Zion Riverside Food Centre: 9 Can-Try Hawker Stalls

Zion Riverside Food Centre may not be Singapore’s biggest hawker centre, but it certainly packs quite a bit into its compact space. Sitting along Zion Road, this neighbourhood food spot brings together familiar local favourites alongside Chinese noodles, Korean fare, Indian food and old-school Western dishes.

It is the sort of hawker centre where deciding what to eat can take longer than expected. One stall is frying carrot cake until the edges turn crisp, another is folding dumplings, while several doors down, bowls of beef and prawn noodles are making their way out of the kitchen.

If you are dropping by for lunch or dinner, here are 9 stalls we think are worth considering at Zion Riverside Food Centre.

01. Lau Goh Teochew Chye Thow Kway #01-26

Signature Dish: Fried Carrot Cake
Operating Hours: 12pm – 2.30pm, 4pm – 9pm
Closed: Tuesday

There is fried carrot cake, and then there is the sort where you can hear those crisp little pieces crack slightly as you bite into them.

At Lau Goh Teochew Chye Thow Kway, you can choose between the traditional white or black version, although I personally lean towards the white.

What makes it enjoyable is the contrast in texture. Some sections have been allowed to sit against the hot wok long enough to develop browned, crunchy edges, while the centres remain soft and almost pillowy. Instead of turning everything into one uniform mass, there are enough uneven crispy bits to keep every mouthful interesting.

The smallest portion starts at S$6, but don’t be fooled by the word “small”. The serving is substantial enough for two people to share, especially if you are ordering other dishes around the food centre.

The black carrot cake offers a completely different experience, with its sweeter dark sauce coating the pieces more generously. Those who enjoy the caramelised flavour of sweet soy sauce may prefer this version.

Do factor in some waiting time. During busy periods, an order can take 20 minutes or more, particularly when there are several orders ahead.

The husband-and-wife team running the stall are deaf, so ordering may work a little differently from other stalls. Simply point to the menu photographs or indicate whether you want black or white carrot cake. A little patience goes a long way.

If crispy white carrot cake is your thing, this would be my pick between the two.

02. Ah Wang La Mian Xiao Long Bao #01-22

Signature Dishes: Dan Dan Mian, Pan-Fried Dumplings
Operating Hours: 10.30am – 3.30pm, 4.30pm – 8.40pm
Closed: Monday & Tuesday

There is something very satisfying about noodles that arrive coated in sauce rather than swimming in it.

The Dan Dan Mian (S$6) from Ah Wang La Mian Xiao Long Bao comes with springy noodles tossed through a spicy, savoury sauce and topped with a generous amount of minced meat.

Give everything a proper stir before eating. Once the meat and sauce work their way through the strands, you get a fuller combination of chilli, savouriness and richness in every mouthful.

The noodles deserve some credit too. They retain enough bite to stand up against the sauce instead of becoming soft halfway through the meal.

At S$6, it is not the cheapest bowl of noodles around, but the serving is respectable and the meat portion makes it feel more complete.

I would also make space for the pan-fried dumplings.

Priced at S$8 for 10 pieces, these arrive with browned bottoms while the upper portion of the wrapper remains chewy. Bite through one and you will find pork and chives packed inside, along with plenty of juices.

They can be slightly oily—that comes with the territory when dumplings are being pan-fried—but dipping them into black vinegar with ginger cuts through much of that richness.

Price-wise, S$8 may feel a little higher compared to similar hawker-centre dumplings elsewhere. Still, 10 substantial pieces make a decent sharing plate if you are dining with friends.

03. Min Chuan Beef Noodle #01-03

Signature Dish: Beef Noodles
Operating Hours: 10.30am – 3.30pm, 4.30pm – 8.40pm
Closed: Monday & Tuesday

Previously known as Joo Chiat Beef Noodles, this stall now operates under the Min Chuan name, but thankfully, the beef noodles remain the main attraction.

The S$6 mixed beef noodles are particularly good value if you enjoy more than just slices of lean beef.

Look into the bowl and you may find a combination of beef slices, tendon, skin and other beef offal, making this considerably more interesting than the standard beef-noodle serving.

What caught my attention most, however, was the broth.

Rather than being thick, dark or heavily seasoned, the soup has a relatively clear appearance with a deep beef character running through it. There is an almost Vietnamese pho-like cleanliness to the flavour—fragrant and savoury, yet still easy to drink spoonful after spoonful.

Adding coriander and preserved vegetables changes things further. The herbs provide freshness while the salted vegetables introduce little bursts of savouriness between bites of beef and noodles.

For S$6, I find the mixed bowl especially worthwhile simply because of the variety packed inside.

Those who would rather have rice can consider the S$7 beef brisket rice. The serving is generous, with plenty of meat to accompany the rice, and makes for a heavier meal than the noodle option.

If you are the sort of person who always asks for “mixed beef” rather than plain sliced beef, this stall should be somewhere near the top of your list.

04. Boon Tong Kee Kway Chap #01-24

Signature Dishes: Braised Duck, Kway Chap
Operating Hours: 10am – 8.30pm
Closed: Wednesday

The first thing I noticed about the braised duck rice here wasn’t actually the duck.

It was the rice.

Mixed with yam, the rice carries an earthy fragrance that makes it enjoyable even before you start adding meat and gravy. There is a homely quality about it that suits braised duck particularly well.

The duck rice comes in S$4.50 and S$6.50 portions, depending on how hungry you are.

The duck is neatly deboned, so there is little fuss once you sit down. Portions are also quite respectable for the price. Depending on the cut, the texture can vary slightly from visit to visit, but there is enough braising gravy on the plate to add moisture and seasoning where needed.

I actually prefer spooning some of that sauce directly over the yam rice. The savoury braising liquid sinks between the grains and gives an already aromatic plate another layer of flavour.

Those who prefer the full experience can naturally go for kway chap, pairing the broad rice sheets with braised ingredients.

This isn’t a plate trying to reinvent braised duck rice. Its appeal comes from familiar flavours done in an old-school way, with that fragrant yam rice giving it a little more personality.

05. Umeed Curry House #01-02

Signature Dishes: Naan, Chicken Tikka
Operating Hours: 11am – 9.30pm
Closed: Monday

Walking past Umeed Curry House when naan is being prepared is dangerous if you have already eaten.

One whiff and suddenly there is space for another meal.

The plain naan starts at S$3, and it is worth ordering one alongside whichever curry catches your eye. The naan has pleasantly browned patches on the surface, with enough chew to hold sauces rather than collapsing immediately after dipping.

Go for the butter version and you get an extra layer of richness. What I appreciate is that the butter doesn’t completely drown the bread. There is enough to perfume each piece and give the surface a glossy finish while allowing the flavour of the naan itself to come through.

Then there is the Chicken Tikka (S$8).

The seasoned chicken works especially well with naan because you can tear off a piece of bread, add some chicken and scoop up a little curry for a complete bite.

It is also a welcome change if you have been working your way through several bowls of noodles at Zion Riverside Food Centre.

My preferred order here would be straightforward: butter naan, chicken tikka and curry on the side. It is simple, filling and gives you plenty to tear, dip and share around the table.

06. Hi! Authentic Korean Cuisine #01-13

Signature Dish: Bulgogi Beef
Operating Hours: 10am – 8.30pm
Closed: Wednesday

Korean food in a hawker centre can sometimes become a watered-down version of what you expect, but the bulgogi beef here gets the fundamentals right.

The beef comes with the familiar sweet-savoury seasoning associated with bulgogi, together with thinly sliced onions that soak up some of the sauce as they cook.

That onion isn’t merely there for decoration either. Its natural sweetness blends nicely with the beef, while the sesame seeds scattered over the dish introduce a subtle roasted aroma.

What I like is that this isn’t a dish requiring much analysis. Take some beef, onions and rice together and everything makes sense.

There is enough sweetness to give it the recognisable bulgogi character, although it doesn’t cross over into dessert territory.

For someone visiting Zion Riverside Food Centre with friends who aren’t necessarily craving traditional hawker fare, this stall provides a useful alternative.

Sometimes all you want is warm rice topped with well-seasoned beef, and this does the job rather nicely.

07. Kang’s Wanton Noodle #01-06

Signature Dish: Wanton Noodle
Operating Hours: 8.30am – 1.30pm
Closed: Thursday

With such limited opening hours, Kang’s Wanton Noodle is one stall you need to catch earlier in the day.

Prices start at S$5 for small, S$6 for medium and S$7 for large.

The noodles are one of its strongest points. They are cooked until springy, retaining a firm bite instead of turning limp under the sauce.

Then comes the char siew.

Don’t expect the shiny, candy-like glaze found on some modern char siew noodles. This version is more restrained, allowing the seasoning and meat to do most of the work rather than relying heavily on sweetness.

I also enjoyed the little pieces of pork lard scattered among the noodles. Apart from adding crunch, there is a slight toasted, smoky note that gives the noodles considerably more character once everything is mixed together.

The fried wantons are surprisingly large, making them more than a token crispy garnish.

Soup wantons are plump with meat, although don’t expect obvious pieces of prawn inside. The accompanying soup is also pleasantly savoury and makes a useful palate reset between mouthfuls of noodles.

If texture matters to you when judging wanton mee, Kang’s springy noodles and crisp lard are probably what you will remember most.

08. Zhi Wei Xian Zion Road Big Prawn Noodle #01-04

Signature Dish: Prawn Noodle
Operating Hours: 11.30am – 3pm, 6pm – 9.30pm
Closed: Monday

You know a prawn noodle stall isn’t messing around when even its entry-level bowl comes with properly sizeable prawns.

Prices here are S$8, S$13, S$20 and S$28, depending on the portion and ingredients selected.

The S$8 bowl already comes with two large prawns, pork ribs and crispy pork lard, which makes it a fairly substantial starting point.

The prawns have a satisfying bite and naturally contribute their seafood sweetness to the dish, while the pork ribs add another dimension for anyone who doesn’t want a bowl consisting entirely of shellfish.

And then there is the lard.

Those crispy cubes soak up little touches of sauce while retaining enough crunch to make themselves noticed. For me, they are one of those tiny additions that can turn a good bowl of dry noodles into a much more enjoyable one.

There is another interesting extra here. Ask nicely and the uncle may add some pig skin, which brings a soft, gelatinous texture to the bowl. Soup refills are also available, so you don’t need to ration every spoonful from the beginning.

For first-timers, I would start with S$8 before deciding whether you need one of the larger servings. It already gives you a good introduction to what the stall does.

09. Seng Huat Western Food #01-12

Signature Dish: Western Food
Operating Hours: 11am – 2pm, 4pm – 8.30pm
Closed: Monday & Thursday

Old-school hawker Western food has a charm of its own.

There is usually a familiar lineup of chicken, fries, coleslaw and sauce—nothing fancy, just the kind of plate many Singaporeans grew up eating.

At Seng Huat Western Food, the chicken cutlet is a dependable choice.

The breadcrumb coating fries up crisp while avoiding that unpleasant greasy finish that occasionally comes with a poorly drained cutlet. Underneath, you still get enough moisture in the chicken to keep the meal enjoyable from first bite to last.

I was pleasantly surprised by the coleslaw too.

Served cold, it carries a slight citrusy lift that makes it particularly refreshing after a few bites of fried chicken. It may seem like a small detail, but a good coleslaw can stop a plate of Western food from feeling unnecessarily heavy.

The fries are also nicely cooked, with a clean finish rather than tasting like they have absorbed half the fryer.

Nothing here is trying to be restaurant-style Western cuisine, nor does it need to be. It is a familiar hawker Western plate prepared with care, and sometimes that is exactly what you are looking for.

Zion Riverside Food Centre

Zion Riverside Food Centre is a compact hawker centre, but the variety here makes it surprisingly easy to put together a full food trail.

My personal picks would be Lau Goh’s white carrot cake if you enjoy crisp edges, Min Chuan’s mixed beef noodles for something hearty yet easy to finish, and Zhi Wei Xian’s big prawn noodles when seafood is the craving of the day.

Coming with a few friends is probably the best strategy. That way, you can order carrot cake, dumplings, noodles and naan for the table instead of facing the painful responsibility of choosing just one.

Address:
Zion Riverside Food Centre
70 Zion Road, Singapore 247792

Nearest MRT: Great World MRT (TE15), Exit 2 — approximately 3–5 minutes’ walk.