It’s 11am on a lazy Sunday morning and you just barely roll out of bed. You stare out of the windows only to recede back into the comforts of the covers. Kway teow? Rojak? Nasi Lemak? You start swiping through pictures of hawker eats on Instagram but get bombarded with real time stories of long queues at stalls.
Suit up! Mask on! Queue up! Source
Ah! The culture of queueing is practiced by every kiasu Singaporeans! If we don’t queue, we will FOMO mah! Plus, some of the good eats at hawkers attract queues the minute they open (6am) and close the instant they’re sold out. How would we know which hawkers those are? You decide that today is the day you will no longer be out of the loop. Jump right in with Outside as we provide you 6 “ins and outs” of queuing at hawkers, a.k.a. the art of queueing like a Singaporean. Because clearly the good food’s at where the queues are at, right?
Extra Cheat Day Queue
To all of you health and fitness enthusiasts out there, this is the queue for that cheat day you’ve been waiting for weeks, or even months. Say real…cheat day or not, we all have that guilty pleasure that holds a special place in our heart. From catching that quick nap in the corner of your office to binging on that bag of Lays on the couch. But with Outram Park Fried Kway Teow, everyday might be a cheat day…
Shout out to all those having their cheat days… Source
Address:
Outram Park Fried Kway Teow
531A Upper Cross St
Opening Hours:
Mon – Sat, 6am – 3.30pm
Early Bird Queue
The early bird catches the lor mee at Xin Mei Xiang Lor Mee. You can expect a 20-30 minutes wait during peak hours. But why wait till peak hours when this stall offers golden hours? This stall opens at 6am and closes as soon as it is sold out. Personally, I would find the optimal hour to eat lor mee to be around 7am after you catch the sunrise at Tanjong Rhu Promenade, a sufficient 30 minutes walk from Old Airport Road Food Centre to qualify as a fitspo. With Xin Mei Xiang’s golden opening hours, the lor mee won’t be the only thing you catch!
Shout out to those catching those morning rays! Source
Address:
Xin Mei Xiang Lor Mee
51 Old Airport Road, #01-116 Old Airport Road Food Centre, Singapore 390051
Opening Hours:
6am – 2pm (Fri – Wed), Closed Thurs
Lucky Draw Queue
Here at New Lucky Claypot Rice, the queue could be alluded to that of a lucky draw. Though it is not lots they draw, but the crowds, albeit the persistent queue. On a lucky day, you might have a 20-30 minutes wait. While on the other hand, if the day is bad, it would be a good 45-90 minutes wait. The deciding factor to win Lady Luck over to your side would be to call in and pre-order, which drastically decreases your waiting time.
Shout out to our lucky draw winners getting their bowl of claypot rice! Source
Address:
Holland Drive Market and Food Centre, 44 Holland Drive, Singapore 270044
Opening Hours:
Lunch 11:00am – 1:00pm, Dinner 5:00pm to 8:00pm (Mon – Tues, Thurs – Sun)
Contact: 6778 7808 | Website
In-Between Meetings Queue
Here’s one queue you could perhaps only afford in between your back-to-back meetings in the CBD area of Singapore. With some luck, you might even be able to squeeze in some time to sit down and enjoy the lemak-ness of the curry luxuriously without a care for hustle and bustle around you. Of course, not all of us can afford that lazy lunch break while working in the CBD, much less successfully choping a seat in Hong Lim Market and Food Centre during peak hours. Despite all that, we all have that stall in mind where we go “I’ll queue for that one day” but unjustly dismisses it from our minds. Time to do justice to that stall during your in-between meetings break and perhaps jio-ing your colleagues for some Curry Fried Chicken Curry Noodles ($4/$5) next time would more than justify your extended lunch break!
Shout out to all our CBD hustlers catching a quick breather in between meetings… Source
Address:
Cantonese Delights
531A Upper Cross St
Opening Hours:
10.30am -2pm, closed on Friday and alternate Mondays
Armchair Traveler Queue
With a pandemic on our plate, all of us previously consumed by wanderlust are now dealing with more than restraining the spirit of our adventurous minds but also subduing the waves of our insatiable cravings for that particular cuisine that can only be found off the shores of Singapore. Trapped as we are in these many restrictions on movements, the only thing that moves forward is perhaps the queue for Roast Paradise in Old Airport Road Food Centre. Famous for their Kuala Lumpur-style char siew, the caramelised char of the roast pork would definitely bring back sweet memories of those countless 1-day trips in Malaysia. As you take a step forward in this queue, be sure to take in that sweet waft of marinated char and let your wanderlust mind take over. Before you know it, it’d be your turn to take the order.
Shout out to all our Kuala Lumpur wanderlust travelers out there…Source
Address:
Roast paradise
Old Airport Road Food Centre, 51 Old Airport Road, 01-122
Opening Hours:
Tues – Sun, 11am – 6pm
Passion-Igniting Queue: We all have our days of doubt and uncertainty, wondering if our passion needs rekindling. For days like these when the fire in us is low and dim, Mr Lee at Seng Kee Bak Chor Mee reignites the passion of his customers through his art of cooking Bak Chor Mee. Also known as “kok kok” mee, Mr Lee prepares his dishes with decisive gusto alongside his habit of knocking his ladle and bowls against one another before serving. As someone who enjoys studying the art of queuing, I must say this stall spreads that bit of positivity and inspiration for me to continue doing what I love, including of course, queueing for that bowl of spirited bak chor mee. If you ever spot a head in the queue constantly peeping over to study Mr Lee’s antics, that would most likely be me. You’ve earned my spot in your queue, Mr Lee!
Shout out to all who need that bit of positivity and inspiration from Mr Lee! Source
Address:
Seng Kee Bak Chor Mee
49A Serangoon Garden Way, #01-36, Singapore 555945
Opening Hours:
Tues – Sun, 7.30am – 1.30pm
Now that you’re proudly equipped with the art of queueing, you stared out the window again but it started pouring. Suay… Times like this when you’re all ready but the weather’s not, Outside’s community of taskers can take over to solve your daily inconveniences. With that in mind, you can pick up your phone and download Outside to enlist the help of our community taskers to do the queuing plus delivering of good hawker eats to your door! #supportlocal
Outside is a community-tasking app that connects users to help each other out for their daily inconveniences. Since its launch in 2017, the app has gained recognition for its work through media features and competitions, where it has won multiple awards. Currently, the app boasts over 10,000 users and is officially supported by Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY)’s #SGUnited and Majurity Trust’s #SGStrong.