When you are hungry in the middle of the night and would like to grab a hot, ready-to-eat meal fast, the first place to come to mind would probably be a 7-Eleven 24-hour convenience store. Likewise, if you need to rush for your meal and can’t afford to wait too long for your food, you can grab one of the many ready-to-eat meal options at a 7-Eleven convenience store near you and have it heated and ready within minutes.

Especially for students mugging late into the night, preparing for their examinations, 7-Eleven stores can always be counted on to ensure you won’t have to go hungry. If you are looking for something affordably-priced and convenient, these tick the boxes. Also, if you think the ready-to-eat meal options at 7-Eleven are limited to just regular tuna sandwiches, bolognese spaghetti and the other generic crowd-pleasers, think again.

I visited the 7-Eleven store at Changi Business Park to check out what are some of the ready-to-eat meal options available for the busy executives during a weekday lunchtime and was truly surprised by some of the more ‘exotic’ finds. Here’s a list of my favourite fives.

1. Luncheon Meat Onigiri: $2 each (2 for $3.70)*

Singaporeans love our luncheon meat don’t we? There was a huge upset a few years back when Mai Ling brand canned luncheon meat was banned here. Now, you can get a localised version of the popular Onigiri (Japanese rice balls) paired with chicken luncheon meat. This can be eaten cold or heated up quickly in the self-service microwave oven at any 7-Eleven stores.

When you pair two popular food items together (onigiri and luncheon meat), it’s no surprise this will likely be a popular option for 7-Eleven customers.

If you are the type who always ask for a second serving of rice, get two of the onigirls for $3.70 together, saving 30 cents.

2. Cheesy Chicken Ham Garlic Toasted Sandwich: $3.20 each (2 for $4.80)*

The regular ham and cheese sandwich is just too boring. Why not make it more interesting by adding garlic and overloading the cheese to make it really cheesy. This is one of the favourites among the items I sampled. Ham and cheese never disappoints and when you add in garlic, even better. Make sure you pop it into the microwave oven to make it into a true cheese toast!

3. Wild Mushroom Melted Cheese Toasted Sandwich: $3.20 each (2 for $4.80)*

Riding on the popularity of cheese toasts, here is another cheese toasted sandwich option, this time with wild mushrooms as the key ingredient. Again, cheese and mushroom, it’s a no brainer this will be a crowd-pleaser when you toast it up in the microwave oven!

If you need to load up on carbs, this would be the perfect recommendation. Consider getting two toasted sandwich at $4.80, saving $1.60.

4. Korean Bibimpap: $4.50 each (2 for $6.75)*

I really did not expect to find a Korean bibimpap at a Singapore 7-Eleven, but there it was, complete with a pan-fried egg, kimchi, chicken and pickled vegetables. Simply pop it into the microwave oven to heat it up for a sumptuous Korean meal.

With the recent k-drama, k-pop and all-things Korean craze sweeping and winning over the millennials of the world, including in Singapore, the bibimpap is a clever item to add to the ready-to-eat menu at 7-Eleven.

The individual serving is enough for a complete meal, however, if you can find a buddy who would like to eat a bibimpap together with you, get two for $6.75 and save $2.25.

5. Black Pepper Glass Noodle: $3.90 each

This was another very surprising find – black pepper tang hun! It tastes like the glass noodle that comes with a black pepper crab at local tze char restaurant, except that instead of crab, you get shrimps.

I like glass noodle and it is not something I would expect to find as a ready-to-eat meal option at a convenience store. I think this is pretty clever.

From Korean bibimpap to cheese toasts to the uniquely Singapore luncheon meat onigiri fusion and black pepper glass noodle, nobody can accuse 7-Eleven for a lack of imagination or innovation towards their ready-to-go meals offerings.

At 7-Eleven stores, the ready-to-eat meal items are replenished daily to ensure freshness and adequate stock. No one should walk home with a empty stomach if they head down to a 7-Eleven store and find that there is no hot meal available.

For a fuss-free, no-frills experience so you can get your meals fast and easily, there is a self-serve ‘cooking’ station equipped with a microwave oven, hot water dispenser and beverage dispensers.

In fact, it is so convenient that I am confident you can pick up a ready-to-eat meal item at any 7-Eleven store, heat it up, pay at the cashier and get out the store while munching on your meal, all within less than five minutes! This is perfect when you are rushing for time and need to just grab a quick meal on-the-go. Fast doesn’t mean you have to compromise on the food variety or pay an exorbitant price for something more exotic. 7-Eleven is here to deliver on their brand promise on affordability and convenience for everyone with their new ready-to-eat meal items.

Next time you are looking for a quick ready-to-eat meal to grab-and-go, consider heading down to your nearest 7-Eleven store!

Shopping tip: Download 7-Eleven’s own 7Rewards mobile app and every time you buy your favourite items from any 7-Eleven store in Singapore, you’ll earn stamps that go towards winning tasty prizes and vouchers.The 7Rewards app is available on both iOS and Android. It is free to use. 

Fun fact: Do you know that 7-Eleven is the largest convenient store chain in the world? There are currently around 58,500 7-Eleven stores across the world, serving customers in 17 countries including Japan, Australia, Canada, Taiwan, Mexico, Malaysia, Thailand, Sweden and China. 

*promotional prices for limited time only and subjected to change. Check in-store or their Facebook and Instagram for latest promos