Wildseed Cafe and Bar
Coffee and cake in a 1930s RAF bungalow in Seletar by day, a garden bar by night, dogs welcome at the café. The easy way into the black-and-white enclave; book the half you want.
- Where: Punggol & Seletar
- Price: S$30–60
Cafés
Coffee and a seat, with the pastries and the quiet hours noted.
Dutch Colony Coffee Co. (Frankel Avenue)
Siglap's café for a long sit: espresso flights, brunch that's solid rather than showy, and a back room under a glass skylight to claim with a book. Come before lunch for the kitchen.
- Where: Siglap & Tanjong Katong
- Price: Under S$30
The Daily Scoop
Holland Village’s handmade ice-cream shop since 2009, now upstairs in Raffles Holland V Mall. Ask to taste whatever is new; add a waffle to make it dessert.
- Where: Holland Village
- Price: Under S$30
Lean & Rich Bakery
A former Tartine Seoul head baker splits his UE Square menu into lean doughs and rich ones. Start with the plain croissant, and order extra bread with the morning platter.
- Where: River Valley
- Price: Under S$30
The Fat Kid Bakery
Sourdough bombolini stuffed sweet or savoury, from a lockdown side hustle that had sold more than 200,000 by 2025. Go mid-afternoon, eat them the same day; closed Sundays.
- Where: Chinatown
- Price: Under S$30
Mother Dough Bakery
A Muslim-owned bakery on Jalan Kledek with lime-green walls and a sourdough starter that came from New York. Go in the morning for the almond croissant, or pre-order.
- Where: Kampong Glam
- Price: Under S$30
Petit Pain
Joo Chiat's small-batch croissant bakery, now on Joo Chiat Place. Three-day French butter lamination, a honey brioche for tomorrow, and a short week, so go early.
- Where: Joo Chiat
- Price: Under S$30
Birds of Paradise Gelato Boutique (Katong)
Gelato infused with real flowers, herbs and spices, in a house-made thyme-scented waffle cone, from the Katong original of a seven-shop brand. Get the cone; it's half the point.
- Where: Katong
- Price: Under S$30
Common Man Coffee Roasters (Martin Road)
The Martin Road flagship that made a quiet street near Robertson Quay a brunch address in 2013. Sit at the bar early for the coffee; budget for brunch. Cashless.
- Where: River Valley
- Price: S$30–60
Apartment Coffee
Ranked first in Asia by The World's 100 Best Coffee Shops two years running, from a white room on Selegie Road. Sit at the counter, order the filter and leave the laptop at home.
- Where: Little India
- Price: Under S$30
Chye Seng Huat Hardware
The Jalan Besar roastery the neighbourhood's cafés get measured against: a wraparound bar, beans roasted on site and a courtyard that pours beer after five. Sit at the bar.
- Where: Jalan Besar
- Price: Under S$30
Killiney Kopitiam (Killiney Road)
The first Killiney Kopitiam, still trading on the road that named it, a short walk from Somerset. Come for an early kaya toast and the backstory; the menu is the one the branches serve.
- Where: Orchard
- Price: Under S$30
Chin Mee Chin Confectionery
The Katong bakery-kopitiam that closed in 2018 and came back in 2021 with its marble tables, cream horns and charcoal-toasted buns intact. Go early, before the good bakes go.
- Where: Katong
- Price: Under S$30
Plain Vanilla Tiong Bahru
Tiong Bahru's linger-friendly bakery café, with a skylight, its own grocery label and cupcakes still the headline. Hot food stops at 3.50pm, and nobody takes bookings.
- Where: Tiong Bahru
- Price: Under S$30
Tiong Bahru Bakery
The croissant that started Singapore's bakery boom, now in 18 places. The Eng Hoon Street original is still the one worth getting up for; the mall branches are for emergencies.
- Where: Across Singapore
- Price: Under S$30
Dearborn
A River Valley breakfast with fine-dining technique and a lockdown-granola backstory. Walk-in only, closed Tuesdays and done by mid-afternoon; order the potato and egg.
- Where: River Valley
- Price: Under S$30
More restaurants collections
Restaurants worth planning around
Meals worth putting in the calendar, from Peranakan cooking to French dining and Singapore-led tasting menus. Settle the occasion first; the right table follows from it.
- 6 picks
Food centres
The answer when nobody agrees on lunch. Everyone browses, everyone orders their own, everyone meets back at one table; keep a second choice in case your stall is shut.
- 4 picks
Singapore flavours
Singapore food in three registers: a hawker meal, a heritage-led restaurant or a tasting menu. If you only do one, start at the hawker centre; the others are riffing on it.
- 5 picks
Eating in Dempsey
Dempsey is best done as one booked meal with time either side. Peranakan, French or an open kitchen, chosen for the company; don't rush the wander around it.
- 3 picks
Eating at New Bahru
New Bahru works best if you decide what you're eating before you arrive: breakfast, Sri Lankan cooking or pizza. Book the table, then wander afterwards.
- 3 picks
Tiong Bahru cafés and market
The small plan suits Tiong Bahru best: lunch at the market or a bakery stop, then a slow wander. Check which bakery branch you mean before you set off.
- 3 picks