Lau Pa Sat

Lau Pa Sat is a historic hawker centre and food market located at 18 Boon Tat Street in Downtown Core, Singapore. Originally Telok Ayer Market established in 1824 and rebuilt in its present Victorian cast-iron structure in 1894, it is gazetted as a National Monument. Known for its distinctive octagonal design, filigree ironwork and central location in the Central Business District, it houses diverse local and international food stalls and the famous open-air Satay Street.

Visitors can expect a large Victorian cast-iron market hall with an octagonal layout, ornate columns and filigree work surrounding a central atrium. Inside are dozens of hawker stalls serving Singaporean, Chinese, Malay, Indian and international dishes with communal seating. The exterior is surrounded by high-rise offices. In the evening, Boon Tat Street closes to traffic and becomes Satay Street, an open-air dining area with charcoal-grilled satay stalls, smoke and street-side tables.

Originally Telok Ayer Market built in 1824 on the waterfront at Telok Ayer Basin. The present structure was designed by James MacRitchie and built in 1894 using cast-iron components prefabricated by Walter MacFarlane & Co. in Glasgow, Scotland. It was relocated and re-erected at its current Boon Tat Street site. Gazetted as a National Monument on 6 July 1973, it is one of the oldest Victorian structures in Southeast Asia.

An iconic example of Singapore's hawker culture, reflecting the city's multicultural culinary heritage with Chinese, Malay, Indian and other cuisines. It serves as a daily dining hub for office workers and a cultural landmark showcasing 19th-century market architecture and the communal hawker centre tradition recognized as part of Singapore's intangible cultural heritage.