中峇鲁手工油条·咸煎饼 at Tiong Bahru Market

Sixty-six years of handmade youtiao at Tiong Bahru Market, frying up crispy dough sticks in coconut oil since the 1950s.

中峇鲁手工油条·咸煎饼 is a legendary hawker stall at Tiong Bahru Market and Food Centre, stall #02-59, with over 66 years of history spanning three generations. The stall is famed for its handmade youtiao (fried dough sticks), prepared entirely from scratch each morning, from kneading the dough to frying it in coconut oil for that distinctive crisp exterior and airy, chewy interior. The stall also makes ham chim peng (salted fried bread) and butterfly buns (mar ji kueh), equally beloved traditional breakfast items. Opening hours are 6:30am to 11am, and the stall is closed on Mondays.

The youtiao here is a cut above the factory-made versions found elsewhere: each stick is hand-pulled, stretched, and dropped into hot coconut oil, resulting in an impossibly light, shatteringly crisp texture. The ham chim peng comes with sweet or savoury fillings, and the butterfly bun is a sweet, flaky treat that pairs perfectly with a bowl of tau huay or a cup of black coffee. The stall's commitment to making everything by hand, from the dough to the frying, is increasingly rare in Singapore's hawker landscape.

MakanSouth considers this a Tiong Bahru treasure. Get there before 11am, because when the dough runs out, that is it for the day. Three generations of craftsmanship in every golden, crispy bite.