Singaporeans are famously serious about food, so it’s very apt that we’ve got a museum dedicated to it. Tucked away in Joo Chiat, the Museum of Food shines a spotlight on our local culinary heritage, from old-school kitchen tools and traditional cooking methods to the stories behind familiar dishes we grew up eating.
Rather than being the sort of museum where you simply walk around reading plaques, the space also hosts programmes and workshops that make learning about food culture a little more hands-on.
We checked out the museum to see what foodies and heritage buffs can expect inside.
Old-school items scattered across the space.
Opened in mid-April 2026, the Museum of Food Singapore houses around 100 items in its collection, spread across 2 cosy floors.
The museum’s aim isn’t to cram visitors with every fact there is to know about Singapore food. Instead, the team shared with us that they hope to spark curiosity and encourage people to look deeper into the dishes, ingredients, and cooking practices we often take for granted.
When we talked to 1 of the 2 owners, Yeo Min, she eagerly shared that their broader mission can be summed up in 3 parts: preserve the past, nurture the present, and inspire the future. That means preserving seniors’ stories and food knowledge, supporting local heritage businesses and cookbook authors today, and hopefully sparking curiosity in younger generations to carry these traditions forward.
Stepping into the museum, we were immediately greeted by a warm, homely feeling – perhaps because of its cosy, intimate size. The 1st thing that caught our eye was an unmissable wall of dining plates in different shapes, sizes, and designs, displayed above 2 little seats that look like they belong in our grandparents’ homes.
Yeo Min said that these plates are probably older than us, but we recognised a couple of designs that are still used today at homes and in restaurants. You can stop by on your way in to snap a few photos, as we did, for the nostalgia factor too.
To the left of the entrance, you’ll be able to see the main kitchen where cooking workshops are held, and magic is made. To the right are 2 very nostalgic old-school-style table sets and a small shelf packed with cookbooks.
These cookbooks span almost a century, the earliest dating to 1938. It’s a Singapore Municipality Gas Department cookery book, offering a glimpse into how cooking knowledge was shared back then. Some of those recipes are still being brought to life today, turning a piece of culinary history into something visitors can actually taste.
The cookbooks are not available for loan, but visitors get a chance to browse them during the museum’s open houses and programmes.
Cookbooks by museum owners Yeo Min and Emily Yeo.
They’re not merely there for display either. Many of the recipes used during the museum’s activities are adapted from cookbooks in its own collection, especially those by museum owners Yeo Min and Emily Yeo.
A little bar of merch sits opposite, where you can expect funky food-themed shirts and knick-knacks. Check out these gem biscuit magnets, going for $5 a piece, and these artsy socks, priced at $15.
Beside the merch bar, you’ll see a decorative replica of a vintage drink stall, stacked with equally nostalgic cups and other familiar touches that further add to the space’s retro feel.
The staircase to the 2nd floor is flanked by walls filled with snippets of Singapore’s food history, from photographs of hawkers in the 20th century to old documents and tools once used in everyday life.
One particularly interesting artefact is a coolie hook, which early coolies used to carry heavy loads, including sacks of food, over their shoulders.
There is also an old hawker’s licence, alongside printouts of older food-related policies, showing how the government played a part in shaping our food history and culture.
The 2nd floor features pieces of old-generation crockery and kitchen tools on display. What’s different about this museum is that there are no glass cases and no big signs warning you not to touch. In fact, visitors are encouraged to touch and interact with the display pieces, to channel their curiosity, and explore through a sensory experience.
We also spotted a stone mill, commonly used in the production of rice flour and soy milk. It’s not every day that we see such a manual tool, especially in this age of modern technology.
A vintage ice kacang maker then caught our attention, which got us craving the familiar bowl of multicoloured goodness on a hot day.
There’s also a kueh bahulu mould, made from brass that can retain heat better for a crispier crust. It comes with a lid designed to hold charcoal, essentially turning the mould into a mini oven with heat from the top and bottom.
Another one of our favourites is this old-fashioned egg whisk, used before the days of electric mixers to get the job done manually.
Besides seeing and feeling the different kitchen equipment, you’ll get to discover the scents of different spices at the little scent bar perched on a small, low table. Think widely-used ingredients like cinnamon, mace, and fennel.
A lot of people appreciate the final product of a dish, but few think of what goes into it and the tools and processes involved in making the dish. That’s why the Museum of Food encourages visitors to experience, wonder, and learn through hands-on activities.
Information displayed in frames above the scent bar also explains more about the different spices, giving you another way to connect familiar flavours with the raw ingredients they come from.
Some of the display pieces in the museum are not only decorative and educational, but also rich in their own stories and history.
Take the example of the early electric mixer on display. It belongs to Yeo Min’s pastry-school teacher and was reportedly the 1st electric mixer she finally purchased after getting married and moving out of a kampung into a home with electricity.
Beside the mixer, there is an old wok, claypot, and double-boiler among other things – cookware that would traditionally have been used over fire or charcoal.
There’s also a 51-year-old grocery trolley that belonged to the same teacher, preserving another small slice of everyday life from decades ago.
Even familiar local businesses appear in the collection. We saw an old Phoon Huat paper bag, whose unusually short printed telephone number gives away just how far back it dates.
These details and their stories are what make the museum feel less like just a collection of items, and more like a museum of memories.
On the 2nd floor of the museum, there is also a memory bar where you can spin a random capsule from the gacha machine and get a question related to food memories. Write your memory on the back of the paper, and leave it on the table where you can also read the memories of previous visitors.
We think this is a really sweet, small movement that allows people to connect through their love for food.
Image for illustrative purposes only.
Image credit: Museum of Food Singapore
If looking at old kitchenware leaves you wanting to actually cook something, the museum also runs its own programmes.
Its open houses, usually held around the beginning of each month, are intended to be one of the most accessible ways for the public to experience the museum. Admission prices generally range around $12-$15, depending on the session and participant category.
And rather than repeating the same programme every month, these open houses revolve around different themes and food practices, corresponding to special events that happen that month. For example, the recent open house and its activities were themed around the lunar 7th month.
At these open houses, people can explore the museum and enjoy specially made or thematically-dabaoed food while discussing food practices and culture, how they shape memories, and influence lives. The experience is closer to a food social event than a conventional museum tour, as people gather, eat, chat, and learn about the practices behind what they’re eating.
Main kitchen in the Museum of Food.
Another programme, Pasar To Table, focuses on building confidence – in knowledge and in use – around ingredients found in Singapore’s wet markets. Instead of simply showing participants a typical or slightly unusual wet market ingredient, the programme takes them through how it can actually be prepared and used.
During the coconut-focused run, for example, participants learnt how to make their own coconut milk and explored how leaves and other parts of the plant have traditionally been used in food preparation, such as in the making of traditional otak.
Image adapted from: Klook
Kids aren’t left out of the fun either. Through family-focused programmes such as the Singapore Brunch Club, parents and children can take part in activities designed to expose younger participants to how food is actually made.
There are also seasonal children’s programmes. Around the Mid-Autumn Festival, for example, the museum has planned activities involving mooncakes made from the recipes in local cookbooks.
Beyond its public events, Museum of Food Singapore also hosts school workshops, corporate programmes, and children’s birthday activities.
Entrance fees to the open houses are priced at $12 for children and seniors, and $15 for everyone else.
Admission to all other events comes at varied fees, which are updated on the Museum of Food’s website.
The Museum of Food operates on a by-appointment basis, so you’ll have to book your visit by contacting them via Instagram.
It’s about a 10–12-minute walk from Paya Lebar MRT Station. Alternatively, you can alight at Eunos MRT Station, which is a similar distance away.
If you’d rather skip the long walk, take a bus towards the Joo Chiat Complex or Geylang Serai area and continue on foot from there. Bus services around the area include 33, 2, 7, 13, 21, 24, 26, 28, 30, 51, 67, 76, 154 and 155.
The museum is housed on the 2nd floor of a Joo Chiat shophouse, so keep an eye out for the entrance along the row and head upstairs.
Pro tip: Look for the doorway beside The Biryani Club, then head up the flight of stairs to find the museum.
Whether you collect old cookbooks, love hearing your grandparents’ stories, or simply want to understand a little more about the dishes you eat regularly, the Museum of Food offers a hands-on way to explore local food heritage.
Take a visit, and chances are, you’ll walk away looking at your next bowl of food a little differently.
For more places to visit in Singapore:
Photography by Shirlynn Koh.
You’ll need to make an appointment to visit the museum.
Here are all the best things to do this weekend in Singapore.
Automatically rewards your top 2 spending categories.
Tees from $14.90 too!
Give back to the community by donating up to 100 books per person.
Make beaded friendship bracelets and shrink wrap keychains!