The Best Places To Eat And Drink In Tiong Bahru

One of Singapore's oldest neighbourhoods, Tiong Bahru has quietly evolved into one of the city's most effortlessly cool dining pockets. Think heritage low-rise flats sitting alongside buzzing cafes, destination restaurants, and intimate bars that always seem to be doing something interesting.

From Parisian pastries and comforting bowls of old-school noodles to inventive sustainable cocktails, gluten-free plates, and polished French fare, this neighbourhood really does cover all cravings. Basically, if you're hungry, thirsty, or just wandering, Tiong Bahru is always ready to deliver. Here's where we're heading right now.

The Butcher's Wife

19 Yong Siak Street

Image Credit: The Bucher's Wife | Instagram

A rare haven for celiacs, The Butcher’s Wife is a 100 percent gluten-free Brazilian-inspired bistro, where all the baking, fermenting, pickling and preserving is done in-house, so you can rest assured about quality and clean eating. Complementing the food are natural wines and homemade kombuchas (flavours change on a regular basis).

Popular favourites include the Acarajé (Brazilian shrimp doughnut with Vatapa sauce), homemade Dadinhos Cubes (traditional Brazilian tapioca pearl snack), Pan-Seared Hokkaido Scallop with passion fruit vinaigrette and grilled compressed watermelon, and Sanchoku Wagyu Picanha served with cilantro chimichurri and hand-cut fries.

Merci Marcel

56 Eng Hoon Street, #01-68

Image credit: Merci Marcel | Instagram

This bohemian-style cafe brings an effortlessly chic French-Balinese vibe to the neighbourhood, thanks to its laidback interiors and lush glasshouse garden patio. A French social dining and shopping destination, Merci Marcel has been selling great food in beautiful cafes all over Singapore, with that classic Merci Marcel fun vibe. In addition to Tiong Bahru, the other locations are Club Street, East Coast, Orchard, Robertson Quay and Serangoon Garden.

Merci Marcel Tiong Bahru’s menu of classic French dishes, natural wines and cocktails is sure to hit the spot whether you’re in the mood for a leisurely brunch, lunch, after-work drinks or a hearty dinner. Think classic Croque Madame, Eggs Benedict, Duck rillettes, French mac & cheese, Peanut butter tartine, and savoury Tarte Flambées, among many other popular dishes.

Tiong Bahru Bakery

56 Eng Hoon Street, #01-70

Image Credit Tiong Bahru Bakery | Supplied

It’s almost impossible to walk past the bakery and not be tempted by the wafting aromas of fresh bakes. Morning croissants, danishes and kouign amanns, sandwiches and quiches for lunch, as well as takeaway fresh bakes and cakes, Tiong Bahru Bakery has everything you didn’t know you wanted.

This popular, homegrown bakery was founded in 2012 at the exact location it stands today named after its neighbourhood name no doubt. What humbly began as a single store has grown into a chain of 18 outlets today across the country. Last year the flagship re-opened at Eng Hoon with a new refreshed look and a bright green and white exterior awning, as well as introducing Singapore’s first Kouign Amann Soft Serve.

Magpie

57 Eng Hoon St

Image credit: Magpie | Supplied

Magpie (a culinary concept of borderless soul-food by New Zealander chef-owner Eliot Thomas and founder of Kafe Utu and Tamba, Kurt Wagner) has officially opened its doors, inviting you on a cultural journey of both familiar and unfamiliar flavours.

Located across from Tiong Bahru Market on Eng Hoon Street, Magpie’s menu reads like a story of Chef Eliot’s life. “Just like the experiences and moments that now make up a part of me, I want people to remember the meals they had and the memories they shared at Magpie 10, 20 years from now. “The Aguachile is a fresh, tangy, and spicy ceviche that pays tribute to my appreciation for Mexican culture and my longing to visit. The Lamb T-Bone that comes with yoghurt, burnt aubergine, and Urfa chilli butter is inspired by my time in London and Turkey, as well as my unfaltering appreciation for New Zealand lamb,” explained Chef Eliot.

Another highlight is the Market Haul with Zanzibar Sauce which came to life after Eliot cooked a meal for his business partner, Kurt Wagner, and he said the spiced, creamy coconut sauce reminded him of the markets and fresh spices in Zanzibar, known as the Spice Island in East Africa.

Aside from its menu, Magpie stands out from the crowd thanks to its beautifully simple interiors which feature a tandoor oven, carefully arranged vintage mementos and black-and-white photographs of Chef Eliot’s family. The highlight completing the space is a 2.5-metre, three-layer stone necklace from his hometown in New Zealand.

Dirty Supper

78 Moh Guan Terrace, #01-19

Image credit: Dirty Supper | Supplied

Championing the art of grilling and whole animal cooking, Dirty Supper is a new addition to the culturally-rich Tiong Bahru foodie enclave. The popular pop-up supper club now finds its permanent home in the iconic Hua Bee Restaurant, transforming this dual-concept space from a 90-year-old local noodle house in the day to a vibrant, grungy, and energetic space in the late afternoons.

Helmed by Chef-Owner Peter Smit, Dirty Supper combines Smit’s love for grilling with his signature style of ingredient pairing to produce unexpected yet stunning and flavourful dishes. With “pride in produce” at its core, Dirty Supper’s menu is lean and ever-changing. As with whole animal cooking, the menu will largely depend on the produce available for the day.

Small plate highlights include the Forgotten Carrot “Schnitzel”, Raw Prawn with black lime and pickled chilli, and the Lamb Tartare with black garlic and cured yolk. For large plates, the must-tries are the Olive Brined Lamb Rump with caramelised cauliflower, Pork with roast leek and burnt pear, and the BBQ Squid with a pork fat relish and pickled tomato. Ending off on a sweet note, tuck into desserts such as the Milk Cake and smoked ice cream, as well as the Chocolate Torte with whiskey compressed strawberry.

The cocktail menu features tipples like Wagyu Boulevardier, crafted with wagyu fat-washed rye, Campari and vermouth and Pickled Lemon Martini, made with gin, vermouth and pickled lemon brine, as well as the Dirty Espresso, a special mixture of mezcal, Kahlua, vermouth and cold brew.

Dirty Sips by Dirty Supper

78 Moh Guan Terrace, #01-19, Singapore 162078

Image Credit: Dirty Sips | Supplied

Complement Dirty Supper’s food with homemade savoury cocktails at Dirty Sips, the restaurant’s in-house cocktail bar. Helmed by Bar Manager Ricardo "Arjay" Abaleta, Arjay works closely with Chef Smit to transform kitchen trims and overlooked savoury elements and ingredients into wallet-friendly (from $16++), bold and flavourful, out-of-the-box tipples.

Bridging the gap between bar and kitchen, and proving that sustainability and creativity can go hand in hand, the cocktail menu at Dirty Sips is built around two expressions — Classics, for well-loved favourites reimagined with house-made touches, and Make It Dirty, an ever-rotating lineup inspired by the kitchen's seasonal offcuts and by-products. Black Garlic & Honey Sour, Pickled Lemon Martini, Apple Highball, Getting Jacked (with pickled jackfruit), are just some of the cocktails on the menu.

Beyond cocktails, a curated selection of sustainable, low-intervention wines and rotating craft beers from independent artisanal breweries are all available. And running every Saturday afternoon is the 1.5hr-long Dirty Sips Cocktail Workshop ($88++ per pax, minimum 2 pax). Sign up to craft 3 cocktails, paired with 3 snacks from the kitchen, and take home recipe cards and a bottled cocktail!

Forketta

58 Seng Poh Road, 01-23, Tiong Bahru Estates

Image Credit: Forketta | Instagram

After 33 years under the same ownership since 1993, Forketta is widely regarded as home of authentic traditional Italian cuisine, Tiong Bahru’s address for homemade organic fresh pasta, woodfired organic slow-fermented sourdough pizzas, and other artisanal craft‑led Italian flavours and dishes, using generations-old traditional recipes.

The chefs craft handmade pastas from non-genetically modified wheat semolina flour, a legacy from authentic Italian recipe, and sculpt it with bronze dies. In addition to a fresh Burrata Bar, signatures include Tagliatelle con braciole di carne wagyu for flat pasta with stewed Sanchoku wagyu beef flank, tomato sauce and parmigiano; seafood Risotto alla Pescatora; as well as the hearty Cotoletta alla Milanese for crispy breaded milk-fed veal schnitzel with fries and salad.

And there’s a whole pizza menu too. The woodfire baked sourdough pizzas are made with certified, organic, non-GMO and unbleached Kamut flours from Italy. Try the signature Forketta for a tomato sauce-based pizza with grilled sliced grass-fed striploin Angus Beef, rosemary, rocket and Parmigiano; classic Calzone; or the gourmet Salame, from many other choices.

Lucca's Trattoria Italian Restaurant

77 Tiong Bahru Road

Image Credit: Lucca's Trattoria Italian Restaurant | Instagram

A neighbourhood favourite for its authentic Tuscan-inspired fare, Lucca’s Trattoria embodies ‘cucina alla casalinga’ or home-cooking, making fresh homemade pastas, raviolis and gelatos, all in the traditional Italian way. Named after the city of Lucca (famous for its olio d’oliva lucchese, one of the highest quality of olive oils), the restaurant specialises in what Lucchese people would eat daily, especially the homemade pasta, all made using premium ingredients mostly from Italy.

All meat and seafood dishes here are cooked using the premium Josper charcoal oven. Signatures include the Costata Alla Griglia sul Carbone for Charcoal Grilled Bone-in Ribeye; Gamberi alla Busara, sautéed Tiger Prawn in Calabrian spicy tomato sauce with crusty ciabatta; classic Grilled Octopus, Polpo alla Griglia; Tordelli Lucchese, the famous crescent-shaped pasta filled with pork and pine nuts, in meat sauce; Ribollita, Tuscany’s signature soup with beef, kale, borlotti beans, bread and vegetables; Pappardelle con Il Coniglio for Pappardelle with rabbit stewed in red wine sauce, and classic Ossobuco alla Milanese (from Milan) featuring Braised Veal Shank saffron risotto.

Looking for more? Check out:

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Main image credit: Dirty Supper | Supplied

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