Situated in north-east Singapore, Kovan is a neighbourhood which has plenty of great restaurants, cafes, eateries and hawker stalls. Here’s our pick of the food places in Kovan you need to try when you are in the area.

ALKOVE BISTRO

Alkove bistro is a new French-inspired bistro by Michelin-starred Chef Haikal Johari and Passion For Food, the group behind Chapter 55, Pietro Ristorante Italiano and the now-defunct Ice Edge. The bright and cheerful bistro serves casual and comforting French fare at reasonable prices and you can look forward to dishes such as Wagyu Onglet Steak, French Onion Soup as well as a selection of Viennoiserie and bakes.

2 Kovan Rd, #01-10 Simon Plaza
Singapore 548008

BEER BASKET KITCHEN & BAR

From bar bites, to burgers, pizza and beer, Beer Basket Kitchen & Bar is a place where you can chill out and have a drink with your friends during Happy Hour.

Beer Basket Kitchen & Bar
1010 Upper Serangoon Road, Singapore 534748
Tel: +65 8821 3780

DING TE LE

With excellent Xiao Long Bao (XLB), Shanghainese Noodle, Fried Rice and Sheng Jian Bao, Ding Te Le is a humble eatery renowned for its excellent Shanghainese cuisine.

Their Shanghai Sheng Jian Bao is a must-try dish. Pan-fried to a beautiful golden brown shade, the Sheng Jian Bao is filled with pork filling and soup. We can easily finish a dozen Sheng Jian Bao at a go.

Ding Te Le
949 Upper Serangoon Rd
Singapore 534713
Tel: +65 6282 4380

FATCAT ICE CREAM & COFFEE BOUTIQUE

Known for its charcoal waffles with salted egg yolk sauce, FATCAT Ice Cream Bar is an ice cream shop in Bedok and it has opened a new outlet, FATCAT Ice Cream & Coffee Boutique, at 15 Simon Road.

The new outlet in Kovan is for takeaway only and there is no dine-in area. As such, they will not be serving their signature charcoal waffles here.

FATCAT Ice Cream & Coffee Boutique
15 Simon Road
Singapore 545900

GONPACHI RAMEN

Nestled in the heartland of Kovan along the same row as popular Thai eatery, Nakhon Kitchen is Gonpachi Ramen. At this humble ramen joint, you can expect gorgeous bowls of restaurant-standard ramen that will not cost you more than S$10.

Gonpachi Ramen
Blk 212 Hougang Street 21, #01-329
Singapore 530212
Tel: +65 6584 1943

HANSIK KOREAN RESTAURANT

Situated on level 2 of Heartland Mall is a small family restaurant that serves authentic Korean fare called Hansik Korean Restaurant. For a small eatery, their menu is pretty extensive; from stews to real-deal barbecue. Their seafood soybean paste stew is a must-try for first timers.

This is our go-to Korean restaurant whenever we want a hearty and comforting Korean meal.

Hansik Korean Restaurant
205 Hougang Street 21
Level 2, Heartland Mall
Tel: +65 6288 2448

HENG LONG TEOCHEW PORRIDGE

Heng Long Teochew Porridge is our favourite teochew porridge stall in Singapore. We frequent the stall at least twice a month and what we love about them is the wide selection of dishes. Our top picks include their braised duck, braised intestines, stir-fried bitter gourd with egg.

Heng Long Teochew Porridge
1012 Upper Serangoon Rd
Singapore 534750

IVINS PERANAKAN RESTAURANT

For folks living in the Kovan neighbourhood, you can head to IVINS Nyonya Specialties at Heartland Mall.

While IVINS Nyonya Specialties has received mixed reviews—the standard has dropped slightly over the years—it is still a place that we go to for affordable Peranakan food.

IVINS Peranakan Restaurant
205 Hougang Street 21
Level 2, Heartland Mall
Tel: +65 6288 7922

LOLA’S CAFE

Known for its brunch fare, coffee and cakes, Lola’s Cafe is one of the more popular cafes in Kovan. It is also one of the few dog-friendly places in the Kovan and Serangoon neighbourhoods.

We recommend their Miso Salmon Grain Bowl, Bacon & Mushroom Truffle Cream Linguine and Lola’s Chocolate Cake.

Lola’s Cafe
5 Simon Road
Singapore 545893
Tel: +65 6343 1808

MAISON KAYSER

Artisanal French Bakery Maison Kayser has opened its 6th Outlet at Stars of Kovan in the Kovan neighbourhood. The new outlet is at Stars of Kovan and it has taken over the former premise of Sugartree Gelato.

There are a few seats in the small bakery cafe and you can enjoy a cup of coffee/tea with your bread and pastries.

Maison Kayser
988 Upper Serangoon Rd
#01-28 Stars of Kovan
Singapore 534733
+65 9010 7389

NAKED ICE CREAM

Located along the same stretch as Yaowarat Thai Kway Chap, Punggol Nasi Lemak, Ding Te Le and Qi Wei Chicken Claypot, Naked Ice Cream is a new waffle and ice cream cafe in Kovan which opens until 2am daily.

Like most ice cream cafes in Singapore, you can have your ice cream in a cup, cone or with a waffle. There are two waffles to choose from—Plain Waffle (S$3.80), or Charcoal Waffle (S$4.80).

Naked Ice Cream
957 Upper Serangoon Rd
Singapore 534717

NAKHON KITCHEN

Admittedly one of the most well-known Thai eateries in Singapore, Nakhon Kitchen is a household name among the Singaporeans which serves affordable and decent Thai food.

The waiting time during dinner is usually at least 30 minutes. The food here tastes like Bangkok street food, and to further boost its authenticity of the eatery, most of the staff are Thai too.

Nakhon Kitchen
212 Hougang Street 21 #01-341
Singapore 530212
Tel: +65 6286 8785

PIZZAEXPRESS

UK pizza chain, PizzaExpress Singapore has a cloud kitchen at Stars Of Kovan.

The pizzas are all made from scratch in store with fresh ingredients. Besides pizzas, PizzaExpress also has a whole range of salads, pastas and bite-size snacks.

PizzaExpress Kovan
988 Upper Serangoon Road
#01-45 Stars Of Kovan
Tel: +65 6969 4358

PONGGOL NASI LEMAK

Ponggol Nasi Lemak needs no introduction. This legendary nasi lemak stall has fantastic Chinese-style Nasi Lemak and we love their super crispy chicken wings, luncheon meat, and fried egg.

There is a long snaking queue at the stall once they open for business during dinner. Pro tip: the queue starts forming after 5.30pm, you can avoid the crowd if you reach there by 5pm.

Ponggol Nasi Lemak
965 Upper Serangoon Rd
Singapore 534721
Tel: +65 6281 0020

QI WEI CHINA CLAYPOT CHICKEN

One of the most renowned chicken hotpot restaurants in Singapore, Qi Wei China Claypot Chicken is a no-frills eatery that specialises in Chinese-style chicken hot pot (Ji Gong Bao).

You can also add more ingredients such as crab meat, quail eggs, vegetables, mushroom and luncheon meat to the hotpot.

Qi Wei China Claypot Chicken is perpetually packed; we highly recommend to reach there before 6pm. Otherwise, you can always go there for supper. They open until 2am every night.

Qi Wei China Claypot Chicken
947 Upper Serangoon Road
Singapore 534712

QI XIANG CHICKEN POT

Another chicken hotpot eatery in Kovan is Qi Xiang Chicken Pot.

Located in the same coffee shop as Ponggol Nasi Lemak, this supper spot in Kovan opens until 2am daily and this is where you can try its unique dark sauce chicken hot pot which has been fine tuned to cater to the locals’ taste buds.

Qi Xiang Chicken Pot has also opened a flagship restaurant at The Chevrons and it can accommodate up to 200 persons.

Qi Xiang Chicken Pot
973 Upper Serangoon Rd
Singapore 534725

THE BREAD SHOP

Other than freshly-baked bread and pastries, The Bread Shop in Kovan serves up the usual brunch works, but of great quality at affordable prices. Most of the dishes on the menu are priced under S$16.

The Bread Shop
953 Upper Serangoon Rd
Singapore 534715
Tel: +65 6581 7461

SELEGIE SOYABEAN

Head to Selegie Soyabean for some snacks after your dinner. It opens until 10.45pm daily and you can get your favourite soyabean, soy milk and fried dough fritters (youtiao) here.

Selegie Soyabean
1002 Upper Serangoon Rd
Singapore 534740
Tel: +65 6281 0933

SIN CHIE TOKE HUAN

This traditional Hainanese curry rice stall near Kovan MRT Station is incredibly popular and the queue forms even before they start their operation at 5pm. To be honest, we’ve tried their curry png several times and we don’t get the hype over it even though we are huge fans of Hainanese curry rice.

If you are looking for a supper spot in Kovan, you can consider to drop by Sin Chie Toke Huan. It opens until 2.30am at night.

Sin Chie Toke Huan
1018 Upper Serangoon Rd, Singapore 534756
Tel: +65 9003 5337

SOON SOON TEOCHEW PORRIDGE

Other than Heng Long Teochew Porridge, Soon Soon Teochew Porridge is another teochew porridge stall in Kovan that is along the same stretch as Lola’s Cafe.

Soon Soon Teochew Porridge
13 Simon Rd, Singapore 545897
Tel: +65 6954 4151

THIAM YIAN CONFECTIONERY

A traditional confectionery which has been around since the 1980s, Thiam Yian Confectionery is the place to satisfy your cravings for old-school cream cakes, handmade kueh and buns.

Thiam Yian Confectionery
1004 Upper Serangoon Rd
Singapore 534742
Tel: +65 6458 1478

TIAN WAI TIAN FISH HEAD STEAMBOAT

Tian Wai Tian Fish Head Steamboat is a zichar stall that is known for their Fish Head Steamboat as well as a wide variety of zi char favourites such as their Salted Egg Yolk Pork Ribs and Prawn Paste Chicken. Unfortunately, the standard of the food at their Kovan outlet isn’t as good as the original outlet at 1383 Serangoon Road.

Tian Wai Tian Fish Head Steamboat
203 Hougang Street 21 #01-12
Singapore 530203

THE HUMBLE SCOOP

Known for its locally-inspired ice cream flavours including Orh Haw (hawthorn berry), Orh-Bee-Good (pulut hitam) and In-Kueh-Dible (salted coconut & gula melaka), The Humble Scoop has opened its second outlet at Stars of Kovan.

The new ice cream takeaway shop in Kovan prides themselves on locally inspired ice cream flavours and they do not use any colourings, flavourings or additive in the ice cream.

The Humble Scoop
988 Upper Serangoon Road
Stars of Kovan #01-02
Tel: +65 8803 5981

Photo Credit: https://www.facebook.com/twocranes.sg/

TWO CRANES

For brunch and coffee with a Korean twist, Two Cranes is one to visit. This Korean-inspired cafe offers an eclectic mix of coffee beverages, savouries and desserts.

Some of the Korean mains you can try include Wonda Army Stew (S$16.90), Fu Bimbimbap (S$13.90), and Kimchi Fried Rice (S$12.90).

Two Cranes
Block 211, Hougang Street 21, #01-291
Singapore 530211
Tel: +65 8166 0140

WAN XIN MA LA XIANG GUO

Next to Beer Basket and Heng Long Teochew Porridge is Wan Xin Ma La Xiang Guo which opens until 3am daily. Other than their Ma La Xiang Guo, we also love their Chinese tomato stir-fry egg.

1006 Upper Serangoon Rd
Singapore 534744
Tel: +65 9887 3317

WENG FATT HONG KONG ROASTED SPECIALIST

This unassuming stall is our favourite roast meat stall in Kovan. Weng Fatt Hong Kong Roasted Specialist has excellent roast duck. Their char siew and roast pork are decent, though not as good as their roast duck.

Weng Fatt Hong Kong Roasted Specialist
210 Hougang Street 21
Singapore 530210

YAOWARAT THAI KWAY CHAP

Yaowarat Thai Kway Chap is a popular Thai eatery which is famous for their signature Thai-style kway chap.

It is a bowl of comforting goodness featuring deep-fried pork belly slices, beef slices, Thai fish sausages and offals together with their unique, rolled-up kway.

Yaowarat Thai Kway Chap
945 Upper Serangoon Road
Singapore 534711
Tel: +65 8822 5637

YI DIAN XIN HONG KONG DIM SUM

If you ask a resident of Kovan where you should head to for good dim sum without burning a hole in your pocket, Yi Dian Xin Hong Kong Dim Sum is the place to go.

Delicious and modest without being exorbitantly priced, Yi Dian Xin is where you can go to satiate your dim sum cravings without thinking twice about the price.

Yi Dian Xin Hong Kong Dim Sum
1012 Upper Serangoon Road
Teo Seng Eating House
Singapore 534750
Tel: +65 9168 5587

YAM MEE TEOCHEW FISHBALL NOODLES

There are three popular fishball stalls in Kovan 209 Market & Food Centre and one of them is Yam Mee Teochew Fishball Noodles. They have been selling their fish ball noodles—which feature bouncy fish balls, fish cake, minced pork, pork lard, mushroom, spring onions and springy noodles—to the residents in Kovan for decades.

You can also find Yam Mee Teochew Fishball Noodles at Yishun Park Hawker Centre and Kaki Bukit 511 Market And Food Centre.

209 Hougang Street 21, #01-35
Singapore 530209

YONG’S TEOCHEW KUEH

Established in 1998, Yong’s Teochew Kueh is a old-school kueh shop that specialises in traditional Teochew kueh including Png Kueh, Soon Kueh and Ku Chye (chives) Kueh.

4FINGERS CRISPY CHICKEN

Good news for those who are staying in Kovan and Hougang, the halal-certified chicken chain has an outlet in the neighbourhood.

4Fingers
Stars of Kovan #01-29
988 Upper Serangoon Rd, Singapore 534733

888 MOOKATA

Founded by local celebrities Chew Chor Meng and Zhou Chongqing in partnership with cousins Esmond and Ronnie, 888 Mookata is at the coffee shop in Blk 212 Hougang Street 21 and this is where you can get cheap and good mookata without denting a hole in your pocket.

888 Mookata
212 Hougang Street 21
Singapore 530212

Artisanal French Bakery Maison Kayser has opened its 6th Outlet at Stars of Kovan in the Kovan neighbourhood.

Maison Kayser is Eric Kayser’s eponymous bakery chain from France with sweet and savoury bakes and it has been named by Paris’ Figaro newspaper to be the best.

Besides their famous croissants, they also serve a selection of classic French breads, viennoiseries, sandwiches, soups, and salads.

The new outlet is located at Stars of Kovan and it has taken over the former premise of Sugartree Gelato—an ice cream shop by the same team behind Two Bakers—which has moved to Daily Ground in Bukit Timah.

Look forward to Maison Kayser’s popular French-style eclairs, breads, tarts and a whole plethora of sweet treats.

There are a few seats in the small bakery cafe and you can enjoy a cup of coffee/tea with your bread and pastries.

Maison Kayser
988 Upper Serangoon Rd
#01-28 Stars of Kovan
Singapore 534733
+65 9010 7389
Daily: 7.30am – 5.30pm

Read our guide on the cafes in the Kovan and Lorong Ah Soo neighbourhood.