How do you find the good hawker stalls without queueing for tourist traps?

From my experience, ignore the tourist queues and watch where the uncles and aunties and office workers eat during lunch. A stall with a steady local crowd of regulars, especially older folks, is usually the real deal. Look for stalls where the queue moves and turnover is high, because fresh and fast means the food isn't sitting around. Another trick is to go to the stall that the other hawkers in the same centre eat at. Avoid stalls that suddenly got famous from social media, quality often drops when they can't cope with volume. For a new neighbourhood I ask the drinks stall auntie which stall is best, they know everything. Off-peak timing, around 2pm, lets you chat with the hawker and often get fresher, more careful cooking. Trust the crowd of aunties over the influencers.

My method is to look at the details. A good stall usually specialises in just one or two dishes rather than a huge menu, because focus means they've perfected it. Check if the ingredients look fresh and if they cook to order versus scooping from a big pre-made pot. I also look at the hawker's hands and setup, clean and organised usually means care. For discovering places I use local food groups and blogs but I filter out the obviously sponsored hype, and I trust posts that describe specifics like texture and gravy rather than just 'best in Singapore'. Going with a local friend beats any guide. And don't sleep on the unglamorous stalls in heartland coffee shops, some of my favourite char kway teow and prawn mee are in neighbourhood corners with zero fame.