishments have been around for 80 years or more and continue to be managed by the same family, albeit the 2nd or 3rd generation.
Other than that, patrons can find quite a number of relatively rare hawker dishes here such as Fuzhou-style oyster cake, peanut pancake and more and at any given day, one can find Singaporeans from near and far descending upon this humble-looking hawker center queueing for various specialties.
Personally, Maxwell Food Centre is one of my most frequently-visited hawker centers in Singapore as I enjoy walking to this place during my lunch hour whenever I am looking to clock in more steps. My favorites here are a mix of some of the original China Square hawker stalls as well as newer ones started by enterprising youngsters.
However, it remains to be one of the more challenging hawker centres for me to write about due to their relatively high turnover. This is one of Singapore’s OG hawker centres and a number of the original stalls have closed permanently due to the retirement of the owners. New concepts have sprouted to replace them, with varying degrees of success.
Without further ado, here are some of the food you should try the next time you find yourself at Maxwell Food Centre.
Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice
tian tian hainanese chicken rice | maxwell food centre
By far the most well-known stall at Maxwell Food Centre, Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice gained worldwide fame when it was featured by Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsay, the former having commented at how fragrant the chicken rice was. I have personally been to Tian Tian quite a few times myself. While I did find the chicken rice fragrant, I did not find it to be any more so than those from my own neighborhood chicken rice store. What I found notable however, was how plump and juicy the strips of chicken were. I would certainly consider the chicken rice here to be above average.
Stall Number: #01-10/11
Opening Hours: Daily except Monday, 10AM to 7:30PM
Phone: 9691 4852
Taste of Jiang Nan
taste of jiang nan | maxwell food centre
This is the place to go if you are looking for some Din Tai Fung-esque meals at a much cheaper price. Their Pork Chop Fried Rice is one of my favorites here, as are their variety of dumplings – most especially the Red Oil Spicy Dumplings.
pork chop rice from taste of jiang nan
Tip: This stall does not have a defined rest day. They will announce their rest days in advance via their Facebook page here so pls check it out before heading down to avoid disappointment.
Stall Number: #01-62
Opening Hours: Daily, 12PM to 3PM / 5PM to 8PM
Phone: 8342 9898
Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake
maxwell fuzhou oyster cake | maxwell food centre
oyster cake from maxwell fuzhou oyster cake
One of an ever dwindling number of establishments in Singapore still serving this traditional snack, Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake may not be the best place in Singapore to grab one of these UFO-shaped delights. But given the rarity factor and their number of years in the business, I still patronize them whenever I find myself in Maxwell Food Centre. The oyster cakes here are slightly thinner with less oysters compared to another oyster cake stall I frequent at Berseh Food Centre.
Stall Number: #01-05
Opening Hours: Daily except Sunday, 9AM to 8PM
Hock Kee Food Stuff
hock kee food stuff
hock kee food stuff
Situated at the far end of Maxwell Food Centre, Hock Kee Food Stuff has been around for decades and is known for nostalgic snacks such as rosemary biscuits, pineapple biscuits, swirls and various kinds of crackers. With old-school food shops closing in Singapore, this is probably one of the last few brick-and-mortar biscuit store in town.
Stall Number: #01-23
Opening Hours: Daily, 9AM to 9PM
Ah Tai Hainanese Chicken Rice
ah tai hainanese chicken rice
Often compared with Tian Tian Chicken Rice a few stalls down, Ah Tai Hainanese Chicken Rice was opened in 2012 by the former head chef of Tian Tian. Each stall has its own set of loyal customers but Ah Tai, which is more often visited by locals, has less of a queue while Tian Tian, which is quite popular with tourists, usually has a snaking queue.
Is Tian Tian better or Ah Tai for Hainanese Chicken Rice?
I have tried both Tian Tian and Ah Tai and honestly, there isn’t one I prefer over the other. The differences in flavor are quite subtle and if you ask me, I’d rather get my chicken rice from whichever stall has a shorter queue at the time of visit.
Stall Number: #01-07
Opening Hours: Daily except Tuesday, 11AM to 7:30PM
Mr Appam
mr appam at maxwell food centre
Mr Appam opened in 2021 by Vietnam-born Nguyen Thi Kieu Hanh. Hers is an inspirational story as she originally wanted to sell Vietnamese food but ended up being required to sell Indian food as dictated by the bidding process for the particular stall she was awarded. Despite having no expertise in preparing Indian food, she decided to make do with the opportunities given to her by selling appam – the South Indian pancake which is popular as a breakfast dish.
pandan coconut brown sugar appam
Kieu Hanh did not manage to just get by but her stall is slowly thriving as well because of some offbeat flavors she offers such as Pandan Brown Sugar Coconut Appam and Ice Cream Appam alongside more conventional ones like Princess Appam. A Vietnamese hawker is probably the last person you’d expect to find preparing appam behind the counter so kudos to her for making the most out of her circumstances and doing it with zeal.
Stall Number: #01-99
Opening Hours: Daily, 9:30AM to 6PM
Alimama
alimama | maxwell food centre
The Green Chili Chicken Rice at Alimama is a must-try especially if you are looking for some spice. While comparisons may immediately be drawn with the green chili chicken stall at Sims Vista Food Centre, there’s no doubt that this is the only place serving this highly popular dish in the city centre. During the time of my visit, I found the chicken crispy without being too dry. The green chili here gave it a rather more pronounced spicy effect as compared to the one I tried at Sims Vista.
Stall Number: #01-09
Opening Hours: Daily, 11AM to 8:30PM
Phone: 8484 3944
1950s Coffee
the 1950s coffee at maxwell food centre
The 1950s Coffee stall here is a branch, the main one being located not too far away at Chinatown Complex. Expect aromatic cups of kopi and toast to go along your morning drink. Their homemade Ice Lemon Tea is also worth getting during warm siesta-inducing afternoons. It is worth noting that while the main outlet at Chinatown Complex Food Centre is closed on Mondays, the Maxwell branch remains open.
Stall Number: #01-90
Opening Hours: Daily, 8:30AM to 4PM
Jin Hua Fish Head Bee Hoon
jin hua fish head bee hoon | maxwell food centre
I spotted one of this food centre’s longest queues at Jin hua Fish Head Bee Hoon, not a bad feat considering they have been around for some 2 decades or so. The stall is well-known for its Cantonese style Fish Head Bee Hoon. Grouper should be your fish of choice here. They fry it with most of the bone intact to achieve a sweeter flavor. Customers can choose to have their soup with or without milk.
Stall Number: #01-77
Opening Hours: Daily except Thursday, 11:15AM to 7:30PM
Old Nyonya
old nyonya | maxwell food centre
Old Nyonya is a stall serving Malay-influenced Peranakan delights in Maxwell Food Centre. You can expect a number of breakfast-friendly dishes here such as Mee Siam, Mee Rebus and Lontong. They are particularly famous for their Laksa. For something heavier, you can check out their Curry Chicken and Rendang Chicken. They don’t exactly compete head-to-head with the other Peranakan store in Maxwell Food Centre as Old Nyonya has a greater Malay inclination.
Stall Number: #01-04
Opening Hours: Daily except Wednesday, 11AM to 8:30PM
Phone: 8366 9311
Hum Jin Pang
hum jin pang | maxwell food centre
This is probably the cheapest snack you can buy in Maxwell Food Centre, with these iconic dough fritters going for S$1 for 5 pieces. Part of the reason the low cost is due to the stall’s DIY concept. While the auntie makes the dough, customers are asked to do the frying and packing. You get 2 kinds of hum jin pang (dough fritters) – a sweet one filled with red bean and sesame seeds on the crust, as well as a savory one with five spice powder.
Stall Number: #01-28
Opening Hours: Daily, 3PM to 8PM
Ri Xin Snack Delights
ri xin snack delights
During the “dine-in ban” that happened in phases in 2020/2021, there was a “sad uncle” that went viral after footage of him came out where he was seen sitting with a miserable expression amid unsold food in the evening. That sad uncle is the owner of Ri Xin Snack Delights, one of the original stalls at Maxwell Food Centre (as suggested by the shop sign). The stall sells various kinds of kueh, including Ang Ku Kueh, Huat Kueh and the increasingly rare Wa Kueh. This is the only hawker stall I know still selling Wa Kueh aside from Ah Kong Wah Kuih in Chinatown Complex Food Centre.
When I did visit this stall during one Sunday afternoon, I saw uncle in the same miserable expression and felt a bit of pity. The kuehs are not expensive, around S$1 or more per piece. I’d definitely go and support whenever I am in this hawker centre.
Stall Number: #01-55
Opening Hours: Daily, 4PM to 9PM
Traditional Delight
traditional delight | maxwell food centre
sweet potato balls from traditional delight
Originally started as a Chinese desserts shop, the concept of Traditional Delight has shifted somewhat and they now offer fried snacks and fritters. This seems to work better for them as there are already a number of stalls selling Chinese desserts in Maxwell Food Centre and some of them did not survive. I personally vouch for their Sweet Potato Balls. Unlike the hollow type that one usually finds in the night markets, the ones they sell here are obviously self-made with a denser concentration of sweet potatoes inside the fried balls. This is a vegetarian-only stall and they also sell other goodies such as sesame balls, kueh ko swee, vegetable fritters and more.
Stall Number: #01-29
Oriental Stall Duck Rice and Duck Noodle
oriental stall duck rice | maxwell food centre
This is the place to go for cheap braised duck rice – for as little as S$3.50 a plate. The yam rice that accompanies the braised duck is flavorful and one can really make out the generous portions of yam on it.
Stall Number: #01-19
Opening Hours: Daily except Saturday and Sunday, 10AM to 7PM (opening and closing times may vary +/- 30 minutes depending on the day of the week)
Hup Kee
hup kee | maxwell food centre
With the closure of China Street Fritters, the only ngoh hiang stall that’s left at Maxwell Food Centre is Hup Kee. With a snaking queue the norm during lunch time, loyal customers usually go for their dependable combo of Bee Hoon with Ngoh Hiang and Red Sausages.
Stall Number: #01-97
Opening Hours: Daily except Wednesday, 12:30AM to 6PM
Phone: 8113 7015
Heng Heng Tapioca Cake
heng heng tapioca cake | maxwell food centre
As denoted by their signboard, Heng Heng is another stall which came from the original China Street hawkers prior to the existence of Maxwell Food Centre. Heng Heng prides itself in various sweets, most notably their ondeh ondeh and tapioca cake. I particularly enjoyed their kueh kosui which came with a generous amount of coconut shavings. Their kueh kosui is less sticky and more jelly-like in texture – wobbly and soft to the touch.
Stall Number: #01-31
Opening Hours: Daily except Sunday, 7AM to 1PM
Original Soup
original soup
If you are looking for a healthier option in Maxwell Food Centre, look no further than Original Soup, a typically quiet stall selling a myriad of meat + vegetable soups. What I like about the vegetable soups here is that the portions are quite generous and they use various kinds of veggies in the soup. The Chicken and Mixed Vegetable Soup contained broccoli, spinach, bittergourd and napa cabbage. The soup did not contain any MSG and was just lightly salted which is the way I like it. If you opt to have your soup with rice, they use brown rice by default.
Stall Number: #01-19
Chee Cheong Fun Club
chee cheong fun club
This humble stall allows diners to experience chee cheong fun in ways that are uncommon in Singapore. Aside from the usual bouncy kind with black sauce, you could also order the chee cheong fun with curry or laksa mixed together with other ingredients like fish cakes, tofu skin ang ngoh hiang.
Stall Number: #01-38
Opening Hours: Daily except Monday, 7AM to 4PM
MS Dessert Shop (花姐）
MS Dessert Shop sells traditional desserts such as Pulut Hitam, Red Bean Soup and Green Bean Soup. My personal favorite from this stall is the Peach Gum Dessert which they serve either hot or cold for just S$2.5o, much lower than what other dessert stalls charge for peach gum. My bowl came brimming with plenty of the collagen-rich jelly-like substance alongside longan and wolfberries.
Stall Number: #01-68
Opening Hours: Daily, 9AM to 8:30PM
Sisaket Thai Food
Located at the last row of stalls facing the road, Sisaket Thai Food is the only Thai food option in Maxwell Food Centre. They are known for dishing out staples such as Pineapple Fried Rice, Thai Basil Fried Rice and Curry Chicken as well as larger dishes such as Fried Seabass and Tom Yum Hot Spot at relatively reasonable prices.
Stall Number: #01-85
Opening Hours: Daily except Sunday, 10:30AM to 7PM
Shi Nian
Walk inside Maxwell Food Centre on any given day and due to their high turnover, you’d be bound to find a new stall popping up. One of the latest to open is Shi Nian which specializes in Braised Pork Rice. Take your pick from the almost fully pork menu – from pork trotters to leg or even intestine to go along your rice. For those who are more health conscious, you can go for the Braised Lean Meat Rice.
Stall Number: #01-64
Opening Hours: Daily, 10:30AM to 9PM (opens at 10AM on weekends)
Avoca Brooo
avoca brooo | maxwell food centre
For a keto-approved beverage option, check out Avoca Brooo which specializes in various avocado-based drinks. Pair your avocado smoothie with classic flavors such as coconut or gula melaka, or something more novel such as banana, mango, chocolate or even sour plum. They have non-avocado options as well including mango, mangosteen, lychee as well as more conventional ABC juice.
Stall Number: #01-83
Opening Hours: Daily except Wednesday, 12PM to 8PM
