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Singapore Ethnic Quarters Tour: Local Street Food & Cultural Experience
5.0
435 Ratings
Singapore
Embark on a Singapore Ethnic Quarters Tour and indulge in local street food while immersing yourself in the rich cultural experiences of the city. Join a knowledgeable host for an adventure of discovery through vibrant streets, hawker markets, and diverse communities.
Duration:
5 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
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Chinatown - The experience starts off with an exploration of Chinatown where you will get to soak in the sights of the Chinatown neighbourhood. Stories will be shared of it’s history capturing the struggles of early Chinese immigrants, their trials and tribulations of making ends meet in a rough neighbourhood filled with vices like opium, gambling, prostitution, and death. These buildings still stand today. Old images will be shown where you will see the quick transformation of Singapore’s development from the past to the present day.
We will also be visiting a hawker centre and get to sample locally popular Singapore Chinese street food cuisines, and at the same time experience the local way of life that has been around for the past decades. -
Little India - In Little India, you will be brought around the area where the vibrancy of colour from street stalls selling fresh fruit & vegetables, flower garland markets, traditional clothing stores, and incense shops will charm your senses. It is due to these trades and other opportunities that had inspired the early Indian community to move from the original Little India near the old seafront, up here where water buffalos used to roam the swampy area.
We will be visiting a hawker market here and get to sample a variety of Pakistani, North Indian & Indian Muslim street food cuisines, and experience the exciting vibrancy of the Indian community having their daily meals here. -
Kampong Glam - Over at the Malay Quarter of Kampong Glam, we will be exploring the quaint streets of old. You will learn more about its people and history, especially how this place came to be and that Malay royalty used to rule the island. Be enthralled by the grand Sultan Mosque that still continues to attract Muslims from all over especially during the fasting period of Ramadan where the grounds are transformed into vibrant street markets.
Over here, you will introduced to a dessert at an independently run shop, and at the same time marvel at the colourful graffiti walls that are adorned all over the neighbourhood shophouses.
What's Included
- Alcoholic Beverages
- Carbonated beverages
- Bottled water
- Lunch
- Snacks
- Dinner
- Tea and coffee
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
Additional Information
Your guide is a warm-hearted 4th generation Singapore Chinese Peranakan who is deeply enthusiastic about sharing his personal experiences of living in Singapore since the 70’s.
His extensive familiarity with the various ethnic districts and food markets guarantees a journey of exploration – a vibrant showcase of local streets and street food currently managed by 2nd or 3rd generation family members, the populace, and diverse societies. You will be introduced to a broad range of street food that locals love and gain a deeper understanding of your guide and his homeland through his experiences and perspectives.
This entertaining and intriguing journey is aimed at those who wish to taste unique traditional street food in the UNESCO recognized hawker centres located in the ethnic districts of Chinatown & Little India. This unique culture has been deeply entrenched in Singapore’s lifestyle since the colonial era of the early 19th century to the present day.
- Not recommended for travellers with gluten intolerance
- Not recommended for travelers with dietary restrictions
- Not recommended for travelers who are vegetarians as experience will be compromised
- Not recommended for travelers with children in prams or strollers
- Not recommended for travelers with Personal Mobility Aids / Devices
Location
Chinatown
We will advise further on the location to meet upon booking confirmation.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(435 Ratings)
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Jesstseng130
Aug 4, 2024
Awesome tour!!! - Amazzzzing food tour in Singapore and a must! Our tour guide Gerry was very knowledgeable about the local histories. It was good to learn about the histories of where we walked and the places of where we went. We even got to meet n greet with the restaurant owners after we ate and interacted with many locals that he knew. All the food we ate was delicious and if you do not have a lot of time in Singapore, this is a must do!
Review provided by Viator
Brianna_b
Jul 31, 2024
Amazing cultural journey! - Loved exploring the Chinese, Indian, and Malay Quarters with Gerry! He was extremely friendly and knowledgeable! I learned so much about the history, and loved how he connected the past and present. The food was absolutely amazing, I tried so many different dishes! More importantly, Gerry is so committed to supporting the local community and the different people we met throughout the tour. 100/10 would recommend
Review provided by Viator
Josiebway
Jul 30, 2024
Best food tour hands down! - This was an awesome tour! It went beyond what I expected and beyond even what was described in the listing. Gerry is friendly, engaging, professional and knowledgeable about Singapore, and you can tell he has so much pride and love for his country. We learned a lot not only about the food but also some of the fascinating history of Singapore. But the star of the show, besides Gerry, is of course the food! We had Michelin rated food from hawker stands in Chinatown, Indian food from a local spot (no tourist trap restaurants for us!) and the best gelato I’ve ever had in the Malay area. Along the way, we learned the lay of the land a bit, which was helpful, as he took us on the subway and the bus and made it less intimidating for a foreigner like me to attempt public transportation myself after this tour. We were so incredibly full and happy from all the delicious food. Do not miss out- definitely book this tour if you like to eat and you want to hang out for a few hours with a cool tour guide.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Road31977323873
Jul 30, 2024
Book this tour! - Gerry was an amazing host. He combined a wonderful experience of food tasting, sight seeing, and learning more about Singapore's history. He made everyone feel included and comfortable, and is well known around the community. At the very least know that you will be supporting small local businesses through this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Denise_k
Jul 28, 2024
THE BEST - A fabulous food tour where you will learn not only about Singapore’s culinary traditions, but history and culture, too.
Gerry gives 110% of himself. He’s professional and engaging and keeps the groups small so it is a very personal experience. Unlike other food tours, you won’t be “sampling”; we had much more than we could possibly eat. I think we had 18 dishes during our 2 Chinatown stops, and India town and Malay town stops.
If you want the best Singapore food tour, book this one.
Review provided by Viator
Nethraa2024
Jul 25, 2024
Great food, great tour! - Loved all the food & the company. Gerry told us great stories of Singapore’s history & showed its culture to us via the food, sites, and people. He orders plenty of dishes to try and takes you to food places where there are mostly local people eating. This is a great tour to orient yourself to Singapore.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
723arnoldg
Jul 23, 2024
Cultural and Food Tour Review! - This tour is absolutely worth every penny! Gerry (our host) was very knowledgeable, funny, and accommodating.
We started off in the Chinese quarter, trying multiple different types of food while learning about the history as well. From there, we took a stride through little India and had some Indian food (my favorite one). Finally, we ended up in the Malaysian quarters and finished off with some ice cream. So good.
I recommend you do not eat anything before the tour starts. Trust me, you will get your fill and plenty more! It’s a walking tour. A lot of walking. So hydrate, bring sunscreen, and wear appropriate clothing and shoes.
Thanks for a good time, Gerry! Definitely my favorite tour while in Singapore!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ovidia_y
Jul 23, 2024
Great visit to the past and origins of the foods we sampled. - Enjoyed the food, a very wide range we got to sample. Also really liked our guide Gerry whose photos of past scenes in the locations we were in really brought them to life. (Also appreciated the air con rest stops and clean toilets!)
Review provided by Viator
Ovidiay
Jul 22, 2024
Great intro to different cultures and delicious food - The food was great and we learned so much about the various neighbourhoods. But what I liked most was how well our guide, Gerry, knew the residents, everyone seemed to greet him with affection and respect and he knew their names and stories. He also brought the past alive to with photos that contrasted what we were seeing with how it once was so we got a journey into history as well!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jamesrb4
Jul 21, 2024
A mind blowing day soaking up food and culture. :-) - Gerry was a fabulous host and did things the right way from the very beginning. He was prompt and professional in communicating with us and arranging to pick us up from our hotel lobby the morning of the tour. The day just got better after that. We lucked out and realized we only had one other person joining our group, so it was a very small group tour indeed. We got to spend a lot of time eating delicious food and seeing a fascinating and disappearing part of Singaporean culture. The food stops at Hawker centers in Chinatown, delicious Indian food in Little India and a trip to the Muslim District was all set to a backdrop of the history of each different neighborhood and how those histories were interwoven with the history of Singapore. The food was abundant, and it was delicious! We also had a chance to take public transportation and experience the amazing public transportation system that Singapore has at the heart of their infrastructure. The whole day was wonderful, we were a small relaxed group and we ran a little long, 6 hours, but we could have gone six more!
Review provided by Tripadvisor