The food in Little India sits in three clusters: Tekka Centre for cheap hawker biryani and naan, Race Course Road for fish head curry, and the Serangoon Road side streets for thosai and North Indian, then Jalan Besar for late-night dim sum. This guide lists 15 places in walking order, starting at Little India MRT on the North East and Downtown lines.
From the station you hit Tekka Centre on Buffalo Road first, then Serangoon Road, then Race Course Road running north towards Farrer Park MRT. The second half loops back through Upper Dickson Road, Dunlop Street, Syed Alwi Road and Desker Road, and ends at Swee Choon on Jalan Besar for supper. Every entry says whether it is on MUIS's halal list, because in Little India that question comes up more than any other.
Addresses and halal status were checked against each venue's own site and the MUIS directory on 15 October 2026. Where a place does not publish its hours, we say so instead of guessing. Deepavali falls on Sunday 8 November 2026 on MOM's public holiday list.
The hawker floor on the first storey of Tekka is where much of Little India eats lunch: biryani, prata, thosai, nasi padang and teh tarik. The government's hawker centre dataset lists 119 cooked food stalls here, so walk the whole loop before you queue. Stalls set their own hours, and the centre shuts for cleaning a few days a year, so have a backup on Serangoon Road.
The briyani stall people point you to first. The set is yellow basmati rice with chicken, mutton or fish curry and papadum, and Michelin's own listing says the family has been selling it since the 1950s.
North Indian and Pakistani cooking at hawker prices, with naan coming straight out of the tandoor. Michelin's 2024 Tekka write-up named it one of the centre's newest Bib Gourmand stalls, and pointed at the seekh kebab and butter chicken. Order the naan fresh and eat it at the table, it goes limp in a takeaway box.
Breakfast before the crowds. Ananda Bhavan calls itself the oldest Indian vegetarian restaurant in Singapore, established in 1924, and the Buffalo Road branch opens at 7am, the earliest of its outlets. Thosai, vadai and a coffee here is one of the cheaper sit-down meals in the area.
Indian vegetarian since 1947, and the place for dosai and thali. It opens at 7am every day, public holidays included, which makes it the safe fallback when Tekka is closed for cleaning. Eat with your right hand if you want to do it properly.
The fish head curry that most people mean when they say Race Course Road. Their own site dates the family business back more than 50 years, with the move to this address in 1983. A fish head is a sharing dish: order it with rice and vegetables on the leaf for three or four people.
A halal-certified option on the same road, alongside Indian Saaga and Three's A Crowd on MUIS's list. This outlet is on MUIS's halal list, on the same road as the two famous fish head curry names. Sakunthala's has several branches around Little India, so check you are at number 66 if you booked.
A break from the South Indian run of Race Course Road. Jaggi's does Punjabi and North Indian food, by its own site. It works best for a group that wants to share four or five plates rather than one set each.
The other half of the fish head curry argument. Their own story says the founder brought a Chettinad-style recipe from Tamil Nadu in 1969, and its site describes a tamarind tang. It sits at the Farrer Park end of the road, and their site says Exit F of Farrer Park MRT is the closest.
South Indian cooking from a chef who lets you set your own chilli level. Lagnaa runs a Chilli Challenge for people who want to prove something, and the regular menu is sensible if you do not. Reservations take a deposit that comes off the bill, which their site spells out.
Komala Vilas's own sweets and snacks shop, a short walk from the restaurant. Their site sends you here for the full range of snacks and desserts, and it is the stop for a box to bring home, especially in the weeks before Deepavali. Buy a mixed box if you cannot decide.
Biryani first, then a menu that runs to kebabs, haleem, nihari and kulfi. Their own site lists Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition from 2016 to 2025 and the 2026 list again. Michelin recommends the lamb shank biryani, and note the 8.30pm close, earlier than most of Little India.
A North Indian restaurant on Syed Alwi Road that is on MUIS's halal list at this address. That makes it the easy answer for a mixed group who want a sit-down table and a menu rather than a hawker queue.
The odd one out in Little India: San Francisco-style sourdough pizza in a shophouse on Desker Road, and halal-certified on MUIS's list. Reviews on their own site mention getting four flavours in one box, and that is the way to order for a group.
Supper is the reason to walk over to Jalan Besar. Swee Choon is open until 2am Sunday to Thursday and 4am on Friday, Saturday and the eve of public holidays, which is why the queue moves here after other kitchens close. Expect to wait on a weekend night.
Take the MRT to Little India station on the North East or Downtown line. Tekka Centre is right beside the station. For the north end of Race Course Road, Farrer Park station on the North East line is closer, and Muthu's Curry's own site points to its Exit F.
Copper Chimney on Syed Alwi Road, Sakunthala's Food Palace at 66 Race Course Road and Goldenroy Sourdough Pizza on Desker Road are all on MUIS's halal list. Tekka Centre has many Indian-Muslim stalls, but certification is per stall, so look for the certificate at the counter.
Tekka Centre's hawker floor, where a plate of biryani, prata or thosai costs a fraction of a restaurant meal. For a cheap sit-down breakfast, Ananda Bhavan on Buffalo Road opens at 7am.
Swee Choon Tim Sum on Jalan Besar is open until 2am Sunday to Thursday and 4am on Friday, Saturday and the eve of public holidays. Mustafa Centre's own site says it is open 24 hours if you need snacks and drinks after that.
The two names on Race Course Road are The Banana Leaf Apolo at number 54 and Muthu's Curry at number 138, both open daily 10.30am to 10.30pm. Apolo's own site mentions a touch of pineapple; Muthu's describes a tamarind tang in its 1969 Chettinad recipe. Sakunthala's Food Palace at number 66 is a halal-certified option on the same road, alongside Indian Saaga and Three's A Crowd on MUIS's list.
Deepavali falls on Sunday 8 November 2026, according to MOM's public holiday list.