Recently rebuilt to reflect the architecture of the old Malay kampong houses, Geylang Serai Market has been at the heart of Singapore's Malay community since the mid-1960s. With its distinctive three-tiered entrance, the market is a bustling hub of activity from sunrise to sunset. It features a wet market selling an array of fresh produce and other products on the ground floor, and a hugely popular hawker food center with plenty of Malay and Indian specialities on its first floor.

The wet market offers a variety of fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, seafood, and spices, and is a good place to pick up decorative fabrics too. However, it’s the food court upstairs that’s the main attraction for most visitors. This huge space is filled with vendors serving up classic Asian dishes such as nasi padang (rice with various ingredients), ayam balado (spicy fried chicken), sayur lodeh (vegetable curry), and pisang goreng (banana fritters).

Geylang Serai Market offers a clean and vibrant place for the whole family to experience dishes from the local Malay community and beyond. Devoted foodies can enjoy it as part of a heritage food tour that also includes visiting the foodie destinations of Joo Chiat and Katong, while culture vultures might like to combine it with a neighborhood walk around Geylang, Chinatown, and Little India.