Dark, gooey and not exactly pleasing to the eye, Lor Mee can appear, well, a little unappetising. But one bite into the seemingly strange dish and who knows, you may just be as hooked on this local dish as we are.
For all our fellow Lor Mee lovers, we’ve compiled a solid list of Singapore’s best Lor Mees for you. Go ahead, embark on a food adventure! For those who are not exactly fans of this local dish, just try lor. You never know.
1. Xin Mei Xiang
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After all these years, Xin Mei Xiang ($3-$6) is sticking to its traditional roots and has since gained a large following for its Lor Mee. Punchy and flavourful, it’s a no-brainer that Makansutra listed it as one of their top 5 Lor Mee in Singapore.
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Xin Mei Xiang Lor Mee
Address: 51 Old Airport Road #01-116
Opening hours: Tue & Wed, Fri to Sat: 6am – 1.45pm
Tel: 9382 2238
2. Old Bukit Purmei
At Old Bukit Purmei, the braised sauce and pork ribs are so savoury that they make your taste buds dance. The Lor Mee ($3-$4.50) here is so delicious it converted one of our acquaintances to a die hard fan. Believe it or not, he had his lunch at Old Bukit Purmei for a whole week.
He eventually stopped frequenting the stall — not because he grew tired of eating the same food but because of the insanely long queue. This is how epic the Lor Mee is.
Old Bukit Purmei
Address: 501 West Coast Drive Food Loft
Opening hours: Wed & Thur, Sat & Sun: 7.30am – 1.30pm
3. Lorong Ah Soo
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If the rest of the Lor Mees in this list are too ordinary for you, we bring your attention to Lorong Ah Soo Lor Mee who brought a whole new meaning to the phrase, “kick it up to a notch”. Instead of the pork belly most Lor Mee lovers are accustomed to, the stall serves tender braised duck meat Lor Mee ($3), giving this dish a unique twist.
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Lorong Ah Soo Lor Mee
Address: Hainanese Village Centre, Block 105 Hougang Avenue 1, #02-51
Opening hours: Tue – Sun: 11am – 3.30pm
4. Chia Bee
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An affordable supper dish, Chia Bee Lor Mee ($3) comes with tender pork belly and smooth braising sauce.
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Chia Bee Lor Mee
Address: 10 North Bridge Road
Opening hours: Daily, 12am – 10am
5. Yuan Chun Famous
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If you’re one who lives to eat, Yuan Chun Famous Lor Mee ($3) has to be on your food bucket list. This is especially if you have a fondness for thick braising sauce and scrumptious fried prawn cakes.
Yuan Chun Famous
Address: Amoy Street Food Centre #02-79/80, 7 Maxwell Road
Opening hours: Wed-Sun 8.30am-4pm
6. Zhi Xiang Special
See those little crispy things on top of the noodles and gravy? Those are fried yam. Talk about a unique and memorable take! Unfortunately, the Lor Mee portion served at this stall is rather small ($3) so don’t be surprised if you’re still hungry after devouring it.
Piping hot with an appetising flavour, a meal here commands attention and is the ultimate choice for a kickass breakfast meal. To avoid the crowds, we recommend coming here around 10am on a Sunday morning.
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Zhi Xiang Special Lor Mee
Address: #01-49 Block 93 Lorong 4, Toa Payoh Market & Food Centre
7. Hai Tang
Despite patronising Hai Tang at 10 am on a Monday morning, we still spent 30 minutes in line for a bowl of their Lor Mee. Can you just imagine what the crowd is like during peak hours?
For $3, you get a generous amount of noodles, ingredients, (braised meat, eggs, mushrooms) and fragrant gravy. Hai Tang’s Lor Mee is — to borrow a quote from Rob Thomas — warm like a sweater. It also tastes like home.
Sure, the service is on the slow side, but with its price, size, and quality, we’re definitely not complaining.
Address: Mei Ling Market & Food Centre, 159 Mei Ling Street #02-14
Opening hours: Daily 8am-2pm
Which stall serves the best Lor Mee in your opinion? Old Bukit Purmei? Hai Tang? None of the above? Leave your comments and let us know!
Also read: Hipster Hawkers: 5 Stalls That Are Redefining Hawker Culture
(Header image by Hungry Island, words by editor)
