6 iconic hawker centres in Singapore and the stories behind them

This prominent landmark in the Central Business District started out in 1823 as a humble timber-and-atap wet market known as the Telok Ayer Market. It was in a completely different location too – sitting on the south bank of the Singapore River, with part of its structure extending out to sea. The structure was deemed unsafe not long after its completion and was rebuilt in 1833 with a design by none other then George D. Coleman, the man responsible for the design of the Armenian Church, the first Saint Andrew's Church and Caldwell House. Changes to the Former Telok Ayer Market didn't stop there: the building was demolished and relocated to Collyer Quay in 1879 to make way for redevelopment. Though the new structure was completed in 1894, it was only in the 1970s that it ceased to function as a wet market, becoming a hawker centre befitting the glitzy business district. It was officially named Lau Pa Sat in 1989. 

NOW Lau Pa Sat remains distinct for its octagonal structure, which James MacRitchie adapted from George D. Coleman's original design. Following a couple of renovations, the hawker centre now has fewer stalls, more seating, and better ventilation, making it a popular and pleasant destination for tourists and the local office crowd alike. If you happen to visit, try Hakka lei cha from Thunder Tea Rice or kway chap from Pig's Organ Soup and Kway Chap.  

Tekka Centre has had many names over its lifetime. There's kandang kerbau (Malay for 'buffalo pens') in reference to the cattle houses and abattoirs operating in the area until the 1920s. Then there's tek kiah (Hokkien for 'the foot of the small bamboos') for the bamboo that once grew around Rochor Canal. When the old Tekka Market was demolished in 1982, the opposite Zhujiao Market (Mandarin for 'tek kiah') became the market we know now. Residents weren't happy about the Chinese name though – it held little resemblance to its old name and no relevance to its cultural setting – and was finally renamed as Tekka Centre in 2000. 

NOW Tekka Centre is now home to one of the best wet markets in town. The pasar’s adjoining food centre is also a hawker institution offering great grub from a range of cuisines. Try fragrant briyani from Allaudin's Briyani, putu ayam from Neha Tiffin Centre, or even decent Chinese grub from Swee Heng Teochew Porridge Rice or Heng Gi Goose and Duck Rice. 

People's Park Food Centre has been many things over the years – a humble food shelter, a pasar malam famed for its durians, a textile center, and at one point, even a chick distribution center during the Japanese Occupation. In 1966, a massive fire wiped out 186 stalls in the centre, hastening an urban renewal project that turned it into the biggest residential and shopping complex in Singapore when it was completed in 1969. 

NOW Today, People's Park Food Centre is best known for its concentration of Sichuan hawker stalls. Ri Ri Hong Mala Xiang Guo is a must-try, as well as Chuan Wei Fang. Yong Xiang Xing Tau Fu is a heritage gem, having occupied its space at People's Park Food Centre since it opened in the 1970s. 

Located between the bustling thoroughfares of Changi Road and Sims Avenue, the Geylang Serai Market has been a focal point for the local Malay community since it was built in 1964. For 42 years, stallholders eked out a living behind makeshift stalls in ramshackle conditions, sweltering under a rusting zinc roof. Finally, in 2006, the aging market was torn down as part of a government redevelopment project for the entire vicinity of Joo Chiat, and in 2010 was replaced by a two-storey concrete block with its distinctive three-tiered grand entryway.

NOW The airy 955-seater Geylang Serai food centre sits on the second floor, sharing the enclosed 9,000 sq ft floor space with a wet market and a battery of shops laden with clothing, groceries, household goods and other bric-a-brac. It is now home to a legendary nasi padang rice stall – Sinar Pagi Nasi Padang – so be sure to give it a try. Otherwise, tuck into succulent morsels of grilled meat at Alhambra Satay Club or cool down with an icy bowl of cheng tng from 40-year old market veteran Geylang Serai Chee Kong Cheng Tng.

If you're wondering where 'old airport' in the name 'Old Airport Road Food Centre' is all about, here's what: the hawker centre and estate around it was built where Kallang Airport used to be. When it first opened in 1958, over 150 stalls provided fresh and cooked food to the residents of the estate. But over the years, market stalls and hawkers spilt past the bounds of the market, prompting the building of Old Airport Road Hawker Centre – considered the most modern hawker centre of its time, complete with an emporium, a post office branch, and ATM. 

NOW Old Airport Road Hawker Centre remains one of Singapore's most famous. There's good food to be had around every corner, including prawn noodles at Albert Street Prawn Noodles (or its rival, Whitley Road Big Prawn Mee). For a quick snack, go for Toa Payoh Rojak or silken soya custard Lao Ban Soya Beancurd. 

First known as Seng Poh Market, Tiong Bahru Market was a one-storey refuge built by the government to house the street hawkers eking out a living in Singapore's oldest public housing estate. Beyond just a market and hawker centre, Tiong Bahru Market was the centre of civic and political life, serving as a community meeting point as well as a site for political rallies and polling in the 1950s and 1960s. By the 1970s, the market was straining under the many street hawkers and growing crowds, only earning its current name after a much-needed revamp in 1993. 

NOW Tiong Bahru Market received another makeover in 2004-6 to achieve new, modern facilities and an Art Deco-inspired look that echoes the design aesthetic of surrounding public housing blocks. But many of the hawker stalls within have been around for decades, including the sentimental favourite Jian Bo Shui Kueh, which has endured for over 50 years; and Tiong Bahru Pau which has since expanded to six outlets island-wide.