In the recent years, we have seen the explosion of cafes in the local scene, and there is almost a new cafe opening every week. From hole-in-the-wall joints to specialty coffee houses and chic cafes, there are plenty of options to choose from when you are having caffeine withdrawal.
Follow our guide to the best coffee shops in Singapore.
At Assembly Coffee, every cup of coffee is brewed and created with dedication. It is not by chance that the latte art is pretty, and if you look across all the tables, you would realise the consistency and effort behind every cuppa.
26 Evans Lodge
Tel: +65 6735 5647
Tue to Sun: 8am – 7pm
Nearest Station: Botanic Gardens
Opened by the folks behind Papa Palheta and Loysel’s Toy, Chye Seng Huat Hardware is considered one of the best coffee joints in Singapore by many.
From the outside, Chye Seng Huat Hardware looks like a run-down hardware shop – but don’t be deceived by its name and exterior, because what do you know? It is actually a very hip coffee bar nestled in the otherwise forsaken street across Lavender Food Centre! In addition to the coffee bar, it also features a roastery, a coffee school and a private coffee tasting room.
150 Tyrwhitt Road
Singapore 207563
Tel: +65 6396 0609
Tue to Fri: 9am – 7pm
Sat & Sun: 9am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Lavender/Farrer Park
With a name like that, it goes without saying that the folks at Department of Caffeine take their coffee seriously. They use sustainably-sourced speciality coffee beans, and you can be assured that every cuppa is up to the standard.
15 Duxton Road
Tel: +65 6223 3426
Mon to Fri (except Wed): 10.30am – 7pm
Sat & Sun: 9.30am – 7pm
Nearest Station: Tanjong Pagar
Jewel Coffee at 1 Shenton Way has fast become one of the more popular coffee boutiques in the Central Business District (CBD). Coffee lovers who work in the area should really drop by the cafe after lunch to grab a cuppa for a little boost before going back to the pile of work and crazy stress. And oh, if you are looking for a weekend brunch spot, they have recently opened Jewel Cafe at Rangoon Road.
1 Shenton Way #01-07
Tel: +65 6636 9452
Mon to Fri: 7am – 9pm
Sat: 8am – 5pm
Nearest Station: Raffles Place
129 Rangoon Road
Tel: +65 6298 9216
Nearest Station: Farrer Park
Jimmy Monkey Cafe & Bar, an Australian-style indie cafe at One-North Residences, is a great addition to the local scene. If you are a coffee geek, you will be enthralled by the Slayer — a rare hand-built espresso machine which costs more than S$20,000 — at Jimmy Monkey. The coffee extracted on Slayer is exquisitely special and aromatic, and precisely because you can hardly get this quality in town, a trip down to this coffee joint will be worth every while.
9 One-North Gateway
#01-51 One-North Residences
Tel: +65 6777 8470
Sun to Thu: 8.30am – 8.30pm
Fri & Sat: 8.30am – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: One-North
Kith Cafe is my favourite hangout place in Orchard Road. I go there at least twice a week and I am glad to report that besides having good coffee, they also serve hearty breakfast and fresh sandwiches on the menu.
9 Penang Road
#01-01E Park Mall
Tel: +65 6338 8611
Daily: 8am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Dhoby Ghaut
Loysel’s Toy, also by Papa Palheta, is another good spot to enjoy your latte and cappuccino. One of the reasons why I like going there is because there is free parking – how rare in Singapore? The laid-back ambience makes it a nice place to catch up with your pals.
66 Kampong Bugis #01-01
Tel: +65 9451 0236
Tue to Fri 9am – 6pm
Sat & Sun 9am – 7.30pm
Nearest Station: Lavender
Necessary Provision is a gem and a wonderful spot for people who stay in the West of Singapore. It offers several options for coffee. For espresso based coffees, choose between the Black (S$4) and White (S$5). They also do a Pourover: V60 or Chemex (S$6.50).
Eng Kong Park
21 Eng Kong Terrace
Singapore 598993
Tel: +65 9231 7920
Wed – Thu: 10am – 10pm
Fri & Sat: 10am – 12 Midnight
Sun: 10am – 6pm
Nearest Station: Clementi
There are plenty of coffee joints in Singapore, but Nylon Coffee Roasters – a small speciality coffee shop – stands out from the crowd. Tucked in the sleepy Everton Park estate, the folks at Nylon are supremely passionate about their coffee. Other than sourcing directly from socially responsible farms, they also roast and put their coffee beans up for sale.
Do note that Nylon is a tiny space as it is more of a wholesale place than a cafe, regulars come here mostly for takeaway coffee.
4 Everton Park #01-40
Tel: +65 6220 2330
Mon to Fri: 8.30am – 5.30pm
Sat & Sun: 9am – 6pm
(Closed on Tue)
Nearest Station: Outram
Coffee addicts should include Oriole Coffee at Pan Pacific Serviced Suites in their list of favorites. Oriole specials include double ristretto servings of the Oriole espresso blend, as well as some of the award winning coffee creations. In addition, the coffee shop also has an extensive food menu which serves comfort food such as fish & chips, pork ribs and philly steak & cheese sandwich.
96 Somerset road #01-01
Pan Pacific Serviced Suites
Tel: +65 6238 8348
Mon to Thu: 11am – 11pm
Fri & Sat: 11am – 12midnight
Sun: 10.30am – 11pm
The baristas at The Bravey make exceptional coffee, in particular, the lavender latte (S$5.50) is something that we will order every time. After our first visit to this cafe in the Lavender neighbourhood, we find ourselves returning whenever we are in the vicinity and in need of a caffeine boast.
66 Horne Road
Daily (except Tue): 8am – 8pm
Nearest Station: Lavender
THE TINY ROASTER
The Tiny Roaster reminds us of Omotesando Koffee and Nylon Coffee Roaster – small, humble and homely. It has just opened two months ago in a tiny outlet on the ground level of a HDB in the West Coast neighbourhood.
Besides supplying coffee beans, coffee equipment and related merchandise, The Tiny Roaster also serves a selection of black brews, ice cold brews, or white brews in its coffee studio.
The Tiny Roaster is a welcome addition for folks who are staying in the West of Singapore. We will definitely be dropping by regularly when we need our caffeine fix.
612 Clementi West Street 1, #01-288
Tue to Sat: 11am – 8pm
Sun: 11am – 6pm
Nearest Station: Clementi
Another place that you can go for your caffeine boost is Toby’s Estate – an Australian coffee chain – at Robertson Quay. They are involved in the whole process – from buying their beans directly from farmers to roasting the beans and serving the quality coffee.
8 Rodyk Street #01-03/04
Tel: +65 6636 7629
Daily: 7.30am – 6pm
Nearest Station: Clarke Quay
This coffee house in Tiong Bahru – by Australian Harry Grover and the Spa Esprit Group – focuses on sustainably produced speciality coffee, stocking Fair Trade and Direct Trade coffee beans. It is an independent Aussie-style cafe where you can go with friends to have coffee and simple comfort food like freshly made toasties, brunch and hotdogs.
Blk 78 Yong Siak Street
#01-12 Singapore
Tel: +65 6225 8545
Tue: 8:30am – 6:30pm
Wed & Thu: 8:30am – 10pm
Fri & Sat: 8:30am – 11pm, Sun: 8:30am – 6:30pm
Nearest Station: Tiong Bahru
Nice list, but you left out a couple of others; Liberty Coffee @ Rangoon, Department of Caffeine @ Duxton, Artistry and Symmetry @ Arab Street area. IMHO, Liberty and Nylon serve the best coffee locally, by far
Dear Gaius Thank you for adding The Department of Caffeine to the List. I should think that Christian books and coffee can go together. I recall an incident in the book of Acts that someone took a fatal nap while Apostle Paul was sharing his experiences and fell to his death but he was restored to life by Paul. Would caffeine have helped him to stay awake I wonder??
As an overseas reader, it’s good to see that the western coffee scene is blooming in Singapore; however I had hoped there would be at least one or two shortlisted joints that serves a more local rendition of coffee. Are there any recommendations as to where I can get a decent cup of kopi o in my next visit to Singapore? Cheers.
I have tried a few of the above, but my all time favorite is Dimbulah at Chevron House or Market Street. Those who aork at Raffles Place will know what I’m talking about, and those who don’t.. if you’re a coffee lover, you MUST try it.
Thanks for the useful list! I agree with most of it, although a few of the cafes are much better in food than coffee. A few more that you should consider include: Liberty (Rangoon Rd), Penny University (Katong), Maison Ikkoku (Arab St) and Geisha (Bencoolen St). Most of my friends (locals and expats) swear by Nylon and Penny University….. both hidden gems, very under the radar and unpretentious….. international standards at these places! Thanks again for the tips!
Thank you for putting all the great coffee places together in one list! This is indeed useful for those who appreciate good coffee. You may want to check out & add to the list Yahava Koffeeworks
4 Jalan Gelenggang
Singapore 578188
Dear Sitting Duck, for a rather decent (and cheap) cup of local “kopitiam” kopi, you may wanna check out toastbox, Ya Kun, Ah Mei, or Wangz for your kopi-o fix. Cheers
Another missing gem: Highlander Coffee at 49 Kampong Bahru Road.
great list. there is also kiasu espresso. my current favorite is Nylon. I enjoyed Liberty, but I think it isn’t open very often. I’ll try Penny University and Strangers Reunion next.
Definitely agree about Nylon and Liberty. Jimmy Monkey is fun and worth the trip (much better than Dimbulah) if you’re after a proper Ozzie coffee. Kiasu in the Amara’s pretty nice too – run by the 40 Hands folks.
Hi Brad, can’t help but noticed that an experienced (since 2004) and well-kept secret of coffee enthusiasts is missing from the list. You may want to check out Highlander Coffee @Kampong Bahru. They may not have the comprehensive package of a café that most expect, but they certainly have one of the best coffees around. Besides pioneering the micro-roastery back then, they have evolved to supply to many local cafés (including some famous ones *wink) and corporates, raised awareness of coffee appreciation through their tireless outreach to corporates, and has recently acquired factory space to cope with their micro-roasting demands. Their house blend, Supremo, is one of the most balanced cuppas I’ve tasted, and I am a café lover like yourself too. Do try them if you have the time
Good to see some of my favourites on there – be sure to check out Revolution Coffee as well!
The good folks at Smitten have recently expanded into the suburbs of the Upper Bukit Timah area. Necessary Provisions at Eng Kong Terrace serves food too, besides great coffee.
Thanks all for the mentions in the comments. Although we don’t open often (you can follow our fb page for opening announcements, there’s also a FAQ somewhere there to learn more about us), you can always taste our coffees at some of our partner cafes. Here’s a few…
Artistry
17 Jalan Pinang
Flock Cafe
78 Moh Guan Terrace (Tiong Bahru Estate)
Patisserie G
#01-40 Millenia Walk
I like to scoot down to Soho Coffee at Armenian Street for my daily perk me up!
Freshly ground beans at this boutique cafe (they have a huge fire engine red grinder!) really gives me the quiet moment to escape from the central buzz of town!
Plus they serve great food too!
Wow, all these cafes look great. I’m so going to spend hours just going around cafes the next time I visit Singapore!
Have tried all the coffee places mentioned above, some of these places are below average. It would be good if this list could be properly updated to remove these substandard coffees
Dear Sitting Duck and anyone who cares about local kopi, the best coffee – thickest, most satisfying – to be had in Singapore is at Blk 23 Sin Ming Rd. (Not the franchise ya kun n toast box outlets which vary in quality. ) And while you’re there, order their French baguette as well. Warm crisp and dripping with butter and kaya. Yums!
I will add my endorsement to Highlander Coffee as the best coffee I’ve had in Singapore. The shop is somewhat out-of-the-way and the selection of food is limited, but brothers Phil and Cedric Ho are serious about coffee. They supply several other shops with their roast, and they pride themselves on the quality and consistency of their coffee.
One other recommendation is Dutch Colony Coffee, a roaster that recently set-up its first shop at Turf City.
Thanks for the comprehensive list! As a first timer in SIngapore I cannot wait to go throughout it all. Just visited Nylon and must say loved the current blend so much that brought the bag of their roast home. Chye Seng Huat Hardware is on my list for tomorrow! Thanks
How could one miss out on Oriole Coffee Roasters
in Chinatown?
Way more suited for a quiet sit-down with a friend than the noisy and often packed CSHH…
So many places!
How I’m I gonna find time to try em’ all.
Hey Chef, my personal favourite coffee joint is Yahava Coffeeworks located at Jalan Gelenggang off Sembawang Hills drive. They roast their own beans and their house blend is simply heavenly.
I have tried Yahava and their beans are indeed not bad, though I wish they wouldn’t leave them lying around the shop in open bags!
Brawn & Brains at Guillemard Road has the best coffee!
Try the coffee and food at Jamaica Blue at One Raffles Place
You’ve got to try Dimbulah Coffee! It’s a mainstay for anyone working in the CBD like myself. Great for lunch as well, all their food, pastry and desserts are made fresh in house. The latte’s are to die for and include two ristretto shots instead of a one shot latte at places like starbucks and coffee bean. Their customer service is amazing and they always remember my name and order. I just walk up and pay
Hi guys, you need to list down Sarnies Cafe at 136 Telok Ayer Street too! They roast their own coffee beans and they come in varieties! Great coffee, great food! Very personalised service too although very crowded during lunch hour. They do sandwiches and salads on weekdays for lunch and a great dinner menu too! They have a UFIT menu for the gym buffs and brunch on weekends. Do check it out!