When I visited Singapore recently, my first question was, ‘What are the best Geylang food places to check out?’
Even before the pandemic hit, Singapore’s most notorious Geylang vice hub was already in its twilight years.
For SmartDory, the red light district is uncharted territory.
Once I wrapped my head around Geylang as a bigger Love Lane in Penang – I wasn’t that worried about staying there or walking around alone.
I started reading the Geylang food guides.
And it’s true – Geylang Road, the main road, is nothing short of a 24-hour round-the-clock dining in the red-light district.
It was around 7 pm when we arrived, and we walked into a bustling night scene of an Asian eating street.
There are people eating dinner and supper and more arriving after 11 pm.
It looks like people are eating into the wee hours of the morning.
Geylang Food
Check out our Geylang Food Guides for eateries and restaurants that offer delicious food, and beverages, 24-hour round clock.
For tourists looking for a food guide, here’s a nice change for exploring Geylang food haunts for dinner that goes to suppertime and beyond.
But be warned, compared to the busy scene at night during the day, Geylang is like a ghost town.
We were there for a 3D2N trip, and lucky as I was, it rained practically every hour on the hour for the entire trip!
That coupled with just the two of us eating, we didn’t get to taste all the mouth-watering Geylang food.
We checked with the Front Desk at our hotel, the ibis budget Singapore Pearl (SG Clean Certified, Staycation Approved), and got food recommendations from the Duty Manager.
The lovely gentleman even walked out and pointed to the shops!
As we were starving and it was a wet night, we opted for the nearest Mamak shop and SD’s first curry meal!
1 ABC Bistro
SD got his curry meal, a Fish Fillet Curry, Stir Fried Okra, and Stir Fried Brinjal, which he loved and rated a 10/10.
The only thing lacking was cold food, which was not heated before we were served.
I ordered Roti Canai from the cashier only to receive a blank stare.
When I repeated the order, the cashier told me to ‘duduk’ (sit).
SD was wondering what happened to my food when it didn’t arrive after 10 mins.
I looked at the Roti man, who wasn’t grilling bread on the girdle.
Then I realized that in Singapore, Roti Canai is called Pratha!
No wonder.
The Pratha was cold and chewy, unlike the version I’m used to in Penang.
SD thought everything was great, especially the bowl of yellow Dhal.
ABC Bistro made a very decent and sweet Fresh Orange.
We both agreed that the curries were too sugary and sweet, and the food was cold.
Total spent: S$18.90
ABC Bistro
Address: 3 Lor 10 Geylang, Singapore 399037
Opening hours: Daily Open 24 hours
We walked around a bit more to check out other eateries and to look for something for me to eat.
2 Geylang Lor 9 Fresh Frog Porridge (芽笼九巷活田鸡)
Many restaurants were selling Fresh Frog Porridge, and we weren’t keen on eating frogs.
The waitress tried her best to sell us their big, juicy, tasty frog legs cooked in kung pao flavor if we wanted it spicy.
The restaurant’s top sellers are these clay porridge pots with stir-fried frog legs.
Frog porridge, fried oyster egg, and Sambal stingray are best!
I chose the Spicy Stingray, which I was familiar with and had tried before.
The dish is a barbecued stingray on top of a banana leaf served with a sambal paste and garnished with raw onions with a squeeze of calamansi lime.
Sambal stingrays are readily available at hawker centers in both Malaysia and Singapore.
The version has a soft young Stingray.
The fish do not have bones and are easy to eat. Instead, their bodies are supported by cartilage.
Total spent: S$15
Geylang Lor 9 Fresh Frog Porridge (芽笼九巷活田鸡)
Geylang Lor 9 Fresh Frog Porridge (芽笼九巷活田鸡)
235 Geylang Road, Lor 9 Geylang, Singapore 389294
Hours: Monday to Thurs 4 pm–4 am,
Fri, Sat, and Sun 12 pm–4 am
Phone: +65 8688 8839
3 Hi Banh Mi!
Day 1 – I went for a walkabout and found this little Banh Mi outlet.
I saw some tourists eating and asked a girl and her friend for recommendations.
The Beef and Fried Egg Banh Mi was served piping hot, the egg crispy on the outside and runny inside.
It was the best Banh Mi I had in a long time.
Superb for its price – S$6.90 for the sandwich and iced Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk S$3.0
Total spent: S$9.90
Day 2 – I brought SD for breakfast, and we were happy to eat again at Hi Banh Mi!
We ordered the Homemade Special Sandwich to split, and it was excellent.
The only snag – the low stools were uncomfortable for SD; next time, we will return for takeaways!
Total spent: S$6.90
Crispy baguettes were packed full of ingredients that were freshly made and had an authentic taste. Just like those banh-mi in Vietnam. Must Eat!
Hi Banh Mi!
Hi Banh Mi!
340 Geylang Rd, #01-15 Le Regal, Singapore 389365
Hours: Daily 10 am–9 pm (Tuesdays closed)
Phone: +65 88415839
4 Mongkok Dim Sum
Mongkok Dim Sum is a 24-hour restaurant with a wide variety of dim sum dishes that can be eaten as a snack or a full meal.
First, you select, place your orders, and pay at the cashier.
The food arrived pretty quickly, at most 5 to 10 minutes.
I was pleasantly surprised that they are quick.
I order three items.
Sharks Fin Dumpling Soup
The superior soup had scallops, and the fat juicy dumpling was meaty and delicious.
Fried Mantou with Chilli Crab Dip.
The mantou was pretty good — sweet, light + crisp without being oily!
While the chili crab dip tasted like a premix and a little starchy.
Chicken Pot Stickers
These dumplings are nicely plump and filling.
I would wish for more sliced young ginger in the black vinegar dip.
Overall, the food was tasty, filling, and satisfying. Service was no frills, so expect a little.
Total spent: S$22.80
24-hour Dim Sum with a wide menu with prompt service and at an affordable price.
Mongkok Dim Sum
Mongkok Dim Sum
214 Geylang Rd, Singapore 389274
Hours: Daily Open 24 hours
Phone: +6584848829
4 Mufiz Prata Corner Pte Ltd
Mufiz Prata makes a nice, flaky Prata (Roti Canai).
I met my friends there, and we enjoyed catching up.
Other orders were Beef Mee Goreng with Egg and Roti John (Chicken)
This is the first time I’ve tasted Roti John for a Malaysian.
I remember asking my friend, who is this John chap? No one knows how this name came about.
Overall, the food and service are good.
When my friends arrived, the wait staff called me Aunty and switched to Kak.
That was hilarious!
Mufiz Prata Corner Pte Ltd
Lor 12 Geylang, Singapore 398993
Saturday, 8 am–12 am
5 Lor 9 Beef Kway Teow
Finally, I made it to Lor 9 Beef Kway Teow.
When I discovered the eatery was packed for dinner, I decided to go at 5 pm to beat the hungry crowds.
The Beef Kway Teow S$8 arrived when I paid for my food and walked to my table.
The Hor Fun has “wok hei,” and the well-marinated soya sauce infused hor fun was soft to the bite.
The gravy was dark chocolate and carried the taste of bean paste; the black bean sauce was thick.
The soft texture of the beef was not natural; it tasted like it needed to be over-tenderized, and the meat needed to be beefy.
I found the Hor Fun noodles to be too slippery to use chopsticks. The best way to eat it was to use a spoon!
Another old-timer in Geylang offering the highly-rated noodle dish, patrons can try out different Zi Char stir-fried dishes and seafood in Singapore’s most iconic Lor 9 Beef Kway!
Lor 9 Beef Kway Teow
Lor 9 Beef Kway Teow
237 Geylang Rd, Singapore 389296
Hours: Daily 11 am–12:30 am
Phone: +6593880723
6 Hock Prawn Mee
SD found Hock Prawn Mee, saying he found me some soup to warm me up on a cold, wet, raining morning.
Hock Prawn Mee has been around for 20 years and is open 24 hours daily!
The starchy yellow noodles were springy and had an eggy flavor.
I liked that the noodles were blanched when it’s soggy and lost their bouncy bite.
Overall, the noodle dish was pretty spicy, and SD enjoyed it with the sweet balance of chili sauce.
I liked the salty prawn flavor in the soup.
The prawns tasted fresh, and the soup was light but with subtle meaty notes.
Garnish was a lot with halved prawns and plenty of meat.
The 24-hr prawn noodle stall has prawn broth that is savory, peppery, and sweet umami taste with lots of garnish and lard bits: fantastic chili and good bouncy yellow noodles.
Hock Prawn Mee
Hock Prawn Mee
346 Geylang Rd, Singapore 389367
Hours: Open 24 hours (Tuesdays closed)
Many other people we met on our trip were kind and helpful.
Despite the rain, my Singaporean friends came to meet up for a meal and chit-chat.
Other Geylang Food Worth Trying Next
There are many other exciting restaurants in alphabetical order that I would love to try on another trip just for Geylang Food.
- Bali Nasi Lemak
- Banh Mi Thit
- BBQ Box
- Donburi Maruya
- Durian Culture
- Eminent Frog Porridge
- Hong Qin Fish & Duck Porridge
- JB Ah Meng Restaurant
- Koung’s Wanton Mee
- L32 Handmade Noodles
- Leong Kee (Klang) Bak Kut Teh
- Liu Da Ma BBQ
- Penang Seafood Restaurant
- Peng Wang Claypot Cuisine
- Sia Kee Duck Rice
- Spuds Shack
- Swee Guan Hokkien Mee
- The Skewer Bar
- Yong He Eating House
Geylang food stalls were worth visiting, and overall, without conversion, dollar for dollar, the food portion is more filling than in Penang.
Do we like the taste?
The answer is an irrevocably YESSSSSS!
Given the variety of good Geylang food options, Singaporeans would take the MRT down for a feast.
Geylang Road, the main road, is a 24-hour round-the-clock, affordable, tasty dining in the red-light district.
How to Get to Geylang Food Enclave
Geylang is located 3.4 mi (5.4 km) from the heart of Singapore.
Flying to:
- Singapore Changi Airport (SIN), 7.3 mi (11.7 km) from Geylang
- Seletar Airport (XSP), 7 mi (11.2 km) from Geylang
- Batam Batu Besar (BTH-Hang Nadim), 20.7 mi (33.3 km) from Geylang
Getting to Geylang on Metro
Stations in the neighborhood include:
- Paya Lebar Station
- MacPherson Station
- Mattar Station
SD and Dory wish you happy travels and enjoy your food hunts!
P.S. This blog post will be updated when we return for another eating adventure for more Geylang food in Singapore.
Blog Disclosure: This is a NOT sponsored blog post. All opinions are mine. The writer and friends paid for their meal.
