It’s the holidays – but not for your stomach. With hot new openings occurring left and right, there’s no time to waffle around, and we do mean literally. June’s list of cafés features way more than just ice-cream and waffle cafés, opting instead to highlight unique alternatives like a frozen custard parlour. Subsequently, our curated restaurants are more diverse than ever – we’ve covered cuisines that run the gamut from Mexican, to Chinese and Italian.
Snowy Village may not be the first Korean dessert café to surface in 2015, but it is one of the first of its kind to establish itself within the premises within a shipping container. Yup, apparently container cafés are now a thing. Besides the usual Injeolmi toast and Bingsu, unique to this K-café is the Drug Corn, a popular Korean street snack.
Address: 120A Prinsep Street, Singapore 187937 | Open 10am – 9pm daily
Telephone: 88221702
Also, customization is a right that all of Density’s customers should exercise judiciously – toppings are only a dollar each!
Read about our experience at Density here.
Address: 4 Short Street, Singapore 188212 | Open 12pm – 12am daily
Telephone: 6268 7918
For those who love the Korean bar staple of fried chicken, new fried chicken outlet, Ssiksin, ensures you’ll never waste another gloriously fried wing ever again. With 2, 4 and 8 piece chicken sets, Ssiksin serves portions that can accommodate any number of people.
Address: 23 Serangoon Central, Serangoon NEX, #02-04/06, Singapore 556083
Telephone: 6853 5054
From its name to its decor, everything about Tête-à-Tête Café screams French. In the vein of a true Parisian café, Tête-à-Tête is a great place for a heart-to-heart conversation over a leisurely tea-break. Alongside several savory brunch items, enjoy cakes and pastries that are almost too pretty to eat, perhaps during a long break between classes (Tête-à-Tête is near NUS!).
Address: 21 Biopolis Road, Nucleos North Tower, #01-01, Singapore 138567 | Open Mon – Sat 10am – 8pm
Telephone: 6397 4268
As slaves to sugar, it doesn’t help that there is an abundance of ice-cream, waffle and pastry cafés bringing us further away from our #EatClean goals. But it’s not too late – Lean Bento is here help you become that lean, mean machine you aspire to be.
Founded by health enthusiasts, this sleek little café strives to provide wholesome, nourishing food. You’ll be happy to know that Lean Bento advocates transparency when it comes to the nutritional value of their food – all boxes clearly display the food’s nutritional value.
Address: 11 Collyer Quay, The Arcade #02-02, Singapore 049317 | Open Mon – Fri 8am – 5.30pm; Closed on Public Holidays
Contact them via Facebook or e-mail them at social@leanbento.com
It’s the usual photogenic café fare here, but on steroids. This up and coming brunch spot should win an award for having the most dramatic-looking dishes. Here’s a taster of their theatrical cuisine: their poached egg dish is a cheery centre of sunshine yellow heaped atop brioche toast.
Slices of reddish-pink smoked salmon poke through the stack, and the whole shebang is framed on the side with a swathe of bright magenta beetroot yogurt.
Address: 1 Jalan Anak Bukit, Bukit Timah Plaza, #L1-CA1 Singapore 588996 | Open Mon – Thur & Sun 9am – 9pm, Fri & Sat 9am – 10pm
Telephone: 9154 8550
The waffle craze is evolving, and this just might be its craziest configuration yet – all in the name of convenience. Forget waffles with fried chicken, because we now have waffles on a stick AND in a cup, toppings and all!
With reasonable prices and a host of creative flavours including the option to customise your own waffle, Hvala isn’t waffling around when it comes to reinvigorating a tired trend.
If waffles aren’t your thing, they also have soft serve made from vanilla beans.
Address: 313 Orchard Road, 313@Somerset #B3-50, , Singapore 238895 | Open 11am – 10pm daily
Contact them via Facebook, or email them at enquiry@hvala.com.sg.
Cream & Custard’s whitewashed interior accentuates the colourful hues of their exquisite pastries. It’s a good call, because this is where their generosity with quality ingredients really shines. Can’t decide whether you desire rich chocolatey goodness or something more fruity? Come down with a friend, order BOTH, and proceed to nua the afternoon away.
Address: 46 Jalan Bukit Ho Swee #01-894, Singapore 160046 | Open Tue – Sun 11am – 9pm
Telephone: 9111 8696
If you’re craving for an unorthodox mix between café food and authentic Peranakan cuisine, 5 Little Monkeys Café is the place to go. Their menu offers everything from café mainstays like fish and chips to quintessentially Peranakan dishes like Nyonya assam pedas fish.
Besides its unique menu, another plus point is the price. With most of the dishes below $10, the 5 Little Monkeys Café is extremely wallet friendly.
Address:20 Kallang Avenue, #11-00 Pico Creative Centre, Singapore 339411 | Open Mon – Fri 9.30am – 7pm
Telephone: 8533 9168
The People Vs is situated within the hybrid space that is The Working Capitol. Originally meant as a meeting space for members of The Working Capitol’s community, The People Vs offers a selection of coffees, juices, teas, breads and cakes – perfect for a lunch meeting.
Otherwise, you can choose to either get some real work done here, or just nurse a cup of coffee and soak in the stylish atmosphere.
Address: 1 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089109 | Open Mon – Sat 8.30am – 6.30pm
Telephone: 6805 4050
Tip: if you have space to spare for dessert, pop over next door to Checkers Deli and try a slice of the Hilton’s famed cheesecake.
Read our full review here.
Address: 581 Orchard Road, Hilton Singapore | Dinner: 6.30pm – 10.30pm daily; Bar: 10am – midnight
Telephone: 6730 3390
An establishment serving authentic Japanese cuisine, Kanda Wadatsumi recreates genuine Japanese fare from the district of Kanda right here in Singapore. Depending on the season, the type of fishes offered here rotate. Expect nothing but the freshest ingredients prepared exactly as they do back in Japan.
Address: 50 Tras Street, Singapore 078989 | Open
Telephone: 6221 6264
The team behind Once Upon a Milkshake brings you a casual restaurant, The Rosti Farm. No prizes for guessing this restaurant’s main selling point. With nine meat options including gourmet sausages, all of which come with either a single or double rosti, enjoy carb-loading with a side of curly fries and other deep-fried goodies.
Now doesn’t that sound like the perfect comfort food combo? Throw in a milkshake, and the next time I get dumped, you know where I’ll be – replacing my ex’s warm hugs with potatoes.
Address: 13 Stamford Road, Capitol Piazza #02-31, Singapore 178905 | Open 12pm – 8pm daily.
Telephone: 9823 3779
Following its overhaul, the menu now specifically features local specialities from several of Itay’s provinces, giving ‘standard Italian fare’ like bolognese, carbonara and aglio olio a wide berth. Regional Italian delights are a rare find in Singapore, and this is reason enough to check Capri out. With the trademark Italian hospitality evident in their hearty portions, sharing is encouraged.
Read our full review here.
Address: 3 Binjai Park, Singapore 589819 | Open Tue – Sun 12pm – 2.30pm, 6pm – 10.30pm.
Telephone: 6468 4886
Brothers Weili & Weisheng are hoping to localise the ramen dining scene with their new store, Brothers Ramen. They believe in cooking from the heart, and though there are only 5 options on the menu, every bowl is crafted lovingly – think homemade noodles served in a stock that has been cooked for seven hours.
Address: 10 Anson Road, International Plaza #01-20, Singapore 079903 | Open Mon – Sat 11.30am – 2.30pm, 6.30pm – 8.30pm
Telephone: 9437 7267/ 9476 2677
From appetisers to mains, Cove99 has some unique items on the menu like XO Sauce Jelly Fish Head and Steamed fish with Soya Bean Crumbs. If you’re craving quality Chinese fare centred on fresh seafood, give Cove99 a try.
Address: 72 Peck Seah Street, Singapore 079329 | Open daily 11.30am – 2.30pm, 5.30pm – 10.30pm.
Telephone: 6224 0991
Burnts Ends is not exactly new but it’s a must-try on this list. Chef David Pynt heads this modern Australian barbeque. Whether you like it smoked, roasted or grilled, the creations that come out of Burnt Ends’ custom-made brick and ceramic oven and grills are sure to please the voracious carnivore.
Their signature pulled pork bun, the Burnt Ends Sanger, is exceptionally mouth-watering, with a gooey mass of pulled pork shoulder generously coated with chipotle aioli sandwiched between two brioche buns.
Address: 20 Teck Lim Road, Singapore 088391 | Open Tue – Sat 11.45am – 2pm; daily 6pm – 12am
Telephone: 6224 3933
The main draw here at Tang’s is the Si-chuan style steamboat. Diners can choose between spicy, fish, or tomato based soup, as well as a variety of meats and vegetables to go into the steamboat.
Address: 41 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089146 |
Telephone: 6221 1760/ 8727 5881
Boasting an extensive collection of Italian wines to be paired with an diverse menu encompassing pastas, meat, fish and vegetable mains, PerBacco is the place to go for a laid-back night with a group of friends.
Address: 20 Craig Road, Craig Place #01-03, Singapore 089692 | Open
Telephone: 6635 7130
So maybe we don’t have Chipotle in Singapore. However, there are still some decent places to get burritos here! New diner-style restaurant Burrito Boys is the newest name to add to the list. Expect the usual Mexican fare like tacos, nachos, quesadillas and rice bowls to be on the menu too.
Address: 4 Hillview Avenue, HillV2 G-#-1-10, Singapore 667979 | Open daily 10.30am – 10pm
Telephone: 6397 4292
You may miss how little it costs, but the offerings of June’s list of cafés and restaurants trumps your school’s Yong Tau Foo any day (Yes, even the famed YTF at NUS).
Feast like royalty this June – chances like this will be far and few between once school begins again.
Quality doesn’t always have to come with a hefty price tag.
No need to head to Japan or Korea, China has pretty blooms too 🌸
Unique SkillsFuture courses you should take this year.
You spin my head right round, right round.
Countdown to 2025 in Singapore Another year has flown by, and as we bid farewell…
Let's get dem gainz.
