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Singapore’s 6 Best Chinese Soup Spots: From Wallet-Friendly To Indulgent Options

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Singapore's 6 Best Chinese Soup Spots: From Wallet-Friendly To Indulgent Options
Credit: Facebook/Tan Ser Seng Herbs Restaurant 陳生成山瑞补品 @TanSerSengHerbs
With the year coming to a close and rainy, cooler days setting in, it’s the perfect time to be tucking into a comforting bowl of hot soup.
We’ll be zeroing in on Chinese soups in particular – the kind that takes hours to simmer, and where ingredients are carefully selected to ensure taste and nutrition come in equal measure.
In Singapore, both humble hawker stalls and restaurants alike have been dishing out hearty bowlfuls.
From nourishing herbal blends to iconic combinations, you’ll find everything from the affordable to the slightly indulgent (you know, for when you’re in the mood to splurge).
So tuck in – we’re rounding up some of Singapore’s best spots for Chinese soups that are as wholesome as they are delicious.
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Best Chinese soup spots in Singapore
  1. Ar Er Soup (ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre)
  2. Canton Delicacies
  3. Earth Jar Treasure
  4. Heng Heng Herbal Soup
  5. Lao Huo Tang
  6. Tan Ser Seng Herbs Restaurant
Ar Er Soup (ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre)
Singapore’s 6 Best Chinese Soup Spots: From Wallet-friendly To Indulgent Options - Ar Er Soup (ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre)
Credit: Google image Tobbie, 2023
Next on the list is Ar Er Soup – found within ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre – which gained further fame after its inclusion in the Michelin Guide (Bib Gourmand) in 2017.
Serving eight kinds of traditional Cantonese “slow-boiled” herbal soups, the stall’s Buddha Jumps Over The Wall ($6.50) is possibly the most affordable of its kind you can find in Singapore.
Although it does not include the usual luxe ingredients, you’ll still find generous chunks of fish maw, Chinese mushrooms, abalone, and chicken – which makes it a worthwhile indulgence for its price.
If you’re looking for something simpler, the Lotus Root, Peanut, and Pork Rib Soup ($4.50) is also worth a try. Do drop by earlier before meal times if you want the more premium soups, as they do sell out fast.

Ar Er Soup
Location: Blk 6 Jalan Bukit Merah, ABC Brickworks Food Centre, #01-141, Singapore 150006
Opening Hours: Sun – Fri, 2pm – 8pm
Tel: NA
Website: NA

Canton Delicacies
Singapore’s 6 Best Chinese Soup Spots: From Wallet-friendly To Indulgent Options - Canton Delicacies
Credit: Google image MNG, 2023
As its name suggests, Canton Delicacies offers a variety of Cantonese delights. But the real reason to visit the stall is for their double-boiled soups.
Helmed by Chef Ericson Ng (formerly a chef from Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel), the stall was first established in 2018 with 14 different types of double-boiled soups on the menu.
The soups are all stored in ‘soup drawers’ and double-boiled for more than two hours. This helps lock in the nutritional value, while the flavours will become richer and further enhanced over time.
Favourites among regulars here include the Papaya Stewed Pork Ribs Soup with Cordyceps ($4) as well as the ABC Pork Ribs Soup ($4).

Canton Delicacies
Location: Block 69 Geylang Bahru, Geylang Bahru Market & Food Centre, #01-27, Singapore 330069
Opening Hours: Fri – Wed, 12pm – 9pm
Tel: +65 8459 0031
Website: https://www.facebook.com/cantondelicacies.sg

Earth Jar Treasure
Singapore’s 6 Best Chinese Soup Spots: From Wallet-friendly To Indulgent Options - Earth Jar Treasure
Credit: Google image A. Lee, 2021
Found within a humble coffeeshop at Sin Ming Road, Earth Jar Treasure has quietly earned a reputation for serving some of the most soulful double-boiled soups in Singapore.
If it wasn’t already obvious, the stall’s name hints at what’s unique here: the old-school practice of stewing their nourishing Chinese herbal soups for hours in large earthen jars.
This process, though laborious, is said to better extract nutritious elements from the ingredients used, as well as giving them a distinctive flavour and aroma that’d not be possible otherwise.
In line with its “Health In A Bowl” tagline, the soups are named after their purported health benefits. Popular options include the Stimulate Appetite Pork Soup ($6.50) and the Cultivate Blood Black Chicken Soup ($7).
Pair them with yam rice ($0.50/bowl) or other zi char-style side dishes like sambal kangkong and omelette for a complete meal that’d serve well to beat the year-end monsoon chill.

Earth Jar Treasure
Location: 22 Sin Ming Rd, #01-244, Singapore 571022
Opening Hours: Tue – Sat, 10am – 8:30pm; Sun, 10am – 8:15pm
Tel: +65 9383 1864
Website: https://www.facebook.com/EarthJT/

Also read:
Heng Heng Herbal Soup
Singapore’s 6 Best Chinese Soup Spots: From Wallet-friendly To Indulgent Options - 兴兴老火汤 - Herbal soup
Credit: Facebook/兴兴老火汤 - Herbal soup @henghengherbalsoup
When it comes to hearty and herbal bowlfuls, Heng Heng Herbal Soup is a must-visit.
This growing restaurant chain, with outlets across Singapore, serves a variety of traditional herbal stewed soups – all made without added MSG. Unlike many other establishments that portion their soups into individual bowls, Heng Heng keeps theirs simmering slowly in large metal pots, allowing the flavours to deepen over time.
Try pairing the Watercress Pork Ribs Soup ($5) with their fragrant Pumpkin Rice (+$1). Do note, however, that this particular item is only available on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at some outlets.
If you need more sips (or slurps, we don’t judge) to warm the soul, feel free to ask the staff for a free soup top-up – they’re happy to oblige.

Heng Heng Herbal Soup
Location: 2 Seah Im Rd, #01-19, Singapore 099114
Opening Hours: Daily, 11:00am – 8:00pm
Tel: +65 9130 1414
Website: https://www.facebook.com/henghengherbalsoup/ *Check the website for information on other outlets

Lao Huo Tang
Singapore’s 6 Best Chinese Soup Spots: From Wallet-friendly To Indulgent Options - Lao Huo Tang
Credit: Facebook/Lao Huo Tang @LaoHuoTang
Last but not least, here’s one that’s hard to miss for locals: Lao Huo Tang.
First opened as a hawker stall in Chinatown Complex Food Centre in 2008, it has since expanded into a restaurant brand (while still running several hawker stalls) with multiple outlets and concepts islandwide.
At its restaurants, the menu feature more than just soups, with claypot and zi char items also available. Still, they stay true to their roots, with traditional Chinese “old‑fire” soups made with natural ingredients continuing to steal the limelight.
Don’t miss these signature soups: Salted Vegetable Duck Soup ($19.80), Apple & Snow Pear Soup with Pork Ribs ($14.80), and Lotus Root Soup with Pork Ribs & Peanut ($14.80).

Lao Huo Tang Signature
Location: 4 Tampines Central 5, Tampines Mall, #B1-01/27, Singapore 529510
Opening Hours: Daily, 11:00am – 10:00pm
Tel: +65 6518 3630
Website: https://laohuotang.oddle.me/en_SG *Check the website for information on other outlets

Tan Ser Seng Herbs Restaurant
Singapore’s 6 Best Chinese Soup Spots: From Wallet-friendly To Indulgent Options - Tan Ser Seng Herbs Restaurant
Credit: Facebook/Tan Ser Seng Herbs Restaurant 陳生成山瑞补品 @TanSerSengHerbs
For those willing to pay a little extra, Tan Ser Seng Herbs Restaurant is definitely one to put on your list.
The restaurant was founded in 1946 by Tan Ah Sai, who originally sold turtle soup from a cart along Orchard Road. Today, his recipes live on under the leadership of his son, Tan Khar Seng.
Still, the undeniable signature at Tan Ser Seng Herbs Restaurant remains the Claypot Turtle Soup ($33.90). Fun fact: Khar Seng was the first person in Singapore to introduce turtle soup cooked in a claypot.
Simmered using over 20 herbs and spices, the nutritious and thick broth is said to have health benefits such as lowering blood pressure, improving kidney function, and boosting virility.

Tan Ser Seng Herbs Restaurant
Location: 29 Lorong Bachok, Singapore 387791 (Inside Geylang Lorong 21 )
Opening Hours: Daily, 11:00am – 8:30pm
Tel: +65 8737 2929
Website: https://tanserseng.oddle.me/en_SG *Check the website for information on other outlets

Still hungry for more? Read our list of the best Kway Chap hawker stalls or the most affordable Teochew porridge stalls in Singapore.

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