Late-night supper spots to go to when your 1AM food cravings hit
The best places to satisfy your food cravings when the hunger strikes at midnight
By Natalie-Elizabeth Tan -
In life, it’s the simple pleasures that sometimes mean the most, like grabbing a bite with your friends when the munchies randomly hit at midnight. Or perhaps, you just left the club but you’re not quite done for the night yet.
We’ve all been there — googling ‘supper spots open now’ at an ungodly hour, hoping fervently that there will at least be one place open. And if not, you resign yourself to a pack of instant noodles. Though delicious, it's not what you wanted. Tiptoeing around your kitchen to cook supper doesn't feel the same as venturing out for food.
Otherwise, 24-hour mamaks are always a safe bet, but perhaps you're craving something else. In that case, how does gelato, chicken wings or kway chap sound? Ahead, we share our picks for after-hours supper places that will surely please.
Situated in Woodlands, this Muslim-owned burger kiosk makes a mean burger. The star ingredient of their burgers is ayam geprek, fried chicken that’s mashed and topped with spicy sambal. Not a burger person? Swap out the buns for Indomie.
Open till 3.30am Monday to Saturday, closed Sunday, 883 Woodlands Street 82, #01-22, Singapore 730883, +65 8874 6631
Ask any seasoned clubber about their favourite post-club hangout joint, and more often than not, their answer will be Swee Choon Dim Sum Restaurant. This beloved eatery in Jalan Besar serves hungry diners all the way till 4am.
Popular dishes include beancurd seafood roll and sweet potato salted egg custard balls. And although Swee Choon may be best known for their dim sum, don’t miss out on their fried rice — best eaten with a dollop of chilli oil.
Main Branch:
Open till 4am daily, 183/185/187/189/191/193 Jalan Besar, Singapore 208882, +65 6225 7788
Airport Branch:
Open 24 Hours, Changi Airport T2 (Arrival Hall, Public), 60 Airport Boulevard, #01-07, Terminal 2 Singapore Changi Airport, Singapore 819643
Best described as kooky, No Horse Run is tucked away in the stables of Yishun. Expect a selection of enticing flavours here, such as banana caramel, pandan lemongrass and green apple yakult. Not to mention their unique gula melaka pandan waffles.
Oh and, the inspiration behind their name? It’s a Hokkien pun that basically boasts that No Horse Run’s gelato is incomparable. Only one way to find out!
Open till 2am daily, 160 Yishun Street 11, #01-216, Singapore 760160, +65 8385 3839
Forget your perception of nasi lemak as a breakfast dish. Chong Pang Nasi Lemak serves up plate after plate of nasi lemak till the sun rises. Well, almost, anyway.
This store has been around for half a century, relentlessly dishing up plate after plate of Chinese-style nasi lemak with impressively lemak rice. Besides the usual nasi lemak toppings, like chicken wing, fried egg and otah, you can also find sambal and curry. Their chilli sauce is often raved about too, so be sure to mop up every morsel of sauce and rice.
Open till 6.30am daily, 447 Sembawang Road, Singapore 758404, +65 9655 1868
There’s nothing better than a late-night Mookata buffet spread with sizzling meat and a savoury soup to enjoy at the same time. Here, there’s no stinging on the buffet offerings, as you’ll find a smorgasbord of marinated meat, seafood, including abalone and salmon, and even dessert. Finish off the fulfilling meal with some Thai milk tea.
Perfect for after-hour conversations that drone into the night with your friends or family, Siam Square Mookata has branches all over Singapore that close in the wee hours of the morning.
Central Branch:
Open till 6am daily, Golden Mile Tower, 6001 Beach Road, #B1-63, Singapore 199589, +65 8119 6664
Missing the comfort of Taiwan-style soy milk and dough fritters? Yong He Eating House in Geylang is there to satisfy your cravings anytime, and we mean anytime, given that they are open 24 hours.
Taiwanese classics like braised pork rice, mee sua and pancakes make an appearance on the menu too. We never fail to order the mochi you tiao when we’re here. It’s absolutely divine — the crispy, savoury you tiao is juxtaposed by the sweet and chewy mochi. Wash it down with some classic creamy soy milk.
Open 24 hours Wednesday to Sunday, open till 12am on Monday and Tuesday, 458 Geylang Road, Lorong 24A Geylang, Singapore 389417
Mahjong lovers, rejoice! Founded by popular local actor Li Nanxing, Tian Wang Desserts is decorated with a mahjong theme and specializes in serving local desserts. Their most popular items on the menu would include their durian mousse, mango pomelo sago and ice jelly. Presented in bowls decorated with printed mahjong tiles, enjoy both the aesthetics and desserts served at Tian Wang Desserts.
Open till 2am daily, Chinatown Point, 50 Keong Saik Rd, Singapore 089154, +65 9680 1628
Michelin-approved fried chicken wing joint R&B Express is situated in the iconic Newton Food Centre. The stall is easy to spot — just look out for the signboard with images of tantalising chicken wings plastered all over. Crispy and juicy, don’t forget to squeeze the lime over the wings to add some oomph, not that the wings need it anyway. Their satay and kueh pie tee are worth a try, too.
Open till 3am daily 500 Clemenceau Avenue North, #01-072, Singapore 229495
Instant noodles made with a twist, DLLM Lok Lok’s specialty are its affordably priced $2.50 instant noodle bowls and $1.40 lok lok sticks. Their most popular mees are curry, tom yum and chicken mee which are the perfect hot soupy noodles to enjoy with the cold breeze that visits its open-spaced outlet in the middle of the night. Not to mention their delicious lok lok sticks, including unique pairings such as Mala Chicken Cutlet, Marinated Pork Belly Cube Skewers and Sotong You Tiao.
Open till 3.15am daily, 47 Kallang Pudding Road, The Crescent @ Kallang, #01-08, Singapore 349318, +65 8881 7168
Open from 6pm to 2am everyday, this kway chap spot may have the oddest operating hours we’ve seen, but the fact that we’ve never seen the stall without a snaking queue should be a worthy testament to how good their food is. The queue of adoring fans starts forming nearly an hour before they open for business! The elderly uncle is stubborn — he will not sell kway chap even a minute before 8pm.
So it all works out if you go around 2am or so, as the queue is bound to have died down by then. Affordable and guaranteed to be delicious, their offal is superb, although you can easily order another set sans any innards if you’d prefer that instead.
Open till 2am daily, KPT Coffeeshop, 284 Bishan Street 22, Singapore 570284, +65 9856 3117
This hidden hangout spot perched on the third floor of Bishan Sports Hall doles out plates of delectable Western fare, like baked salmon, tom yum pasta and truffle fries. Just looking for something to nibble on, they have plenty of sides and mouthwatering beverages to choose from.
Open till 5am daily, 5 Bishan Street 14, #03-01, Singapore 579783, +65 6970 0233
We have to be completely honest — if you’re looking for great-tasting food that’s value for money, Cafe de Muse is not it. But if what you need is a place in Orchard that’s open past 10pm, sells food that’s not just deep fried, has a couple of drink options (both caffeinated and not) as well as dessert, then this café checks all the boxes. While the food is a hit or miss, their bingsu is passable.
Opens 24 hours, 350 Orchard Road, #01-K5/K6 & #02-K4, Orchard, 238868, +65 6970 5011
Additional Reporting by Mandy Tan