With the opening of the downtown line, getting around Singapore has never been easier! Why not make full use of this new interconnectivity by going on food adventures with your family and friends? Have a gastronomic time as you cruise along the different coloured MRT lines on our tiny island! Here’s a list of 10 halal cafes that are a short walk away from MRT stations! With all these food options, you’d better start on an empty stomach ☺
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[P.S Cafe-hop at these 5 of the coolest halal themed cafes in Singapore!]
Jalan Besar
1. The Malayan Council (<3 minutes)
First up! Just a short distance from the newly-opened Jalan Besar MRT station is The Malayan Council, a popular café known for its generously portioned Malay-Western fusion food. Facing the Abdul Gafoor Mosque, this cosy café has both alfresco and indoor dining options. The low lights of the lower floor give it the perfect ambience for a romantic date, while the brightly-lit second floor is perfect for group gatherings! Try their Angus Ribeye Masak Merah, a steak coated in traditional masak merah sauce (a Malay-type red sauce!) served with sides of truffle fries and salad ?
Another hit of theirs is the Roti Kirai Beef Ribs, a net-pancake dish served with a huge slab of bone! Most of the main course items here can be shared by two people, so you'll be saving on costs while dining in pleasure ?
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The desserts and cakes here are worth checking out too! Their ondeh-ondeh cake has the flavours of the traditional kuih hands down! Cakes here are served with a dollop of ice cream to balance your palate?If you’re not up for cakes, try their Pengat Durian Crème Brulee! The rich durian filling will definitely be a sumptuous treat for your tastebuds ?
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The owner of the café is a very friendly guy and the service here is so on point. You'll be welcomed in with open arms!
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Address: 22 Dunlop Street, Singapore 209350
Opening Hours: 11.30am to 11pm daily
How to get there: From Jalan Besar MRT, head southwest from Jalan Besar to Syed Alwi Road before taking a right turn towards Dunlop Street. The café is a 3 minutes walk from the station.
2. Butter Studio (<3 minutes)
Also along Jalan Besar is the famous Butter Studio! This place is known for their handmade cakes and cupcakes that are oh-so-moist and fluffy. With a menu that’s inspired by rich, local flavours, you’ll find baked goods with flavours like Salted Gula Melaka, Sea Salt Nutella, Milo Speculoos Fudge and Caramel Red Velvet. They have other desserts too such as pancakes, gourmet tarts and cake jars.
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Main course dishes are also served at the bakery café, such as their Wasabi Eggs Royale and Crabby Eggs Neptune. The best part is that new specialty items are introduced on a rotational basis so you’ll always have more to try!
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Quench your thirst with one of their specialty drinks – the Sawadee Thai Tea Float, Onde Tea Float and Strawberry Lychee Tea Float and be pleasantly surprised by the cute floaties they are served with! Don't forget to try out what they're famous for - delicious cakes ?
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Address: 147 Jalan Besar, Singapore 208865
Opening Hours: 12pm to 9pm (Monday to Thursday), 12pm to 11pm (Friday), 11am -12am (Saturday), 11am to 9pm (Sunday)
How to get there: The café is a 3 minute walk from the station.
Rochor
3. Santap (<6 minutes)
If you’re always on-the-go, this is the place to go for the perfect afternoon brunch! Santap is the place of pizzas, rice bowls and sandwiches! Their rice bowls are made with cauliflower and wholegrain brown rice with sides of red daikon, spinach, and alfalfa. You can choose a main protein consisting of either salmon, shrimp, chicken, lamb, beef or portebello mushrooms ?
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The sandwich menu here is pretty delectable too! There’s plenty to choose from, whether you're looking for something sweet or savoury. Usual items such as smoked salmon and turkey ham are available, but if you’re feeling more adventurous, why not try their aubergine egg, chuck meatballs, bottom sirloin or caramelised banana toast?
Beetroot salmon bagel with crisps
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Dark Chocolate Tart
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Address: 16 Madras St, Singapore 208413 Madras St, Singapore 208413
Opening Hours: 12pm to 10pm (Mondays to Fridays), 11am to 10pm (Saturdays and Sundays)
How to get there: From Rochor MRT, head towards Prinsep street on Rochor Canal Road. Take a right towards Perak Road and you’ll find Madras Street on your left. The café is 6 mins away from the MRT.
Farrer Park (<5 minutes)
4. Paddington House of Pancakes
Located right in City Square Mall is Paddington House of Pancakes, a specialty café serving the fluffiest pancakes! The thick and flavourful pancakes here are so out-of-this-world perfect, they will be your new standard for pancakes! Freshly made upon order, all the pancakes here are crisp on the outside and soft in the middle. Different pancake varieties are sold here from American flapjacks to French crepes and the Dutch pannekoeken! Portions here are also generous so sharing is a good idea ?
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There are both sweet and savoury options here and both are very filling! If you’re particularly hungry, go for The Full Monty with pastrami, chicken chipolatas and turkey bacon strips sandwiched between classic flapjacks with 2 sunny side-ups! Not only that, this set comes with sides of mashed potatoes, baked beans and mushroom onion gravy. This café is also family-friendly and if you’re going in large groups, get their jug-sized drinks to share!
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Address: 180 Kitchener Rd, #02-35/36 City Square Mall, Singapore 208539
Opening Hours: 11.30am to 9pm (Monday to Thursday), 11am to 9.30pm (Friday to Sunday)
How to get there: From Farrer Park MRT, walk towards City Square Mall via underground passage. Paddington House of Pancakes is on level two of the mall, about 5 minutes away from the station.
Tampines
5. Commonground (8-10 minutes)
Another family-friendly option is Commonground at Our Tampines Hub. With their choice of sharing platters, there’s something here for everyone ? Start your meal with their wide array of appetisers such as the Breaded White Fish Fillet, Ravioli Nachos or Barramundi Fish Collar before moving on to either pasta, pizza or their range of entrees.
Family breakfast platter available on weekends till 12 pm
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Check out the oven-baked boneless chicken thigh or their chicken cordon bleau, a breaded chicken fish with cheese and ham filling in the centre. Commonground also has a great selection of salads like their Poached Egg Grilled Chicken Caesar salad, Grilled Teriyaki Beef Salad, Pumpkin Fussili Pasta with mixed greens and crispy calamari in panzu miso. Greens have never tasted so good ?
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If you still have space for desserts, Commonground has its fair share of options too from tarts to desserts in a jar and signature cakes ? Try their new All About Cheese waffle - crispy waffles with cheese, cheese chips and a scoop of cheese factory ice-cream with turkey bacon bits. It’s the right mix of sweet and savoury!
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Address: #01-103 Our Tampines Hub, 1 Tampines Walk, Singapore 528523
Opening Hours: 10am to 10pm (Monday to Friday), 8am to 10pm (Saturday and Sunday)
How to get there: From Tampines MRT station, walk towards the interchange. Cross the road from the interchange heading towards AIA building and you'll find Our Tampines Hub. The café is along the hub’s Festive Walk. The walk takes about 8 - 10 minutes.
[P.S You have to check out these 5 halal food gems in SG's east side!]
Bugis
6. Krave (<5 minutes)
Bugis is the home of halal cafes and eats! You’ll find Krave Café just a short walk away from Raffles Hospital exit. A Malay-Western fusion food connoisseur, the food here is typical café fare with a twist!The crowds here are testament to their amazing food and service. Walk-ins to this café are usually unsuccessful, so make sure you make a reservation prior to visiting.
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Try their Kraving Ayam Bakar, grilled chicken with a special satay sauce with ketupat and onion sides ? The sweet sauce will knock your socks off. For sides, their rendang fries are great as well!
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Even the desserts here are fusion-style! Treat yourself to their Chempedak Bomb or Chempedak Crème Brulee!
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Address: 28 Bali Lane, Singapore 189864
Opening Hours: 11.30am to 11pm daily
How to get there: From Bugis MRT, exit towards Raffles Hospital and pass through the cross-junction diagonally towards Bali Lane that's opposite Golden Landmark. The walk to the café takes about 5 minutes.
[P.S For 10 other halal cafes you need to visit for your hipster cafe-hopping adventures around Bugis, check out the list here!]
7. I Am… (<5 minutes)
A stone’s throw away from Krave is I Am… an open space café inspired by the alfresco dining style in Amsterdam! The food here is typical Western fare, you’ll find fish and chips, pizzas and burgers ? The burger patties here are slowly grilled over charcoal fire and you can really taste the freshness of the meat! The fish and chips here also get rave reviews for being the right combination of crispy and moist.
If you’re up for dessert, try their bestselling seven-layer rainbow or red velvet cake or their rainbow mille crepe cake with chocolate sauce!
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One specialty over at I Am… is their mocktails! With funky names like Adam’s Apple, Smooth Criminal and Amazing Aloha, they’re sure to pique your curiosity. The ice cool flavours are so refreshing on a hot day out ☀️
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Address: 674 North Bridge Road, junction of North Bridge Road and Haji Lane
Opening Hours: 11am – 11pm (Monday to Thursday), 11am – 1am (Friday to Saturday), 11am to 10pm (Sunday)/ Closed every first Monday of the month
How to get there:From Bugis MRT, exit towards cross the cross-junction diagonally towards North Bridge Road, opposite of Golden Landmark. You'll find the café at the edge of Haji Lane. The walk to the café takes about 5 minutes from the MRT.
8. Fat Papas (<5 minutes)
Modelled after Fat Boy burgers, Fat Papas by Sheikh Haikel is home to the good ol’ hamburger. Also a neighbour of Krave café, Fat Papas is very accessible from Bugis MRT. The burger patties here come in a special house blend and the burger selection here is extensive! Try The Elvis, a beef burger with grilled bananas and creamy peanut butter on a honey oat bun or Bolly Wooly, a juicy lamb burger with homemade curry remoulade ?
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True to the store name, the shakes here are pretty good too! They come in many flavours – vanilla, chocolate, mango, strawberry, gula melaka and coconut! You can add on from a choice of peanut butter, nutella, crushed oreos, banana or caramel for that extra oomph to your shake. All shakes are topped with toasted marshmellows too! Yum ?
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Address: 17 Bali Lane, Singapore 189853
Opening Hours: 12pm to 11pm daily
How to get there: From Bugis MRT, exit towards Raffles Hospital and cross the cross-junction diagonally towards Bali Lane opposite Golden Landmark. The walk to the café takes about 5 minutes.
9. Wilder (<8 minutes)
At Wilder, you’ll be wow-ed by the freshness of the café fare here. With menu choices like Laksa-Infused Fish Linguine, Mac and Cheese Burger, Momma’s Lasagne, Roasted Lemak Cili Padi Pasta and Salted Egg Chicken Burger, every bite will be a new sensation!
The café is a cosy space tucked into the side of a street and has very calm and serene vibes too. It’s a great place for an afternoon tete-a-tete with your BFF ?
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The cake selection here like the Gula Melaka Pandan cake, Thai Milk Tea cake and Chocolate Speculoos cake are impressive too! You can't resist going for desserts here after the mains!
[P.S These top 10 cafes in Bugis are just what you need for your next cafe-hopping adventure!]
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Address: 749 North Bridge Road, Singapore 198717
Opening Hours: 12.30 to 10pm daily, closed on Mondays
How to get there: From Bugis MRT, exit and head towards the cross-junction to Golden Landmark. Walk straight from Golden Landmark along North Bridge Road, passing Zam Zam and Victory Restaurant. Walk straight along North Bridge Road till you find Wilder on your left. The walk to the café takes about 8 minutes from the MRT.
Lavender
10. The Bravery (10 minutes)
From Lavender MRT, take a stroll towards V Hotel and you’ll find The Bravery Café just a street away! A Muslim-owned café, this café specialises in its brews and blends of coffee, tea and other beverages ? The food here is well worth a try too. The resident chef, Chef Taj, has quite an impressive portfolio in Western cuisine, once spearheading Paul de Maison’s first outlet outside of France!
You’re surely in very good hands at The Bravery then ? The usual fare of burgers, sandwiches and pastas are available here and the menu is revamped from time to time!
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Cold brews are available for takeaways too so you can take home a piece of the café’s goodness to enjoy in the comfort of your home. From black and white, lavender and orange mocha cold brew coffee to thai milk tea and raspberry tea flavours, you have plenty to choose from!
Credit: The Bravery Café on Facebook
Address: 66 Horne Road, Singapore 209073
Opening Hours: 9am to 6 pm (Sunday to Thursday), 9am to 10pm (Friday to Saturday), Closed on Tuesdays
How to get there: Exit Lavender MRT towards V Hotel. From V Hotel, walk straight along Horne Road passing Jalan Besar Sports Centre. You'll find the café on your right. The walk takes around 10 minutes.
[P.S These 12 halal bakeries in SG will have you in pastry heaven!]
So there’s our top ten picks of halal cafes near MRT stations! Now that the holidays are here, it’s high time to treat yourself and have some good food with your loved ones ? You so deserve it! Grab your EZ link already, and let’s go!
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