Once you’ve secured a place to stay, finding good food becomes just as important. Aside from Seven Eleven which is always a reliable and easy option for halal food, in Singapore also offers several places where you can explore local dishes without hesitation.
One of the best options is the Singapore style food court, commonly known as a hawker center. There are quite a few famous hawker centers. Across the city, but I was especially interested in Lau Pa Sat, a popular stop for international tourists who want to try both local Singaporean dishes and cuisines from neighboring countries.
Like most food courts, Lau Pa Sat offers a wide variety of options from authentic Singaporean food to ASEAN, other ASIA, and even Western cuisine. That said, the longest queues are usually at the ASEAN food stalls. Many tourists are eager to experience the rich, spice filled flavors of Southeast Asian cooking, and Muslim visitors often look specifically for stalls displaying a halal certification.
Halal and Non-Halal Options
One common concern when dining in a non Muslim majority country is whether the food is halal and Lau Pa Sat is no exception. Thankfully, there’s a clear distinction between halal and non halal stalls.
To be safe, just look for the halal certification logo displayed at the stall. This way, you don’t need to ask the vendor about the ingredients. The logo is usually placed in a visible spot, often at the corner of the stall.
There aren’t many halal certified stalls when I looked around, I only spotted about three or four. Surprisingly, though, even with crowds of tourists from all over the world, the waiting time at these stalls wasn’t too long.
What about utensils? Are they mixed with non halal ones? The answer is no. There are staff members specifically assigned to collect trays separately for halal and non halal food. So you can rest assured that hygiene and separation are taken into consideration.
As for drinks, I didn’t actually buy any. The meals I purchased already cost around SGD $8–$10 each, which made me think twice about spending more on drinks or snacks. Instead, I brought my own tumbelr to save money.
Location
This hawker centre is in a very strategic location, right by a busy pedestrian crossing. So if people get hungry or thirsty while walking by, it’s an easy and convenient place to stop for a quick bite or drink. That said, locals tend to prefer smaller street side eateries over Lau Pa Sat, as it’s considered a bit too expensive for everyday meals.
For reference, Lau Pa Sat is located at 18 Raffles Quay, Singapore 048582, not far from Chinatown. It’s easy to find on Google Maps, and there are plenty of buses that stop nearby. You can simply check which bus routes go there and hop on from the nearest bus stop.
Based on my experience, Lau Pa Sat is definitely worth trying at least once. However, for daily meals, Seven Eleven still wins in terms of convenience and affordability. So if you’re visiting Singapore for the first time, it’s a great place to sample a variety of dishes in one spot. My suggestion, please try to avoid weekends it gets extremely crowded, as you can probably imagine.
