Best Coffee Shops in Singapore

Singapore's coffee story is really two stories. The first is kopi, the traditional sweetened coffee brewed through a sock filter that has been part of Singapore's culture for generations. The second is the specialty coffee wave that has produced some of Asia's most sophisticated cafes in a remarkably small geographic area.

Tiong Bahru

Tiong Bahru is Singapore's most coffee-focused neighborhood. Forty Hands helped establish it as a destination and still operates one of the best cafes in the city. Drip by D.O.C. and a collection of other quality shops make the neighborhood worth an entire morning.

Chinatown and Telok Ayer

The historic Chinatown area has a mix of traditional kopi shops and new specialty cafes that creates one of the most interesting coffee landscapes in the city. Common Man Coffee Roasters has multiple locations and is consistently excellent.

The CBD and Marina Bay

The Central Business District has improved significantly. The density of finance and tech workers has created demand for quality coffee during work hours, and the cafes have responded. The views from some CBD locations are themselves worth the visit.

Kopi culture

Don't leave Singapore without drinking proper kopi at a hawker center. The traditional brew, served with condensed milk and often with kaya toast, is one of the city's defining food experiences. It exists in parallel with the specialty scene, not in competition with it.

See all Singapore coffee shops on the Singapore guide.

Related reading: Tokyo, Seoul, Melbourne. See all coffee shops in Singapore on our city guide.

Singapore specialty cafes count toward Pulled Coffee exploration challenges.

Bugis and Arab Street

Bugis Street's commercial density and Arab Street's cultural character create an interesting coffee environment. The Malay and Arab cultural influences in the area have produced cafes that blend specialty sensibility with Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian aesthetics. The proximity to Kampong Glam's heritage shophouses creates a setting for coffee that is distinctively Singaporean.

Tanjong Pagar and Telok Ayer

The Tanjong Pagar area's mix of heritage shophouses and modern office towers creates a coffee culture that serves both the professionals who work there and the visitors who come for the food. Chye Seng Huat Hardware's conversion from its namesake use to one of Singapore's most celebrated specialty cafes is the neighborhood's defining coffee story.

Holland Village and Dempsey Hill

Holland Village's expat-friendly character and its suburban commercial strip support a cafe culture that is more relaxed than the CBD. Dempsey Hill's converted colonial military barracks have attracted several quality food and beverage operations including coffee shops that benefit from the garden setting.

Geylang and Joo Chiat

Geylang's reputation conceals one of Singapore's most interesting food landscapes, and coffee is part of it. Joo Chiat's Peranakan character and its genuine neighborhood feel have attracted coffee shops that serve residents rather than destination visitors. Both areas are underrepresented in Singapore food and coffee writing relative to what's actually there.