The Best Cafes To Check Out In Serangoon Gardens

A highlight at Amber Ember is the brioche jaffles, the Australian word for a closed toasted sandwich, which they offer in variations like roasted mushroom and truffle bechamel. Tom kha tagliarini and truffle mushroom sage fettuccine make up their lunch pasta menu, while small-batch roaster Cata Coffee lends a caffeinated kick to cold brew with milk and chocolate. The cafe also has a selection of craft beers from Australian brewer Garage Project.

(Image credit: Amber Ember / Facebook)

Apollo has the kind of dreamy aesthetic that makes a Kinfolk editor hot under the collar. Located in a sun-dappled shophouse, the cafe focuses on brunch dishes such as lemon curd hotcakes and nori avocado toast, as well as heartier options like miso bacon risotto. For drinks, they serve coffees like einspanner – cold brew coffee, whipped cream, and cocoa powder – and water kefir with chamomile, mint, and vanilla. There are also fruity spritzes that you can spike with alcohol, and natural wines. The outdoor area is pet-friendly.

(Image credit: Apollo Coffee Bar / Facebook)

Chu And Co is a stripped-down bakery and cafe that is serious about sourdough. They turn it into sandwiches like mushroom melt and avocado tartine, while offering pastries flavoured with honey chilli salami, and tomato and ricotta. Aeropress coffee and shakerato – double espresso, citrus syrup, and rosemary – are made with beans from an award-winning Perth-based coffee roaster, and the cafe also churns their own gelato.

(Image credit: Chu And Co)

Little Farms lets you make your time at Serangoon Gardens an all-day affair. The brand has brought their pet-friendly bar and grill here, which serves brunch items including a luscious shakshuka, and a deconstructed burrito bowl with protein, brown rice, beans, avocado, and greens plucked from their indoor herb wall. The charcoal grill takes over in the evening, churning out tender lamb cutlets, Korean-inspired pork ribs, and battered plant-based calamari made from konjac jelly. Fill your fridge with items from Little Farms’ specialty grocery store, which sells sustainable produce from fresh salmon to the award-winning Rogue River Blue Cheese. The store also stocks an extensive selection of artisanal wines like a racy syrah from South African family-run winery Beaumont.

(Image credit: Little Farms)

Sun Ray Cafe is a serial coffee and tea competition finalist. The pet-friendly establishment roasts their own coffee beans and offer two house styles, a fruity blend and a darker roast, along with single origin beans and a variety of teas, which can be prepared using a Korean cold brew equipment called My Dutch. Popular food items include their big breakfast of eggs, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, and tater tots, along with prawn and nori aglio olio, and Mr Woffles, their rendition of ice cream on brioche toasts with berries and nuts.

(Image credit: Sun Ray Cafe / Facebook)

The Plain Jane simply specialises in freshly baked Swiss rolls. The original is packed with vanilla-accented cream, and other flavours include matcha, earl grey, Thai milk tea, and yuzu. Other pastries include scones, lemon yoghurt loaf, and apple tea cake, while drinks range from premium tea blends to piccolo latte.

(Image credit: The Plain Jane / Facebook)

Combining both the founders’ names, Wimbly Lu started out in 2011 at Braddell Heights Estate before moving to Jalan Riang (they have another location in Jalan Besar). The cafe prides itself homestyle desserts like molten root beer cake and handmade chocolate truffles, and has since branched out to savoury fare including breakfast crepe and ayam penyet burger. Pair it with a seasonal hot chocolate or an ume burnt lemon fizz.

(Image credit: Wimbly Lu / Facebook)