singaporecity360° Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle
Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle is a hawker stall in Crawford Lane that has held a MICHELIN star for its bak chor mee — minced-pork noodles — every year since 2016. A bowl costs a few dollars, and you queue for it.
- Cuisine
- Street food (bak chor mee)
- Neighbourhood
- Kallang
- Nearest MRT
- Lavender (EW)
- Chef
- Tang Chay Seng
- Indicative price
- ~S$8 a bowl
- Address
- Blk 466, #01-12, Crawford Lane, Singapore 190466
Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle is a hawker stall in Crawford Lane that has held a MICHELIN star for its bak chor mee — minced-pork noodles — every year since 2016. A bowl costs a few dollars, and you queue for it.
Signature dishes
- The dry bak chor mee with chilli — noodles tossed with black vinegar, pork lard and a savoury chilli sauce. It is the owner's own favourite.
- Choose mee pok (flat noodles) or mee kia (thin).
- Add wontons for softness and the crispy dried sole for a savoury crunch.
- A soup version is the lighter alternative to the dry bowl.
The concept
A no-frills counter stall cooking one dish to order from a family recipe: pork noodles with a spread of pork toppings. It is one of a handful of low-cost stalls holding a star alongside the fine-dining rooms.
The chef
Run by Tang Chay Seng, son of the founder, who learned the trade at seventeen at the family's original Hill Street coffee shop and has no formal training. Now in his seventies, he is still at it, preparing the lard and sauces early each morning.
Getting there
Tai Hwa Eating House, Block 466 #01-12, Crawford Lane, in Kallang just east of the city centre. This is the only genuine outlet. Lavender MRT (East-West line) Exit A is a five to ten minute walk across the canal.
Prices
Cheap: roughly S$6 to S$10 a bowl, about S$8 for a regular. Bring cash and check what payment they take.
How to book
No reservations — walk in and order at the counter.
Opening hours
Officially 9am to 8.30pm daily, but closed on the first and third Monday of each month. Worth double-checking around public holidays and Chinese New Year.
The room & dress
A traditional eating house with shared tables and a lively, crowded hawker atmosphere at peak. Part of the appeal is watching the dish cooked to order, and the contrast between the modest setting and the star.
A little history
Founded by Tang Joon Teo in 1932 from a Hill Street pushcart, later moving to Marina Square and then Crawford Lane in 2004. In 2016 it became one of the first two street-food stalls in the world to earn a MICHELIN star, and has kept it every year since.
Who it’s for
Anyone who wants a MICHELIN meal without fine-dining prices, and who likes hawker noodles and a bit of a queue — expect thirty to forty minutes at lunch or on weekends, so budget the time and get there before noon. Pork-based, so not halal or vegetarian; spice can be adjusted. Not for you if you need quiet, guaranteed seating or a quick in-and-out.