The queue barely moved, the heat was brutal – all for one of the world's cheapest Michelin-starred meals

Monday, 29 June 2026

Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle is the only hawker stall in Singapore with a Michelin star, awarded in 2016.

The original Tai Hwa Pork Noodle was founded in 1932 by Tang Joon Teo and remains family-run today.

The hawker stall offers only five menu options, with bak chor mee being the most popular choice among locals and tourists.

The sweat droplets had turned into a steady stream, pooling on my lower back and soaking into my shorts. A wall fan whirred just out of reach. The queue I had reluctantly joined stubbornly refused to budge. I was hot, tired and just a little grumpy.

I say “reluctantly” because it was my foodie husband who had decided this was his one non-negotiable experience during our short stop in Singapore.

Welcome to Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle, currently the city-state’s only hawker stall with a Michelin star.

This is as far away from the usual white-tablecloth establishments as you can get. There’s no parsnip foam and tiny amuse-bouches here. Instead, it's a humble stall tucked inside a modest food centre.

It has become an essential foodie stop since it was awarded a Michelin star in 2016, a badge of honour it has retained every year since.

The original Tai Hwa Pork Noodle was founded in 1932 by Tang Joon Teo and is still run by his family today. It has moved a couple of times over the decades before settling at its current location near the Arab Quarter.

When researching Tai Hwa online, one word keeps popping up: queue.

The noodles are cooked fresh to order, and patience is very much part of the experience.

We arrived at about 10.30am on a Sunday and the line only just snaked out the main entrance.

'Result,' we thought. 'This won't take long.'

We were wrong.

The queue barely moved. Two wall fans worked overtime to keep customers cool in the sticky Singapore heat.

There is a system to it all. While waiting, customers are directed to the side of the stall to place their order. Once that's done, it's back to your place in the queue.

There are only five menu options, but for most locals and tourists there's really only one choice: bak chor mee. The beloved noodle dish comes loaded with minced pork, slices of pork and liver, meatballs, dumplings, wontons, crispy fish and generous lashings of vinegar.

You can choose your noodle type, but correctly sensing we weren't exactly locals, the staff picked the regular mee pok variety for us. It's served with a small bowl of seaweed and pork broth that tastes not entirely unlike miso.

After 45 minutes, our order was finally ready. But was it worth all the fuss?

Well, yes, it was.

The noodles were perfectly firm, with just the right amount of chew, coated in a rich, savoury sauce with a glorious vinegary kick. Every component packed a punch. The dumplings popped satisfyingly in the mouth, while the liver — a food I don't usually rush towards — was delicate and surprisingly delicious.

All this for the princely sum of S$8 — a touch over NZ$10. Larger bowls cost S$10, S$12 and S$15.

Forty-five minutes waiting. Less than five minutes eating. And it was worth every drop of sweat.

Bellies satisfied, it was time to venture back out into Singapore's wall of humidity having ticked off our first ever Michelin meal. If only they all cost less than two flat whites.

Fact file

Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle

Blk 466, #01-12, Crawford Lane, 190466, Singapore.

Prices start from S$8 (NZ$10) and it is cash only. Be prepared for queues up to two hours at busy times.

Open from 9am-8.30pm. Note: there are similarly named hawker stands in Singapore, including one mere metres away run by a family member.

Getting there

Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines fly to Singapore from Auckland and Christchurch.

Clarification: The story has been updated. Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle is currently Singapore’s only hawker stall with a Michelin star.

The author travelled at his own expense.