The charming Lavender and Jalan Besar neighbourhoods are filled with plenty of cafes, coffee shops and dessert places.

From the OG coffee shop, Chye Seng Huat Hardware to newly-opened spots including La Levain and Habitat Coffee, here are 15 cafes in Lavender and Jalan Besar to check out next.

BLACK FAIRY COFFEE

Black Fairy Coffee is a cafe at Jalan Besar serving coffee, all-day brunches, Asian fusion dishes, and small bites. Some of their signatures include Popcorn Latte, Soy Chicken, Rustic Beef Stew and a selection of bentos.

131 Tyrwhitt Rd, Singapore 207553
Tel: +65 6909 3518

CHYE SENG HUAT HARDWARE

One of the OG coffee shops in Singapore, Chye Seng Huat Hardware needs no introduction.

Keeping the name of the hardware store that they took over, Chye Seng Huat Hardware possesses a modern-industrial style interior, specialising in unique blends of coffee and an exciting all-day breakfast menu.

Known for serving a mean cup of coffee, this is essentially a haven for coffee lovers and those who enjoy Western brunch.

Chye Seng Huat Hardware
150 Tyrwhitt Road
Singapore 207563
Tel: +65 6396 0609

ELIJAH PIES

Elijah Pies is a popular pie/tart shop which is known for their famous nutella pie.It has opened a new baking studio at 803 King George’s Ave in the Lavender neighbourhood. There will not be any dine-in area and it is only for takeaways only.

Fans of Elijah Pies will also be happy to know that they will be selling their pies by the slice at the studio. The prices of the pies by the slice range between S$7 to S$7.50 and the flavours for the day are subject to availability.

Elijah Pies
803 King George’s Ave, #02-216
Singapore 200803
Tel: +65 9855 9480

HABITAT COFFEE

Habitat Coffee has moved from Upper Thomson Road to a new location at King’s George Avenue in the Lavender neighbourhood.

The cafe has been around at the previous location at Upper Thomson Road for the past 10 years, and despite the tough competition in the cafe scene, it shines and remains a favourite for many. Habitat Coffee is worth visiting because it serves good coffee and well-cooked dishes at reasonable prices.

Habitat Coffee
803 King’s George Ave
#01-242/244
Singapore 200803

LA LEVAIN

Located at 23 Hamilton Road near Jalan Besar and Lavender, La Levain is a new bakery cafe by pastry chef, Wythe Ng who used to work at Keong Saik Bakery & Bakery Brera.

Pasty chef Wythe Ng had co-founded Keong Saik Bakery with another partner before leaving in 2019. He last worked at Bakery Brera as the head chef and he had also worked at Japanese bakery chain Boulangerie Asanoya and Baker & Cook.

La Levain
23 Hamilton Road
Singapore 209193

LUCID

If you’re on the hunt for a quiet place to work or a place for good conversations, Lucid will fit the bill perfectly. The quiet ambience and clean aesthetic completely won us over. Kickstart your day at this cafe which offers a quick caffeine fix for coffee junkies or sweet treats for dessert addicts. Good vibes guaranteed.

This minimalistic cafe with mainly grey cement tones had a modern industrial design that was aesthetically pleasing with beautiful natural lighting that entered the space.

Lucid
38 Hamilton Road
Singapore 209208

OBERSTRASSE

A popular haunt among cafe enthusiasts and nearby office workers, this humble cafe is the perfect go-to if you ever find yourself craving a hearty all-day breakfast.

Their menu is extensive, to say the least, and they also serve up coffee that pairs beautifully with your food.

Oberstrasse
809 French Road,
Singapore 200809

ONCE UPON A TIME BY JEANETTE AW

Once Upon A Time is a minimalistic bakery opened by Singaporean actress, Jeanette Aw. The patisserie offers a revolving menu of cakes and pastries; with three to five items available at any one time.

There is no fixed menu and the bakes are offered for a limited period of time until they retire.

Once Upon A Time
35 Hamilton Rd, #01-04
Singapore 209204

Photo credit: Pacto by Parchmen

PACTO BY PARCHMEN

Pacto by Parchmen is a relatively new cafe at Jalan Besar Community Centre and it is opened by the team behind pet-friendly Sun Ray Cafe and Parched. Sun Ray Cafe is known for serving excellent coffee at wallet-friendly prices and you can expect the same of Pacto by Parchmen.

Pacto by Parchmen uses an exclusive Pacto espresso blend of Ethiopia, Guatemala and Colombia beans roasted fresh from their roastery, Parchmen.

An espresso is priced at S$2, while you can get Latte and Cappuccino at S$4.

Pacto by Parchmen
69 Jellicoe Road #01-05 Singapore 208737
Jalan Besar Community Centre

Photo credit: The Refinery

THE REFINERY

Serving delicious grain bowls, ice cold beers and fresh coffee, The Refinery aims to redefine casual dining and social drinking. Most dishes are affordably priced under S$20 and our top picks include their Aburi Salmon Donburi, Salted Egg Onion Rings as well as their signature Gyudon.

The Refinery
115 King George’s Avenue
Tel: +65 6293 0461

THE LUNAR RABBIT BOULANGERIE

The Lunar Rabbit Boulangerie is a new French bakery which specialises in viennoiserie—the ‘bridge’ between pâtisserie and French bread.

The Lunar Rabbit Boulangerie’s executive baker & owner, Elaine graduated from Le Cordon Bleu Tokyo and she worked in a French-Japanese bakery in Singapore before starting out The Lunar Rabbit Boulangerie on her own.

The Lunar Rabbit Boulangerie is a takeaway-only bakery without any dine-in area and they will be offering up to 13 types of Viennoiserie every day.

The Lunar Rabbit Boulangerie
16 Hamilton Road, #01-02
Singapore 209186
Tue to Sun: 8.30am to 5pm

THE TIRAMISU HERO

Aptly named so, The Tiramisu Hero is an adorable and heartwarming cafe tucked along the stretch of Tyrwhitt Road which is known for their signature tiramisu.

121 Tyrwhitt Road
Tel: +65 6292 5271

TWO BAKERS

Helmed by Le Cordon Bleu Paris trained chef, Two Bakers is a cosy cafe that sits along Horne Road and they do both mains and desserts really well.

With the mission to serve wholesome food for the soul and the motto of “eat well live well”, it is a place where you can go for yummy brunch or to have a cuppa with your favourite desserts.

Two Bakers also has another outlet in Serangoon.

Two Bakers
88 Horne Road
Tel: +65 6293 0329

WIMBLY LU @ TYRWHITT

Located just a few doors away from Chye Seng Huat Hardware Coffee, Wimbly Lu’s outlet at Tyrwhitt Road is definitely more accessible as compared to the original outlet at Jalan Riang

Staying true to what they know best, Wimbly Lu @ Tyrwhitt is essentially a cosy and artsy place filled with many #OOTD opportunities. During your visit, make sure that you try their fluffy yet firm waffles and Root Beer Float Cake.

Wimbly Lu @ Tyrwhitt
166 Tyrwhitt Road,
Singapore 207570
Tel: +65 6291 8138

Pacto by Parchmen is a new cafe at Jalan Besar Community Centre and it is opened by the team behind pet-friendly Sun Ray Cafe and Parched.

The Lavender neighbourhood is home to many wonderful cafes and following on the arrival of Habitat Coffee, Pacto by Parchmen is the latest addition to the area.

Sun Ray Cafe is known for serving excellent coffee at wallet-friendly prices and you can expect the same of Pacto by Parchmen.

Pacto by Parchmen uses an exclusive Pacto espresso blend of Ethiopia, Guatemala and Colombia beans roasted fresh from their roastery, Parchmen.

An espresso is priced at S$2, while you can get Latte and Cappuccino at S$4.

Other than coffee, Pacto by Parchmen offers a wide range of teas from Parchmen which includes Ao Fu Hou Dancong from Chao Zhou.

There is also a selection of cakes that are baked in house and you can enjoy them together with your coffee and tea.

Photos credit: Pacto by Parchmen

To celebrate their opening, they have a special promotion of 10% for all orders from now until 12 September 2021.

Pacto by Parchmen
69 Jellicoe Road #01-05 Singapore 208737
Jalan Besar Community Centre
Daily: 9am – 9pm
Nearest Station: Lavender

Habitat Coffee has moved from Upper Thomson Road to a new location at King’s George Avenue in the Lavender neighbourhood. It has soft launched on 3 August 2021 and you can get your coffee and brunch fix from their new home.

The cafe has been around at the previous location at Upper Thomson Road for the past 10 years, and despite the tough competition in the cafe scene, it shines and remains a favourite for many. Habitat Coffee is worth visiting because it serves good coffee and well-cooked dishes at reasonable prices.

Habitat Coffee’s owner, Ryan Pang, is also one of the owners behind Equate Coffee—a minimalist coffee shop in Tanjong Pagar that focuses on coffee and pastries.

Regulars to Habitat Coffee will be happy to know that the cafe has retained its signature dishes on the menu.

They will also be introducing a new food menu within the next two weeks, so it’s definitely something to look forward to when dine-in resumes.

The team at Habitat Coffee is passionate about bringing different coffee blends of varying origins and it certainly serves one of the best coffees in Singapore.

Habitat Coffee
803 King’s George Ave
#01-242/244
Singapore 200803

Barking Irons is a new steampunk-themed speakeasy bistro bar in Lavender serving up an interesting innovation: local-inspired cocktails! The catch? These cocktails are made from a harmonious blend of both our all-time favourite childhood beverages and liquor.

They also have a sweet story behind the inspiration for their local drinks: they wanted to adopt the “coffee-shop style” with drinks that reminded others of their throw-back childhood generation.

A fairly new kid on the block, Barking Irons has slowly been gaining recognition amongst alcoholics for their killer cocktails and toothsome mains.

We had to try their famed local-inspired cocktails, so we went for their Bandung with Grass Jelly (S$19.00). At first glance, it looks like an unassuming glass of bandung; the drink is actually a balanced mixture of your standard rose syrup, grass jelly, and a douse of roku gin.

It even came with a giant syringe containing condensed milk, making the drink picture perfect for Instagram!

Inject the syringe into the drink, give it a good swirl, and the familiar pink drink comes alive right before your eyes. Upon taking the first sip, we were hit with a heady wave of earthy notes. The sweetness of the bandung paired well with the alcohol, giving it a light, rose aftertaste while elevating the gin’s natural botanical sweetness.

Complementing well with our drink was their Charcoal Skewers in Teriyaki Chicken (S$8.00).

We could taste the charred smokiness from the chicken, which was nicely grilled. The coating of the sweet sauce also added on to its savouriness. While the skin was crisp, the meat inside was tender and slid off the stick easily.

If you are craving for something substantial, definitely try out their Har Cheong Gai Burger (S$18.00)! Taking centre stage among their range of delectable mains, the burger is served with tantalising charcoal buns sandwiching huge chunks of chicken.

The chicken was coated with a thick layer of prawn paste; it was also well battered and crispy, oozing juiciness when we bit into the succulent meat.

Barking Irons is the bar to go to if you are looking for a chill watering hole with a variety of alcoholic options to spend with friends. This place promises nothing except good vibes, amazing service and strong booze guaranteed to give you a buzz!

P.S, the folks here are also coming up with new flavours for their local drinks, such as Ondeh Ondeh and Ice Ka Chang. If that hasn’t tempted you to head down and give them a try, we don’t know what will.

78 Horne Road, #01-01
Singapore 209078
Tel: +65 6909 0349
Tues to Sun: 4pm – 12am
(Closed on Mondays)
Nearest Station: Lavender