In celebration of International Coffee Day, and with an abundance of cafes popping up all around our island this year, we’ve decided to compile some of the most unique ones, from those with interesting backstories to those with innovative food creations. Our lineup consists of plant-based cafes, kid-friendly cafes, instagrammable cafes and more—there’s definitely something for everyone, whether you’re a cafe hopper or not.
Knock Knock Cafe
A beautiful floral-themed cafe located at Kallang that serves a range of fusion and classic western dishes and desserts like Chilli Crab Tacos, Tiger Prawn ‘Hei Bi Hiam’ Aglio Olio and ‘Ondeh Ondeh’ Tiramisu. If burgers are your thing, they’ve also got a selection of unique ones including their Ayam Lemak Burger and Otak-Otak Burger. As for drinks, you wouldn’t want to miss out on Knock Knock Cafe’s Bear Lattes. For just $6.50, you can get a caramel, lavender or mocha latte with an adorable iced teddy sitting on top of the foam, but here’s the catch—the cafe is limited to 30 glasses of Bear Lattes per day, on a first-come-first-serve basis! If you want to get your hands on one, your best bet is to visit the cafe earlier in the day.
More information: Knock Knock Cafe
Dewgather
Describing itself as “an oasis in an urban jungle”, Dewgather is an intricately designed space for loved ones to gather over Australian specialty coffee and food located at The Star Vista. The outdoor area of the cafe has a glass roof canopy allowing sunlight to stream in, giving the place a warm and bright atmosphere. One of the cafe’s most unique menu items is their French Toast that features fluffy cotton candy on Crème anglaise ice cream, crushed pistachios and brioche toast topped with some edible flowers.
More information: Dewgather
Main Street Commissary
Main Street Commissary is a no-frills, unpretentious specialty coffee place serving up delicious all-day brunch, sandwiches, rice bowls and pastas at 81 Rowell Road in the heart of Little India. In the interests of full disclosure – Main Street Commissary is owned by the same company behind GEN X Singapore.
The cafe has recently launched it’s Cold Brew selection, including the Cold Brew Macchiato and Tea Macchiato, as well as two new Strawberry and Espresso Tres Leches Cakes. If you’re looking for a nice cosy environment to sit down and enjoy a cuppa, this is the place to go.
More information: Main Street Commissary
Sweet Cheeks Gelato
Sweet Cheeks Gelato specialises in making interesting gelato flavours. They’ve been around since 2019 and have just opened their third outlet at Lavender this year! Their gelato is made fresh in-house by a team of professionals daily. Every component that goes into their gelato is also hand-crafted by their gelato makers, from honeycomb to toasted cereal to hot fudge to mango puree, giving them 100% control over what goes into their gelato so that they can craft them to perfection. Their flavour menu is also constantly changing in accordance to the season, depending on the kind of fresh produce available. If you’d like, you can choose any gelato flavour and turn it into a milkshake or affogato!
More information: Sweet Cheeks Gelato
Acoustics Coffee Bar
Acoustics Coffee Bar had to close its old outlet at Ang Mo Kio, but they’ve made a comeback this year with a new outlet at Neil Road! The cafe’s concept is to allow diners to experience good acoustics for having conversations by creating a neutral sound environment in its interior, hence its name. If you’re not sure what to get, try their recommended menu items like their Brie & Mushroom Croissant or their signature Acoustics Deconstructed Cheesecake. A fan favourite is their Laksa Cream, using spaghetti instead of noodles, topped with prawns and crispy tofu puffs.
More information: Acoustics Coffee Bar
Sevens Cafe
Sevens Cafe is a cafe that specialises in modern Australian cuisine with thoughtfully designed interiors and lush surroundings. They take pride in using sustainably sourced and locally roasted coffee beans. Aside from their savoury dishes including pasta, avocado toast, bangers and mash, and beer battered fish and chips, customers can look forward to a selection of desserts which are made fresh in-house! One of their signature bakes is Kyoto—a hojicha sponge cake filled with hojicha jelly and whipped cream.
More information: Sevens Cafe
Hvala
Hvala is a Japanese cafe best known for its matcha desserts. They’ve opened their newest outlet at Craig Road this year, featuring a 100% vegan menu—that’s right, every single item available at their Craig Road outlet is vegan friendly! One of their most popular items is Dairy-free Waffles, drizzled with maple syrup with a sprinkle of fragrant genmai (toasted rice) and served alongside a scoop of oat milk or matcha °1 gelato. For a non-matcha dessert, try their Goma cake which is made of toasty and nutty layers of black sesame sponge and cream. And if you can’t decide between a matcha or hojicha latte, why not have both in one? The Matcha Hojicha Latte is a fan favourite, featuring a thick, silky shot of freshly-whisked matcha layered onto soy milk, along with hojicha syrup made in-house.
More information: Hvala
Little Rogue Coffee
Inspired by the cheekiness of their young children, the owners of Little Rogue Coffee decided to start a cafe of their own, with a vision to create an F&B business to inspire people while bringing the local community together. Go for their signature items like the Bacon Wrapped Prawns Risotto, K-Pop Chicken Burger or Sourdough Cheese Toastie. There is a section on the menu just for kids, and they also offer an uncaffeinated Babycino as a drink for the little ones. The cafe is very kids-centered, and even has a small play area (but it’s closed for now)!
More information: Little Rogue Coffee
Tigerlily Patisserie
More than just a patisserie, Tigerlily is a botanical-themed cafe inspired by the delicate beauty of nature started by Executive Pastry Chef Maxine Ngoo, known for their eye-catching cakes. At Tigerlily, you wouldn’t want to miss out on The Beehive—the cafe’s signature citrus-bright hive of lemon, thyme and litchi honey jelly, light lemon sponge and honey parfait in a yuzu mousse encasing. If you want something savoury, try Monsieur Kim—grilled croque monsieur with perks of kimchi, parma ham and an oozy triple cheese stack of brie, comté and caciocavallo.
More information: Tigerlily Patisserie
The Better Scoop
Formerly known as Just Because Creamery, The Better Scoop has rebranded itself this year with the opening of their outlet near Serangoon MRT station! They offer an even wider variety of ice cream flavours in this new outlet as compared to their original outlet in Sembawang, including flavours like Black Sesame Soy Milk, Chrysanthemum Goji Berries and Osmanthus Oolong. Pair your ice cream with their special waffle flavours such as Nian Gao, Tie Guan Yin and Espresso!
More information: The Better Scoop
Cafe Monochrome
If you’ve seen pictures on social media of a black and white cartoon-like place that looks like an optical illusion, chances are it’s at Cafe Monochrome—Singapore’s first 2D-themed cafe! They serve Asian-western fusion mains, specialty coffee, waffles, premium ice-cream, snacks, drinks and many more. Some popular items include Monochrome’s Angel Hair Pasta and Wagyu Donburi.
More information: Cafe Monochrome
Nuage Patisserie & Boulangerie
The name of the cafe, Nuage, comes from the french translation of the word “cloud”. Inspired by how clouds take on a different form with every passing time and creating various shapes, Nuage Patisserie & Boulangerie aspires to be versatile and free in their creations, from classics to novelty items. Their cakes menu is on a rotating basis, with some of their most iconic creations being a flower-shaped tart called Exotic Coco—exotic confiture and coconut whipped ganache sitting on top of a crunchy coconut sablé base, as well as a cake that resembles a box of popcorn called Strawberry Popcorn—fluffy vanilla sponge, strawberry cream and fresh strawberry compote with a crunchy reconstituted crumble base and chocolate-coated popcorn.
More information: Nuage Patisserie & Boulangerie
Cafe Kuriko
Cafe Kuriko is a Japanese Mont Blanc specialty store offering an array of desserts topped with strands of creamy chestnut and purple sweet potato paste, giving the Mont Blanc its distinctive spaghetti-like appearance. Aside from their signature desserts, they also offer savoury mains, including Pork Shabu Kimchi Tonkotsu with a choice of handmade udon or Japanese rice.
More information: Cafe Kuriko
Whisk & Paddle
Whisk & Paddle has been around since 2014 with their outlet at Punggol, but now they have a second outlet at Bukit Gombak! A standalone glasshouse building with natural sunlight shining in through the cafe’s floor-to-ceiling glass windows, surrounded by lush greenery from Bukit Gombak Park. They serve delicate desserts that look like works of art, such as their Tarte Tatin which resembles a perfectly shiny orange and their Passionfruit Tart which is beautifully decorated with crispy meringue. They also serve hand-stretched thin crust pizzas, pastas and all-day breakfast, including a kids menu with pastas, fish and chips, corndogs and chips, and a breakfast set.
More information: Whisk & Paddle
The Chir Cafe + Bar
A cafe by day and a bar by night, The Chir Cafe + Bar specialises in Korean fusion cuisine, and is created by famous Korean fried chicken chain Chir Chir—its first café concept in the world! K-food lovers would be spoilt for choice here, with menu items like Bulgogi Tartine, Chir Chicken Croffle, Mentaiko Rose Pasta, Spicy Cheese Dakgalbi, and of course, the signature Chir Fried Chicken. Pair your food with one of their unique drinks like Speculoos Latte and Jolly Pong Coffee.
More information: The Chir Cafe + Bar
Porcelain Cafe
Porcelain Cafe is a plant-based wellness cafe collaboration between Porcelain Origins Spa and Gratefood Co. located at The Paragon, serving Singapore’s first mushroom & adaptogen specialty coffee, thick smoothies, acai, chia and coconut yoghurt bowls. All of their menu items revolve around the focus of plant-based wellness, with the cafe’s firm belief that beauty is nourished from within. You may have seen their Smoothie Art Bowls all over social media that look almost too pretty to eat. They come in three different themes—Starry Galaxy, Unicorn Dreams and Beach Paradise, and one bowl is big enough for two to three persons. Every bowl also comes with a pot of Floral Tea!
More information: Porcelain Cafe
Plain Vanilla
Founded in 2011 at a small takeaway spot in Holland Village, Plain Vanilla started out with a simple, earnest ambition to share the contentment of a good old-fashioned cake with their neighbours. 10 years later, they have expanded their business around Singapore, and have just opened their fifth outlet at Neil Road! Plain Vanilla’s menu differs slightly across each of their five stores, but the one at Neil Road serves the full assortment of their bakes and brunch items like Eggs Benedict and French Toast with Mixed Berries, alongside store-exclusive handmade pastas like Reginette with Chicken Pesto and Pappardelle with Spicy Beef Ragu, using handmade pasta supplied by Pasta Bar. They also have Spaghetti Bolognese and Macaroni & Cheese for kids!
More information: Plain Vanilla
Mr. Holmes Bakehouse
Established in 2014, Mr. Holmes Bakehouse is a San Francisco-based craft bakery, founded by Aaron Caddel, who is known to have invented the iconic cruffin—a cross between a croissant and a muffin! This year, they’ve opened their first and only outlet in our little red dot. The cafe features pink and white interior with neon signs all around which makes for a perfect photo op. They serve an array of cruffins, donuts, croissants and other pastries, as well as savoury items like sandwiches and salads. They also put out a new lineup of menu items every few months!
More information: Mr. Holmes Bakehouse
A Beautiful Day Cafe
You may have seen photos of this multi-themed cafe on social media, featuring a pink phone booth stuffed with roses, plush pink sofas and bright pink neon lights. At the other end, the cafe transitions into a cosy space with yellow walls and wooden furniture, with a huge outdoor seating area. A must-try is their Bandung Souffle Pancake, topped with Pink Sugar rose cream and mixed berries. Their Red Velvet Latte pairs perfectly with their Bandung Souffle Pancake—you wouldn’t want to order one without the other!
More information: A Beautiful Day Cafe
Smile Dessert
Smile Dessert is a popular dessert chain based in China with over 1500 locations in 300 countries around the world, and they’ve finally arrived at our shores this year! The cafe is four storeys high, decked out in pink from top to bottom. Smile Dessert is known for its creative spin on traditional Chinese desserts as well as its very instagrammable interior, with a huge ball pit, fancy pink furniture and quirky decor. Late-night supper goers would also be glad to know that the cafe closes at 3 AM daily! Some desserts you should try include their Black Swan Souffle—souffle pancakes topped with black sesame cream, brown sugar shavings and an upside-down vanilla ice cream cone, and their Multi-Layer Sweet Potato Cake—layered crepes with cream and purple-hued sweet potato.
More information: Smile Dessert
82 Own
K-pop fans may know of the cafe called PlusEightTwo which was opened by BTOB’s Eunkwang in 2018. The 82 brand, which also manages another cafe called 82Bunsik, has opened a new cafe this year at The Cathay called 82 Own. Along with corndogs, croffles, ramyeon and tteokbokki, 82 Own offers a range of Korean shaved ice desserts, with the most unique one being their Macaron Bingsu—soft and fluffy shaved ice with condensed milk topped with crushed macarons of different flavours.
More information: 82 Own
Equate Coffee
Located at Tanjong Pagar, Equate Coffee was created to be a space where people can take a break, slow down and enjoy the simple pleasures in life with coffee, amidst a fast-paced and chaotic environment. This cafe definitely stands out among other shops in the area due to its entrance featuring a huge grey wall with rough edges surrounding glass doors and its clean minimalist interior. Aside from artisanal coffee, they also serve local coffee such as Kopi-O. They specialise in making caneles—small French pastries flavoured with rum and vanilla with a custard center and a thick caramelised crust, and offers rotating pastries from various home businesses such as Sugar Thieves and Simple Cafe.
More information: Equate Coffee
Ice Lab
One of the very few bingsu places in Singapore, Ice Lab is a premium Korean dessert cafe serving coffee, shakes and Korean shaved ice. They have an existing branch at Bugis and have opened their newest outlet at Jewel Changi Airport this year! Go for one of their signature bingsu flavours like injeomi, strawberry and red bean, or try their unique flavours like watermelon, milk tea and kaya coconut. Bingsu lovers wouldn’t want to miss this!
More information: Ice Lab
The Baking Cloud
The Baking Cloud started as a home-based baking business by couple Nicole Voon and James Chua. This year, they collaborated with Level Ground Bar, bringing their business to brick and mortar. They specialise in alcoholic desserts and coffee. Want a bit of booze while getting your caffeine fix? Perhaps their M18 Coffee is what you’re looking for. As for alcoholic cakes, try The Flaming Surprise—a Yakult Soju bombe alaska that is flambéed under dimmed lights at your table.
More information: The Baking Cloud
Foreword Coffee Roasters
Foreword Coffee Roasters started out as a hole-in-a-wall cafe at the National University of Singapore in 2017 with a vision to empower persons with disabilities and special needs through employment opportunities, now with their newest outlet at Canberra Plaza! Along with their strong commitment to inclusive practices, they also take sustainability very seriously—donating 5% of their sales revenue from their coffee brew bags to community development projects in coffee growing regions in Asia, starting a Return & Reuse Initiative, using eco-friendly materials for packaging and giving customers 10% off drink purchases if they bring their own cup as a way of thanking customers for using less single-use products. They offer a variety of tarts, croissants, scones, muffins, sandwiches and unique cake flavours like Honey Earl Grey Hazelnut, Lychee Rose and Ondeh Ondeh, as well as their signature drink, Timeless Yuanyang—double ristretto shot with an earl grey ice ball topped with milk.
More information: Foreword Coffee Roasters
Carrotsticks & Cravings
Describing itself as “a healthy food haven that brings you delicious and nutritious lovingly prepared to recharge and nourish your body, heart and soul,” Carrotsticks & Cravings is an Australian-inspired cafe founded by Melbourne-born Terri-Anne, who aims to help everyone live healthier and happier. This year, they’ve opened their third outlet at Stanley Street, sporting coastal-themed interiors inspired by the carefree atmosphere of Australian beaches. They source the freshest ingredients to serve up organic fare, with vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and paleo options, and their salad bowls and smoothies are loaded with superfoods like chia seeds, bee pollen, collagen, spirulina and many more. They guarantee that every meal is 100% nutritious, from their Signature Smashed Avo sourdough toast to their Baked Chia Parfait, Acai Berry Bowl, cakes and other baked goods.
More information: Carrotsticks & Cravings
Ambling Turtle
A double storey cafe at Katong serving food that celebrates the narratives of the Katong neighbourhood’s colourful Peranakan heritage. The cafe’s name pays homage to the animal that the district was named after—”katong” is the Malay name of an extinct species of turtle once endemic to Singapore waters. Some must-try items include their Bandung Lychee Tart, Pulled-Beef Rendang Croissant/Sourdough and Go Home Waffle—pandan buttermilk waffle paired with fresh coconut soft serve topped with chendol jelly and adzuki red beans and a drizzle of gula melaka sauce.
More information: Ambling Turtle
Coexist Coffee Co.
Located on the rooftop of Hillview Building, the owners of Coexist Coffee Co. created the cafe with the idea that food and drinks were the best way to get people of different backgrounds to come together, just like how they did, hence its name. The cafe has a unique interior that is split into two distinct sections, one in red and the other in white.
Go for their local-inspired items like Chilli Crab Shakshuka and Rendang Wagyu Beef Burger, or try their classic Coexist Breakfast.
More information: Coexist Coffee Co.
CAF Clickafood
CAF Clickafood is a multi-concept pastel-themed cafe created by local singer-songwriter Hong Junyang, serving Thai, Korean, Western and local cuisines all under one roof— a perfect place to go with your friends and family if everyone has different cravings. Try their Seoul Army Stew, CAF Nasi Lemak with butterfly pea coconut rice, Pad Thai “Bomb” with a fluffy deep-fried omelette, or their Nemo Burger featuring a huge golden battered dory fish and cheddar cheese sandwiched between fluffy buttered buns.
More information: CAF Clickafood
Mocchi
A little cafe serving Japanese cakes, pastries and desserts that prides themselves in using premium Yamamasa-Koyamaen matcha in all their matcha items. Their iconic Latte Soft Serve which comes in two flavours, matcha and hojicha, features an adorable bear-shaped soft serve sitting on top. One of their most eye-catching pastries is Le Swan—choux pastry filled with hazelnut praline, chocolate mousse and chantilly cream, topped with caramel cream and a white chocolate swan. They also have savoury Japanese sandwiches like their Tamago Katsu Sando and Tonkatsu Sando—a thick layer of tamago or pork cutlet encased in a crispy katsu exterior sandwiched between soft white bread.
More information: Mocchi
