UNESCO Hawker Culture: Chinatown Food Tasting Tour

Recommended by 98% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Singapore

3 hours (approx.)
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.9

· Lorraine_V ·

Mar 2026

Our guide MK was excellent. His knowledge of Chinatown and surrounding area was unparalleled. We learnt so much about the history of Singapore. The food he organised was delicious and his knowledge about the food was extraordinary. We would recommend this tour to all our friends and family wholeheartedly.

· Guru_V ·

Jan 2026

Kelvin did a fantastic job with the Chinatown Food Tasting Tour for us! We learned about the history, culture and food! We tasted so many unique dishes it is hard to capture the feeling in a few words! We went with our kids, both of them are allergic to Peanuts and Tree nuts. Kelvin made sure their allergies were property addressed. Highly recommend this tour.

Overview

UNESCO has recognized Singapore’s hawker culture as part of the intangible food heritage of humanity, but with scores of outlets featuring hundreds, if not thousands, of dishes, navigating a hawker court is hard. With the help of your guide, this tour lets you sample up to 10 hand-picked dishes and drinks at famous hawker centers—including vendors recognized by Michelin. Upgrade for an even more personal private tour with flexible timings.

Discover Singapore’s fusion of Malay, Indian, and Chinese cuisines
Taste Singapore hawker classics including the signature chicken rice
Recreate scenes from “Crazy Rich Asians” and capture murals and shophouses
Sit down for a hot drink in a traditional Singapore coffeehouse

What's Included

1 Bottle of Mineral Water
9-10 handpicked food at famous hawker centres or Michelin Bid Gourmand Award dishes
3 hours with a Licensed Local Guide

Tips & Gratuities (is appreciated but not required )

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Bee Cheng Hiang 美珍香 (69 Pagoda Street)
69 Pagoda St, Singapore 059228
Chinatown MRT Exit A (Street Level), 151 New Bridge Rd Singapore 059443 Meet in front of Bee Chiang Heng Bak Kwa Store at 69 Pagoda Street Branch.

End point

Chinatown Complex
335 Smith St, Singapore 050335
The nearest MRT station to the end point is Maxwell Station.

Itinerary

Sri Mariamman Temple

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Ann Siang Hill Park

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Maxwell Food Centre

35 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Chinatown

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Smith Street

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate

Attraction Closures and Alternatives In the event of unforeseen circumstances, such as adverse weather conditions, resulting in the closure of any paid attraction(s) included in our tour itineraries, LC Travel reserves the right to substitute the affected attraction(s) with an alternative attraction(s) of similar value. This decision will be made at the discretion of LC Travel and is intended to minimize disruptions to the tour. No refunds or compensation will be provided for attraction closures or substitutions.
Childs Policy: 1 adult can buy max 1 child tickets and 2 adults can buy max 2 child tix, etc. Any additional child will have to pay Full adult price.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

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Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.9

based on 53 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Was a wonderful...

Robert_L, Mar 2026

Was a wonderful experience. Our guide was great and very knowledgeable of the cultural aspects of the area and people. Her verbal communication was great.

Great Food and Historic Tour

Leslie_G, Mar 2026

MK was fantastic and gave us so much historic context to the food tour. The food was interesting and tasty as well.

Our guide MK was...

Lorraine_V, Mar 2026

Ronnie did a wonderful...

Kenneth_L, Feb 2026

Ronnie did a wonderful job of taking us through the transportation system, bringing us great Hawker locations, and giving us history of Singapore.

Don't miss this excellent food tour if you're in Singapore!

Henry_R, Feb 2026

This is an excellent food tour...most of the tastings exceeded our expectations! And we never would have found some of the stops without the help of our outstanding tour guide Ronnie! He is a true guide! Not only did he explain the food...but he provided the history behind the creation and told you about the Chef and the historical changes to the establishment and the neighborhood! We would highly recommend this tour to anyone!

Excellent Tour & Experience

Christine_G, Jan 2026

A great experience, a very friendly, knowledgeable and engaging guide and the most incredible, delicious foods!! Highly recommend this tour and guide☺️

Ron have an Interesting...

Donna_S, Jan 2026

Ron have an Interesting history of country in addition to the current state. Lots of time to ask questions about the cloture, economy, government, etc. very good and unusual food

China Town Delightful Tour

Dee_M, Jan 2026

Our guide Silvia was so friendly and so knowledgable. She made the whole experience and the food choices a memorable time.

Not just a food tour, but a cultural history of past and present Singapore

Steven_G, Jan 2026

Our tour experience with Kelvyn was the highlight of our trip. He was courteous, knowledgeable, caring and consistently made sure we were having a good time. An excellent guide and a great ambassador for his employer and Singapore.

Time well spent!

Liz_S, Jan 2026

We spent a wonderful time with Jeanette on the Hawker tour! Not only did we enjoy many delicacies, we also learned so much about the history, culture, and politics of Singapore!! Jeanette was a wonderful communicator, knowledgeable and eager to share her world with us!! We talked and ate nonstop. Jeanette was very open and easy to talk to, she welcomed questions and provided excellent answers! We were expecting to focus on local cuisine but we got so much more! I highly recommend this tour with Jeanette!

Ronnie tour

Glenn_W, Jan 2026

Our guide Ronnie. Was outstanding... Helped our disabled friend all day. And took us to some great eats. ....and provided history lesson of Singapore

Fantastic food tour!

Guru_V, Jan 2026

Fantastic tour!

Matthew_G, Dec 2025

The food tour was amazing! We had such a great time, not only was the food fantastic, but learning about the cultural of Singapore and Chinatown made it that much more memorable. Our guide, Liang, provided the extra touch of personal history of the area.

Excellent food tour of Singapore's Chinatown

Nigel_J, Dec 2025

Ronnie is an excellent, entertaining and informative guide. He led our small party of 4 through Chinatown, tasting foods and hearing about the history

Amazing tour!

Susan_M, Dec 2025

Jeanette was the best guide! She showed us food we would have never tried, but it was delicious. It was also such a wide variety from local Singapore food to Indian. She was also so knowledgeable of local history that we throughly enjoyed, and she was just a nice lady overall. My son absolutely loved the coffee place she took us too! Would 100% recommend this tour with her!

Awesome Food tour

Melissa_F, Nov 2025

Great 3 hour Food tour around Chinatown. Lots of history of the area. Pauline and partner were very knowledgeable and attentive. Thank goodness for the walking or else we would never have been able to eat the yummy last dish of Chendol.

Disappointed

Janet_V, Nov 2025

The experience was cancelled. I did not receive a notice and only saw a note in the event chat when I was at the meeting place. The operator promptly responded indicating they processed a cancellation and I’m still waiting the confirmation of a refund.

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Dear Janet, We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused. Your tour was cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances, and we immediately submitted the cancellation and refund request to Viator on the same day. Refund processing on Viator’s side may take some time, but please rest assured it has already been initiated. We appreciate your patience, and we’re here if you need any further assistance. Warm Regards, LC Travel Team

Great Fun!

Alton_W, Oct 2025

A very interesting tour. Guide was friendly and knowledgeable . Ate several delicious foods that are typical in Singapore.

China town

JAMES_H, Aug 2025

Great tour guide very knowledgeable had a lot of fun go too try diffferent foods and see a baddest temple

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Dear Travelers, Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed the tour, tried different foods, and had fun exploring the temple with our guide. We hope to welcome you back on another adventure in Singapore soon!

Singapore food tour

Jennifer_B, Aug 2025

Jeannette was the perfect tour guide—knowledgeable, engaging, and a joy to spend time with. She shared fascinating insights into Singapore’s rich history and introduced us to its delicious cuisine, making the experience both educational and delightful. Highly recommend.

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Dear Travelers, Thank you so much for your kind words and wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear you had an amazing experience with our guide. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back on another tour soon!

Jeanette was an amazing...

Jennifer_K, Jul 2025

Jeanette was an amazing tour guide! I am traveling solo on this trip and she did a great job of helping me to try different foods I would not normally taste. She also was a wealth of knowledge, and I very much appreciated. Learning a lot about the history and culture of Singapore. I would definitely recommend this tourto anyone.

Response from Host, Jul 2025

I recommend this tour!

Miika_K, Jun 2025

Our guide Jeanette was very nice and knowledgeable about food and Chinatown history. A lot of food and the selection was excellent!

Response from Host, Jul 2025

Dear Travelers, Thank you so much for your kind words and wonderful details review! We're thrilled to hear you had an amazing experience with our guide. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back on another tour soon!

A Fantastic Foodie Tour of Chinatown

David_T, Jun 2025

Our guide Jeanette provided us with a wonderful experience balancing a food tour with cultural insights and history. The pace was on point and the food was amazing! Would highly recommend this tour!

Response from Host, Jun 2025

Excellent Tour

Steve_B, Jun 2025

Edwin was an excellent guide. Informative and well paced tour Recommended way to see many interesting sights

Response from Host, Jun 2025

Excellent tour

Lara_P, May 2025

Ronnie was extremely knowledgeable and gave us a really good background on Singapore and the food available.

Response from Host, May 2025

Chinatown History & Unesco Hawker Culture

Victoria_H, Apr 2025

We had a delightful afternoon exploring Chinatown on this private tour and our guide, Liang truly made the experience unforgettable. He was not only fun and engaging but also deeply knowledgeable about the rich history of the area. Our jouney began with a walking tour through Chinatown, where Liang shared stories of the early settlers, including fascinating details about his own grandparents. He brought the past to life as we stopped by the vibrant murals on Smith Street that depict Chinese heritage and everyday family life. We visited the Hill Park Center for Chinese immigrants, where Liang discussed the hardships faced by newcomers, even touching on the era of opium dens-a sobering but important part of history. Next, we marveled at the Chinese Temple, resplendent with gold artifacts and steeped in spiritual history. The atmosphere was serene & awe-inspiring. Our tour culminated in the best way possible-food! We arrived at the Maxwell Food Centre and indulged n the famous Hainanese Chicken Rice, which absolutely lived up to its reputation. We then wrapped up our tour with a traditional coffee shop, where the aroma of freshly roasted and grounded beans was an experience in itself. This tour was a perfect history of culture, history and cuisine. High recommendi t!

Response from Host, May 2025

Fantastic introduction to Singapore food and culture

Stefanie_M, Mar 2025

We booked this tour on our first day of Singapore as a way to get some fresh air, acclimate to the time zone, and learn a little about the city, food and culture. What a terrific experience! There were 5 of us total on this small group walking tour. Our tour guide, Jeannette, was wonderful. She was generous in sharing her knowledge of Singapore's history and introduced us to many wonderful street foods we would not have discovered on our own. I definitely recommend this tour whether you are new to Singapore or whether this is your 10th return trip.

Response from Host, Mar 2025

Dear Travelers, Thank you for your amazing review! We're glad to hear that the tour was the perfect way to kick off your time in Singapore. Jeannette is amazing at making the experience feel personal and sharing all the cool little details about the city. It’s awesome that you got to discover new foods and learn more about Singapore's history! We really appreciate your recommendation and hope to see you again on your next trip. Enjoy the rest of your adventure!

Food, history, culture and fun!

Michael_R, Mar 2025

Our tour with Jeannette was fabulous! It was both a hawker stand and Chinatown culture and history tour. We tasted foods that we would not likely have thought to try on our own and received a behind-the-scenes perspective on the local culture that we wouldn’t have discovered on our own. Many wonderful stops along the way. We felt as if we were touring with a family friend who also happened to be an expert. An overall experience that we won’t soon forget. Highly recommend!

Response from Host, Mar 2025

Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're so happy to hear that you had a great time with Jeannette and enjoyed exploring the hawker stands and Chinatown. It’s amazing that you got to try new foods and learn more about the local culture – exactly what we aim for! Jeannette definitely has that warm, friendly vibe that makes you feel like you're with an old friend. We’re so glad this tour will be a memory you won’t forget. Thanks again for recommending us, and we hope to see you on another adventure soon!

It was excellent! Great...

Mabell_P, Feb 2025

It was excellent! Great combo of history, culture and food. We had a wonderful guide who adapted to our interests.

Response from Host, Feb 2025

Hi Travelers, Thank you for the wonderful review. We're so glad you enjoyed the UNESCO Hawker Culture: Chinatown Food Tasting Tour with our guide. Hope to welcome you back soon

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