Chinatown Complex Food Centre
牛车水大厦熟食中心
Stall count
260+ cooked-food stalls — Singapore's largest hawker centre
Nearest MRT
Chinatown (NE4/DT19), a few minutes' walk
Known for
Hawker Chan's soya sauce chicken, charcoal claypot rice
Setting
Level 2 of Chinatown Complex, above a working wet market
Chinatown Complex is not a hawker centre so much as a hawker city: more than 260 cooked-food stalls packed onto the second floor of a 1980s municipal block, above a wet market and a warren of shops. This is where Chinatown's street hawkers were rehoused, and the density still shows — Cantonese roasts, Teochew kway chap, charcoal claypot rice, handmade dumplings, old-school kopi. It is also where Hawker Chan earned one of the world's first Michelin stars awarded to a hawker stall, in 2016, for his soya sauce chicken rice — and the queue has never really gone away. Come hungry, walk the full loop before committing, and share plates; portions here reward a group. For calorie-counters, the sheer variety is the advantage: a popiah, a bowl of fish soup, or chicken rice with the skin off lets you eat famously without blowing the day's budget.
335 Smith Street, Singapore 050335
Open in Google MapsPopular Foods & Calories
Typical calorie estimates for dishes at Chinatown Complex Food Centre. Actual values vary by stall.
Plan Your Meal
Realistic orders at Chinatown Complex Food Centre, with the calorie math done for you.
First-timer's pilgrimage
987 kcal- Hainanese Chicken Rice607
- Chendol380
Chicken rice done properly, then a shaved-ice chendol from the dessert row to cool off — about 990 kcal all in.
Calorie-counter's lunch
700 kcal- Popiah180
- Kway Chap520
A fresh popiah roll plus a bowl of Teochew kway chap keeps the whole meal around 700 kcal — one of the lighter ways to eat well here.
The wok-hei blowout
1333 kcal- Char Kway Teow744
- Laksa589
Two of the centre's heaviest hitters at roughly 1,330 kcal combined — bring a friend and split both plates.
Famous Stalls
Liao Fan Hawker Chan
Michelin Bib GourmandSoya sauce chicken rice
In 2016 this stall became one of the first hawker stalls in the world to earn a Michelin star, for a plate of glistening soya sauce chicken that cost a couple of dollars. The queue is part of the experience.
Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice
Charcoal claypot rice
A Michelin Bib Gourmand fixture cooking claypot rice the slow way, over charcoal. Order ahead, wander the centre, and come back for the crusty, lap-cheong-studded pot.
Old Amoy Chendol
Chendol
Michelin-listed dessert stall doing chendol the traditional way — hand-shaved ice, pandan jelly and proper gula melaka. The right way to end a lap of the centre.
Trending in Singapore This Week
Live dish signal across social video, Singapore-wide — via Susi Food Intelligence.
Getting There
Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
Next cleaning closure: 31 Aug – 1 Sep 2026
Source: NEA via data.gov.sg
Nearby
Chinatown MRT
NE4/DT19 — a few minutes' walk via Pagoda Street
Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
The landmark Tang-style temple and museum on South Bridge Road, just across from the complex
Sri Mariamman Temple
Singapore's oldest Hindu temple, a short walk up South Bridge Road
About Chinatown Complex Food Centre
Chinatown Complex Food Centre is the largest hawker centre in Singapore, with more than 260 cooked-food stalls filling the second floor of the Chinatown Complex on Smith Street, above a working wet market and a maze of sundry shops. The building went up in the early 1980s to rehouse the street hawkers who once cooked along Chinatown's roadsides, and that inheritance still shows in the range: Cantonese roast meats, Teochew braised duck and kway chap, Hokkien noodles, handmade dumplings, chendol and old-school kopi — even craft beer on tap. In 2016 the centre became a global name when Liao Fan Hawker Chan's soya sauce chicken rice stall was awarded a Michelin star, one of the first hawker stalls in the world to receive one, and it has drawn a steady stream of food pilgrims ever since.
It rewards strategy. Go slightly off-peak, walk a full lap before you commit, and note that the famous claypot rice stalls take orders in advance — the wait is measured in charcoal time. Bib Gourmand names like Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice sit alongside hundreds of less-famous stalls doing quiet, excellent work at hawker prices. For anyone tracking calories it is one of the easier centres to stay honest in: fish soup, popiah and yong tau foo stalls offer genuinely light plates, and the big-ticket dishes are easy to split. When you are done, the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple is just across the road and Chinatown MRT is a few minutes' walk through Pagoda Street.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Chinatown Complex Food Centre's opening hours?
Chinatown Complex Food Centre is open Daily, roughly 8:00am–10:00pm; individual stalls keep their own hours. Individual stalls set their own hours and may close when sold out.
What is the nearest MRT to Chinatown Complex Food Centre?
Chinatown (NE4/DT19). The address is 335 Smith Street, Singapore 050335.
What is Chinatown Complex Food Centre famous for?
Liao Fan Hawker Chan (soya sauce chicken rice), Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice (charcoal claypot rice), Old Amoy Chendol (chendol) — with 260+ stalls in total.
How many calories are in a typical meal at Chinatown Complex Food Centre?
Popular dishes range from about 180 kcal to 744 kcal per serving — see the calorie guide above for dish-by-dish estimates.
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Track your hawker meals with portion adjustments in the app
Nutrition estimates are approximations based on typical recipes and portion sizes. Actual values vary by stall and preparation method. For clinical dietary needs, consult a registered dietitian.