Cafeography
Singapore · Tanjong Pagar, Duxton & Keong Saik

Cafés in Tanjong Pagar, Duxton & Keong Saik

Maxwell's kopi stalls, Duxton Hill shophouses and the late cafés of Keong Saik Road.

Photo: Виктор Соломоник, Pexels License

Tanjong Pagar is said to mean "cape of stakes" in Malay, perhaps after the kelong fishing traps built offshore, and it grew with the port: the Tanjong Pagar Dock Company was formed in 1864.1 Behind the docks, Duxton Hill was a 13-hectare nutmeg plantation of 1,800 trees owned by the surgeon J. William Montgomerie, and it was auctioned off in building lots after his death in 1856.2

The shophouses built on those lots are now conserved, and by the 2000s many had become restaurants, bars and cafés, close to the office towers of the CBD.2 Keong Saik Road, named in 1926 after the Malacca-born businessman Tan Keong Saik, was a red-light street in the 1960s and is now lined with coffee shops and galleries.3

Local tip: Maxwell's drink stalls serve from breakfast, while the cafés around Keong Saik and Neil Road mostly open at 11:00; for an early coffee, Bearded Bella opens at 07:30.

At a glance

72Cafés listed
23With opening hours
07:30Earliest opening
01:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Bearded Bella, from 07:30 (Mon–Fri 07:30–17:00 · Sat–Sun 07:30–18:00).
  • Closes latest: Kafe UTU, until 01:00 (Mon 08:00–17:00 · Wed–Thu 08:00–17:00, 17:30–23:00 · Fri–Sat 08:00–01:00 · Sun 08:00–17:00, 17:30–23:00).
  • Most listed streets: Kadayanallur Street (9), Tanjong Pagar Road (6), Neil Road (6).
  • Most common features: open late (15%), outdoor seating (14%), takeaway (13%).

Borderless Coffee

  • 65 Tanjong Pagar Road
  • Mon–Fri 10:00–17:00 · Sat–Sun 10:00–16:00
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Let’s Go Bago

  • 1A Duxton Hill
  • Mon 10:00–17:00 · Tue Closed · Wed–Sun 10:00–17:00
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Coffee chains in Tanjong Pagar, Duxton & Keong Saik

Getting to Duxton and Keong Saik

Maxwell station, on the Thomson–East Coast Line, opened on 13 November 2022 along Neil Road, between Maxwell Road and Kreta Ayer Road.5 Outram Park, at the western edge, is the closest station to Singapore General Hospital and links the East–West Line (1987), the North East Line (2003) and the Thomson–East Coast Line (2022).6 Tanjong Pagar station is on the East–West Line.1

Maxwell Food Centre's drink stalls

Maxwell opened on 17 November 1928 as a market on a former Chinese burial ground, became a hawker centre in March 1987 with 70 hawkers moved from China Square, and took its present name after a S$3.2 million renovation in 2001.4 It has 103 stalls at 1 Kadayanallur Street, where Maxwell Road meets South Bridge Road.4

A cluster of them pour kopi: Ho Peng Coffee Stall, En Hiang Beverages, Xiao Mei Cafe, Soon Li Coffee Shop, The 1950's Coffee, Coffee Queen and K3 Cafe all share that address. Pacto by Parchmen is nearby at 5 Kadayanallur Street, open daily 08:30–16:30.

Duxton Hill, Duxton Road and Neil Road

Duxton Road was Jinrickshaw Place to Cantonese speakers, after the rickshaw pullers, many of them Hokkien from Hui'an, who parked near the Jinricksha Station, and part of Duxton Hill is now a pedestrian mall.2 Tanjong Pagar Road is better known for Korean food: by 2017 about 15 Korean outlets had opened along a 300-meter stretch near Duxton Hill.1

Let's Go Bago is at 1A Duxton Hill and Routine Cafe & Bar at 60 Duxton Road. Neil Road has Caracara at No. 77 and Yuen Yeung at No. 43, open 11:00–23:30 daily. Five Oars, at 43 Tanjong Pagar Road, serves 08:00–22:00 every day, and Bearded Bella opens earliest, at 07:30.

Keong Saik Road and the late cafés

The Bukit Pasoh conservation area, which Keong Saik Road borders, was conserved on 7 July 1989, and the road's own shophouses gained protection in 1990 and 1991.3 Two temples stand on it: Cundhi Gong at No. 13, built in 1928, and Sri Layan Sithi Vinayagar at No. 73, from 1925.3

Bread & Hearth bakes at 18 Keong Saik Road, and The Reading Room at 19 Bukit Pasoh Road stays open until 23:30 daily. Parallel Coffee Roasters pours specialty coffee until 22:00, or 23:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. September Coffee, at 8 Craig Road, opens from 11:00 or 11:30 and closes on Mondays.

Everton Park

Everton Park is one of two public housing estates in Tanjong Pagar, built between the 1970s and the 1980s.1 Its blocks hold cafés too: The Audacious Cakery at 2 Everton Park opens Tuesday to Sunday, and Tina's Cafe at 5 Everton Park is open daily 08:30–22:00.

Sources

  1. Tanjong Pagar, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Duxton Hill, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Keong Saik Road, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. Maxwell Food Centre, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  5. Maxwell MRT station, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  6. Outram Park MRT station, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
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In Tanjong Pagar, Duxton & Keong Saik, also browse: Specialty coffee Bakery cafés Brunch Outdoor seating Wi-Fi Open late

FAQ

Tanjong Pagar, Duxton & Keong Saik cafés: questions

Which MRT station serves Duxton and Keong Saik Road in Singapore?

Maxwell station on the Thomson–East Coast Line, opened in November 2022, runs along Neil Road between Maxwell Road and Kreta Ayer Road. Outram Park, on the East–West, North East and Thomson–East Coast lines, serves the western end, and Tanjong Pagar station on the East–West Line serves Tanjong Pagar Road.

Where can you get kopi at Maxwell Food Centre in Singapore's Tanjong Pagar?

Maxwell Food Centre, at 1 Kadayanallur Street where Maxwell Road meets South Bridge Road, has 103 stalls, several of them drink stalls: Ho Peng Coffee Stall, En Hiang Beverages, Xiao Mei Cafe, Soon Li Coffee Shop, The 1950's Coffee, Coffee Queen and K3 Cafe. The centre opened as a market in 1928 and became a hawker centre in 1987.

Which cafés near Keong Saik Road in Singapore stay open late?

The Reading Room at 19 Bukit Pasoh Road and Yuen Yeung at 43 Neil Road are open daily until 23:30. Parallel Coffee Roasters serves until 22:00, or 23:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, and Five Oars at 43 Tanjong Pagar Road is open every day until 22:00.

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