11 Cheap Street Eats in Bugis Street – Yay More Money for Shopping!

Bugis Street is a shopping haven. Apart from rows of apparel retailers, modest street foods options can be found as well. It is quite a challenge to discover delectable food here, but we have found 11 street eats that might just be the fuel you need, to go on a longer shopping spree. 

Ground Level – Chick It

Look out for stall 15 which specializes in crispy fried chicken chop, as well as a variety of bento sets. To start off our adventure in Bugis Street, we got a Hot & Spicy Korean Yang Nyeom Chicken Chop ($5.20) which came in a disposable lunch box. The portion is pretty generous. Although it wasn’t as spicy as I had hoped for, it had a mild tanginess, and just the right amount of sweetness. Dig into the chicken quickly, before it gets soggy.

Ground Level – Crispy Pancake

Located beside Chick It is a stretch of food stalls managed by the same company – Crispy Pancake. We couldn’t resist the traditional Muah Chee ($2). Their version isn’t as sweet and fragrant as what I am used to, but the rice cake is chewy – just the way I like it.

I had the Hakka Yam Cake ($4), also known as Abacus seeds. Each portion contains a generous amount of small yam cakes, fungus, sliced mushrooms and fried shallots, covered in a sweet starchy sauce. Since it was my first time trying this, I could only liken the texture of the cakes to that of soon kueh skin. For $4, I consider it to be a very satisfying portion for people who can appreciate yam cakes. Just be careful of the fiery chilli!

8 small Kaya Balls for $2.50 sounds like quite a good deal. Each kaya ball contains a sparse kaya filling that is mildly flavourful and sweet. Encasing the kaya filling is a dough that I found slightly dense. It’ll probably taste much nicer if it is made fresh on the spot.

Ground Level – Hong Kong Roasted Delight

There lies a section called Bugis Food Street which plays host to a number of Asian cuisines. Right at the beginning of the street lies a stall that serves local roast meats. The owner claims that most of his meats are of the freshest quality so we definitely had to try. The Duck and Chicken Rice ($6) consisted of one portion of duck and roasted chicken meat served on a bed of ordinary-tasting rice. I found the chicken to be slightly dry, but the duck was soft and well seasoned. Take note of the stall’s closing time, which varies according to the availability of the roasted meats.

Ground Level – Quan An Vat

Located just a few stalls from Hong Kong Roasted Delight is Quan An Vat, a stall serving Vietnamese cuisine. We opted for the Spicy Beef Noodle Soup ($7.90) which consisted of beef broth, luncheon meat, beef slices, coriander and kang kong. Unfortunately, we had thick rice vermicelli in place of the usual banh pho noodles because they were out of stock. While the noodles are at best average, the highly addictive beef broth is light and flavourful. 

Ground Level – Buddy’s Cafe Thai Food

There are surprisingly a couple of Thai food stalls here in Bugis Street. Buddy’s Cafe appears to deliver authentic Thai cuisine as its chefs and waitresses are all Thai. One of their unique selections is probably the Thai Hor Fun ($5.50) – a pot of rice noodles, prawns, and squid drenched with starchy gravy. The gravy was starchier than normal, but I loved how every spoonful was deliciously eggy, and carried a waft of smokiness.

Ground Level: Asian Delights

At the back of Bugis Street lies the Taste Buds Food Court. Asian Delights Food Stall is one of the stalls here. They serve quite a number of dishes including Ampang-style yong tau foo, ayam penyet and ikan penyet that do not contain any traces of pork or lard. For $6, you can get a hearty set of ayam bakar that consists of rice, fried sambal chilli, vegetables, and a portion of roasted chicken.

Ground Level – Tianfu Delicacy

You can get a taste of traditional Sichuan dishes here. We had the Sliced Pork Rice ($7) which comes with stir-fried pork bacon, fried leeks, and black beans coated in a black bean sauce. I enjoyed the stir-fried leek, which was sweet and light. Do have a go at their stir-fried spicy chicken, and hot & spicy dumplings, which are both crowd favourites.

Ground Level – Khao San

Khao San is the latest addition to the line-up of food stalls in Taste Buds Food Court. One of their signature dishes is the Deep Fried Fish with Rice and Mango Salad ($9.80). Expect a bowl of rice, 2 fried tilapia, and a generous portion of mango salad. The salad is light and flavourful, with a slight sourness that pairs well with the well-seasoned tilapia. The dish was not as spicy as I thought it would have been, but you can always grab a spoonful of Thai green chilli sauce to add some heat to the dish.

Second Floor – Ned’s Crepes

Ned’s Crepes delivers a variety of housemade crepes. Think soft chewy crepes, as well as delicious crispy crepes, that come with either sweet or savoury fillings. I decided to go for a crispy Choco Berry ($4.50) crepe, which contains freshly-sliced strawberries covered in a thin layer of Nutella spread. Do go during non-peak hours because the queue can get really long. 

Third Floor – Mae Noi Thai Food

After scouring the entire Bugis Street for your desired apparel under the scorching weather, you must drop by Mae Noi Thai Food for a refreshing glass of Thai Ice Milk Tea ($1.80) or even Thai Ice Lemon Grass ($1.80). Mae Noi also serves a Thai Green Curry Chicken with Rice ($5) that is highly addictive. I loved the creaminess of the green curry, and the slight fire that hits you when you bite into the soft chicken chunks. Don’t miss the Seafood Tom Yum Soup ($5) which comes with a choice of thick or clear broth!

Third Floor – Yi Lu Fa F&B

Right beside Mae Noi Thai Food is Yi Lu Fa F&B that serves a variety of local tze char dishes as well as our favourite mala xiang guo! Yi Lu Fa charges based on portions instead of charging by weight. We ordered a portion of hot dog, enoki mushrooms, crab sticks, kang kong, luncheon meat and chicken slices, which amounted to about $9. This is VERY CHEAP for a mala xiang guo. Granted, it isn’t as fragrant or savoury as other mala xiang guos that I have had, but for it’s affordability and accessibility, I’d return here to satisfy my mala cravings.

Who knew Bugis Street was home to so many eateries? I would definitely be back to try other stalls, and for Mae Noi Thai Food too! Meanwhile, if you’re here shopping, why not try some of the dishes on our list and let us know your comments? We’ll be waiting!

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visits and paid its own meals at the stalls featured here.

Let’s build a food community that helps to update the food news in Singapore! Simply comment below if there’s any changes or additional info to the cafes/stalls listed above. We will verify and update from our side. Thanks in advance!