While Geylang has a certain reputation, and is lined with many Chinese eateries and supper places, there are a number of different café openings which foodies can look forward to.
Here are 10 Geylang cafes you can head to: (Also check out our PAYA LEBAR Café Guide for cafes and dessert places slightly to the East.)
Knock Knock Café
101 Geylang Road, Singapore 828761 (Kallang MRT)
Opening Hours: 12pm – 10:30pm (Tues – Sun), Closed Mon
Floral-Themed Cafe With Pastas And Burgers
Sprouting up at 101 Geylang Road is Knock Knock Café, ready to bloom and delight with its floral-theme aesthetics and fusion cuisine.
For those looking for directions, it is in between Geylang Lor 1 and Lor 3.
In terms of food, go for their their Asian-inspired pastas and burgers like “Lup Cheong” & Bacon Carbonara, Umami “Laksa” Seafood Pasta, Otak-Otak Burger to Krispy Buttermilk Chicken Burger.
These include Knock Knock’s Aglio Olio ($10), Kelong Vongole with Spaghetti ($16), Seafood Marinara ($17), Kreamy Mushroom Spaghetti ($16), to even a locally-inspired “Ga-Na-Chye” Chilled Capellini with Smoked Duck ($16). (Ganachye is a type of Chinese preserved vegetable.)
If you like a touch of spice and nostalgia, go for the Just Like Grandma’s ‘Hae Bee Hiam’ Pasta, and get Grandma feels with its familiar local ingredients.
The aglio olio style pasta is cooked with bouncy fire-grilled tiger prawns – which get a delicious slick of flavoured oil in between the strands of al dente spaghetti.
Surf all you want in between sips of your choice of coffee. They have a selection of espresso and fusion drinks. Don’t miss the adorable bear lattes where frozen cute bears or puppies sit atop the foam. Knock Knock Café (Geylang)
Geylang Drip City
184 Geylang Road, Singapore 389253
Opening Hours: 9:30am – 6pm (Sun – Thurs), 9am – 9pm (Fri – Sat)
Minimalist And Futuristic Black Coffee Bar
Situated right opposite Shell petrol station and next to the popular BBQ Box along Geylang Road, Geylang Drip City is a 25-seater Muslim-owned coffee bar.
Stepping inside, the all-black, futuristic design is very sleek and captivating with all the details from the coffee machine, to the black marble tables and coffer bar counter, walls, sofa couch and brewing equipment.
Geylang Drip City offers both coffee and light bites on their menu.
The espresso-based drinks use a single origin from El Salvador roasted by The Community Coffee for their Black, White and Soul Plane (Single Shot + 3oz White).
Light bites such as Sourdough served with either Lemon butter, Butter & Cream and Scrambled Egg are available. Geylang Drip City (Geylang)
The Wonderment Collective
Agrow Building, 90 Lorong 23 Geylang, #01-01, Singapore 388393
Opening Hours: 10am – 6pm (Mon – Fri), 12pm – 6pm (Sat), Closed Sun
Hidden Elegant Blue-Themed Cafe At Geylang
Setting inside, one will be greeted by the cozy 7 seater-space, clasped in gold and blue which has a slight resemblance to well… TWG.
From the tall ceiling, ample natural lighting to the golden takeaway tins, this Muslim-owned La Boutique evokes a sense of homely and class, suitable for a quiet afternoon tea time.
Their pastry menu rotates on a weekly basis, so check out the updates on their social media channels before heading down for your favourites.
There were Brownies ($6.50), Burnt Cheesecake ($6.50), 2 Tea Cakes ($6.50), Fruit Tart ($6.50) and Assorted Macarons (1 for $2, 3 for $5) during my visit.
My favourite was the Burnt Cheesecake ($6.50), served with raspberry compote by the side. The Burnt Cheesecake came in a round shape instead of the sliced version commonly seen in other cafes. The Wonderment Collective (Geylang)
Teahouse 1973
Sims Vista, 53 Sims Place, #01-172, Singapore 380053
Opening Hours: 11am – 8pm (Tues – Sun), Closed Mon
Malaysian-Style Cafe With $35 for 2 Afternoon Tea Set
Teahouse 1973 is the newest addition to the Geylang community at Sims Vista. What you can expect are traditional home recipes of culinary flavours of Penang Malaysia given a modern twist.
I was there on a weekday afternoon and happened to see the same Afternoon Tea Sets on every table.
Probably one of the most reasonably priced Afternoon Tea Set at $35 for 2 pax, available on Tuesday and Fridays from 2pm to 5pm.
The assortment of pastries included varies every time and comes with a pot of fruit tea.
Both Asian and Western grub items are on their menu such as Nasi Lemak ($13.80), Curry Chicken Roti Prata ($8.80), Cheese Baked Rice with Japan Curry Seafood ($13.80), Rosemary Honey Roasted Chicken Leg ($13.80), Salted Egg chicken Chop ($13.80), Sous Vide Steak ($19.90) and Beef/ Chicken/ Salmon Burger ($13.80).
This Sambal Prawn Nasi Lemak ($13.80) is an atas version, beautifully plated with green banana leaf, blue butterfly pea rice, with a dollop of sambal chilli on top. Teahouse 1973 (Geylang)
Monday Blues
749 Geylang Road, Singapore 389655
Opening Hours: 1pm – 3am (Mon – Sun)
Geylang Ice Cream Cafe With Cloudy Waffles
If you are feelin’ the Monday blues on Sunday night, you can hang out at this cafe till 3AM.
With 16 flavours on display, prices start from $4.80 for a single scoop and $7.80 for double scoops, with optional add-on Cone (+$1) or Cotton Candy Cloud (+$2).
Interesting flavours include Burnt Pineapple and Yuzu Lemon with Rose Lychee; while classic ones include the usual Dark Chocolate, French Vanilla Bean, Matcha, Pistachio and Earl Grey.
Classic Waffle with a single scoop of ice cream is priced at $10.50, whereas their signature Cloudy Waffle is only available with double ice cream scoops ($14.80). Monday Blues (Geylang)
Brawn & Brains Coffee
100 Guillemard Road, #01-02, Singapore 399718
Opening Hours: 8:30am – 5:30pm (Tues – Fri), 8:30am – 6pm (Sat – Sun), Closed Mon
Good Coffee And Great Vibes At Former Singapore Badminton Hall
Coffee drinkers staying near Guillemard Road should be familiar with Brawn and Brain’s first outlet, serving specialty coffee, brunch food, and a small selection of pastries.
A popular main is the Oven Baked Molten Eggs ($18.90) with a side of smoked salmon, avocado and Melted Cheese.
Also available are Smoked Salmon and Avocado on Rustic Sourdough ($17.50), Beef Pastrami Sandwich ($17), Classic BLT on Rustic Sourdough ($16.90), Curried Chicken Taco ($16) and BB Sourdough Waffles ($13). Note that some of these items are only available during the weekends.
Coffee-wise, a house blend of “Pen & Pencil” is used, with beans from Brazil, Columbia, Ethiopia.
Upon the first sip, I thought that the coffee was adequately smooth, and the nutty-ness rather obvious. Compared to some other lattes in Singapore which tend to be on the acidic side, I found my cup pleasurable.
Builders Cafe
53 Sims Place, #01-160, Singapore 380053
Opening Hours: 10:30am – 9pm (Mon – Sun)
Homely Café At Sims Place With Modern Fusion Comfort Food
Tucked away nearer the Aljunied side right opposite Sims Vista Food Centre, Builders At Sims is a neighbourhood favourite, serving up unpretentious café food.
Serving up modern fusion comfort food, start with one of their all-day breakfast items of Builders Big Breakfast ($25.90), French Leck Tart with Sous-vide Egg ($14.90), Truffle Mushroom Toast ($16.90), or Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Tomato Soup ($15.90).
I had their Chilli Crab Toast ($18.90) which was surprisingly hugely satisfying for the luscious generous crab meat cooked with spicy-sweet sauce paired with scrambled egg, on a bed of sourdough and accompanied with salad.
For something fuller, go for their mains of Herbs & Spices Fried Chicken ($16.90), Crispy Chicken with Mash & Purple Slaw ($16.90), Miso Salmon ($15.90), Chicken Collagen Stew ($15.90), Wagyu Beef Burger ($17.90), to Black Pepper Pork Chop ($13.90).
20grams Coffee Roastery
14 Arumugam Road, #01-05, LTC Bldg C, Singapore 409959
Opening Hours: 8:30am – 4pm (Tues – Fri), 9:30am – 5pm (Sat – Sun), Closed Mon
Coffee Roast with Rare Sustainable Coffee
This specialty Nordic-style coffee shop and coffee roastery is quite a hidden find, and you may be surprised by its industrial-decor, huge space, and of course fragrant coffee.
When it comes to their style of roasting, they try to manipulate both the beans’ inside and outside colour to better control flavour. This is because they believe that the relationship between bean colour and roast progression, serves as a powerful means of predicting coffee’s final flavours.
Do head over if you are a fan of specialty coffee bands.
To pair with coffee, there are rotational pastries to go along such as Sticky Bun ($6.90), Chocolate Fudge ($3.90), Matcha Ganache Cruffin ($5.90), Kougin Amann ($4.90), Kardemummabullar ($5.90), Cinnamon Roll ($5.90) and Blueberry Muffin ($4.90).
Sweet Hut 甜秘密
654 Geylang Road, Geylang Lor 40, Singapore 389584
Opening Hours: 6pm – 3am (Mon – Sun)
IG-Worthy Colourful Dessert Shop Opens Till 4AM Daily
Sweet Hut stood out among the row of shophouses due to the colourful walls and hanging neon lights that didn’t quite resemble the typical local dessert place.
Here, you will find a huge, 50-seater Instagram-worthy space.
There are varied themes in different corners, ranging from a blue floral backdrop to a golden cage, tatami area or even seats shaped like a rolling dice and Rubik’s cube.
Desserts such as Durian Sago ($6.90), D24 Durian Mousses ($6.90), Bird’s Nest ($15 – $28), Herbal Gui Ling Gao ($2.30), Almond/ Walnut/ Peanut/ Sesame Paste ($3.80), Yam Paste with Pumpkin & Ginkgo ($5.80) and Honeydew Sago ($4.30) can be found on their menu.
The Yam Paste with Pumpkin & Ginkgo ($5.80) aka Orh-Nee was rich and creamy with a thick and viscous texture, topped with a dollop of pumpkin flesh that added some sweetness. The ginkgo nuts contributed some chewiness overall. Sweet Hut 甜秘密 (Geylang)
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10 PAYA LEBAR Cafes
* Compiled by Daniel Ang @DanielFoodDiary and Nicholas Tan @stormscape.
