Tiong Bahru Bakery

Eighteen branches. One neighbourhood. Choose accordingly.

Go to the original at 56 Eng Hoon Street on a weekday morning, and make the rest of Tiong Bahru part of the plan. That is the whole recommendation. Tiong Bahru Bakery now lists 18 locations, from JEM in the west to Tampines in the east, and the brand calls itself a neighbourhood bakery with a citywide rhythm, which is a nice way of saying that 17 of them are somewhere else. A croissant before a film at Raffles City is a civilised thing; only one branch comes with the neighbourhood.

The French connection

In 2012 it was exactly what the name said: one bakery in the 1930s estate that went on to become one of Singapore's best-known café neighbourhoods. It began with French baker Gontran Cherrier, working with the Spa Esprit group, and a menu of French artisanal breads, tarts and coffee. The brand's own story is about ritual rather than names: make simple things very well and become part of people's mornings. Its pitch is "morning croissants" and slow weekends, and the bakery case is the main event.

What to order

The kouign-amann first; if you're having a second thing, an almond croissant. A single pastry and a coffee is a perfectly respectable breakfast and does not have to become a full brunch. If one particular pastry is the reason you came, go early, because not every item lasts until the 8pm close.

Choosing a branch

If the original doesn't fit your day, match the branch to the plan: Cluny Court for a Botanic Gardens morning, Foothills at Fort Canning for a walk in the park, Siglap or Joo Chiat for the east. The listings show hot food only at Centrepoint and Raffles City, so don't count on more than pastry anywhere else. TBB Crumb & Go, a smaller format, also appears on the list at 55 Tiong Bahru Road, a few steps from the original.

Cross one off: the Safari outlet at Dempsey closed in January 2026 and no longer appears on the bakery's list, whatever the old photos on social media suggest.

Make a morning of it

The original's real advantage is what is around it: low-rise estate blocks, quiet streets and Tiong Bahru Market a short walk away. Treat the market as a separate meal rather than a second breakfast. Get your pastry, walk it off round the estate and come back hungry. Go on a weekday, from the 7.30am opening if you can; Saturday morning is when half the island has the same plan.

Good to know The original café is at 56 Eng Hoon Street, #01-70. Opening times and hot-food service differ by branch, so check the official locations page for your chosen café before you go. The Safari branch at Dempsey is closed.

The market, the bakeries and the coffee round the corner: our Tiong Bahru cafés and market picks.

Tiong Bahru Bakery | 56 Eng Hoon Street #01-70, Singapore 160056