Tanjong Pagar sits at the southern edge of Singapore's CBD, and two of the island's most storied hawker centres — Maxwell Food Centre and Amoy Street Food Centre — are both within a short walk of Tanjong Pagar MRT (EW15), with Maxwell MRT (TE18) even closer. This guide focuses on genuinely cheap eats, where most mains run roughly S$4–8 and only a couple nudge past S$10, including several Michelin Bib Gourmand stalls. Hours and rest days vary stall to stall and many sell out by mid-afternoon, so it is worth confirming before you go.
Last verified: September 2026. Hours and prices can change — we re-check our guides regularly, but do confirm before a special trip.
- Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice
- A Noodle Story
- Hong Kee Beef Noodles
- J2 Famous Crispy Curry Puff
- Zhen Zhen Porridge
- Han Kee Fish Soup
- Ah Ter Teochew Fishball Noodles
- Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake
- Ah Tai Hainanese Chicken Rice
- Rayyan's Waroeng Upnormal
- Bami Express
- Piao Ji Fish Porridge
- Fu Ji Fuzhou Fish Ball Wanton Noodles
- Ah Zhong Roasted Delights
The list
Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice Hainanese chicken rice · $
Michelin Bib Gourmand chicken rice from about $5, the most iconic cheap plate at Maxwell; expect long lunch queues.
- Cuisine: Hainanese chicken rice
- Price: $ · ~$5-7
- Must-try: Steamed Hainanese chicken rice
- Where: Maxwell Food Centre, 1 Kadayanallur Street, #01-10/11, Singapore 069184
- Area: Maxwell / Chinatown fringe
- Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW15) ~5-7 min walk; Maxwell (TE18) closer
- Hours: Tue-Sun 10am-8pm (closed Mon)
- Halal: No
A Noodle Story Singapore-style ramen · $$
Michelin Bib Gourmand bowl blending ramen and wanton mee at about $10.80 — the priciest pick here but still under budget.
- Cuisine: Singapore-style ramen
- Price: $$ · ~$10.80
- Must-try: Singapore-style ramen with wonton, prawn and lava egg
- Where: Amoy Street Food Centre, 7 Maxwell Road, #01-39, Singapore 069111
- Area: Amoy Street / Telok Ayer
- Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW15) ~5-10 min walk; Maxwell (TE18) closest
- Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-8pm
- Halal: No
Hong Kee Beef Noodles Beef noodles · $
Michelin Bib Gourmand beef noodles from about $6, one of the standout cheap stalls at Amoy.
- Cuisine: Beef noodles
- Price: $ · from ~$6
- Must-try: Beef noodles with soup
- Where: Amoy Street Food Centre, 7 Maxwell Road, #01-42, Singapore 069111
- Area: Amoy Street / Telok Ayer
- Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW15) ~5-10 min walk; Maxwell (TE18) closest
- Hours: Daily 9am-2:30pm
- Halal: No
J2 Famous Crispy Curry Puff Curry puffs / snacks · $
Michelin Bib Gourmand curry puffs from about $2 — arguably the cheapest famous bite near Tanjong Pagar.
- Cuisine: Curry puffs / snacks
- Price: $ · from ~$2
- Must-try: Crispy curry puff
- Where: Amoy Street Food Centre, 7 Maxwell Road, #01-21, Singapore 069111
- Area: Amoy Street / Telok Ayer
- Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW15) ~5-10 min walk; Maxwell (TE18) closest
- Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-3pm
- Halal: No
Zhen Zhen Porridge Cantonese porridge · $
Silky smooth Cantonese porridge at $4-5, a long-running Maxwell favourite that often sells out early.
- Cuisine: Cantonese porridge
- Price: $ · ~$4-5
- Must-try: Cantonese-style thick porridge (chok)
- Where: Maxwell Food Centre, 1 Kadayanallur Street, #01-54, Singapore 069184
- Area: Maxwell / Chinatown fringe
- Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW15) ~5-7 min walk; Maxwell (TE18) closer
- Hours: Wed, Fri-Sun 5:30am-2pm
- Halal: No
Han Kee Fish Soup Fish soup · $
Popular sliced fish soup from about $6 with famously long lunch queues at Amoy.
- Cuisine: Fish soup
- Price: $ · from ~$6
- Must-try: Sliced fish soup
- Where: Amoy Street Food Centre, 7 Maxwell Road, #02-129, Singapore 069111
- Area: Amoy Street / Telok Ayer
- Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW15) ~5-10 min walk; Maxwell (TE18) closest
- Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-3pm
- Halal: No
Ah Ter Teochew Fishball Noodles Teochew fishball noodles · $
Well-known Teochew fishball noodles from about $4.50, a solid cheap breakfast or early lunch.
- Cuisine: Teochew fishball noodles
- Price: $ · from ~$4.50
- Must-try: Fishball noodles, Fishball soup
- Where: Amoy Street Food Centre, 7 Maxwell Road, #01-14, Singapore 069111
- Area: Amoy Street / Telok Ayer
- Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW15) ~5-10 min walk; Maxwell (TE18) closest
- Hours: Daily 7am-2pm
- Halal: No
Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake Fried oyster cake / snacks · $
Deep-fried Fuzhou oyster cakes at about $2.50 each — a cheap, crunchy Maxwell snack.
- Cuisine: Fried oyster cake / snacks
- Price: $ · ~$2.50
- Must-try: Fried oyster cake with prawn and meat
- Where: Maxwell Food Centre, 1 Kadayanallur Street, #01-05, Singapore 069184
- Area: Maxwell / Chinatown fringe
- Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW15) ~5-7 min walk; Maxwell (TE18) closer
- Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-8pm
- Halal: No
Ah Tai Hainanese Chicken Rice Hainanese chicken rice · $
Chicken rice from about $5, a shorter-queue alternative to the neighbouring Tian Tian stall.
- Cuisine: Hainanese chicken rice
- Price: $ · from ~$5
- Must-try: Steamed chicken rice
- Where: Maxwell Food Centre, 1 Kadayanallur Street, #01-07, Singapore 069184
- Area: Maxwell / Chinatown fringe
- Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW15) ~5-7 min walk; Maxwell (TE18) closer
- Hours: Wed-Mon 11am-7:30pm (closed Tue)
- Halal: No
Rayyan's Waroeng Upnormal Indonesian · $
Halal-certified Indonesian stall with ayam penyet from about $6 — a rare certified halal option among these cheap eats.
- Cuisine: Indonesian
- Price: $ · ~$6
- Must-try: Ayam penyet
- Where: Amoy Street Food Centre, 7 Maxwell Road, #02-86, Singapore 069111
- Area: Amoy Street / Telok Ayer
- Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW15) ~5-10 min walk; Maxwell (TE18) closest
- Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-2:30pm
- Halal: Halal-certified
Bami Express Vietnamese banh mi · $
Vietnamese banh mi around $5 right at Tanjong Pagar Plaza, the closest of these picks to the MRT.
- Cuisine: Vietnamese banh mi
- Price: $ · ~$5
- Must-try: Bami Saigon banh mi with pork belly and pickled vegetables
- Where: 5 Tanjong Pagar Plaza, #02-02, Singapore 081005
- Area: Tanjong Pagar Plaza
- Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW15) ~2-4 min walk
- Hours: Mon-Fri 11:30am-6pm
- Halal: No
Piao Ji Fish Porridge Fish porridge / fish soup · $
Long-standing fish soup and porridge stall, with a plain fish soup around $8.
- Cuisine: Fish porridge / fish soup
- Price: $ · ~$8
- Must-try: Fish soup, Fish soup with prawns
- Where: Amoy Street Food Centre, 7 Maxwell Road, #02-100, Singapore 069111
- Area: Amoy Street / Telok Ayer
- Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW15) ~5-10 min walk; Maxwell (TE18) closest
- Hours: Fri-Wed 10:30am-3:30pm (closed Thu)
- Halal: No
Fu Ji Fuzhou Fish Ball Wanton Noodles Wanton noodles · $
Fuzhou-style wanton noodles from about $5, with green spinach noodle as the signature.
- Cuisine: Wanton noodles
- Price: $ · ~$5-7
- Must-try: Spinach mee with wonton and char siew
- Where: Maxwell Food Centre, 1 Kadayanallur Street, #01-06, Singapore 069184
- Area: Maxwell / Chinatown fringe
- Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW15) ~5-7 min walk; Maxwell (TE18) closer
- Hours: Sun-Fri 11:30am-9pm (closed Sat)
- Halal: No
Ah Zhong Roasted Delights Roast meats / rice · $
Char siew and roast meats with rice from about $5, one of the cheaper roast-meat plates at Maxwell.
- Cuisine: Roast meats / rice
- Price: $ · ~$5
- Must-try: Two-meat combo with rice or noodles
- Where: Maxwell Food Centre, 1 Kadayanallur Street, #01-93, Singapore 069184
- Area: Maxwell / Chinatown fringe
- Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW15) ~5-7 min walk; Maxwell (TE18) closer
- Hours: Thu-Mon 11am-9pm
- Halal: No
At a glance: compare every spot
| Spot | Cuisine | Price | Area | Halal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice | Hainanese chicken rice | $ | Maxwell / Chinatown fringe | No |
| A Noodle Story | Singapore-style ramen | $$ | Amoy Street / Telok Ayer | No |
| Hong Kee Beef Noodles | Beef noodles | $ | Amoy Street / Telok Ayer | No |
| J2 Famous Crispy Curry Puff | Curry puffs / snacks | $ | Amoy Street / Telok Ayer | No |
| Zhen Zhen Porridge | Cantonese porridge | $ | Maxwell / Chinatown fringe | No |
| Han Kee Fish Soup | Fish soup | $ | Amoy Street / Telok Ayer | No |
| Ah Ter Teochew Fishball Noodles | Teochew fishball noodles | $ | Amoy Street / Telok Ayer | No |
| Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake | Fried oyster cake / snacks | $ | Maxwell / Chinatown fringe | No |
| Ah Tai Hainanese Chicken Rice | Hainanese chicken rice | $ | Maxwell / Chinatown fringe | No |
| Rayyan's Waroeng Upnormal | Indonesian | $ | Amoy Street / Telok Ayer | Halal-certified |
| Bami Express | Vietnamese banh mi | $ | Tanjong Pagar Plaza | No |
| Piao Ji Fish Porridge | Fish porridge / fish soup | $ | Amoy Street / Telok Ayer | No |
| Fu Ji Fuzhou Fish Ball Wanton Noodles | Wanton noodles | $ | Maxwell / Chinatown fringe | No |
| Ah Zhong Roasted Delights | Roast meats / rice | $ | Maxwell / Chinatown fringe | No |
Your questions answered
Which MRT and exit is closest to these cheap eats?
Tanjong Pagar MRT (EW15, East-West Line) is about a 5-10 minute walk to both Maxwell Food Centre and Amoy Street Food Centre; Tanjong Pagar Plaza is even closer (2-4 min). If you can, alight at Maxwell MRT (TE18, Thomson-East Coast Line) instead, as it sits closest to both food centres.
How cheap are meals in this area?
Most hawker mains here run roughly S$4-8, with snacks like curry puffs and oyster cakes from S$2. Only a couple of picks (such as A Noodle Story at about $10.80) approach S$11. Many stalls prefer cash, though PayNow and cashless payment are increasingly common.
Are there halal options near Tanjong Pagar MRT?
Yes, but they are limited. Rayyan's Waroeng Penyet at Amoy Street Food Centre is halal-certified. Many classic stalls here — chicken rice, char siew, wanton mee and fishball noodles — use pork or lard and are not halal. Always look for a MUIS halal certificate displayed at the stall and confirm before ordering.
What are the opening hours and best time to go?
Many stalls open from breakfast through lunch and sell out or close by mid to late afternoon, and several take a rotating rest day. Arriving before about 1pm gives you the best chance of avoiding both long queues and sold-out signs. Check individual stall hours before making a special trip.
Tian Tian or Ah Tai for chicken rice?
Both are at Maxwell Food Centre and cost from around S$5. Tian Tian is the Michelin Bib Gourmand name with famously long queues; Ah Tai, a few stalls away, was started by a former Tian Tian chef and usually has a shorter wait, making it a good alternative when you are pressed for time.