The Upper Thomson Road stretch is peppered with many eateries, supper places, Thai restaurants, and of course HIPSTER cafes.
Some of the popular names include Columbus Coffee Co., Knockhouse Cafe (previously known as Pacamara Boutique Coffee Roasters Singapore) and Habitat Coffee; while new entrants are Gentle Roast, Maisons Bowl, SOD Cafe, and Le Cafe Blanche.
There are so many brunch and coffee places where you can literally café-hop an entire afternoon away. Or parents can choose want to have desserts, while waiting for your children to finish those never-ending enrichment classes.
Interesting to note: quite a number of Upper Thomson cafes close on Tuesdays, so do check with their updated opening days before heading down.
Here are 16 cafes to visit at Upper Thomson Singapore: (For your convenience, I listed those located nearby together.)
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SOD Café
183 Upper Thomson Road, Longhaus, #01-05, Singapore 574429
Opening Hours: 10:30am – 9pm (Mon, Wed – Sun), Closed Tues
SOD Café is one of the unusual cafes that actually first started selling bubble tea as a kiosk, offering a non-caffeinated tea range created in collaboration with Food Innovation Resource Centre Singapore.
It has opened a second café at Longhaus, a slightly-less discovered area along Upper Thomson.
The revamped menu includes best-sellers from the Hougang outlet, and new additions such as all-day brunch items.
When I visited, the cafe was still relatively quiet and empty and I noted charging ports located conveniently at almost every table – making it a more conducive place for café-goers to work or study.
The all-day brunch menu included Waffles with Scrambled Eggs & Candied Bacon ($12.90), French Toast with Salted Caramel Bananas ($12.90), Eggs Benny on Brioche Bun ($13.90), SOD Sourdough Big Breakfast ($15.90), Sourdough with Mashed Avocados & Eggs ($14.90).
There was also a mains menu with Wagyu Beef Burger ($16.90), Fish & Chips ($15.90), Mushroom Cream Pan-Seared Snapper ($15.90), Smoked Duck Spaghetti ($12.90).
The best-selling main is the Chicken Supreme ($11.90), and I must say for pretty value-for-money for what you are getting.
Made up of well-marinated chicken thigh, it is coupled with signature tomato sauce, prawns, topping with cheese and torched lightly. At the bottom is a bed of potato slices.SOD Cafe (Upper Thomson)
Woodlands Sourdough
183 Upper Thomson Road, The Longhaus #01-03 Singapore 574429
Opening Hours: 8:30am – 3pm (Thurs – Sun), Closed Mon – Wed
Woodlands Sourdough is known for their sourdough bread and brownies, which we argue may probably be one of the best in Singapore.
This outlet bears some resemblance to their previous branch, with racks of bread and display trays full of bakes.
With the white walls and the interior decorations, it felt like a bakery-café in San Francisco for that split second.
Apart from the usual brownies such as the Rye Hazelnut Almond Brownie ($5.50), some new items include the Tartine ($8) which is essentially a slice of their signature sourdough bread topped with fresh mozzarella, pesto and salad greens served alongside some roasted tomatoes.
What caught my attention was the Treacle Tart and Apple Tart ($5 each). The treacle tart, a classic British dessert, is usually made with breadcrumbs and syrup.
Woodlands Sourdough’s rendition is topped with pecans which gave the tart a nice roasted flavour and aroma. Slight warning, some may find this tart on the heavy side. Woodlands Sourdough (Upper Thomson)
Knockhouse Cafe
185 Upper Thomson Road, Singapore 574333
Tel: +65 6397 5564
Opening Hours: 9am – 6pm (Mon – Sun)
Knockhouse Cafe? This is previously known as “Pacamara”. They used to serve Pacamera coffee beans (the coffee roasters from Thailand), but now offer their “own range of local flavour coffee beans”.
While it has rebranded and a new menu, it still retains its vibes, primary white interior (especially with natural daylight), and the barista bar.
Brunch is available from 9am to 5pm, with items such as Steak & Egg ($22), Breakfast Platter ($22), Buns & Eggs ($12), Duck Confit Hash ($20.50), Smoked Salmon Hash ($20.50), Seafood Croquette ($18.50), Egg Florentine ($18) and Mushroom on Toast ($17).
For a fuller meal, head for their mains of Pumpkin Gnocchi ($18), Seafood Croquette Burger ($18), Curry Chicken Burger ($15), Beef Burger ($20), Salmon Confit ($25) and Chicken Stew Pasta ($18).
One of the popular dessert items to get are the Seasalt Caramel French Toast ($16) or Gula Melaka French Toast ($18) with gula melaka, coconut flakes, brioche toast, coconut ice cream
Thrive
215B Upper Thomson Rd, Singapore 574349
Tel: +65 9688 9211
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Sun – Thurs), 11am – 11pm (Fri – Sat)
Thrive is a concept by Boxgreen and An Acai Affair, and serves up signature acai bowls, smoothies, and toasts.
It is a slightly quiet place, and students seem to love to ‘park’ here to do their revisions.
Three types of toasts are available – Berry Crunchy ($5.90), You Butter Believe ($5.90), and Bravocado ($6.90) served on toasted sourdough bread.
The Triple A Acai ($5.90, $8.90, $13.90) come served with fresh fruits, granola, chia seeds, cacao nibs, coconut shavings, pumpkin seeds, almond flakes and goji berries.
All bowls come with a drizzle of honey, cookie butter, peanut butter, almond butter or cashew butter.
Its acai bowls is said to be undiluted with liquids such as apple juice or coconut water, and therefore contains a higher concentration of acai pulp.
PocoLoco – Upper Thomson
215F Upper Thomson Road Singapore 574349
Tel: +65 8436 3363
Opening Hours: Lunch 12pm – 3pm Last Order 2:30pm, Dinner 6pm – 10pm Last Order 9:30pm (Mon – Fri),
12pm – 10pm Last Order 9:30pm (Sat, Sun, PH)
Tucked away in the Upper Thomson neighbourhood, you could easily miss it if you don’t pay attention. PocoLoco is known to take quality Italian-sourced ingredients and transform them into affordably-priced dishes.
A must-try pasta is PocoLoco’s Mentaiko ($14.90). Enjoy this pasta with a Japanese-inspired cream sauce with mentaiko (marinated cod roe) from the Chubu region of Japan.
The spicy cod roe which imparts that orange-pink colour, giving it slight spiciness which complements the buttery, creamy sauce.
The Granchio ($14.90) is considered an ‘old’ favourite, and also my personal recommended pasta dish from PocoLoco. The type of pasta used is Tagliatele, a kind of ribbon-cut egg pasta that is very popular in Italy.
The Crabmeat Pasta came al dente, with generous portion of sweet crab meat, cooked in a creamy sauce added with tomatoes which gives those slight tangy flavours. PocoLoco (Upper Thomson)
One Man Coffee
215R Upper Thomson Road, Singapore 574349
Tel: +65 9658 1685
Opening Hours: 9am – 4pm (Mon, Wed – Sun), Closed Tues
Simple and classy, One Man Coffee specializes in artisanal coffee.
One Man Coffee shares the same space with Garçons, operating in the prime working hours and bringing wholesome food items.
The café is simple with minimalistic, with classy furnishing and antique display cabinet with a variety of cakes and pastries.
They serve their specialty coffee with Nylon Coffee Roasters and their chocolate beverages are made with rich premium African Cocoa from Grounded Pleasures from Australia.
For their All-Day Brunch, go for the Croissant with Scrambled Eggs with Mixed Greens or Sweet Potato Fries ($10), Baked Eggs Cocotte ($12), Ham & Truffle Cream Cheese Coirssant ($10), or Furikake Mushroom Pasta topped with Onsen Egg ($12).
Habitat Coffee
223 Upper Thomson Rd, Singapore 574355
Tel: +65 6456 2567
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm (Tues – Sun), Closed Mon
Habitat Coffee is one of the main-stayers along Upper Thomson Road.
If you are looking for hearty food servings with fresh roasted coffee, artisanal cakes and desserts, this should be for you.
It is a quaint little place just right for warm brunches and regular caffeine fixes. You will find a variety of Asian cuisines from Japanese fusion rice bowls to the Asian infused desserts and pastas.
For brunch, go for the Pulled Pork Benedict ($16) with 8 hours slow cooked pork shoulder and homemade citrus hollandaise sauce, Scrambled Chilli Eggs, Cajun Prawn Melted Toasties or Truffle Salmon Scrambled Eggs.
Apart from this, they have authentic Arabica coffee beans roasted locally and freshly grinded on demand, best paired with their home baked Matcha Molten green tea lava cake with green tea gelato.
Gentle Roast
227 Upper Thomson Road, Singapore 574359
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm (Mon – Fri), 9am – 10pm (Sat – Sun)
Gentle Roast is a brand-new minimalist-decor brunch and coffee place at the café hotspot of Upper Thomson, just 2 doors away from Habitat Coffee.
With gold neon lights, gold furniture frames and gold bespoke lightings hanging from the ceiling, the entire space seems like a hot spot for taking that perfect Instagram café shot.
Go there early enough for the special upper deck corner.
Their menu focuses on the usual hearty brunch items ($16 – $22), Burgers ($18), Pasta ($16 – $20) and Meats ($18 – $24).
Among the brunch items such as Egg Benedict ($18), Big Plate ($19), Wrap Bread ($16), Burnt Toast ($18) and Sourdough ($20), the Crab Cake Rosti ($22) stood out to me.
The Burnt Toast ($18) which came topped with avocado. If you thinking this is going to be the usual Avo-Toast, this is actually a sweet item.
The slices of brioche French toast came topped with burnt caramelized banana and the other with sliced avocados.
This is further topped with toasted walnut, cream cheese, corn flakes and drizzled with maple syrup. Gentle Roast (Upper Thomson)
Molten Diners
246 Upper Thomson Road Singapore 574370
Opening Hours: 12pm – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
One of the reasons why this is called Molten Diners are the unique combination of sauces concocted by the chefs.
You will find anything from Gorgonzola Blue Cheese, Yuzu Butter, Pumpkin Salted Egg, Harisa Chilli Salsa, Karala Creamy White Pepper, Mushroom Swiss, to Japanese Katsu Curry sauces in the menu.
Aside from its meat and seafood specials, Molten Diners also includes a wide selection of appetisers, pasta, and desserts, and it is Halal-certified.
Each main comes with a choice of 2 sides, from Mac & Cheese, Baked Country Beans, Onion Rings, Curly Fries, Mash Potatoes to Baked Raisin Rice.
If you prefer white meat, go for the Harissa Chilli Salsa Chicken Steak ($17.50) smothered with a bright red harissa-based sauce.
Harissa, popularly used in Northern African and Middle Eastern cuisine, is a spicy and aromatic Tunisian condiment made with smoked red chili peppers, garlic, olive oil and spices like cumin, coriander, caraway and mint.
This spicy sauce goes well with the mild taste of chicken, accompanied with Creamy Broccoli and Curly Fries. Molten Diners (Upper Thomson)
Belo Café
222 Upper Thomson Road, Singapore 574354
Tel: +65 9744 0504
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Mon – Fri), 9am – 10pm (Sat – Sun)
Cafe by day, bistro bar by night, Belo Café is collaboration between Les Patisseries and PizzaFace, a 60-seater area which is great for individual hang outs as well as gatherings and events.
While it is known for its pastries, tarts, cakes and waffles, there is actually quite an extensive all-day savoury menu which serves up Chicken Parmigiana ($17), Fish and Chips ($19), Duck Confit ($21), Lamb Shank (23).
Its two best-selling Waffles include the Thai Milk Tea Ice Cream on Earl Grey Waffles ($17) and Horffles($14) – vanilla waffles with Horlick ice cream, powder and sauce.
Their Waffle Ispahan ($15) is also like a work of art, essentially rose waffle topped with double scoops of rose and lychee sorbet, fresh and pureed lychees, and raspberries along with edible rose petals and macarons.
Columbus Coffee Co.
220 Upper Thomson Rd Thomson Garden Estate, Singapore 574352
Tel: +65 6253 6024
Opening Hours: 9am – 10pm (Tues – Sat), 9am – 7pm (Sun), Closed Mon
By the team behind Atlas Coffeehouse at Bukit Timah and Lunar Coffee Brewers at Downtown Gallery, Columbus Coffee Co is relatively well received in this area.
You should find yourself liking the general vibe as soon as you step in. It has a spacious seating area, looking chic and neat.
There are no so-called recommended items, but some dishes that appealed included Mushrooms on Sourdough ($14), Buttermilk Fried Chicken ($14.50), Mussels with Coconut Lemongrass & Ale ($17), Heart Meatballs On Toast ($18), Brown Butter Sardine Crumb Pasta ($18), to sweets of Butterscotch Banana Pancake ($18.50), Peanut Butter & Berries ($14) and Earl Grey Caramel Waffle ($12.50).
The Summer Chicken Stew ($18) seemed like an obvious choice. This dish had a slight Asian-take as it reminded me of a home-cooked meal with roasted potatoes and carrots, except that the gravy was not as creamy as I imagined.
The Breakfast Strawberry Maple Pancake ($16) did not disappoint as well, with contrasting crisp edges and fluffy interior. Great that it was not too sweet, uplifting from the sourness of the strawberry compote. Columbus Coffee Co. (Upper Thomson)
Maisons Bowl
9 Sin Ming Road, #01-03 Thomson V One, Singapore 575630
Opening Hours: 10am – 8pm (Mon, Wed – Sun), Closed Tues
Maisons Bowl is one of the latest additions at Thomson V One. With a theme of “healthy living made easy”, the pink café serves up grain bowls, sweet treats, cold pressed juices, coffee and tea.
Interesting to note that the café is opened by a trio of 20+ years old.
The word “maison” means “home” in French, and therefore they hope to provide a warm space for a hearty, homely meal.
Some of the cafe items include Grain Bowls ($10.90), Banana Walnut Bread with Espresso Mascarpone ($8.50), Berry Good Smoothie Bowl ($8.90), Avocado Egg on Toast ($9.90) and Crusty PBJ ($8.50).
You can also DIY your own bowl (starts from $9.90) with choice of base from mixed greens, sushi rice, cauliflower rice, to wholewheat pasta, topped with proteins of chicken, smoked salmon or tofu.
Le Cafe Blanche
9 Sin Ming Road #01-02 Thomson V One, Singapore 575630
Opening Hours: 10am – 9pm (Tues – Fri), 9:30am – 9pm (Sat – Sun)
Another one of those cafés that have gone almost completely off-the-radar, Le Café Blanche is located next door to Maisons Bowl.
This is another French-themed café, though I spotted Ondeh Ondeh cakes and Pizzas on the menu. The Blanc Signature Pizza ($22) includes mozzarella, bacon, caramelised onions, tomatoes, topped with egg and rucola.
Items offered include Poulet Sweet Onion ($9), Poulet Guacamole ($10), Cheesy Porc Roll ($11) and Signature Blanche Porc Roll ($12).
I See Cream
Thomson V2, 11 Sin Ming Road, #01-14, Singapore 575629
Opening Hours: 2pm – 11pm (Tue – Thu, Sun), 2pm – 2am (Fri – Sat), Closed Mon
Taking over the space of a nail art salon at Upper Thomson V Two, the 22 seaters (8 indoors, 14 outdoors) space at I See Cream has a simplistic interior, decked in grey and white.
There were 12 gelato flavours available when I visited, such as Premium flavours ($5 per scoop, $20 per pint) such as Pistachio, Valrhona Dark Chocolate, Lychee Raspberry, Coconut, Yuzu, Biscoff and Spacial flavours ($4 per scoop, $16 per pint) that include Mango, White Peach Yogurt, Soursop, Blueberry, Rock Melon and Chocolate Chip.
The single scoop of Biscoff Gelato ($5) was served with Herb & Spice infused Belgian Waffle ($3.50) and edible Gold flakes were added as a nice finishing touch.
Made using bits of Lotus Biscoff biscuits, it added a firmer bite to the smooth, creamy and sticky texture of the gelato, adding some malty sweetness to the overall taste. I See Cream (Thomson)
Foursome Ice Cream & Waffle
22 Sin Ming Road #01-218, Singapore 570022
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 1am (Mon – Wed), 11:30am – 12am (Thurs), 11:30am – 2am (Fri – Sat)
Located at Upper Thomson under a residential block, Foursome Ice Cream & Waffle has joined the trend of ice cream bars in the vicinity opening past midnight.
These include I See Cream and Salted Caramel Artisan Ice Cream (Upper Thomson outlet).
14 ice cream flavours are available at any one time, ranging from regular ones such as Gula Melaka, Banana Nut Crunch, Hojicha, Black Sesame, Hokkaido Milk, Chamomile Honey Milk Tea, Mint with Cookie Chips, Mao Shan Wang, Sea Salt Caramel, Dark Chocolate and Tiramisu.
Single scoop is priced at $3.80, while double is $6.60.
Premium flavours are priced at an additional $0.80 (Single scoop $4.60, Double Scoops $8.20), and include Hazelnut Chocolate Rocher, Taro Yam Coconut and Speculoos Biscoff – probably the IT flavour of late. Foursome Ice Cream & Waffle (Upper Thomson)
Thus Coffee
4 Jalan Kuras Singapore 577723
Tel: +65 8411 7565
Opening Hours: 9am – 9pm (Mon – Sun)
Its location is not the most accessible, at 4 Jalan Kuras at Upper Thomson, of walking distance from Sembawang Hills Food Centre.
There are a few elements that would draw people to this humble establishment.
They micro-roast their own coffee, and the owners and staff sound very sincere and down-to-earth (hope they can remain that way!) I cannot vouch for its entire menu as it changes regularly, but online feedback has been positive.
Its main offerings include Hearty Chicken Stew ($16), Baked Eggs & Toast ($14), THUS Breakfast ($19), Salmon & Kale Toast ($17), Salmon Grain Bowl ($18), and Wagyu Beef Grain Bowl ($20).
The Creamy Chicken Leg Stew with herbed potatoes, carrots and zesty lime, served with toasted multigrain bread has been a crowd favourite.
This is not your everyday instagram-favourites, but should appeal to a certain generation who would like your soft potatoes and carrots with fall-off-the-bone drumstick. Thus Coffee (Jalan Kuras)
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