Maxwell is Chinatown’s most famous hawker centre, and the queue at its best-known chicken-rice stall can stretch right out of the building.
Maxwell began as a market, opened in 1929, and was one of the post-war sites where the Social Welfare Department served cheap meals to the poor. It became a food centre in 1987, when street hawkers were moved in. Its star is Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice (#01-10/11), which holds a Bib Gourmand in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide Singapore; it is closed on Mondays and takes cash only.
Beyond the chicken rice, look for oyster cake and rojak. As at every hawker centre, find a seat first at busy times, order and pay at the stall, fetch drinks from the drinks stall and return your tray when you finish: tray return has been the law since 2021. Carry small notes, as many popular stalls take cash only.
