Save money and get the freshest fruits, veggies and meats possible with our guide to wet markets in Singapore, mama
In Singapore we really are spoilt for choice when it comes to fresh produce! Sure, we can’t get locally grown and sometimes organic can be hard to find, but we do have access to an incredible array of western and eastern produce all year round from all around the world!
Where is the best place to find the freshest and most dazzling array of fresh produce you ask? Why at the wet markets of course!
Just remember:
- Most wet markets are closed on Mondays
- Early bird gets the … best produce. Go between 7am and 10am to snag the best stuff!
- Take cash
- Wear covered shoes
- Breathe through your mouth!
Top 5 Wet Markets in Singapore – The Biggest and Best!
Chinatown Wet Market
Where: Chinatown Complex, 335 Smith Street, Singapore 050335
Located in the basement of the iconic Chinatown Complex along Smith Street, this wet market shares the space with the Chinatown Complex Food Centre – one of the tastiest hawker centres in Singapore.
What’s on offer?
- Tons of fresh produce, including live seafood, fresh vegetables, seasonal and exotic fruit, fresh meat, tofu, noodles, spices and dried goods and eggs.
- Focus is mainly on Asian vegetables.
- The quirky! Eels, frogs and even turtles… you can get them all here mama!
Tekka Wet Market
Where: 665 Buffalo Road, L1 Tekka Centre, Singapore 210665
Part wet market, part food centre and part shopping mall, The Tekka Centre has it all (and is conveniently located just a few streets from Mustafa Centre, where you are sure to find whatever you couldn’t get your hands on at Tekka!). Located in the vibrant Little India district, it’s the largest indoor wet market in Singapore.
What’s on offer?
- A massive selection of fresh produce, including live seafood, fresh vegetables, seasonal and exotic fruit, fresh meat, tofu, noodles, spices and dried goods and eggs.
- There is a very large selection of spices, especially those used in Indian cooking.
- Air-flown goat (yes, you read that right!)
- Fresh coconuts, coconut milk and coconut water — delicious.
Tiong Bahru Wet Market
Where: 30 Seng Poh Road, Singapore 168898
Located in this hipster ‘hood this popular wet market is a little less intense than the bigger, noisier markets listed above. Produce is packaged similar to a supermarket and they market more to the international crowd, with a huge array of western fresh produce available, including some really fantastic cheeses!
What’s on offer?
- Fresh produce, including live seafood, fresh vegetables, seasonal and exotic fruit, fresh meat, tofu, noodles, spices and dried goods and eggs.
- Cheese!
- It’s in very close proximity to some of the island’s best coffee making spots — perfect for a Saturday morning post-market caffeine stop.
Geylang Serai Wet Market
Where: 1 Geylang Serai, Singapore 402001
Based in the heart of Geylang, right next to the Malay Cultural Village, this market also shares the space with a food centre that serves some of the best Malay food on the island.
What’s on offer?
- Fresh produce, including live seafood, fresh vegetables, seasonal and exotic fruit, fresh meat, tofu, noodles, spices and dried goods and eggs.
- Malay halal food.
- A fantastic array of fabrics and decorative materials.
- Recipes! If you engage some of the spice stall owners they will tell you their secrets, especially which spices to use to make an incredible curry.
Senoko Fishery Post
Where: Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority, 31 Attap Valley Road, #02-29, Singapore 759908
The Senoko Fishery Port is one of two fishery ports in Singapore operated by the AVA and is where you can find all manner of plump, fresh seafood at wholesale prices. Just don’t forget the gumboots and be prepared to get their super duper early!
What’s on offer?
- Seafood.
- Wholesale prices that are almost 20% cheaper than the other wet markets.
- The general public can attend, just remember to take your ID with you.
The best of the rest!
I do my weekly food shop at the vibrant Tekka Market, where I am overwhelmed with choice! However, if I run out of something during the week I usually pop down to my local market at Marine Parade. While it’s smaller than Tekka, I can still pick up “fillers” to get me through to my next big shop. The fruit is fantastic and the orchids are some of the prettiest I have found in Singapore.
So even if you aren’t keen to tackle the chaos of the larger markets, seek out your local and have a poke around. I’m sure you will be delighted with what you find!
Empress Road Market
7 Empress Rd, Singapore 260007 (next to Farrer Road MRT and a popular choice for Holland mamas!)
Clementi Market and Food Centre
448 Clementi Ave 3, Singapore 120448
Telok Blangah Crescent Market
11 Telok Blangah Crescent, Singapore 090011
Kebun Baru Market
226D Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1, Singapore 564226
Ghim Moh Market
20 Ghim Moh Rd, Singapore 270020
Admiralty Wet Market
678 Woodlands Ave 6, Singapore 730678
Holland Drive Market
44 Holland Drive, Singapore 270044
Siang Heng Fish Merchant
17 Kalidasa Ave, Singapore 789396 (wholesale seafood)
Bukit Merah View Market and Food Centre
115 Bukit Merah View, Singapore 151115
Golden Mile Food Centre
505 Beach Road, Singapore 199583 (great for Thai ingredients)
Marine Parade Market
Blk 84 Marine Parade Central, Singapore 440084 (fabulous orchids)
Toa Payoh Central Market
127 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh, Singapore 310127
Whampoa Wet Market
92 Whampoa Drive, Singapore 320092 (stop post-shop for their famous fish head steamboat!)
Kuriya Japanese Fresh Fish Market – Jurong Point
1 Jurong West Central 2, Jurong Point Shopping Centre, Singapore 648886 (import Japanese fish)
Originally from Australia, Mel is a Singapore-based ex “accidental Investment Banker” who is seriously passionate about food, sport, life and her young family. Having lived in and travelled to an array of remote places, her foodie experiences have been vast, spanning from mud crabbing in the mangroves of the Kimberleys in Western Australia to making rice noodles in Vietnam. Almost everything she does is driven by her next possible foodie adventure! Mel is currently studying her Masters, majoring in Nutrition and Dietetics as she takes steps to turn her food related passions into her next full time career. You can read more about her adventures here!
