Lau Pa Sat (directly translated from 老巴刹 in the hokkien dialect) is a historic food centre in Singapore. It’s located in the heart of the Central Business District (CBD) and is one of the most popular destinations for locals and tourists alike to enjoy a wide variety of local and international cuisine. It was gazetted in 1973 as a national monument in Singapore.
Originally built in the 19th century, Lau Pa Sat, also known as Telok Ayer Market, is a beautiful Victorian-style cast-iron structure that has been preserved and renovated over the years. The iconic clock in the middle of an octagonal structure sets Lau Pa Sat apart from the rest of the buildings, especially in the heavily build up CBD area.
It is now a bustling hub of food stalls offering everything from traditional Singaporean dishes like satay, laksa, and chicken rice to international fare such as Japanese, Korean, Indian, and Western cuisine.
Getting To Lau Pa Sat Market
Lau Pa Sat – 18 Raffles Quay, Singapore 048582
Opening Hours: 24 hours
Nearest MRT:
Raffles Place MRT, Downtown MRT
Nearest Carpark:
One Shenton, One Raffles Quay, Hong Leong Building, SGX Centre
Lau Pa Sat Satay Street
Lau Pa Sat is especially famous for its satay street stalls that come alive in the evenings, where you can indulge in skewers of grilled meat served with delicious peanut sauce and accompaniments. The market’s vibrant atmosphere, delicious food, and historical significance make it a must-visit destination for anyone exploring Singapore’s culinary scene.
7pm is when the fun starts! On a daily basis, when the clock strikes 7pm, the hawker stalls selling satay first closes off Boon Tat Street, the road beside Lau Pa Sat, then comes the tables and chairs. This is also the time when you are able to see community strength in action. Everything happens so quickly, by the time they are done arranging the tables, the satay men already have their BBQ charcoal all fired up and ready to take their first order.
Satay Street’s operations are akeen to many south east asian countries, one of the only places in Singapore where touting is common. The stalls’ runners will portray Singapore’s most hospitable attitude towards all locals and tourists alike. They will find you clean tables and chairs sufficient for you and your party.
Once seated, these touters will place their menu on your table and hoping that you will order from them looking at the tentalizing pictures on the menu. Not forgetting that, there are also stall touters from the drinks stalls and the BBQ stalls. Very much a resemblance of what you see on National Geographic of the flock of hyenas circling their weak and hungry prey. This although sounds like a terrible experience, is what people come to Lau Pa Sat for. To experience the real local 101% Singapore – first handedly.
Lau Pa Sat – A Go-To For Professionals
Being strategically located in the CBD and surrounded by major well known roads such as Shenton Way, Robinson Road, Boon Tat Street, Cross Street and Central Boulevard, Lau Pa Sat is a staple for lunch for many office professionals in the region. Lau Pa Sat’s existence has solved the age old question of lunch – what are we having for lunch? Just head to Lau Pa Sat and you will be able to find something you love. It makes the outing amongst colleagues a more meaningful one that everyone is pleased with their orders and no time is wasted in buying back to office and eating together, avoiding the lunch heat in Singapore.
Many also prefer to eat in, in Lau Pa Sat. The stalls during lunch time operate in optimal capacity. Although long queues do form at the stalls, the efficiency of these stalls make up for their waiting time. A meal can be cooked in less than 5 minutes for each individual in the queue. This is the attraction of Lau Pa Sat – the waiting times for food are actually quite negligible. Coupled with the saturation of tables and benches placed throughout Lau Pa Sat, the escape from the office environment can also be achieved.
Best Food at Lau Pa Sat Hawker Centre – According to Google Maps
You got to be there to believe it. Lau Pa Sat presents a plethora of foods that can satisfy any craving you may have. Below we display the brands that are more popular in Lau Pa Sat. And even this we are only scratching the surface of the food gem.
The Warung Bali (51 votes at 4.5 stars)
NASI LEMAK AYAM TALIWANG (47 votes at 4.4 stars)
BUTTER & CREAM (137 votes at 4.3 stars)
ROKUS a.g.b Creative Korean Burger (160 votes at 4.4 stars)
Food Folks (67 votes at 4.2 stars)
Lau Pa Sat (savage enough) Food Directory and Ratings According to Google Maps
Lau Pa Sat is a hawker establishment famous not just for its heritage buildings and Singapore cultural performance, the ratings of food goers are also savage and no BS. Below shows the stalls of Lau Pa Sat and their ratings according to Google Maps.
However we must say that one man’s meat is another man’s poison. Food is subjective to each individual’s palette. You got to try it to discover what is the best food in Lau Pa Sat.
Afterall, Lau Pa Sat is voted by 26,082 goers with a rating of 4.3, making it one of the best Hawkers establishment in Singapore.
