Tekka Centre Food Guide: 10 Stalls to Try
Updated: 3 days ago
If you're coming to Tekka Centre for food, arrive with one or two dishes in mind and leave the rest open. Biryani and naan are good reasons to visit, but so are prawn noodles, braised duck and a coffee before a walk around Little India.
The food stalls are on the ground floor at 665 Buffalo Road. This guide covers ten choices, with unit numbers to help you find them, plus a sensible way to eat here without ordering enough for the whole table twice.
Come for the meal you actually want
Your priority | Where to start |
Biryani | Allauddin's or Yakader. Choose one before adding side dishes. |
Naan and curry | Delhi Lahori. |
An earlier meal | 545 Whampoa Prawn Noodles or Heng Gi; check rest days first. |
Appam | Sri Aachi Aappakadai. |
Coffee | Generation Coffee. |
Budget | Set aside roughly S$10–15 per person for a main and drink, with room for a small extra. Multiple curries or shared dishes raise the total. |
Tekka is a market and hawker centre, not one restaurant with a common service schedule. Morning stalls may finish before an afternoon visitor arrives. Bring cash, check the unit number and read the menu at the counter before ordering.
1. Allauddin's Briyani
Look for unit 01-229/232, the address listed by the MICHELIN Guide. A biryani set is an easy full meal: spiced basmati rice with a choice such as chicken, mutton or fish, depending on what's available.
Choose the meat first and ask what the set includes. It's easy to over-order if you add snacks before seeing how much rice is coming. Allauddin's is Michelin Selected in the 2026 edition; it isn't a Michelin-starred stall.
2. Delhi Lahori
At unit 01-266, make naan and curry the centre of the meal. Fresh bread is useful for sharing, especially with chicken tikka masala, butter chicken or another curry from the board.
Delhi Lahori holds a 2026 Bib Gourmand. Ask about the spice level and portions before ordering several dishes. One curry and a couple of breads may be a better starting point for two people than ordering every item that sounds good.
3. 545 Whampoa Prawn Noodles
The name refers to the business's history; the Tekka stall is unit 01-326. Choose soup noodles or the dry version, which comes with soup on the side. Prawns, pork and the stock make this a different meal from the Indian dishes around it.
545 is Michelin Selected in the current 2026 guide. Plan it as an earlier stop and check its operating days before making a special trip. Don't assume a bowl of prawn noodles is pork-free just because seafood is in the name.
4. Heng Gi Goose and Duck Rice
At unit 01-335, the main reason to stop is Teochew-style braised duck rice. Dark braising sauce, rice and optional sides make a straightforward lunch when you don't feel like noodles or curry.
Despite “goose” remaining in the business name, don't plan your visit around being able to order it. Ask what is available that day. Heng Gi is Michelin Selected in 2026 and is another stall to prioritise earlier rather than saving for a late meal.
5. Yakader Muslim Food
Find Yakader at unit 01-259 for another biryani option. Choose chicken or mutton according to your appetite, then see what accompaniments are included before adding anything else.
If two of you want to compare biryani stalls, share portions rather than ordering a full meal each and then trying to fit in naan as well. You can also simply pick whichever menu appeals more and leave the comparison for a return visit.
6. Haji Johan
At unit 01-254, Indian rojak is a dish you assemble by selecting pieces from the display. The selection can include fritters and other ingredients, served cut up with dipping sauce.
Ask how items are priced and whether there's a minimum order. Start small: a mixed plate can become more substantial than it looks. If you're avoiding nuts, shellfish or particular meats, ask about both the selected pieces and the sauce.
7. Sri Aachi Aappakadai
At unit 01-219, look for appam and South Indian breakfast dishes. Appam has a soft middle and delicate edges; thosai is another option to check on the menu if you'd prefer a larger savoury meal.
Keep the first order simple so you can taste the pancake itself. Toppings can change the dish considerably. Ask about egg, ghee and dairy rather than assuming a plain-looking version suits a vegan diet.
8. Generation Coffee
Generation Coffee is at unit 01-285. It offers a coffee break within the hawker centre, including local kopi and espresso-based drinks. Check the board for what is available that day.
If you want less sugar, say so when ordering rather than after the drink has been made. Coffee is also a useful pause between eating and exploring the wet market or the clothing stalls upstairs.
9. Hanifa's Biryani Specialist
At unit 01-256, Hanifa's gives you another choice for a substantial rice meal. Check the current selection of meats and the total price of your order, particularly if you're adding a side or a second protein.
Treat the biryani stalls as alternatives, rather than three compulsory stops. If your group wants variety, one biryani, one noodle dish and a shared snack will show you more of Tekka than three similar plates.
10. Bodrum Turkish Kebab
Look for unit 01-290 when you'd like a change from rice and noodles. Turkish dishes such as kebabs and hummus broaden the food options under the same roof.
Ask how large a portion is before adding several sides. This is useful for a mixed group in which some people want biryani and others prefer something else; everyone can order from a different counter and eat together at the shared tables.
An easy way to order for two
Choose one rice or noodle main first. Then share rojak, appam or a curry with naan, depending on how hungry you are. Get drinks separately and save a little time to look around after eating.
For an early weekday visit, put prawn noodles or braised duck first if they're priorities. For an afternoon visit, check which later-serving operators are open rather than expecting the full breakfast selection.
You don't have to finish a ten-stall list in one outing. Tekka works just as well as a regular lunch stop between other things you want to see.
Halal, vegetarian and allergy questions
Tekka has Muslim-owned businesses and Indian vegetarian choices, but the entire centre isn't one halal-certified premises. Check each stall's current certification or ask the operator about your requirements.
Vegetarian food can contain dairy, and noodles or soup can contain pork, fish stock or lard. Explain the ingredient you need to avoid, rather than relying on a dish photograph. For a severe allergy, make sure the stall can actually accommodate it before ordering.
There's more than food in the building
The wet market and upper-floor clothing shops make Tekka worth a look beyond the hawker tables. Food, shopping and market stalls keep different hours. Don't assume everything will be operating simply because you can enter the building.
For the rest of the neighbourhood, our Little India things-to-do guide connects Tekka with Campbell Lane, the temple, the Indian Heritage Centre and Mustafa.
Walk Little India after lunch
Our Little India Free Walking Tour is a 2.5-hour introduction to the area's streets, trades and places of worship, with a local snack tasting. Tekka Centre is on the published route. It's a useful way to connect a meal with the neighbourhood around it.
The tour is tip-based, operates in English and involves outdoor walking. It isn't wheelchair or stroller accessible. Book a place and check the current departure time and meeting point; a heritage walk and snack tasting isn't a ten-stall food crawl.
If a guided tasting experience is what you're after, the Michelin & Local Hawker Food Tour visits Chinatown's food stops instead. It doesn't promise a Tekka itinerary.
Before you head over
Which MRT station is nearest to Tekka Centre?
Little India MRT, on the North East and Downtown lines, is the simplest starting point. Tekka Centre's address is 665 Buffalo Road.
Is Tekka Centre good for dinner?
Some operators serve later meals, but several well-known breakfast and lunch stalls finish much earlier. Check your chosen business rather than relying on the centre's overall opening hours.
Which Tekka stall has a Michelin star?
The four Tekka businesses discussed here with current recognition are Delhi Lahori, a Bib Gourmand, and Michelin Selected stalls Allauddin's, 545 Whampoa Prawn Noodles and Heng Gi. These distinctions aren't Michelin stars.
Checked on 20 October 2026 against individual listings in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide, Eatbook's Tekka guide and Kopitiam's September 2026 stall report. Menus, prices and operating days can change.
