What it's like to eat at one of Singapore's famous hawker centers, where you can get Michelin-starred street food for less than $5

Singapore is home to more than 100 hawker centers, which are typically open-air food courts that sell a variety of Asian and other cuisines at affordable prices.

In December, Singapore's hawker culture was added to Unesco's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, which also includes things like yoga in India and sauna culture in Finland.

Unesco describes Singapore's hawker centers as "community dining rooms where people from diverse backgrounds gather and share the experience of dining over breakfast, lunch and dinner."

The most famous example is Hawker Chan, formerly called Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle, which sells the world's cheapest Michelin-starred meal: a chicken-and-rice dish — usually simply called "chicken rice" — that costs 3 Singapore dollars, or about $2.25.

The other hawker that currently holds a Michelin star is Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle, which serves minced meat noodles starting at 5 Singapore dollars, or about $3.70.

"This is one of the only places in the world where street food vendors actually earn Michelin stars," the character of Nick Young tells his girlfriend in the film.

The filmmakers paid 80% of the hawkers to remain in the scene, Singapore chef John See, who consulted as the head of food for the film, told the Michelin Guide.

The center, which was built in 1983 and renovated in 2019, has more than 200 food stalls and hundreds of other stalls that sell fresh produce, clothing, and other goods.

Here's what it's like getting a meal at a hawker center in Singapore.

Source: Visit Singapore

You can Google "best stalls at X hawker center" and come across a dozen blogs with recommendations for specific stalls, which will almost always include the stall number so you can easily locate them.

Otherwise, you can wander the hawker center and just see what looks good.

Source: Singapore Statutes Online

Most dishes cost less than $5, and there's no need to tip as the service charge is usually included in the bill.

"Choping" seats, or saving them with an item such as an umbrella, a packet of tissues, or a water bottle, is one of the unspoken customs of Singapore hawker centers.

It can be particularly helpful to "chope" a table if you're planning on ordering a dish that takes more time to prepare, like local favorite chili crab. In this case, the hawker will ask for your table number (all hawker tables are numbered) so they can deliver your food when it's ready.

There are separate receptacles for halal and non-halal cuisine.

Toilet paper is included in the 10 cent fee — you don't have to pay extra for it.