10 Rare Hawker Dishes You Should Try Before They Are Gone

Singapore is home to a kaleidoscope of hawker dishes, spotlighting multiple cultures, histories, and flavours. We went on a lookout for some of the oldest hawkers in Singapore, but that journey also made us remember some of the rare hawker dishes Singapore has—that perhaps aren’t as popular as chicken rice or roti prata—but equally deserve the attention of local foodies.

From tau kwa pao to white rojak, roti jala to chi kak kueh, here are 10 rare hawker dishes in Singapore you should get your hands on before they disappear forever.

• 1. Wah Kueh

Wah kueh is a Hokkien snack that is disappearing in Singapore. So far, we’ve only seen Gems Harvest at Telok Blangah Crescent Food Centre selling this rare dish.

If you have not tried wah kueh before, it is similar in texture to chwee kueh, albeit larger, and is served with savoury brown sauce and garlic. The one at Gems Harvest is served with a dollop of chilli, which is perfect for balancing out the thick gravy.

The best part is that a plate only costs $2! Read our Gems Harvest feature. Address: 11 Telok Blangah Crescent, #01-86, Singapore 090011

Opening hours: Tue-Sun 7am to 2pm Gems Harvest is not a halal-certified eatery.

• 2. $0.30 Soya Milk

The heart of every hawker centre is a drinks stall, but rarely do you come across one that sells drinks for just $0.30, especially in 2026. Sun Kee Drinks in Kovan is the exception, though. This stall has been around for decades, and prices have been the same since 1985.

They sell chin chow and soya milk for $0.30 or $0.50, scooped out of a huge ladle you remember from childhood. Read our Sun Kee Drinks feature.

Address: 209 Hougang Street 21, Singapore 530209 Opening hours: Wed-Sun 6am to 2pm

Sun Kee Drinks is not a halal-certified eatery.

• 3. Glutinous Rice

We’re not talking about the glutinous rice in your bak zhang or lor mai gai, but glutinous rice done the traditional Cantonese way: sweet or salty, topped with peanuts and fried shallots. Gems Harvest at Telok Blangah Crescent Market & Food Centre sells this rare dish for just $2 a small and $2.50 for a large plate.

Address: 11 Telok Blangah Crescent, #01-86, Singapore 090011 Opening hours: Tue-Sun 7am to 2pm Gems Harvest is not a halal-certified eatery.

• 4. Pork Trotter Jelly

Another vanishing delicacy in Singapore is pig trotter jelly, which you can find at Lao Liang Pig Trotter Jelly & Shark Meat at Berseh Food Centre. This traditional Teochew cold appetiser is available in three portion sizes, priced at $5, $8, and $10 respectively.

If you’ve never tried this before, think gelatinous, collagen-rich pork skin that’s tender and savoury. It’s best eaten with some chilli and vinegar on the side!

Address: 166 Jalan Besar, #02-37, Berseh Food Centre, Singapore 208877 Opening hours: Wed-Mon 10am to 2pm Lao Liang Pig Trotter Jelly & Shark Meat is not a halal-certified eatery.

• 5. Hum Chim Peng with Glutinous Rice

Most hawker centres in Singapore have a fried fritter store, selling goreng pisang, you tiao, and hum chim peng. The latter comes in the typical sweet and salty variations, but rarely do you come across kap jung, or hum chim peng stuffed with glutinous rice. Very popular in Malaysia, this deep-fried, sticky treat can occasionally be found at some fried fritter stalls at hawker centres.

Easties are lucky to have You Zha Kueh in Bedok, where you can try this savoury snack for just $1. Address: 216 Bedok North Street 1, #01-43, Singapore 460216

Opening hours: Tue, Thurs & Sat 4am to 11am Tel: 9878 0143

You Zha Kueh is not a halal-certified eatery.

• 6. Chi Kak Kueh

Ang ku kueh lovers, try chi kak kueh, AKA black herbal kueh or the all-black cousin of the steamed mung bean cake. The skin is black because it is made with mugwort, so it gives the kueh a herbal taste, complementing the sesame or bean paste filling. The herbs aren’t the easiest to find, and that adds an extra labour step to the process of making the kueh skin, which not many kueh makers bother with chi kak kueh anymore.

You can find chi kak kueh at a few kueh stalls in Singapore, but one of the most popular ones is Kuehs & Snacks. FYI, there are two stores in Bukit Merah and Empress Road.

Empress Road outlet

Address: 7 Empress Road, #01-84, Singapore 260007 Opening hours: Tue-Wed, Fri-Sun 9:30am to 1:30pm

Bukit Merah outlet

Address: Block 125 Bukit Merah Lane 1, #01-164, Alexandra Village C3, Singapore 150125

Opening hours: Tue-Sun 8:30am to 7pm

Website

Kuehs & Snacks is not a halal-certified eatery.

• 7. Tau Kwa Pau

We also don’t see much of tau kwa pau these days, a deep-fried tofu that’s sliced and stuffed with garlic, pickles, braised egg, and sometimes even fried yam and fishcake. It’s then finished with a drizzle of braised gravy and some coriander.

The tofu is often crispy on the outside, while it remains soft and silky on the inside. If this sounds like something you enjoy, try it for just $2 at Say Seng Famous Tau Kwa Pau.

Address: 271 Onan Road, Dunman Food Centre, Singapore 424768 Opening hours: Wed-Fri 7am to 4pm, Sat-Sun 7am to 3:30pm

Tel: 9488 7736 Say Seng Famous Tau Kwa Pau is not a halal-certified eatery.

• 8. Oyster Cake

There’s a lot more history that goes into fried oyster cakes. Hailing from Fujian, China, these UFO oyster cakes are akin to vadai, stuffed with a medley of fillings that often include oysters. You don’t find many stalls selling these anymore, but there are a couple of notable stalls still frying them fresh daily, including Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake and Fu Zhou Poh Hwa Oyster Cake in Jalan Besar.

It’s priced at $2.50 at the former stall and $2.80 at the latter.

Fu Zhou Poh Hwa Oyster Cake

Address: 166 Jalan Besar, #02-34, Singapore 208877

Opening hours: Wed-Mon 10:30am to 6pm Tel: 8112 5286 Fu Zhou Poh Hwa Oyster Cake is not a halal-certified eatery.

Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake

Address: 1 Kadayanallur Street, #01-05, Singapore 069184 Opening hours: Mon-Sat 9am to 8pm

Tel: 9344 1296 Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake is not a halal-certified eatery.

• 9. Roti Jala

Whether you call it roti kirai or roti jala, these delicious, lacy pancakes are a rare sight in hawker centres today. Best enjoyed as breakfast, roti jala is often served with a spicy bowl of chicken curry, which you can dip these netted pancakes into for extra oomph.

Get them while you still can at Gs Oli Thosei & Food Stall at Geylang Serai Market and Food Centre, which still makes these fresh as a Ramadan special. Address: 1 Geylang Serai, #02-138, Geylang Serai Market and Food Centre, Singapore 402001 Opening hours: Mon 24 hours, Tue-Sun 5:30am to 3pm

Tel: 8261 5719 Gs Oli Thosei & Food Stall is a Muslim-friendly eatery.

• 10. White Rojak

We’re more familiar with black rojak and Indian rojak, but not so much white rojak, which comes with sour plum sauce. Try this out for yourself at 684 Black & White Rojak, a stall in Hougang.

Each packet is priced from $4.50, and comes with all the usual suspects found in rojak: turnips, cucumber, puffs of you tiao and more. All of these are drenched in a sour plum sauce that has quite a bit of bite, and it is recommended you try this with some chilli for extra kick.

Address: 684 Hougang Avenue 8, #01-967, Kimly Coffeeshop, Singapore 530684 Opening hours: Wed-Mon 12:30pm to 8pm

Tel: 9675 7550 684 Black & White Rojak is not a halal-certified eatery.

Where to get rare hawker dishes in Singapore

We hope this list has inspired you to try out some of the rare hawker dishes in our culinary scene.

In the meantime, check out the F&B brands that closed down in 2025 and 2026. We also have a guide to the oldest bakeries in Singapore, including one that has been around for 101 years.

Feature image adapted from @iloveyootiao, BirdBrain Farter via Google Maps, and @sudhirtv Drop us your email so you won't miss the latest news.