For Coffee (& tea) Lovers!

By Sofia Roche Vidaurre, National University of Singapore, Singapore

This is a blog post dedicated to coffee shop lovers! A great way to discover Singapore’s neighborhoods is through visiting local coffee shops. As an avid coffee drinker I have greatly enjoyed trying out and curating a list of my favorite coffee spots all around Singapore! enjoy <3

1. Rough Guys Coffee                                                               This is a relatively new trendy coffee shop at the edge of Chinatown. A great stop while walking around Chinatown/Downtown to cool down with a cold brew. I personally love their ‘Sebastion Gomez’ brew as I am a big fan of Colombian beans!

2. Home grown Coffee Roasters                        

This is a great local spot that offers specialty coffee from different places around the world. I found this to be a great place to study after class as there’s plenty of space or just settle down with a book. It is also part of a long row of Shop-houses local to Singapore, so after studying it’s a great place to walk around and get dinner. I personally enjoyed their 6 oz. white with oat milk and a banana bread slice. Though it’s always hot in Singapore you get used to the heat, and I have found myself enjoying more and more hot coffees! (also, they tend to charge extra for ice).

 3. Apartment                                                           One of my favorite coffee spots! Beautiful interior and amazing specialty coffee. This coffee shop is in a student area with SMU and the local Art Uni nearby, so it is an especially cozy and young environment. As it is popular, they have a 1hr. limit but this depends on if it is busy or not. This is a nice place to catch up with friends or read a book, but it does not lend itself for a long study session. Definitely try just their espresso shot or pour over to get a sense of the true taste of the bean, but they also have flat whites and cappuccinos.

4. Pinhole Coffee Bar                                                              Another great coffee shop to study. This coffee shop’s pour over is delicious and their beans come from Ethiopia, Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico and more. Their pastries also stand out and they pair great with any of their coffees or teas! This place (just like others) gets quite busy around mid-day as all office workers go down to get lunch and then a coffee. It is also a great area to visit more shoppe houses and try local food given its location.

5. Cloud                                                                                                      My favorite place to study and have a coffee! Their signature coffee is called a Cloud and its iced coffee with a marshmallow like foamy layer on top. The top layer is nice and sweet which balances out the bitter taste of coffee. Their pastries are also amazing and made on site, you can smell them being freshly baked. The ambience is great as the lighting is soft almost dim which creates a nice relaxing vibe to study peacefully. The shop is in one of the shoppe houses and next door and close by there are great places for lunch or dinner.

I hope you get a chance to check these spots out during your year abroad in Singapore! During my time looking for local coffee shops I have seen local spots close as rent prices are extremely high. So, definitely take your time to check these out and support local spots! 🙂