Since its debut at Jewel Changi Airport in December 2024, Guangzhou’s famous long-queue restaurant Hakka Yu has won over Singapore diners with its hearty, homestyle dishes rooted in authentic Hakka culinary traditions. The Jewel flagship quickly became a queue-worthy hotspot, drawing food lovers eager to experience its comforting flavours.
Building on this success, Hakka Yu has expanded north with the opening of its second outlet at Northpoint City, Yishun. Since its launch on 27 August, the restaurant has seen overwhelming demand, welcoming full-house crowds daily. Riding on this momentum, Hakka Yu is set to bring its beloved Hakka cuisine to even more diners with a third outlet in the west, slated to open by the end of October.
A Cultural Milestone for Singapore’s Hakka Community
The Hakka community, Singapore’s fourth-largest Chinese dialect group with about 260,000 people, carries a proud heritage shaped by resilience and migration. The arrival and expansion of Hakka Yu marks a significant cultural milestone — as Singapore’s only dedicated Hakka restaurant, it offers the community, and wider diners, a rare opportunity to experience authentic Hakka cuisine.
Founded in Guangzhou in 2013, Hakka Yu upholds this tradition through its family-style dishes, prepared with natural, mountain-sourced ingredients from the Hakka heartlands of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhejiang and Hainan. Each dish is cooked fresh to order using traditional techniques that showcase the true flavours of the ingredients, while being refined and modernised by chefs with more than 20 years of experience.
Today, with over 80 outlets across China, Hakka Yu has established itself as a leading name in Hakka cuisine. It has earned accolades such as a coveted spot on Dianping’s Must-Eat List (2022 and 2024) and recognition among China’s Top 100 Restaurant Brands.
The Signatures of Hakka Yu
At Hakka Yu, traditional recipes are given a modern touch. Prepared fresh on-site each day, every dish captures the authentic aromas and flavours of Hakka cooking, reimagined for today’s diners.
*Signature* Hakka Salt-Baked Chicken 广东非遗盐焗鸡 –($18.80 half; $37.60 whole): A definitive Hakka favourite, Salt-Baked Chicken showcases the traditional culinary practice of using salt both as a preservative and as a natural flavour enhancer. At Hakka Yu, this heritage dish is prepared with kampung chicken, first massaged with a fragrant marinade of herbs and spices, then encased in coarse salt before baking. The result: tender, succulent meat with a rich, briny depth, bursting with natural flavours in every bite. Recognised as an intangible cultural heritage, Hakka Yu’s Salt-Baked Chicken is freshly baked on-site twice daily — at 10:35am and 4:35pm — so diners can enjoy it hot out of the oven.
*Signature* Hakka Stuffed Tofu 客家酿豆腐 ($12.80): Another dish listed as an intangible cultural heritage, Hakka Stuffed Tofu is a classic of the cuisine. At Hakka Yu, four plump squares of silky-yet-firm beancurd are pan-fried to golden perfection, then topped with a rich house-made glaze and filled with a hearty mixture of minced fish and pork. Unlike Teochew or Cantonese yong tau foo, which typically uses only fish, the Hakka version blends fish with pork for a meatier texture and a satisfying, chunky bite.
*Signature* Traditional Hakka Pork Soup 客家猪肉汤 ($5.80 per person): A comforting staple, the Traditional Hakka Pork Soup is simplicity at its most soulful — a true hug in a bowl. Slowly simmered for exactly 60 minutes in pure spring water, the broth draws out the natural sweetness and essence of premium pork, enhanced only by the lightest touch of seasoning. Prepared fresh on-site daily, this nourishing soup is best enjoyed piping hot, especially on a rainy day.
Hakka Yu brings the flavours of the mountain and timeless stories of Hakka heritage to life. This is more than a meal—it is an invitation to immerse in Hakka culture, where authentic flavours and cherished traditions create an unforgettable culinary experience.
