Urban Hawker food hall serving Singaporean food to close after four years

The Singapore-style hawker center in Midtown Manhattan is home to 17 vendors handpicked by Makansutra founder KF Seetoh.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Seetoh said Urban Hawker had known for about a year that the building’s owners planned to sell the property for redevelopment, AsiaOne reported.

“It may be curtains down at Urban Hawker, but it ain’t the end for Singapore makan culture there. Another door will always be open,” he wrote.

Seetoh, who partnered with U.S. food hall operator Urbanspace to launch Urban Hawker in September 2022, said they are looking for a new location that can accommodate more hawkers in a “kopitiam concept” space, describing New York City as a dynamic and meaningful market.

“Singaporean food is more popular than we think,” he told The Straits Times.

“The diversity of flavors is a key draw for New Yorkers.”

Urban Hawker served popular Singaporean dishes including chicken rice, laksa, mee rebus and Hainanese curry pork chop, as well as the Singapore Sling cocktail. Many of its offerings earned positive reviews from U.S. food critics at publications including The New York Times.

Singapore was ranked 90th among the world’s 100 best cuisines last year by international food guide TasteAtlas, behind Southeast Asian neighbors including Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.