Once in a while, flat rice noodles and wok-kissed magic come together to produce the perfect plate of char kway teow .

Of course, ask any Singaporean which hawker stall sizzles up the best rendition and you’ll get a mixed bag − wetter or drier, sweeter or more savoury, you’ll seldom find a foodie without their (often staunch) opinion on the matter.

Whatever your taste, you’ll find it on our shortlist of the best char kway teow in Singapore.

1. Amoy Street Fried Kway Teow

If there’s anything that can make a long workday better, it’s a sinful plate of char kway teow. Amoy Street fried kway teow draws in the CBD lunch crowds with a rendition ($3/4) which leans towards sweetness, boasting satisfying hints of smokiness and generous fixings − succulent fishcakes,

Chinese sausages, and fresh cockles (no lard, however!). A nice touch is the lime they give on the side − great for cutting through all that richness. 

Amoy Street Fried Kway Teow is located at #01-01, Amoy Street Food Centre, 7 Maxwell Rd, Singapore 069111. Open Mon-Sat 9.30am−2.30pm. Closed Sun.

2. Lao Fu Zi Fried Kway Teow

It’s a sizzling toss-up between Lao Fu Zi and its equally famous rival Dong Ji at Old Airport Road Food Centre, but we’d count on the former for our fix.

The char kway teow ($5/8/10) at this Michelin Bib Gourmand stall is a little pricier, but you get a savoury explosion of flavours, plump cockles, and a mild amount of wok hei .

Amp up the experience with their punchy chili – either mixed in while being fried or on the side. 

Lao Fu Zi Fried Kway Teow is located at #01-12, Old Airport Road Food Centre, 51 Old Airport Road, Singapore 390051. Open daily 11.45am−10pm.

3. Tiong Bahru Fried Kway Teow

If you find most renditions of fried kway teow a tad too greasy, Tiong Bahru Fried Kway Teow is for you. Run by a 90-year-old uncle and his daughter, this old-school stall serves up char kway teow ($3/4) that’s slightly drier and goes light on sauce.

This means plenty of room for the wok hei and fresh ingredients to take centre stage − opt for the $4 plate for significantly larger helpings of cockles, fish cake, and lup cheong. 

Tiong Bahru Fried Kway Teow is located at #02-11, Tiong Bahru Food Centre, 30 Seng Poh Road, Singapore 168898. Open Fri-Tues 11am–10pm.

4. Meng Kee Fried Kway Teow

Meng Kee’s char kway teow ($3/4/5) is sweetness and smokiness on a plate – think almost silky noodles glistening with plenty of sweet soy sauce. The cockles come barely seared and in lavish amounts, while the beansprouts add a prominent crunch.

If you can’t get enough of the toppings themselves, you can even enjoy a whole plateful of them sans kway teow with the beansprout cockles ($5/8/10).

Meng Kee Fried Kway Teow is located at #01-07 Havelock Cooked Food Centre, 22A Havelock Rd, Singapore 161022, p. +65 9475 7062. Open Mon-Sat 9am–6pm. Closed Sun.

5. Armenian Street Char Kway Teow

Once a humble push-cart along Armenian Street, this second-generation stall traces its roots all the way back to 1949.

The char kway teow ($3/4) here is as traditional as it gets, loaded with fragrant pork lard, small but plump cockles, and that unmistakable wok-kissed smokiness. Mr Tan sizzles up his noodles plate by plate, so be prepared to strap in for a long wait.

Armenian Street Char Kway Teow is located at 303 Anchorvale Link, Singapore 540303, p. +65 9367 6729. Open Fri-Wed 11.30am–7pm. Closed Thurs.

6. Hill Street Fried Kway Teow

This stall is touted by many as Singapore’s finest fried kway teow – we’ll leave it up to you to decide. With the reins recently taken over by the late founder’s son, the char kway teow ($4) here continues to live up to its legacy with just-right moistness and supple kway teow.

Topped with plentiful cockles and crisp lard bits, it’s well worth the pilgrimage to the east.

Hill Street Fried Kway Teow is located at #01-41, Bedok South Market & Food Centre, 16 Bedok South Rd, Singapore 460016. Open Tues-Sat 11.30am–4.45pm. Closed Sun & Mon.

7. Green Sky Fried Kway Teow

Green Sky is better known for their crispy oyster omelettes, but they whip up a mean plate of cockles fried kway teow ($4/5) as well. One of the few halal-certified offerings in Singapore, this char kway teow is moist, generously eggy, and dished up in fairly large portions.

For an even heartier affair, opt for the seafood fried kway teow ($5/7), which comes packed with plump prawns.

Green Sky Fried Kway Teow is located at #01-14, Bedok Corner Food Centre, 1 Bedok Rd, Singapore 469572, p. +65 8797 2132. Open daily 12pm–9pm.