East Coast Lagoon Food Village Guide – 20 popular stalls reviewed: Hokkien mee with oysters, smoky BBQ wings and more

Packed with plenty of famous stalls, the East Coast Lagoon Village is the place to stop by after a day in the sun at East Coast to fill up your tummies. Whether you’re with your friends or family, the food choices are sure to satisfy any indulgent cravings you have. Think smoky BBQ wings, sambal stingrays, hokkien mee and satay; add in the cool summer breeze and seaside ambience and you’ve got a great alfresco experience to wind down the day.

The hawkers themselves are worth the trip down even if it’s just for a meal. With many legacy hawkers like the Geylang 29 Charcoal Fried Hokkien Mee and Haron Satay, who spent decades perfecting their signature dishes boasting multiple accolades, you can’t get a Singapore hawker experience anywhere more authentic than this!

The hawker centre usually gets busy later in the day, with more than half the stalls opening their shutters only from 4pm onwards and closing in the wee hours of the morning. Surprisingly, it was easier to find a bottle of Tiger Beer over a cup of kopi!

Almost every hawker centre has its own go-to for oyster omelettes, and the one here goes to Song Kee Oyster. Recommended by the Michelin Guide, the stall has perfected their only dish so well that they top the list of every guide to East Coast Lagoon Village and boasts one of the longest lines here.

I ordered a plate of fried oyster ($4) and oyster egg ($6). Oyster omelettes are an indulgence, as the greasy, oily plate of fried are usually eaten as a treat. 

The Fried Oysters are juicy, succulent, and most importantly, fresh. With the fluffy eggs and starch all fried together, there’s a balance of gooey-ness that is addictive.

The generous helping of Chinese parsley and spicy tangy chili rounds up the flavours nicely, allowing you to appreciate the briny taste of fresh oysters. For the price, the portion size is pretty generous too.

One corner of East Coast Lagoon Food Village is full of smoke – not from smokers, but from the BBQ grills of the satay stores. While too many choices might make it hard to decide where to order from, Haron Satay has been said to grill some of the best satays in Singapore. Opened in 1980, the stall was named as one of Singapore’s Hawker Masters by The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao, and even supplied the satays for Singapore Airlines catering services!

Today, the stall has been passed down from the founder to his two daughters, who have been keeping his legacy alive. Satays are $0.70 per stick, with a minimum order of 10 sticks. The meat choices are standard – chicken, beef, and mutton.

I ordered a plate of 10 sticks, with an even split of beef and mutton and ketupat on the side. The chunky sticks were one of the most appetising satays I’ve laid my eyes on.

Each satay packed a powerful punch of flavour from the combination of marinated meat and charred smokiness. There was a hint of sweetness from the gula melaka glaze that was absolutely addictive!

The beef satay has the right balance of fatty parts and meat, so that each bite has that burst of juicy fats. Dip the satay in Haron’s homemade peanut sauce for a nutty layer of flavour. The ketupat was fresh and moist – not too mushy or too dry.

Honestly, the only thing that’s stopping us from giving Haron Satay a 100% recommendation is the long waiting time. After 6pm, expect waiting times of up to an hour for your order. Alternatively, you can also drop them a call at 6441 0495 to reserve your sticks in advance and reduce your waiting times. 

Aunty Mui Mui started cooking from young in Macpherson, helping out her family stall and polishing her kway teow skills before setting up her own shop in East Coast.

Today, Choon Hiang is operated by Mui Mui’s daughter and only has four of the nation’s favourite items on its menu – char kway teow, hokkien mee, fried rice and mee goreng. These dishes are great for sharing, with different portion sizes for larger family groups. While the stall is no-pork, no-lard, it’s not halal-certified.

I ordered a $5 portion of hokkien mee as this was the most popular dish here. Despite not using any pork or lard, the hokkien mee was very satisfying.

The noodles were the dryer type, but still moist with that smoky, wok-hei taste. The balance of bee hoon and yellow noodles soaked up most of the broth, and there was plenty of sotong and garlicky egg for the price.

The prawns were small, but full of flavour from the chicken broth. Mix in the homemade sambal chilli for a tangy kick!

The char kway teow comes in $4 and $5 portions. I got the smaller one to share between two people. The steaming plate of kway teow came slicked with oil, and was heaped with bean sprouts, cockles, and fishcake. There were also hidden surprises in the form of lap cheong – made with chicken, I reckon. 

For $4, the portion size is decent and not too overly greasy. It surprisingly didn’t taste as oily or salty as it looked, and even had a slightly sweet undertone to it. For those who are health conscious, you can still satisfy your char kway teow cravings without having to break your diet!

Even though Choon Hiang started out with char kway teow as its signature dish, I preferred the hokkien mee as I was impressed with its robust wok-hey taste despite not using any pork broth or lard.

One of the rare stores open earlier in the day and a popular lunch spot, Han Jia Bak Kut Teh & Pork Leg has an extensive menu of dishes and sides like tau pok, liver and kidney soup, and various parts of the pig including intestines and pig ears.

The most popular item is surprisingly the pork leg, which can be enjoyed together with their bak kut the as set. The Single Person Set B is $10, and you get the best of both worlds with a bowl of bak kut teh with ribs, a pork leg, and a bowl of rice.

You can pick from lean or fatty for the pork leg, and I chose to go with the lean meat. The chunk of pork knuckle was the size of my fist, sitting in a puddle of herbal gravy.

I could tell that the meat was boiled for hours, as it just fell off the bones without much effort. The tender meat was full of flavour, and I liked how the herbal taste of the sauce wasn’t too strong.

The bak kut teh on the other hand was nothing special. It was a bit unexpected, coming from a stall’s signature. The pork ribs were a bit tough, and the peppery soup could do with a bit more seasoning as it was missing a ‘kick’. I found myself going back to the pork knuckle, which made for a filling and satisfying meal.

Another staple for supper, Ah Hwee sells chicken wings and entire spring chicken barbecued over a charcoal grill. The family-run stall has been in the hawker since 1979, with the entire family running the show. The lady boss has shared that their secret marinade recipe that keeps fans going back is made of 20 ingredients including ginger, Chinese wine, maltose, and five spice powder. Each wing is marinated for at least 2 hours, to allow the meat to soak in the different flavours.

Chicken wings are $1.30 each with a minimum order of three wings, and a whole spring chicken is $8, both marinated in that delicious, signature sauce.

Even with a crispy skin, the meat inside remains juicy and tender. As the wings are grilled over charcoal, the chicken had just a tad too much charred bits as the bitterness sometimes overpowered the sweet glaze.

And here’s my go-tip for the chili: instead of squeezing the lime over the chicken wings, mix the lime with the chilli sauce for a zesty, spicy dip.

The spring chicken is cut into four pieces, and is meatier than the chicken wings. I’d prefer getting just the wings, as it's easier to eat and has more skin to meat ratio!

I also liked how they also provided napkins to wipe your fingers after eating; a small but appreciative detail that wrapped up the wholesome experience.

Stingray used to be deemed inferior on the seafood ranks, but has now become one of Singaporeans’ favourites. This stall is recommended by plenty of SG bloggers, and it didn’t need to tout much with its steady stream of customers.

Other than sambal stingray, they have a whole variety of seafood including cockles, sambal lala, grilled squid, chilli crab, black pepper crab, gong gong, and seasonal fish.

I ordered a small portion of sambal stingray ($12). The thick slab of stingray wing was covered in a generous layer of spicy sambal, with juicy and tender flesh. There wasn’t a fishy smell, and the meat is barbecued with the sauce instead of slathered atop after, allowing the spices to infuse into the flesh.

Stingray Forever BBQ Seafood’s sambal is probably what keeps people going back, with their homemade sambal that contains over 20 ingredients. The fragrant sambal is tangy, spicy, and nutty, with crunchy peanuts that sounds strange but worked really well in the dish.

The sambal was flavourful enough, although those who want an even stronger kick can dip it in the accompanying chinchalok for an extra shot of lime juice and shallots.

You will be greeted by a line of newspaper cuttings and photos hanging on the front of the stall, showing off their signature braised duck rice.

While in the queue, I noticed many people ordering the porridge so I got both a portion of duck rice ($4) and porridge ($3.50). You can also take away a whole duck for $40, or half a duck for $20.

The duck porridge was delicious, with a thick, creamy congee with shredded duck slices and braised sauce. The thinly sliced duck is tender, and the thick gravy mixes well with the congee, which is already tasty in itself.

I easily slurped down the whole bowl, and it somehow made me crave for more. My only feedback would be that it could do with a bigger portion and more duck!

Instead of yam rice, Zuo Ji opted for their own inhouse gravy sauce rice for their braised duck rice. The same thinly sliced duck has a layer of chewy fatty skin, but the rice was a bit on the dry side. Despite the dark colour, the gravy taste was on the mild side, and I felt that it could do with a bit more flavour and sauce.

Mix in the sambal chilli for a kick of spice that really opens up the flavours of the duck. The rice also came with a bowl of soup that didn’t do much for the dish.

Another classic is the curry puff stall. Just as the name says, there’s only one item for sale. The Lagoon Chicken Curry Puff is $1.60, and is a robust flaky pastry stuffed with filling.

The uncle has been selling his puffs for decades here, and the puff prices have slowly increased over the years, but the golden ingots are still as delicious.

The curry is spicy without the heat, and you can taste the chilli flakes in the curry. As a carb lover, I found the ratio of potato and chicken just nice, although it could have done with a half-boiled egg in it just like how Old Chang Kee does theirs.

Each puff is handmade, and tends to sell out quite quickly. The uncle operates depending on his mood, so you might find the stall closed when you’re there. The puffs make for a good snack with a pint of Tiger Beer after an afternoon of cycling or fishing.

I’ve eaten my fair share of hokkien mee, so it takes a really good plate to impress me. This one actually made me want to brave the long queues just for another taste. Cooked the traditional way over a charcoal fire, there’s a distinct wok-hey taste that most other hokkien mee lacks.

The East Coast Lagoon outlet is a sister stall of the original Geylang Lor 29 Hokkien Mee in East Coast Road. As hawkers run in the family, the owner’s brother runs his own Geylang Lor 29 Hokkien Mee with his father’s trade secrets, although it’s better known as Swee Guan Hokkien Mee and has its fair share of regulars.

The charcoal fried hokkien mee comes in $6, $10, and $15 portion sizes, with the option to add oysters. The store also has BBQ sotong and an interesting pork belly satay, all grilled over the same charcoal fire.

Most of the hokkien mee stalls now are moving towards a healthier recipe by cutting down on pork lard and the oil, but it’s exactly the charred, oily taste that makes the hokkien mee so good.

The $6 portion is big enough to fill one person or shared between two, and comes heaped with plenty of sotong, pork belly and crispy pork lard. The hokkien mee here is on the wet side, with plenty of gravy and a distinct smoky taste.

While the prawns are on the smaller side, they are fresh with a crunchy bite.

If you are a fan of oysters, treat yourself to some. For $3, you get 5 juicy oysters that are fresh and briny.

I also noted that they gave two limes instead of just one, which gives the robust dish a much needed tang to lighten the flavours. I love adding lime for that extra citrus kick, and a small lime usually isn’t enough for a whole plate of hokkien mee.

The hokkien mee is cooked in batches, so you might either be served quickly or have to wait up to half an hour for your order.

Originally from Macpherson, the owner has since set up shop and rebranded into Lagoon Leng Kee Beef Kway Teow in East Coast Lagoon.

The beef kway teow here is served Teochew-style in a soup version and in $5 and $7 portion sizes. After many years of serving customers, the owner will ask if you only want beef slices or a mix of beef parts like intestines so as not to let them go to waste. You can also choose to have yellow noodles or white bee hoon instead of kway teow noodles.

The soup is boiled with beef bones, and is a light broth with the sharp notes of Chinese parsley.

I found the beef slices a bit tough, but the intestines and stomach were game-y and full of flavour. The kway teow broke away upon lifting up, and I soon abandoned the noodles after finishing the intestines. The broth was simple and hearty, but was let down by the ingredients. 

In a hawker center filled with plenty of legacies, Lagoon Famous Carrot Cake and Popiah can easily call itself one of the early pioneers. It’s been more than 55 years since they first started selling carrot cake, and is currently run by Mr Ang, the son of the original founder.

The Lagoon famous carrot cake and popiah have both won many awards, with their popiah named Best Of The Best by City Hawker Food Hunt 2015, according to the accolades plastered on the stallfront.

Get the black & white mixed carrot cake so that you don’t have to pick a favourite, and it comes in $6, $7 and $8 size portions.

The black carrot cake was more sweet than savoury, and came with plenty of cai po and egg. The soft yet firm texture was easy to pick up with chopsticks, and had that wok hei flavours.

White carrot cake on the other hand is harder to get right as the key lies in the batter – it needs to be light and fragrant without being too flaky. The white carrot cake came in thick slabs, with two prawns. I could taste the garlic and oil in the batter, and there was just something missing; it might be because it contains no pork nor lard. For me, the black carrot cake here wins.

The interestingly-named best of the best popiah is $2.20 per roll; and it’s cheaper if you get more at $4.20 for 2 and $6.00 for 3 rolls. I bought one roll to see if it lives up to the hype. The roll of popiah was stuffed with plenty of jicama, carrots, peanuts, and omelette, and the skin held everything together. Rolling of the popiah is very important as it can mean the difference between a messy or neat eating experience.

The garlicky and sweet hoisin sauce had hints of chilli, although it could do with a bit more spice. I could taste and hear the freshness of the ingredients used with each crunchy bite, and I quickly finished it as the garlic whetted my appetite.

The sister stall of the satay bee hoon stall in ABC, Shun Fa sells satay bee hoon and cuttlefish kangkong. Their satay bee hoon sauce is so good that they even sell the paste so that you can enjoy their dish in the comforts of your own home.

Even though there might be a lack of queue, each plate is made to order, so you will have to wait as the aunty cooks up your order. The basic satay bee hoon come in four different portion sizes - $5, $6, $8, and $10. From there, you can also add on extra ingredients like fresh prawn, lala, pork ribs, cuttlefish, kang kong or even just more bee hoon.

I ordered a $6 portion of Fresh Prawn Satay Bee Hoon and a small plate of Cuttlefish Kang Kong.

The satay bee hoon ranks high on the list of delicious unappetising-looking food, as the plate of yellow and rice noodles were drenched in a thick layer of peanut sauce.

The beehoon soaked up the thick and peppery sauce, which was spicy. I would avoid the prawns, as I didn’t think that topping up a dollar for a single frozen prawn was worth it.

The Cuttlefish Kang Kong is more of a salad that’s great for sharing or as a light snack. The kang kong and cuttlefish is blanched before being mixed with sweet sauce and lime, and plenty of roasted sesame seeds.

The beansprouts gave a sweet crunch to the different textures, and I enjoyed it as it’s hard to find a stall that does this dish well.

I also noticed belatedly that the corner of the stall was shared with another vendor, Ah Ma Traditional Ngoh Hiang. It had a small display of prawn crackers, tofu, fishball and ngoh hiang that piqued my interest. I have been here multiple times over the past few months, yet I keep finding new places to try.

The Fish Head Steamboat specialises in none other than fish head steamboat, cooked over a small charcoal fire. The steamboat ($22/ $36) come with a fish head and a selection of other ingredients. 

Other than fish head and fish soup, there’s also other seafood like gong gong, lala, sambal sotong, stingray, and zi char dishes like sweet & sour pork ribs, fried rice, beef hor fun, and claypot belly with salted fish.

With so many choices, I decided to get a bowl of Batang Sliced Fish Soup ($8). Rice can be added for an additional $0.50, but I decided to just get the soup.

When the bowl arrived, it looked a bit underwhelming. I might have been expecting more for $8 as I was comparing it to the other fish soup hawker stalls so I decided to give it a chance as I could see plenty of tofu and leafy vegetables floating around.

The soup was a clear, peppery broth with a slightly sweet aftertaste from the tomatoes.

The batang fish was tough and rubbery, and not marinated at all. Maybe it wasn’t a good day but I’m not in a hurry to return back here for their fish soup.

East Coast Rojak serves up traditional Chinese rojak, with the uncle furiously chopping and mixing each plate individually. Each plate is prepared upon order, and be prepared to wait if there’s a queue.

I ordered a plate of rojak with century egg ($5.20). You can also add Tau Pok, Sliced Cuttlefish, You Tiao, which are barbecued over a charcoal fire for that added layer of smokiness.

The cut fruits and fried you tiao were coated in a viscous tamarind sauce, and covered in a layer of crushed peanuts. The sauce was perfectly balanced in the sweet, sour, salty and bitter flavour profiles – exactly what a good plate of rojak should deliver in terms of a punchy flavour.

I could easily taste the savoury prawn paste, the sourness of the assam, the earthy crunch of yam sticks, the sweet and tartiness of the pineapple slices, and the refreshing crunch from cucumbers.

Century egg is more of an acquired taste, but I really recommend it as the creamy egg adds an earthy undertones when mixed together with the bitter sauce. The you tiao was not as crispy as I would have liked, as it was toasted and left outside before being added to the dish.

There’s nothing more comforting than a bowl of good Chinese soup, and this stall knows it. Literally called Good Soup, the menu is filled with herbal Chinese concoctions like Black Chicken Tonic Soup, ABC Soup, Watercress Pork Rib Soup, and White Pepper Pork Tripe Soup.

As the saying goes, chicken soup is good for the soul, so I ordered the Tonic Soup With Chicken ($5).

The soup was herbal and bitter, with two pieces of tender chicken. The herbal taste made me feel like I was nourishing my body with the nutrients it needs, especially after all the chicken wings and satay I’ve been eating for this review. I didn’t get any rice, but it would have been nice for a wholesome meal.

While Chinese soup might not exactly be an ideal pairings with hawker foods like hokkien mee, it does help relieve the heatiness after a heavy meal.

The stall also has Mala Hotpot. It’s not the usual mala hotpot style where you can pick your ingredients. The Mala Hotpot is a single portion ($5) with pre-selected ingredients in spicy sauce, and the only thing you can customise is the spice level. Add on steamed egg, corn, chicken feet, or kang kong for more ingredients.

I asked for a normal spicy level, and it was just spicy enough for me to feel the heat on my tongue, but not so spicy that it numbed all the taste. The bowl came with glass noodles, lotus roots, pork slices, nuts, sausage and black fungus.

Some people love mala xiang guo for its fiery  numbing sensation, and this mini hotpot is just enough to get your mala fix if you’re in the area.   

The original seafood branch of the famed rice wine lala bee hoon, Xin Long Xing Seafood BBQ has been feeding families by the beach for over two decades now. Their seafood and zi char dishes are reasonably priced, with usual suspects like sambal lala, chilli crab etc on the menu. If you’re unsure what to get as everything sounds good, you can always get their recommendations depending on how you’re feeling that day.

After much difficulty, I ordered a plate of their cereal prawns ($20), a classic zi char dish. If you’re ordering from them, remember to take note of your table number as they will send the dishes directly to your table. The service was very efficient, and I only had to wait 15 minutes for my dish to arrive despite ordering at 6pm on a Saturday. I had to wait upwards of an hour for the rest of my dishes as 6pm is the peak hour at East Coast Lagoon.

The freshly cooked jumbo prawns were buried in a huge mound of cereal, with 6 large prawns still in their shells and their heads attached.

The cereal was very fragrant, deep fried in butter, chilli padi, and curry leaves. The prawns were huge and juicy, and had that crunchy bite that only fresh prawns have.

The fun of cereal prawns is sucking the sweet crispy cereal bits off the shells and the prawn heads. While some people might not like eating the prawn heads, cereal prawns are the only exception for me as the heads are full of umami and sweetness from the butter and egg that it was fried in.

Xin Long Xing Seafood BBQ scores full marks in pretty much everything, from service, to quality of food, and even variety of dishes! I will definitely return again to try their Lala Bee Hoon that is said to have red wine for an extra oomph.

If you recognise the stall name, it’s probably because Chong Pang Huat is one of the more popular barbecue chicken wing chains on the island. Wait times here range from 10 minutes to an hour, depending the time you visit.

The chicken wings are $1.40 per piece, with a minimum order of two pieces. A whole spring chicken is $10, and they also have chicken, pork, and mutton satay at $0.70 per piece. The minimum order for satays are 10 pieces.

I’ve eaten at Chong Pang Huat many times at their other branches, but I haven’t had the chance to try the one at East Coast.

The chicken wings were just as I expected, a glistening glazed skin with juicy chicken meat, served with sambal chicken.

I liked how the wings were grilled till the skin was crispy without drying out the meat. Messy, but worth it.

I also ordered five sticks of mutton satay and pork. The thin slices of satay looked like they spent a bit too long on the grill, with some sticks half-charred.

At times, the bitterness from the charred bits overpowered the marinated meats. The mutton satay was a bit tough, though it was not gamey.

The peanut gravy was a bit watery, and could have done with some pineapple puree. The satay also came with cucumbers and onions, and I thought that the cucumbers could be sliced into smaller chunks to easier cleanse the palate in between dishes.

I would stick to the chicken wings at Chong Pang Huat, and get my satay at another stall.

In a hawker with mostly local food, Siam Thai Kitchen stands out as one of the alternative cuisines here. The Thai stall mostly has dishes for sharing so that you can mix and match with dishes from other stalls, and a couple of rice and noodle dishes for solo diners.

The menu has pretty much the standard Thai fare like pad thai, green curry and minced meat omelette.

To have a change from all the satay and chicken wings I’ve been feasting on, I decided to try their tom yum seafood, available in two sizes at $5.50 and $8. The smaller portion is big enough for a single diner or even split between a smaller group of 2 to 3 people. If you have more than 4 people, you might want to consider getting the $8 portion.

The clear tom yum soup is fragrant and whets my appetite. While it was spicy, I was thankful that it wasn’t overwhelmingly spicy as I was having it in the midday heat.

The soup had plenty of chewy shimeji mushrooms, with two prawns and a handful of squid and clams. They could dial it down a bit on the mushrooms, as it felt like I was eating mushroom soup when I took my first few spoonfuls.

I tend to decide if I would come back to a Thai stall based on their minced meat basil rice as this was a simple yet hearty dish that is hard to get wrong.

I chose to have pork today, but you can also opt for chicken. The pork is fried with basil and crunchy veg and packs a lot of heat.

The sauce was thick and robust, and is best eaten drizzled over rice. And the cherry on top - a perfectly poached egg with a gooey yolk that broke easily. This set is great if you’re dining alone.

Siam Thai Kitchen ticks all my boxes for a hawker stall; accessible, affordable, and appetising. Stop by if you’re craving some Thai food.

After a day at the beach, a bowl of porridge might not exactly be the first thing that comes to mind for most. But I was surprised to see people heading to the stall even before its shutters were fully open, with a queue forming. In typical Singaporean fashion, I joined the queue just to check them out.

Literally called Porridge, the fuss-free stall is run by an elderly couple that dishes out endless bowls of hearty porridge in the evening. There isn’t a proper queue, with many people picking up huge pre-orders, so make sure to place your order or you’ll be stuck waiting around for a long time.

The menu was simple, with typical choices like fish, cuttlefish, pork, century egg, fish egg, and shredded chicken. I went for the mixed oorridge option, since it came with a little bit of everything. You can also choose to add more ingredients for an additional $1 or an egg for $0.50.

For $5 a bowl, I was expecting a slightly bigger portion. Topped with fried you tiao, spring onions, and chopped parsley, the humble bowl of warm goopy porridge was filled with cuttlefish and pork.

It helped that the weather was cooling from the earlier afternoon, and the Hainanese-style congee was creamy and cooked to a thick consistency.

While some might find it bland, I found the porridge very comforting without any typical underlying fishy or pork taste.

Other than porridge, there were also salads –  a heap of lukewarm greens with the option of shredded chicken, fish egg, or cuttlefish. The portions started from $10, and makes for great sharing dishes.

The only wanton noodle store in the vicinity sees long queues for its old-school style wanton noodles and char siew rice. There’s also wanton hor fun, prawn dumpling soup, and sides like oyster sauce veg and fried wanton.

The Wanton Noodle comes in $4, $5 and $6 sizes.

The $4 portion was just nice for me, but bigger eaters should definitely go for the bigger sizes.

The noodles were springy, and will stir up nostalgia with its bright yellow colour soaked in a sweet-savoury char siew sauce.

It comes with the signature shredded flame-red char siew that’s instantly recognisable to anyone who grew up here.

You can also get a plate of fried wantons to share, with $3 for 10 pieces.

The wantons are bite-sized, and the whole plate was quickly demolished in no time.

While it wasn’t a mind-blowing plate of wanton mee, it was somehow very satisfying in a comforting way. There was a certain allure to be able to enjoy the noodles and char siew with a lighter sauce instead of the more prevalent soya sauce based version.