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Missing Singapore’s Street Food: 10 Best & Famous Bak Kut Teh In Singapore

Bak Kut Teh is a local favourite any time of the year, and we definitely miss it a lot during the circuit breaker period. Bak Kut Teh fans are often split into two camps – peppery Teochew-style and herbal Hokkien-style – and they will fight fiercely for their preferred style of Bak Kut Teh. Regardless of which variation of Bak Kut Teh, the basis of the dish remains the same – pork rib soup. Teochew-style Bak Kut Teh is more widely found in Singapore. However, we’ve come up with a list of 10 Best & Famous Bak Kut Teh In Singapore, including both peppery and herbal choices for all Bak Kut Teh lovers.

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10 Best & Famous Bak Kut Teh In Singapore

1. Joo Siah Bak Koot Teh

Photo: @mightyfoodie (Instagram)
Photo: @tomodachichingoo (Instagram)

This Bak Kut Teh eatery may be humbly located in a hawker centre in Jurong, but their Bak Kut Teh has been compared to that of famous eateries like Legendary Bak Kut Teh! Joo Siah Bak Koot Teh gets extra points for being affordable as well. The pork ribs are so tender and marbled that they fall off the bone with a gentle pull. They are also infused with the flavour of the soup such that you can even eat it by itself! If you have a few more bucks to spare, we would suggest getting the prime ribs!

Location: Block 349 Jurong East Ave 1 #01-1215, Singapore 600349
Hours: Tues – Sat (8am – 7:15pm), Sun (8am – 3:30pm), Closed on Mon
Website: https://www.facebook.com/JooSiahBakKootTeh/

2. Sin Heng Claypot Bak Koot Teh

Photo: @pauline.seefood.diet (Instagram)
Photo: @chuki_ashley (Instagram)

This Bak Kut Teh shop serves both herbal and peppery Bak Kut Teh, so you can get the best of both worlds here! Their herbal Bak Kut Teh is slightly darker than most Bak Kut Teh that you can find nowadays. According to the owners, it is the more traditional way of cooking Bak Kut Teh. They serve their Bak Kut Teh with fragrant yam rice to complete your meal.

Location: 439 Joo Chiat Rd, Singapore 427652
Hours: Tues – Sun (7:30am – 4am), Closed Mon
Phone: +65 6345 8754

3. Song Fa Bak Kut Teh

Photo: @scrambleggg (Instagram)
Photo: @_kdjstyle (Instagram)

Song Fa Bak Kut Teh is one of the most famous Bak Kut Teh shops, owning 10 outlets in Singapore and franchises in Indonesia, China and Thailand as well. Having humble origins selling their pork bone soup from a pushcart in the 60’s, their outlets are designed to be reminiscent of the past. Their Teochew Bak Kut Teh is authentic and rich, encompassing their tender pork ribs. You can order some youtiao (deep-fried dough fritters) to dip in your soup too! Additionally, they will refill your soup for no cost as well.

Locations, Opening Hours & More: https://songfa.com.sg/pages/outlets

4. Leong Kee (Klang) Bak Kut Teh (Dry BKT)

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Photo: @teojimmy (Instagram)

Unlike other Bak Kut Tehs, this is a herbal-style one that doesn’t have soup! It’s hard to separate Bak Kut Teh from soup (considering that it is literally translated to pork rib soup), but it is such a unique style of cooking the dish that it deserves a place on this list! Instead of the soup, it is immersed in a thick sauce that coats the pork ribs with every bite. If you haven’t tried dry Klang-style Bak Kut Teh, give this one a go!

Location: 251 Geylang Rd, Singapore 389309
Hours: Mon – Sun (11am – 1:30am)
Phone: +65 9380 1718

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5. Legendary Bak Kut Teh (previously Founder Bak Kut Teh)

Photo: @legendarybkt_atrangoon (Instagram)
Photo: @legendarybkt_atrangoon (Instagram)

Legendary Bak Kut Teh is known for being the go-to Bak Kut Teh eatery for celebrities. Taiwanese singer Jay Chou and Hong Kong singer-actor Emil Chau are just a few of their star-studded clientele! Their pork bone soup is flavourful thanks to the pork ribs and has a nice peppery kick. Opt for the short ribs as they are said to be the most tender of the cuts! If you finish the delicious broth too quickly, they offer free soup refills so that you can enjoy the rest of your pork ribs!

Legendary Bak Kut Teh @ Rangoon
Location: 154 Rangoon Road, Singapore 218431
Hours: Mon – Tues, Thurs – Sun (9am – 11pm), Closed on Wed
Phone: +65 6292 0938
Website: http://legendarybkt.com/#page-top

Legendary Bak Kut Teh @ South Bridge Rd
Location: 42, 46 South Bridge Road,Singapore 058676
Hours: Mon – Sun (11am – 11pm)
Phone: +65 6535 9969
Website: http://legendarybkt.com/#page-top

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6. Lau Ah Tee Bak Kut Teh

Photo: @thesilverchef (Instagram)
Photo: @sakkaem521 (Instagram)

At this joint, the owners use a generations-old Bak Kut Teh recipe that only requires 3 simple ingredients for the broth: water, high-quality Sarawak peppercorns and garlic. Throw in the pork ribs, season to taste, and you have your hearty bowl of pork rib soup. The ingredients may be simple, but the flavours are not. The broth is subtly sweet from the goodness of the pork ribs and full-bodied from the garlic. Simple and good – that’s how you know a dish is amazing.

Location: 34 Whampoa W, Singapore 330034
Hours: Mon – Tues, Thurs – Sun (7am – 9pm), Wed (7am – 3pm)
Phone: +65 9755 5250

7. Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh (Rangoon Road)

Photo: @globalspiceboy (Instagram)
Photo: @shellasembiring (Instagram)

Hailed as one of the best Bak Kut Teh eateries in Singapore, this store has been operating since the 1950s. The broth is known to be more peppery than most other Bak Kut Tehs, as well as more flavourful. Their regular pork ribs are tender in the broth, but if you want a fattier cut that will melt in your mouth, opt for the spare ribs. Or if you’re spoilt for choice, order the Combo and get both pork ribs and spare ribs in your peppery, savoury soup!

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Locations, Operating Hours & More: https://www.ngahsio.com/en/our-outlets

8. Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh

Photo: @vernsfotodiary (Instagram)
Photo: @yvonne_sato (Instagram)

The most common gripe about Bak Kut Teh joints is that they give too little pork ribs. However, from the photos alone you can tell that the portion size at Ya Hua is plentiful! You don’t even have to add on for premium ribs for a decent portion of pork ribs. That’s really worth it for less than $10 a bowl! Their ribs are more on the chewier side, depending on what you like. If you’re interested, we recommend going to their original stores at Havelock Road and Keppel Road for a better Bak Kut Teh experience.

Locations, Opening Hours & More: https://yahuabakkutteh.com.sg/index.html

9. Old Street Bak Kut Teh

Photo: @eat_yolo (Instagram)
Photo: @singaporefoodstory (Instagram)

Old Street Bak Kut Teh is the world’s largest Bak Kut Teh chain with 23 outlets across Singapore, Indonesia, Shanghai and Bangkok. Unlike the other traditional joints, Old Street was only founded in 2010, but has rapidly expanded since. They offer a contemporary approach to eating Bak Kut Teh, including their Old Street Dry Bak Kut Teh. This is also probably the only Bak Kut Teh restaurant that completes their Bak Kut Teh meal with beancurd pudding! Are you skeptical? The overwhelmingly good reviews should be enough to convince you to give it a try!

Location, Operating Hours & More: https://www.oldstreetbakkutteh.com/stores

10. Rong Cheng Bak Kut Teh

Photo: @fellldown (Instagram)
Photo: @cweizhi (Instagram)

Did you know that Rong Cheng Bak Kut Teh is where Loin Ribs in Bak Kut Teh was founded? Loin Ribs are called 龙骨 (dragon ribs) in Chinese because they are the biggest rib bones in a pig and the most tender! They also brought in Sea Cucumber Bak Kut Teh. Sea Cucumber is a Chinese delicacy and when cooked in the peppery Bak Kut Teh soup, it is like a sponge that sops up all the delicious broth. Their broth is milder and less peppery, perfect for those with lighter tastes.

Location: Blk 26, Sin Ming Lane, #01-114 Midview City, Singapore 573971
Hours: Mon – Sun (9am – 9pm)
Phone: +65 6684 1889
Website: https://rongchengbkt.com/

Must-Try Street Food: 10 Best & Famous Bak Kut Teh In Singapore

There you go – 10 Famous Bak Kut Teh in Singapore. Bak Kut Teh is a historical dish and originates from the humble beginnings of early Chinese labourers. The dish has come such a long way and is deeply rooted in history. These Bak Kut Teh eateries each have their own loyal following, earning them a place on this list. What style of Bak Kut Teh do you fancy and what’s your go-to Bak Kut Teh spot?

Also read: STREET FOOD: Top 10 Hokkien Mee In S’pore You Die Die Must Try!

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