Cafeography
Singapore · Chinatown & Telok Ayer

Cafés in Chinatown & Telok Ayer

Amoy Street Food Centre kopi, Telok Ayer's temple street and cafés on Ann Siang Hill and Pagoda Street.

Photo: Christian Alemu, Pexels License

Telok Ayer Street began as a coastal road on Telok Ayer Bay, and the immigrants who landed there built their places of worship along it: Fuk Tak Chi in 1824, the Al-Abrar Mosque around 1828 and the Nagore Durgha shrine in 1828–1830.1 Reclamation from 1878 to 1885 pushed the shore out, so Thian Hock Keng, once facing the sea, now stands five blocks from it.1

Chinatown proper spreads west across South Bridge Road to Pagoda Street and Temple Street, and Ann Siang Hill rises between the two. Chinatown was gazetted as a historic district for conservation in the late 1980s, and its cafés sit in those shophouses and in the food centres.3

Local tip: Coffee Break closes at 14:30 and at weekends, so go on a weekday morning; its unit, #02-78, is on the second floor of Amoy Street Food Centre.

At a glance

70Cafés listed
17With opening hours
07:00Earliest opening
00:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Kyuukei Coffee, from 07:00 (Mon–Sat 07:00–16:00 · Sun Closed).
  • Closes latest: My Awesome Cafe, until 00:00 (Mon–Fri 09:00–00:00 · Sat–Sun 08:45–00:00).
  • Most listed streets: South Bridge Road (5), Telok Ayer St (5), Stanley Street (3).
  • Most common features: open late (10%), air-con (3%), vegetarian options (3%).

Food Rebel

  • 28 Stanley Street
  • Mon–Fri 08:00–18:00 · Sat 09:00–15:00
  • Wheelchair access
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Soulalife

  • 1 Pickering Street
  • Mon–Thu 10:30–20:00 · Fri 10:30–21:30 · Sat 12:00–21:30
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Coffee chains in Chinatown & Telok Ayer

Getting around: Chinatown and Telok Ayer stations

Pagoda Street is a pedestrian mall that leads to Chinatown station at its New Bridge Road end.3 Telok Ayer station sits at the junction of Cross Street and Telok Ayer Street.1 Between the two, Ann Siang Hill links Club Street and Ann Siang Road to South Bridge Road.4

Kopi at Amoy Street Food Centre

Coffee Break, at #02-78 in Amoy Street Food Centre, 7 Maxwell Road, began in 1935 as a pushcart run by the Hainanese grandfather of today's third-generation owner, and moved into the centre in 1999.5 In October 2025 its kopi-O and kopi-C siew dai cost S$1.90 each and its black sesame iced kopi S$3.5 It opens on weekdays only, 07:30–14:30.

At 5 Kadayanallur Street, Kyuukei Coffee opens at 07:00 Monday to Saturday and ECHO House at 08:30 on weekdays. Common Man Stan opens at 07:30 every day.

Thian Hock Keng and Telok Ayer Street

Thian Hock Keng, at 158 Telok Ayer Street, began as a small shrine around 1821–1822 and was rebuilt from 1839 to 1842 for 30,000 Spanish dollars.2 Seafarers and immigrants came to thank Mazu, the sea goddess, for a safe crossing, and the temple became a national monument on 6 July 1973.2

Sarnie's Cafe is at 136 Telok Ayer Street. Genius Central is at 7-13 Amoy Street, Vanilla Bar and Cafe at 3 Boon Tat Street, and Coffee-Hugg at 21 McCallum Street. Dapper Coffee keeps weekday hours, 08:00–17:00.

Ann Siang Hill, Pagoda Street and the late cafés

Ann Siang Hill is named after Chia Ann Siang, who bought it in 1873; it was home to remittance houses, where letter writers on the five-foot way helped immigrants write home, and most of its houses date from 1903 to 1941.4 Maxi Coffee Bar is at 6 Ann Siang Hill. Pagoda Street takes its name from the gopuram of Sri Mariamman Temple at its South Bridge Road end, and its shophouses were coolie lodgings in the early 1900s and tailors' shops from the 1950s.3

In the evening, Merci Marcel and My Awesome Cafe are open until midnight, Madame Ooze until 23:30, OnlyCreamery Gelato at 36 Temple Street until 23:00, and Gong He Guan at 28 Upper Cross Street until 22:30. Group therapy, at 181 South Bridge Road, stays open until 22:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.

Sources

  1. Telok Ayer Street, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Thian Hock Keng, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Pagoda Street, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. Ann Siang Hill, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  5. 15 Best Kopi Stalls in Singapore Ranked, Eatbook.sg (October 8, 2025), accessed October 2026
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In Chinatown & Telok Ayer, also browse: Specialty coffee Bakery cafés Brunch Wi-Fi Open late

FAQ

Chinatown & Telok Ayer cafés: questions

Where can you drink old-school kopi near Telok Ayer in Singapore?

Coffee Break, at #02-78 in Amoy Street Food Centre, 7 Maxwell Road, began as a Hainanese family pushcart in 1935 and has been in the centre since 1999, now run by the third generation. In October 2025 a kopi-O cost S$1.90. It opens Monday to Friday, 07:30–14:30.

How old is Thian Hock Keng temple on Telok Ayer Street in Singapore?

Thian Hock Keng, at 158 Telok Ayer Street, began as a small shrine around 1821–1822 and was rebuilt between 1839 and 1842. It is dedicated to Mazu, the sea goddess whom arriving seafarers thanked for a safe crossing, and it became a national monument in 1973. Reclamation means it now stands five blocks from the sea.

Which cafés in Singapore's Chinatown stay open late?

Merci Marcel and My Awesome Cafe are open until midnight, Madame Ooze until 23:30 and OnlyCreamery Gelato at 36 Temple Street until 23:00. Gong He Guan at 28 Upper Cross Street serves until 22:30, and Group therapy on South Bridge Road until 22:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.

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