Little India, one plate of biryani at a time.

The place

Why Little India.

Tekka Centre is the anchor. It was first built in 1915 as Kandang Kerbau — Malay for buffalo pens, after the slaughterhouses nearby — and took the name Tekka Centre in 2000. Today it is a multi-level building with heritage shops, a wet market and a hawker centre known above all for biryani, with plenty of halal and vegetarian-friendly stalls.

Around it, the restaurants on Dunlop Street, Upper Dickson Road and Race Course Road cover North and South Indian cooking. For hawker-centre basics, see our Singapore hawker food guide.

Six stops

Six Little India stops and what to order.

Distinctions are from the MICHELIN Guide Singapore 2025 selection; addresses from the Guide’s listings. Hawkers keep their own hours.

The route

The order that works.

1. Tekka Centre, late morningWalk the wet market first for the colour, then go up to the hawker side. Start at Allauddin’s, a family that has sold biryani there since the 1950s.
2. Bread from the tandoorA few stalls along, Delhi Lahori slaps naan onto the walls of a charcoal tandoor. One naan and one kebab for the table.
3. Dunlop Street biryaniWalk over to Dunlop Street for Bismillah Biryani’s lamb shank version. If you are only doing one biryani, compare the two by smell before choosing.
4. Pick your heat at LagnaaOn Upper Dickson Road you say how hot you want it. Sit upstairs on the floor if your knees agree.
5. Fish head curry to finishMuthu’s Curry has been cooking Southern and Northern Indian dishes since 1982. The fish head curry is a whole-table dish, built for sharing.

Take home

What to bring back.

• Snacks from Mustafa Centre on Syed Alwi Road — a 24-hour shopping centre selling everything from chocolates to souvenirs.
• A biryani to go. Ask for it packed; it travels better than most hawker food.
• Check customs first before packing anything with meat or fresh produce.

Timing and getting there

How to do Little India well.

• Take the MRT. Little India station sits on the North East and Downtown lines, a short walk from Tekka Centre.
• Go hungry, go mid-week. The MICHELIN Guide notes Tekka is very busy at weekends.
• Biryani before noon. Popular stalls can run out of a curry by afternoon.
• Eat with your right hand if you like. Cutlery is always there; nobody minds either way.
• Dress for heat and crowds. Little India is a walking neighbourhood, and it is warm.

Sharing math

How to eat Little India with friends.

• Biryani: one plate per two. The portions are generous and there are two biryani stops.
• Naan: one per person. Nobody has ever shared a naan willingly.
• Fish head curry: one for four or more, with rice and a vegetable side.
• At Lagnaa, agree on a heat level first. Or order two plates at two levels.
• Split it once at the end. Note each stop’s total; the split bill calculator handles the rest.

Copy this

Your Little India checklist.

Screenshot it, then pass the phone round the table.

• ☐ Biryani number one — mutton, chicken or fish? ___
• ☐ Biryani number two — lamb shank verdict: ___
• ☐ Naan straight from the tandoor, out of 5: ___
• ☐ Lagnaa heat level I chose: ___
• ☐ Butter chicken — mild enough? ___
• ☐ Fish head curry — who got the cheek? ___
• ☐ Teh tarik to cool down: ___

Keep the trip

Two biryanis, side by side.

The fun of Little India is comparison: two biryanis, a naan, a curry that needed a whole table. Snap each plate in PlateDiary and every dish is cut out on your phone into a save — the biryani, the naan and the curry each on their own. Each stop becomes a moment, and the Places view lines up every one.

Stamp each stall and restaurant in Stamps, your stamp book of places you’ve eaten, and write the stall number and your heat level in the note. Next trip, you will know to ask for a four instead of a six.