Katong and Joo Chiat, one spoonful of laksa at a time.

The place

Why Katong.

Joo Chiat grew around Peranakan shophouses — Peranakan being the Straits Chinese culture, part Chinese and part Malay, behind Katong-style laksa, Nyonya kueh and dishes like ayam buah keluak. In 2011 it became Singapore’s first Heritage Town, and the homes around Joo Chiat Road are a conservation area.

Then there is the laksa. In 1998 rising rent pushed the original stall off East Coast Road; by 1999 five shops on the same stretch were selling “Katong laksa”. Two famous names survive within a few doors: 328 Katong Laksa at No. 51 and Janggut Laksa in Roxy Square at No. 50. Katong laksa is the one you eat with only a spoon, because the noodles are cut short.

Eight stops

Eight Katong stops and what to order.

Addresses are from Eatbook’s September 2026 Katong guides and its June 2025 Chin Mee Chin story. Check opening days before you set out.

The route

A day that works.

1. Breakfast at a 100-year-old caféChin Mee Chin marked its 100th year in 2025. Kaya toast, a luncheon meat bun, a kopi. Expect a queue.
2. The laksa showdownOrder a small bowl at 328 Katong Laksa, then cross to Roxy Square for Janggut (it opens at 10:30 a.m., per Eatbook). Same street, same dish, different answer.
3. Kueh for the walkAh Yee’s on Tembeling Road steams soon kueh and png kueh. Buy a few and eat them as you wander the shophouse streets off Joo Chiat Road.
4. An afternoon banh miJoo Chiat has a run of Vietnamese spots; Joo Chiat Banh Mi Caphe fills its baguette with otah, a very Singapore twist.
5. Peranakan dinnerGuan Hoe Soon on Joo Chiat Road for ngoh hiang, chap chye and ayam buah keluak — chicken braised with the black, earthy keluak nut. Then snow ice at Wan Mei.

Take home

What to bring back.

• Kueh from Ah Yee’s — eat within the day; they don’t keep.
• A taste for laksa. Not a souvenir, but you will be looking for it everywhere after this.
• The shop names. “The laksa near the corner” is how the rivals win. Write down which one you liked.

Timing and getting there

How to do Katong well.

• Take the MRT. Marine Parade station on the Thomson-East Coast Line opened in June 2024, beside Roxy Square, i12 Katong and Parkway Parade. Tanjong Katong is the next stop along.
• Start early, finish late. Breakfast spots and laksa shops close by late afternoon (Janggut runs 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., per Eatbook); dinner is for Joo Chiat Road.
• Walk it. East Coast Road and Joo Chiat Road meet; most of this route is a flat stroll between them.
• Ask about halal. Most of the stops above are not halal-certified, per Eatbook. Ask locally for halal options.

Sharing math

How to eat Katong with friends.

• Laksa: two small bowls for three, one from each shop, spoons all round.
• Kaya toast: one set each. It is breakfast, and it is small.
• Kueh: two of each kind in one box.
• Peranakan dinner: one dish per person plus rice, family style.
• Settle up once. Note what each stop came to and let the split bill calculator do the rest.

Copy this

Your Katong scorecard.

Two laksas in one morning deserve a scorecard. More ideas in how to rate food.

• ☐ Kaya toast — butter-to-kaya ratio: ___
• ☐ Laksa at 328 — broth out of 5: ___
• ☐ Laksa at Janggut — broth out of 5: ___
• ☐ Winner of the laksa war: ___
• ☐ Soon kueh or png kueh? ___
• ☐ Buah keluak — love it or not yet? ___
• ☐ Kopi order, word for word: ___

Keep the trip

Settle the laksa war.

The only fair way to judge two laksas is side by side. Snap both bowls in PlateDiary: each one is cut out on your phone into a save, named however you like, and each shop becomes its own moment on the map. Add your stars and the argument is on record.

Stamp each shop in Stamps, your stamp book of places you’ve eaten, and add who came with you as companions. Next visit, the page shows “Your 2nd visit” and what you had last time.