Café & Coffee Guides

Singapore café guide: two coffee cultures

Singapore has two coffee cultures side by side, and this Singapore café guide covers both. The first is the kopitiam, a traditional coffee shop that serves local coffee and kaya toast. The second is the modern café, with specialty coffee, brunch plates and pastries. Many visitors enjoy one of each on the same trip. They are very different, and both are worth your time.

Traditional coffee shops and kaya toast

A kopitiam breakfast is simple and cheap. The classic set is kaya toast, two soft-boiled eggs and a cup of kopi. Kaya is a sweet jam made from coconut, eggs and sugar. It is spread on thin toast with slices of cold butter. You season the eggs with soy sauce and white pepper.

• Ya Kun Kaya Toast (Far East Square): kaya toast in the CBD, handy for a quick breakfast.
• Killiney Kopitiam: a coffee shop in the Orchard and River Valley area.

To learn more about the meal, read What Is Kaya Toast? Singapore's Classic Breakfast Explained and Soft Boiled Eggs with Soy Sauce: The Kopitiam Way. The Kaya Toast & Local Breakfast topic has more.

How to order kopi

• Kopi: coffee with sweetened condensed milk.
• Kopi O: black coffee with sugar.
• Kopi C: coffee with evaporated milk and sugar.
• Siew dai: less sugar. Kosong: no sugar.
• Peng: iced. So "kopi peng" is iced coffee with condensed milk.
• Teh: tea. The same words work, so "teh O" is black tea with sugar.

How to Order Kopi in Singapore Without Getting Lost explains the rest.

Specialty coffee and brunch cafés

Modern cafés often roast their own beans or buy from small local roasters. Expect flat whites, filter coffee, sourdough toast and eggs cooked many ways. Many serve brunch all day, which suits jet-lagged travellers.

• Common Man Coffee Roasters: a coffee roaster and café in the Orchard and River Valley area.
• Wild Honey: a café in the Orchard and River Valley area, good before a day of shopping.
• Chye Seng Huat Hardware: a café in the Little India and Jalan Besar area.
• Tiong Bahru Bakery: a bakery café in Tiong Bahru.
• PS.Cafe (Harding Road): a café in leafy Dempsey, good for a slow weekend brunch.

Best areas for café hopping

Tiong Bahru

This older estate has low-rise Art Deco flats, small shops and plenty of cafés. Pair your coffee with a walk round the Tiong Bahru Estate. You can also follow Tiong Bahru Heritage Walk: A Self-Guided Route.

Dempsey and Holland

Dempsey's former army barracks sit among trees and now house cafés and restaurants. The area is close to the Singapore Botanic Gardens. A morning walk followed by brunch works well.

Jalan Besar and Kampong Glam

Old shophouse streets here mix hardware shops, cafés and small bakeries. In Kampong Glam, small cafés and shops line the lanes. See Kampong Glam & Haji Lane.

Katong and Joo Chiat

The east has colourful shophouses, Peranakan bakeries and cafés. Finish with a scoop at Birds of Paradise Gelato Boutique.

Café tips for visitors

• Go early at weekends. Popular cafés fill up by late morning.
• Check bookings. Some cafés take bookings. Many are walk-in only.
• Know rough costs. A kopitiam breakfast set is cheap, often under S$10. A café brunch plate with coffee often costs S$25 to S$40. Prices change, so check the menu.
• Look for "++". Sit-down cafés may add a service charge and GST to menu prices.
• Check days off. Some independent cafés close one day a week.

FAQs about Singapore cafés

What is kopi?

Kopi is the local word for coffee. It is strong and usually comes with condensed milk unless you ask for something else.

Is tipping expected in cafés?

No. Tipping is not expected in Singapore. Sit-down cafés may already add a service charge.

Which areas have the most cafés?

Tiong Bahru, Jalan Besar, Dempsey, Katong and Robertson Quay all have many cafés. Orchard Road has plenty inside its malls.

Do cafés open early?

Kopitiams open early for breakfast. Many modern cafés open a little later, so check before you go.