Restaurant in Singapore, Singapore
Two Bib Gourmands. Hawker prices. Go.
Lai Heng Handmade Teochew Kueh holds back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition (2024 and 2025) and a 4.3 Google rating, making it one of the clearest value plays in Singapore's hawker tier. At $ pricing, this Jurong East stall is worth the detour for anyone serious about handmade Teochew kueh. Walk-in only — confirm hours before visiting.
At the $ price tier, Lai Heng Handmade Teochew Kueh in Jurong East is one of the clearest value propositions in Singapore's street food category. Michelin's Bib Gourmand recognition in both 2024 and 2025 puts it in a small group of hawker stalls that have sustained quality rather than coasting on a single good year. If you're visiting Singapore for the first time and want to understand what handmade Teochew kueh actually looks like — the translucent rice-flour skins, the labour-intensive pleating, the contrast between the wrapper and what's packed inside , this is a practical and affordable place to start.
Lai Heng sits at 347 Jurong East Ave 1, unit #01-218, in a residential HDB precinct. That address tells you something important before you arrive: this is a neighbourhood hawker stall, not a tourist-facing restaurant. The setting is functional , open-air or semi-open, the kind of tiled hawker environment where the visual focus is entirely on the food being made in front of you. For a first-timer, that transparency is part of the appeal. Teochew kueh is a craft-led product, and watching the handwork is a genuine part of the experience.
Teochew kueh encompasses a range of steamed and sometimes pan-fried rice-flour dumplings, typically filled with combinations of turnip (chai tow), peanuts, yam, or sweetened ingredients. The handmade distinction matters here: machine-pressed wrappers are common at lower-quality stalls, and the texture difference is immediately visible in the skin's thickness and the way it holds together after steaming. At a stall with back-to-back Bib Gourmand recognition, the wrapper quality is the benchmark you're paying attention to.
There is no chef name on record for Lai Heng, and no website or phone number is publicly listed in the venue database. This is consistent with how many long-running hawker operations in Singapore function , the product speaks, the branding does not. For a first-time visitor, the absence of a digital footprint means you plan around the stall's physical reality rather than an online booking system.
Operating hours are not confirmed in the venue database, and this is worth taking seriously before you make a special trip. Hawker stalls in Singapore's residential estates typically open during breakfast and lunch, with some extending into the early evening, but late-night availability is not a given. The editorial angle here is honest: Lai Heng is not confirmed as a late-night option. If your itinerary requires food after standard dinner hours, verify current hours directly at the stall or through recent visitor reports on Google Maps before planning around it. The 136 Google reviews (averaging 4.3) are a useful current-conditions signal , recent reviews will tell you more about hours than any static database entry.
For confirmed late-night street food in Singapore, venues in the Geylang corridor or 24-hour kopitiam operations are more reliable bets. But if your visit falls within standard hawker hours, Lai Heng rewards the trip to Jurong East.
Singapore's Michelin Bib Gourmand list is one of the most competitive in Southeast Asia. Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle holds a full Michelin star and draws long queues in the Central area , a different category of commitment and crowd. 545 Whampoa Prawn Noodles and Adam Rd Noo Cheng Big Prawn Noodle represent the prawn noodle side of the hawker spectrum, if you're building a broader Singapore street food itinerary. 91 Fried Kway Teow Mee and A Noodle Story round out the noodle-focused Bib Gourmand options worth considering on the same trip. Lai Heng occupies a specific niche , handmade Teochew kueh is a distinct product from char kway teow or prawn noodles, so these are not direct substitutes. They are complementary stops if you're spending time eating your way through the city's hawker tier.
For street food comparisons beyond Singapore, 888 Hokkien Mee (Lebuh Presgrave) in George Town represents the Malaysian hawker parallel worth knowing about. A Pong Mae Sunee in Phuket and Anuwat in Phang Nga are useful regional reference points if your trip extends into Thailand. Closer to the Teochew culinary tradition, Ah Boy Koay Teow Th'ng and Air Itam Duck Rice in George Town trace similar Teochew roots. Air Itam Sister Curry Mee and Ali Nasi Lemak Daun Pisang fill out the George Town street food picture, and Banana Boy in Hong Kong represents the wider Southeast and East Asian street food context for travellers moving across the region.
Lai Heng Handmade Teochew Kueh is worth the Jurong East detour if you're serious about Singapore's hawker culture and want to eat something that two consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand panels considered worth flagging. At $ pricing, the financial risk is negligible. The practical risk is the unknown hours , confirm before you go. For a broader picture of where this fits in Singapore's eating options, see our full Singapore restaurants guide, our full Singapore bars guide, our full Singapore hotels guide, our full Singapore wineries guide, and our full Singapore experiences guide.
Not in the conventional sense. This is a hawker stall with no table service, no wine list, and no reservation system. If a special occasion means atmosphere and ceremony, book Summer Pavilion ($$) for a Cantonese fine dining experience, or step further up to Zén ($$$$) for a full European contemporary tasting menu. Lai Heng is the right call for a special occasion of a different kind: marking a first visit to Singapore's hawker culture with a Michelin-recognised benchmark at minimal cost.
No booking is required or possible , this is a walk-in hawker stall. The practical planning question is timing within the day, not advance reservation. Arrive early (morning or lunch) to be confident of availability, as popular kueh stalls can sell out before standard dinner hours. The Bib Gourmand recognition from Michelin means queues are possible during peak hours, particularly on weekends.
Yes , this is one of the formats where solo dining is direct. Hawker stalls in Singapore are built around individual ordering, there is no minimum spend, and the $ price point means you can sample several pieces without commitment. Solo visitors can order exactly what they want without the social negotiation of a shared tasting menu. For solo dining at a higher price tier in Singapore, Jaan by Kirk Westaway ($$$) offers a counter-style experience worth considering if you want a more formal solo meal on the same trip.
No phone number or website is listed in the venue database, so there is no confirmed way to check dietary accommodation in advance. Teochew kueh traditionally includes both vegetarian and non-vegetarian fillings , turnip and peanut varieties are typically plant-based, while others may contain pork or shrimp. For specific allergen or dietary queries, visiting in person and asking at the stall is the only reliable approach. If dietary flexibility is a priority, a venue with a listed contact and menu is a safer choice.
There is no tasting menu at Lai Heng. This is a hawker stall where you order individual kueh pieces at $ prices. The value question is different here: for the price of a single course at Waku Ghin ($$$$), you could order a substantial spread at Lai Heng across multiple visits. The Michelin Bib Gourmand is specifically awarded for food that delivers quality at accessible prices , that is the value case here, not a curated multi-course format.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lai Heng Handmade Teochew Kueh | $ | Easy | — |
| Zén | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
| Jaan by Kirk Westaway | $$$ | Unknown | — |
| Iggy's | $$$ | Unknown | — |
| Summer Pavilion | $$ | Unknown | — |
| Waku Ghin | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
A quick look at how Lai Heng Handmade Teochew Kueh measures up.
Not in the conventional sense. This is a $ hawker stall in a Jurong East HDB precinct, not a setting for anniversaries or client dinners. That said, two consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmands (2024 and 2025) make it a legitimate destination for anyone whose idea of a special occasion is eating something genuinely excellent without pretence. Pair it with a broader Jurong East hawker tour rather than treating it as a standalone celebratory meal.
Hawker stalls don't take reservations — you queue. Lai Heng's Bib Gourmand recognition means peak hours attract a crowd, so arriving early, particularly at opening, is the practical move. No booking system or contact details are listed, which is standard for Singapore hawker operations at this price tier. If you're making a special trip from outside Jurong East, confirm operating hours locally before you go, as hawker stalls can close without notice.
Yes, straightforwardly so. Hawker stalls are among the most solo-friendly dining formats in Singapore — you order by piece or portion, share a table with strangers without awkwardness, and pay $ per head. Lai Heng's kueh format means you can sample several items without over-ordering, which suits a single diner better than a larger group that might want variety across multiple stalls simultaneously.
Teochew kueh is traditionally made with rice flour and filled with ingredients like yam, turnip, or peanuts, which makes it naturally free of some common allergens, but the specifics of Lai Heng's fillings and preparation aren't confirmed in the venue data. For serious dietary restrictions (gluten intolerance, nut allergies), verify directly with the stall before visiting. No website or phone number is publicly listed, so an in-person check on arrival is the most reliable approach.
There is no tasting menu. Lai Heng is a hawker stall where you order individual kueh at $ prices — the format is point-and-pay, not multi-course. The value case is already settled by two Michelin Bib Gourmands at street food prices. If you want a structured tasting format in Singapore, look at Zén or Waku Ghin; if you want to eat well for under $10, Lai Heng is the right call.
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