Newton Food Centre

Newton Food Centre opened in 1971 at Newton Circus and is one of the few hawker centres that works mainly at night, open air, under trees, with seafood, satay, carrot cake and barbecued stingray. It appeared in Crazy Rich Asians in 2018 and the visitor numbers have not gone down since. It also has a long-standing reputation for stalls overcharging tourists, which prompted a licensing crackdown and posted price lists.

Background

The centre first traded as Newton Circus Hawker Centre and was among the first two hawker centres in Singapore, together with Adam Road Food Centre. Building work started in November 1970, and the opening in January 1971 gave space to 56 hawkers who had worked on Bukit Timah Road with no proper hygiene facilities. An extension announced on 13 October 1976 made room for 32 more, bringing the total to 88 stalls. After closing in 2005 for a major renovation, it reopened on 1 July 2006 under its present name with 83 hawkers. It stands where Newton Circus meets Clemenceau Avenue North, covers 3,130.53 sq m, and several stalls have appeared in the Michelin Guide.

Source: Wikipedia, "Newton Food Centre"

What you'll find

• The satay stalls - charcoal satay, the centre's long-standing speciality.
• The seafood - chilli crab, sambal stingray and prawns cooked to order.
• The open-air setting - tables under trees, working mainly after dark.
• The film association - the centre used in Crazy Rich Asians in 2018.

When to go

Year round; evening is when the centre works and most stalls open. Daytime is much quieter with fewer stalls. Weekends are busiest.

Things to know

Overcharging tourists has been a documented problem here and prices should be confirmed before ordering; seafood by weight is where it happens. Touts pull people to tables. Locals generally rate other centres higher for the same food.

Nearby

Orchard Road is south, and Little India is east.

Key facts