The best restaurants and cafes to visit in Joo Chiat

Awfully Chocolate’s total domination of Singapore’s shopping malls betrays the fact that it is not just a chocolatier.The brand has its own café in Joo Chiat named Ninethirty, and it is everything you’d expect an Awfully Chocolate bistro to be. Staple café brunch fair accompanies pasta dishes, roasts and sandwiches for lunch and dinner, along with an ample dessert selection to finish your meal.

(Image credit: @awfullychocolatebakeryandcafe)

Steak can be a big-ticket item, but not at Braseiro. The restaurant prides itself on being an affordable French bistro where cuts like entrecote and rib eye beef skewers go for under S$30, plus unlimited fries and fresh lettuce with every main course. Other meats include duck and lamb merguez sausage, while the baked camembert with toasted bread is a sumptous appetiser.

(Image credit: Braseiro / Facebook)

Common Man has established itself as a go-to for elevated brunch staples and quality brews. Some popular items include pancakes with caramelised banana and walnuts, croissant croque monsieur dripping with aged cheddar, and the hearty organic eggs Benedict with braised ox cheek. For dessert, get the crisp churros dusted with cinnamon sugar and sides of chocolate dipping sauces.

(Image credit: Common Man Coffee Roasters / Facebook)

Guan Hoe Soon lays claim to being Singapore’s oldest Peranakan restaurant. It began when Hainan immigrant Yap Chee Quee came to Singapore to work as a housekeeper for a Peranakan family, learned their recipes, and started his restaurant in 1953. Now run by his granddaughter Jenny Yap, the dishes are still made according to the founder’s recipes – just less oil – including signatures such as ayam buah keluak, hu piao soup, ikan bawal assam nanas pedas, and homemade ngoh hiang.

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Hjh Maimunah is a name that blankets some of the most famous nasi padang in Singapore, given its presence on the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand list, and for good reason as well. Regionally-sourced ingredients amplify the localism of the eatery and give extra richness to its signature dishes, including the delightfully charred meats cooked on a charcoal grill.

(Image credit: @ask162)

All things caffeine hog the limelight at Kings Cart. Some of their bestsellers range from the coconut latte with gula melaka and coconut cream, to affogato and coffee cocktails like cold brew highball and espresso martini. To eat, fish and chips feature breaded pollock, straight-cut fries, arugula, and homemade laksa sauce, a nod to the popular Katong Laksa nearby. In the evening, Kings Cart becomes Joo Chiat Oyster House, serving Singapore-inspired cocktails and oysters prepared in various ways.

(Image credit: Kings Cart Coffee / Facebook)

Italians agree: La Bottega Enoteca has the best pizza in Singapore, the second year chef Antonio Miscellaneo was awarded the prize by the Italy-based 50 Top Pizza awards. His signature is the wood oven-baked Newpolitan, which comes with toppings such as burrata, bottarga, and house-cured ham. Miscellaneo has also created a crunchier and chewier pizza called the Doublecrunch, with mortadella or sardines.

(Image credit: La Bottega Enoteca)

Known as one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in Singapore, Long Phung transports you to the vibrant eateries of Ho Chi Minh with its humble, yet flavourful selection of classic Vietnamese eats. The pho tai is a winner for us, what with the broth being richly flavoured with beef, and the glassy noodles being exceptionally chewy. It’s comfort food done right.

(Image credit: @3happyengineers)

The pervasiveness of prata eateries in Singapore makes it difficult to crown our city’s best, but Mr and Mrs Moghan comes pretty close. Based in a coffee shop, Mr and Mrs Moghan have been honing their craft for more than 30 years now, and specialise in what they call a “super crispy prata”, cooked on the flat iron stovetop until the circle of dough achieves a crust that breaks into a buttery middle.

(Image credit: @lebonchai)

If you have a big day ahead of you, Nimbus has you covered. They serve a Breakfast of Champions with a heaping of pork sausage, bacon, sous vide eggs, tater tots, sautéed mushrooms, grilled cherry tomatoes, and a slice of tosted sourdough. For smaller appetites, the cafe and bistro has truffle mushroom pasta, and fried chicken with waffles, to be finished off with Nutella cheesecake and their coffee blend of 100-percent Arabica beans from Brazil and Ethiopia.

(Image credit: Nimbus)

Picotin is named after the French word for horse feed, but thankfully, the food isn’t bales of hay. Instead, dishes like duck confit give away their European leanings, together with other fare such as fish and chips, truffle fries, nachos, pizzas, and pastas. Wash it down with a fresh pint of beer, which Picotin brews in-house.

(Image credit: Picotin – Katong / Facebook)

Prairie pulls inspiration from all around the world for its all-day brunch, and turns them into dishes such as salmon rosti and baked eggs with pork bratwurst and sourdough. Come lunch, they serve pulled pork burger and grain bowls with a choice of brown rice or quinoa, plus toppings like unagi. Finish with a dessert of salted gula melaka waffles.

(Image credit: Prairie By Craftsmen / Facebook)

Opened since 1981, Sin Heng sells two styles of bak kut teh popular on both sides of the Causeway. The regular is Singapore’s peppery version, while the special is delicately herbal and reminiscent of the best examples from Malaysia.

(Image credit: Sin Heng – 新兴 Claypot Bak Koot Teh / Facebook)

Founder Maxine Ngooi was in charge of pastries at some of Singapore’s most decorated restaurants, including Les Amis and Joel Robuchon. With Tigerlily, she has made a name for herself thanks to her exacting approach towards French pastries, cakes, and breads. At her cafe, dine on sandwiches like croque monsieur with kimchi, and five spice duck confit, as well as her signature Beehive: lychee demi sphere with yuzu and honey.

(Image credit: Tigerlily Patisserie)

The key to a good Chinese-style beef noodles is making the noodles from scratch, which Yi Zun does. Founded by Aisha, a Chinese-muslim from Qinghai, select how thin or wide you want your noodles to be, and a chef begins hand-pulling the dough, then cooks it briefly to maintain its springy texture. The broth is also crucial, which the restaurant makes by boiling fresh beef bones for at least three hours.

(Image credit: Yi Zun Noodle 伊尊老字号拉面 / Facebook)

This 96-seater Northern Indian restaurant is a popular destination for a number of reasons. It manages to serve authentically Indian cuisine while splicing its menu with some contemporary twists (chat masala fries, anyone?) and has an extensive selection of baked goods served piping hot from the tandoor oven. The cheese naan and butter rotisare a must if you visit.

(Image credit: @aromacookery)