Singapore’s bustling culinary scene is often celebrated for its vibrant hawker centers and the best fine dining establishments, but tucked away in its charming neighborhoods are traditional old-school bakeries that offer a delightful glimpse into the city’s rich heritage.

These surviving old-school bakeries, some of which have been around for decades, continue to serve up time-honored treats such as buttercream cakes, pandan chiffon cakes, kuehs and egg tarts.

Here are 12 traditional bakeries in Singapore you must visit for old-school bakes.

BALMORAL BAKERY

For those who live in Clementi, Balmoral Bakery is an old-school bakery that would be no stranger to you. With roots dating back to the mid-1960s, Balmoral Bakery is well-loved for their baked pastries and fluffy cakes.

Balmoral Bakery is located at the edge of the rows of shops at Sunset Way Residence. However, what makes this humble bakery stand out is its brick walls and tiled flooring. The pastries at Balmoral Bakery are priced affordably and most are below S$2 each. Our picks were the Chicken Pie (S$1.80), Char Siew Soh (S$1.60) and the Beef Pie (S$2.50).

105 Clementi Street 12,
#01-06, Singapore 120105
Tel: 6779 2064

DONA MANIS CAKE SHOP

Dona Manis Cake Shop is a small and humble 28-year-old bakery nestled within the basement of Katong Shopping Centre. Co-founded by friends back in 1992, Dona Manis Cake Shop has received much love for their banana pie over the years and there is no indication that this is going to change any time soon.

Dona Manis Cake Shop’s Banana Pie will only set you back S$3.30 per slice and S$33 for a whole pie (10 slices). So are we fans of the Banana Pie? You bet we are. Their Banana Pie was filled with a generous helping of bananas, and the filling was moist even after the Banana Pie spent a day in the fridge. The moist filling was complemented by the crunch of the toasted almonds atop the pie. Whilst you can pick up the Banana Pie in stores, do consider ordering the Banana Pie in advance to avoid disappointment.

865 Mountbatten Road,
Katong Shopping Centre, #B1-93,
Singapore, 437844
Tel: 6440 7688

JI XIANG CONFECTIONERY

Ji Xiang Confectionery has been handcrafting traditional Ang Ku Kueh since 1988 and the family-run business is fortunately unthreatened by the rising number of cafes in its vicinity. These handmade Chinese pastries are usually filled with sweet mung bean or peanut but you can also find other flavours such as Coconut, Corn, Salted Bean and Yam over at Ji Xiang.

1 Everton Park
Singapore 081001
Tel: +65 6223 1631

JIE BAKERY

Feeling nostalgic for old-school roti loaves that are freshly sliced right in front of your eyes? Then head down to Jie Traditional Bread Bakery, one of the older bakeries in Singapore that remains unfazed by Singapore’s rapid development.

The rustic bakery still exudes quaint old-world charm and is a must-visit for those who wish to teleport back to the old days. If you’ve ever wondered where those rainbow-coloured bread—the ones commonly found at push kart ice cream stands—come from, here’s your answer.

123 Upper Paya Lebar Road
Singapore 534837
Tel: +65 6289 7461

LEK LIM NONYA CAKE CONFECTIONERY

Lek Lim Nonya Cake Confectionery is a Halal-certified bakery that takes pride in serving a plethora of traditional Peranakan delights. It started in 1968 when they first started selling tasty homemade kuehs and the rest is history.

Savour their signature Ang Ku Kueh (S$0.55 per piece), Kueh Lapis Nonya (S$0.65 per piece) and Kueh Kao Swee (S$0.65).

#01-21, Block 84
Bedok North Street 4
Singapore 460084
Tel: +65 6449 0815

LOVE CONFECTIONERY

Love Confectionery is located beside Alexander Village Food Centre and has been a perennial favourite amongst residents since their childhood days for its buttercream cakes and homemade spreads. Their pandan cake remains a hot seller and is one that definitely warrants a try.

Block 122 #01-60
Bukit Merah Lane 1
Singapore 150122
Tel: +65 6278 2385

LEUNG SANG HONG KONG PASTRIES

Leung Sang Hong Kong Pastries is Heaven on Earth. Upon stepping in, you would be greeted by the aroma of fresh bakes and everything wonderful. This old-school looking confectionery may look next to nothing, but they have one of the best egg tarts in Singapore.

We first had the egg tarts from Leung Sang Hong Kong Pastries back in 2007, and we have been fans of it ever since. The confectionery used to be on Sago Street – inconspicuous and hard to locate. But the ones in the know make it there anyway. Today, they sit on Jalan Membina, opposite Tiong Bahru Bakery.

18 Jln Membina, #01-06
Singapore 164018
Tel: +65 6271 6056

NG KIM LEE CONFECTIONERY

For those who grew up in the West side of Singapore, Ng Kim Lee Confectionery would be a name familiar to you. A family-run bakery situated along Chun Tin Road, Ng Kim Lee Confectionery is known for selling Teochew-style pastries and traditional Western cakes at affordable prices.

Pastries always taste best freshly baked, and this is exactly what you’d get at Ng Kim Lee Confectionery. One of their top-selling bakes is the mini butter muffins.

At just S$0.70 per piece, you’d be able to sample many of their flavours without feeling the pinch. As we arrived rather late in the day, we only managed to pick up a couple of their Strawberry Muffins and Jam Muffins. These mini butter muffins had a balanced taste and was not overly buttery.

4 Chun Tin Road
Singapore 599591

SERANGOON GARDEN BAKERY & CONFECTIONERY

Serangoon Garden Bakery & Confectionery is an institution which has been dishing out Singapore-style old-school breads—or better recognised as buns—for decades.

The Butter Bun is probably the most famous one, while the Cheese Bun comes close in terms of popularity. The Hamburger is essentially chicken luncheon meat enveloped in soft bun, and the Kaya Peanut is our all-time favourite.

While everyone has their favourites (and there are only a handful of surviving traditional bakeries in Singapore), we grew up with Serangoon Garden Bakery & Confectionery at Serangoon Garden Market and it is our go-to place whenever we want to satisfy our craving for old-school buns.

49A Serangoon Garden Way
#01-45 Garden Market
Singapore 555945

SEMBAWANG CONFECTIONERY

Sembawang Confectionery is a humble old-school bakery tucked away at the ground floor of a HDB estate at Beach Road, not Sembawang. This bakery has been rolling out freshly baked bread and cakes since the 1960s. Best of all, their goods are free from preservatives.

Sembawang Confectionery carries a wide array of baked goods for your picking. From individually wrapped buns, loaves of bread, kueh, pastries and nostalgic Western cakes, there is something for everyone here.

6 Beach Rd, #01-4869,
Singapore 190006
Tel: +65 6295 3965

SING HON LOONG BAKERY

In this day and age, you don’t often come across bakeries that are open 24 hours every day. Sing Hon Loong Bakery is a traditional bakery at Whampoa which sells old-school buns throughout the day. Yes, that’s right; all day, every day.

When you drop by, you need to pick up a few of Sing Hon Loong Bakery’s traditional loaves which would pair perfectly with a cup of Kopi or Teh.

With more than 50 years of history, this is one of the best bakeries to visit for a trip down memory lane or if you’re looking for a quick yet reliable fix for that random carb craving.

4 Whampoa Drive
Singapore 327715
Tel: 6256 0878

THIAM YIAN CONFECTIONERY

Located in the Kovan heartlands, Thiam Yian Confectionery is a humble old-school bakery that serves cream cakes, Chinese pastries, and handmade kuehs since the 1980s.

It is located along the same stretch as Heng Long Teochew Porridge and Selegie Soyabean. You can head over to Heng Long for a simple and hearty Teochew porridge meal before grabbing some desserts from Selegie Soyabean and pastries from Tjiam Yian Confectionery.

1004 Upper Serangoon Rd, Singapore 534742
Tel: +65 6458 1478

A stalwart bastion of traditional nonya kuehs, Tiong Bahru Galicier Pastry has been enamouring senses since its inception in the 1970s, enrapturing with its beautiful array of traditional kuehs and baked goods.

It has been reported by Eatbook that the famous old-school bakery may be closing its current space in Tiong Bahru due to an impending sale of their shophouse unit. However, it remains unclear whether Tiong Bahru Galicier Pastry is closing for good or simply moving to a new shop.

Photo by Nicholas Poey

When we contacted the Tiong Bahru Galicier Pastry about their closure, the staff was hesitant and reluctant to confirm that they are closing for good and she brushed us off by asking us to “visit them soon to buy their kuehs”.

For those of you who haven’t been to Tiong Bahru Galicier Pastry, it is an old-school confectionery in Tiong Bahru that sees long queues daily, this family-owned business is untouched by time and specialises in nonya kueh.

Go for the classics here for a taste of nostalgia—their kueh kosui and ongol-ongol are results of a precarious culinary balancing act, and their bestsellling putu ayu have both a coconut and gula melaka crown for added flavour and texture contrast.

If you’re early and lucky, you have to try their signature Putu Ayu. These cute little pandan cakes are topped with desiccated coconut and gula melaka; so soft and subtly sweet with a lovely fragrance, you can’t stop at just one!

Tiong Bahru Galicier Pastry
Block 55 Tiong Bahru Road #01-39
Singapore 160055
Tel: +65 6324 1686

Read our guide on 20 Nonya Kueh places in Singapore to satisfy your kueh cravings.

Nestled among the many shophouses that pave the streets of Kampong Glam, Rich & Good Cake Shop stands as something of a confectionery institution in Singapore. They specialise in a variety of Swiss rolls that come in several flavours from chocolate, mango, green tea to blueberry and even durian.

The two flavours, however, responsible for their claim to fame are their Kaya Swiss roll and Durian Swiss roll. Perhaps it’s due to the sense of nostalgia that these classic flavours evoke, but one thing’s for sure, they taste mighty darnn good.

Swirled with pandan-infused kaya, the Kaya Swiss roll is, without a doubt, one of our all-time favourites. The sweet aroma of pandan, coupled by the semi-sweet coconut jam filling makes this modest-looking Swiss roll just the best tea time snack.

We love that it isn’t overly sweet nor laden with insane amounts of filling but still hits the spot nonetheless, and the pillowy exterior also does well to give the roll a nice texture.

Encased within a soft, durian-accented roll is a cream filling mixed with creamy durian. The ratio between durian cream to sponge cake is perfect, such that neither of them overwhelms the other. The roll is sweet but is nicely balanced out by a subtle saltiness in the cream itself. A hit among durian lovers, this is must if you’re thinking of bringing a dessert over to a house party—provided they’re fans of durian as well.

The flavours and creamy texture of their Chocolate Swiss roll resemble the humble chocolate cake sold in many heartland bakeries. This is by no means comparable if you’re talking about the best chocolate cake around but it does sing of nostalgia, giving us a blast to the past to a time when being able to indulge in a decadent chocolate cake could only happen during birthday celebrations.

The one thing that makes their cakes stand out—and we’re sure most of their fans would agree too—is that their Swiss rolls are incredibly fresh-tasting and will never, ever give you a sense that it was prepared days prior. Take their Strawberry Swiss roll for instance.

Wrapped in between the sponge cake lies swirls of sweet strawberry cream that is nicely underscored by a tinge of sourness—a particular quality that could only be achieved by using fresh strawberries. Their Swiss rolls are all made fresh daily and the benefits include a stronger aroma and fresher flavour.

Rich & Good Cake Shop
24 Kandahar Street,
Singapore 198887
Tel: +65 6294 3324
(Closed on Sundays)
Mon: 10.30am – 5pm
Tue to Sat: 9am – 5pm
Nearest Station: Bugis / Nicoll Highway