Are you looking for a nice cafe where you can work from in Singapore? No worries, I’ve got just the list for you.
Unbeknownst to many, blogging is not my full-time gig – it’s a hobby that I started decades ago and has now somehow turned into a side hustle. During the week, I’m usually busy with my full-time job and I don’t have much time to work on my blog. Thus, typically spend my Saturday cafe-hopping around Singapore as a conscious effort to keep the blog up-to-date (Yes, the things I do for your dear readers).
I’ve also been living in Singapore for the past decade. So really, I can’t think of a better person to make this list – and keep it updated – other than myself 😉
Are you visiting Singapore? I’ve been living in Singapore for over a decade, so if you’re visiting, be sure to check out my Singapore itinerary post where I dish out all my Singapore travel tips!
In this post, I will list cafes I’ve visited and deemed work-friendly so far, (even on a Saturday for some of them!). This is a running list, so I will be updating it periodically and reporting back if anything changes. My requirement is pretty simple:
- Good vibe – I focus on places that won’t chase you out the second you take your laptop out. This is important for me because I am non-confrontational and I would like to keep my days peaceful.
- Strong WiFi – I don’t need the WiFi to be super fast since I’m not doing stuff like high frequency trading, but I need it to reliably load the internet since my work is on the cloud.
- Decent coffee – All I’m saying is, if I’m paying $6 – 8 for a cup of coffee, it better be good coffee!
- Power plug – This is optional for me because my Macbook Pro can last all day 😝 but I’ll take note of availability of electric plugs as well.
- Not Starbucks – Nothing against them, but while I am exploring a city, I prefer not to sit at a well-known global chain like Starbucks. We all already know that they have WiFi and serve coffee.
Tips for working from a cafe in Singapore
Rentals are sky high in Singapore, and that includes retail rental. So many F&B are struggling in Singapore, so let’s try to be mindful and support them when we can.
Here are some things I personally do when I am working from a cafe:
Get tourist eSIM or SIM card as hotspot back up – Found a cafe you like but they don’t provide WiFi? Or just need data as a back up while in Singapore? There are a few tourist eSIM from Starhub, Singtel or M1 that give you over 100GB of data and allow tethering, which is great for work. They’re valid for 14 or 28 days, and only costs a few dollars!
Setup Wireless@SG – As another back up, you can try connecting to Wireless@SG, a free WiFi connection in Singapore. It is not in every corner of the island, but it does cover most popular areas. Here is how you can set it up.
Come with fully charged battery – I know this is common sense, but most cafes don’t have so many power plugs readily available, and not having to rely on them gives you so much more flexibility.
Singapore Public Library – If you don’t care about vibes, our public libraries are more than decent options to work from. You just need to book a seat. For WiFi, you’d be using Wireless@SG.
Always purchase something from the cafe – Even though it might be pricy, please support the cafe and buy something from them. And make sure the amount justifies how long you plan to stay there too. My personal rule of thumb is I buy a drink (less than $8 usually) if I know I’m going to be there for less than two hours. Anything longer, I would buy something from the food menu and more drinks.
Expect to dish out some dough – Singapore is not a cheap place to live. A cup of latte typically cost about S$6-8 at these cafes. Main dishes cost about S$20-30, but smaller plates might be available for about S$15-18.
Avoid peak hours – Usually, lunch hours are busy. If I sense the cafe is getting full, I would excuse myself and come back later, or buy food to justify myself occupying the space.
Go for single occupancy seats – I’m assuming you’ll be working by yourself. Most cafe has designated seats that are meant for single occupancy: seats at the bar, window seats, high chair seats, communal seats, etc. Usually, these seats are not as in-demand because people come to a cafe to chill with friends.
List of work-friendly cafes in Singapore
To make it easier for you, I’ve made a google map of where you can find these cafes:
🗺 Save this list to your phone! If you are a Google user, click on the image of the map above. Then, click on “Save list”. You can refer to the list from your Google Maps app under ‘You’ > ‘Lists you saved’
And without further ado, here’s the list of cafes you can work from in Singapore, categorized by location:
- Central Business District (CBD)
- Central Singapore Area
- Outram
- Duxton
- River Valley
- East Side
1. Central Business District (CBD)
The Central Business District, or lovingly known as CBD to locals, comprises of areas around Raffles Place, Shenton Way and stretches all the way to Tanjong Pagar. This area is where you’d find most offices and headquarters.
1.1 Y Cafe @ One Raffles Place
About Y Cafe
- Address: 1 Raffles Pl, #02-28, Singapore 048616
- Nearest MRT: EW14NS26Raffles Place
- Hours: Mon – Fri 8am – 6pm, Sat 10:30am – 4pm
- WiFi: Fast speed. Password is provided when you order.
- Power Plug: No plugs
- My rating: 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️★/5 for work friendliness
Tucked in the quiet 2nd floor of One Raffles Place, this place is more popular on weekdays when the office crowd is here. But on a Saturday morning, there is barely anyone around!
Y Cafe isn’t a place you’d work at for an entire day because the seating isn’t really accommodating for work, but if you happen to be in CBD and need a place with dedicated fast wifi and decent coffee – then head to Y Cafe! As a bonus, I was given this cute latte art with my cappuccino:
1.2 Cafe Kreams @ Maxwell Chambers
About Cafe Kreams
- Address: 32 Maxwell Rd, #01-07, Singapore 069115
- Nearest MRT: EW15Tanjong Pagar
- Hours: Everyday 9AM – 11PM, except they open 11AM on Sundays.
- WiFi: Fast speed.
- Weekend Crowd: Not crowded in the morning.
- Menu: Full Menu Here
- Power Plug: No plugs.
- My rating: 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️★/5 for work friendliness
Cafe Kreams has been around for a long time. They’re located within minutes walk of Exit J of Tanjong Pagar MRT station, at the Maxwell Chambers building. They stand out due to their special decorations – when you see it, you’ll know what I mean.
Honestly, I find their coffee quite average, but they have WiFi and they’re not too fussed about you staying for awhile when they’re not fully occupied. Mornings are pretty quiet too!
2. Central Singapore Area
In Singapore, “Central area” refers to a vast area – It’s basically the areas around CBD, but not CBD, if that makes sense. This means areas like Orchard, Bugis, Tiong Bahru, Duxton, and the likes.
2.1 O’Coffee Club @ Raffles City
About O’Coffee Club
- Address: 252 N Bridge Rd, #03-30, Singapore 179103
- Nearest MRT: EW13NS25City Hall
- Hours: 10AM – 10PM
- WiFi: Super fast 200MBps WiFi
- Power Plug: Plugs available on many seatings
- My rating: 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for work friendliness
O’Coffee Club is a coffee chain in Singapore started in Holland Village in 1991. Since then, they have expanded into six branches around the island, and even internationally in our neighboring countries.
This one I went to is located in Raffles City, and upscale shopping mall right at the top of City Hall MRT station. This location is really convenient if you’re in the city.
They win in my book for work friendliness, which you don’t see often in cafes around Singapore – WiFi is very fast (a blazing 200Mbps when I tested!), password is printed on every table, and there are many power plugs available. Ordering can also be done easily via QR code, but payment still needs to be completed at the cashier.
The only downside is perhaps the price of the food and beverages, but it’s still not too outrageous for Singapore standard. I paid for $8 for my cappuccino after tax and service charge. Aside from coffee, they serve dessert, mains and all-day breakfast.
2.2 Workspace Grain + Cafe @ Guoco Midtown
About Workspace Grain + Cafe
- Address: 126 Beach Rd, #01-11 Guoco Midtown Network Hub, Singapore 189772
- Nearest MRT: EW12DT14Bugis
- Hours: Weekdays 8:30 – 7:00PM. Closed on weekends.
- WiFi: Use the free guest Guoco Network Hub WiFi.
- Power Plug: Limited plugs on the high chairs.
- My rating: 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for work friendliness
Workspace Grain + Cafe is a new concept by Cedele, a known chain bakery in Singapore. I came across this cafe when my work took me for an event in Guoco Midtown Network Hub. Workspace Grain + Cafe is located at the lobby of the Network Hub building.
It may be a bit confusing if you’re coming here from Bugis MRT because there are a few buildings named Guoco Midtown along the way. But just follow the pin on Google Maps, and you should be here shortly.
I like this location because the whole area feels airy – the Guoco Midtown lobby has very tall ceiling and open concept. There are also plenty of seating within the cafe. If you need privacy, there are even a few seats in the corner behind the cashier, which is where I’m currently holed up as I’m typing this.
As for food, they have a few pastries, coffee and grain bowls. Nothing too fancy, but I found the prices to be quite acceptable for Singapore. A cup of cappuccino is “only” S$5.50 😅
2.3 KLARRA Café @ Raffles City
About KLARRA Café
- Address: 252 N Bridge Rd #03-10, Singapore 179103
- Nearest MRT: EW13NS25City Hall
- Hours: 11AM – 8PM
- WiFi: Uses the Raffles City Shopping Mall WiFi (5-6Mbps)
- Power Plug: No plugs
- My rating: 3⭐️⭐️⭐️★★/5 for work friendliness
Not gonna lie, I really hesitated to include KLARRA Café because it’s not a real cafe. This place is actually an extension of the retail shop for a local clothing brand named KLARRA.
However, I can’t help but list them because the interior design of KLARRA Café is impeccable. I love the calming greeneries (even though yes, I know they are fake plants 🤣) and the light wood tone paired with accents of pastel green and friendly curves. It makes a peaceful place to work from for a few hours.
Their Iced Matcha Latte (S$8.90) is pretty good too! Made from ceremonial grade matcha and hand-whisked, it comes unsweetened by default which I really appreciate, since I tend to forget to ask for no sugar when I get Matcha Lattes. If you’d like them sweet though, there is a bottle of syrup you can add to your drinks.
Klarra doesn’t have their own WiFi, but I find that the free WiFi offered by the shopping mall is fast enough. They are located at Raffles City shopping mall, which uses the Capitaland Free WiFi. When I did a speed test, the WiFi speed only came up to be around 5-6Mbps. But it really didn’t feel slow at all for my blogging purposes – I was able to upload the images you see above without any difficulties.
2.4 Baristart Coffee @ Wisma Atria
About Baristart Coffee
- Address: 435 Orchard Rd, #04-01, Singapore 238877
- Nearest MRT: NS22TE14Orchard
- Hours: Everyday 11AM – 9:30PM
- WiFi: Fast speed via OCBC wifi
- Weekend Crowd: Not super crowded.
- Menu: Full Menu Here
- Power Plug: No plugs. They have locked the power plugs on the high chairs 😓
- My rating: 3⭐️⭐️⭐️★★/5 for work friendliness
Baristart Coffee is quite famous for serving good coffee. At Wisma Atria, they share space with OCBC. Their WiFi is served by OCBC too.
They have signs saying that there is a seat limit of 60 minutes during peak time, so if the cafe ever gets busy you might get kicked out. I was there at 1PM on a Saturday and there were plenty of seats though!
3. Outram
Outram Park area is popular with cafe-goers. It’s still close enough to the city center where all the action is happening (You can even see the office towers from here!), yet its still feels laid back and less hectic than being in proper CBD.
3.1 Grey Area Coffee Roaster @ Kampong Bahru Rd
About Grey Area Coffee Roaster
- Address: 13 Kampong Bahru Rd, Singapore 169345
- Nearest MRT: EW16NE3TE17Outram Park
- Hours: M-F 8:30AM – 4:30PM, Sat & Sun 9AM – 4:30PM
- WiFi: Fast speed, 270Mbps when I tested
- Power Plug: No plugs
- My rating: 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️★/5 for work friendliness
Grey Area Coffee Roaster is a small cafe – it occupies the first floor of a narrow shophouse. There are actually only four seats, on the counter towards the back of the cafe, that is suitable for working. My only complaints is that they have a smooth countertop that makes it hard to use my magic mouse – I really wished I had my mousepad with me.
However it’s still a great place to work from because they have blazing fast WiFi – over 270Mbps when I tested. The staff also leaves you mostly alone which is a huge plus for me. When I came in, there is only one lady working the whole cafe – from making all the coffee orders to manning the cashier.
Their coffee is decent – I got an iced white for $6.50. They get plenty of customers even on a weekday morning, so it may not be the most quiet place to work. But I think they win for the location and vibe.
3.2 Plain Vanilla @ Neil Rd
About Plain Vanilla
- Address: 167 Neil Rd, #01-01, Singapore 088888
- Nearest MRT: EW16NE3TE17Outram Park
- Hours: Everyday 7:30AM – 7:00PM
- WiFi: Fast speed, 320Mbps
- Power Plug: Two plugs at the long communal table, and a few along the walls near the seats.
- My rating: 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for work friendliness
Plain Vanilla is not a stranger to long-time Singapore residents. They started as a small take away bakery at Holland Village, and have since grew to eight locations around the island.
I’ve been to a few branches, but think their location at Neil Road is one of the best to work from. Although they’re located at a shophouse, they have tall ceiling which makes the space feels very open and not so claustrophobic. It’s also nicely renovated, which makes it a delight if you’re looking for the vibe.
They are so work friendly that the password is printed at every table, along with a QR code you can place your order directly online. There are two electric plugs on the wall below the long communal tables. So if you need to charge your devices, try to snag the two seats by the wall.
Their internet is blazingly fast at around 320Mbps when I tested. They might get busy once lunch started, but overall I can see myself parking here for awhile.
Aside from coffee and pastries, they also serve food in the form of sandwiches and all-day breakfast. I got the Sausage, Egg & Cheese Breakfast Wrap ($10.50++) with Petite salad bowl of Roasted Cauliflower, Chickpea & Cous Cous Salad ($6.00++), which was enough for lunch.
3.3 The Social Space @ Kreta Ayer
About The Social Space
- Address: 333 Kreta Ayer Rd, #01-14, Singapore 080333
- Nearest MRT: EW16NE3TE17Outram Park
- Hours: Everyday 9AM – 5PM
- WiFi: Password is provided on the table. Speed is fast – 335Mbps when I tested.
- Weekend Crowd: There is always several patrons in the cafe, but it’s not very crowded. Especially if you choose the window seat!
- Menu: $8.10 for an iced Matcha latte (Full Menu)
- Power Plug: Limited seats with plugs.
- My rating: 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️★/5 for work friendliness
Located within minutes walk of Exit 4 of Outram Park MRT, the location of this cafe is perfect if you need to hang around the Singapore CBD (By the way, CBD is the term for Central Business District). It’s a beautifully decorated cafe with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating.
On each table, along with the WiFi password, it’s clearly stated that there is a 120 minutes time limit on weekdays and 90 minutes on weekends and public holidays. However, as long as the cafe is not too busy it doesn’t seem that they will enforce this.
The Social Space at Kreta Ayer doubles up as a retail space for local small business, selling goods like soy candle, beeswax wrap and zero-waste utensils.
To be mindful of taking up space, I sat on the high chair seats by the window facing the road. It’s comfortable enough for a few hours, but I found the table a little too high for me and I’m quite average sized (I’m about 163cm tall).
I didn’t try their food menu since I was only here for a short time, but my matcha latte was great! They use honey as a sweetener, and you can request for less honey if you don’t like it sweet. Most other patrons were having some food and they looked good.
One last thing, when I was here it seems their air conditioner was not working too well. But they do have temporary air conditioner blowing towards the middle of the room to compensate for it. Not sure if this is a common occurrence.
My personal tip about this area: Right across the road from the cafe is Queic by Olivia, a cheesecake shop. The story is that the cheesecake used to be only served at Olivia restaurant at Keong Saik Rd down the road. It was so good that it started gaining cult following, and now they have a store dedicated for the cheesecakes! The signature cheesecake is made with blue cheese and unlike any other cheesecake I’ve had.
4. Duxton
Duxton is just a stonethrow away from CBD and popular as night time hang outs. This area here is special because it is part of the conserved areas in Singapore. Here, you won’t find any skyscraper office buildings, but instead you’ll be visiting shophouses that are only 2-3 stories tall.
4.1 butter tgt @ Duxton Rd
About butter tgt
- Address: 76a Duxton Rd, floor 2, Singapore 089535
- Nearest MRT: EW15Tanjong Pagar and TE18Maxwell
- Hours: 9:30AM – 6PM, closed on Tuesdays. They open at 9AM on weekends
- WiFi: A little slow at 15Mbps
- Power Plug: Two plugs on one of the walls
- My rating: 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️★/5 for work friendliness
butter tgt is located on the second floor of a shophouse along Duxton rd. You wouldn’t know it’s there unless you’re specifically looking for it.
But it’s not really unknown either. When I was there on a Wednesday afternoon (around 2PM), the cafe was about 90% full. I took one of the last few seats available. And there is a steady stream of customer coming in. It isn’t a huge place and not a place I would sit at the whole day because of the that – I would feel bad occupying the seat for too long.
They have wifi which is nice, and very limited power plug available at one of the seats, so come here with a full battery. I think the afternoon crowd come to this cafe to chill. Aside from myself, there were 3 other customers here on laptops, and another 2 reading a book.
Their iced matcha is good! I saw that most of the other patrons were there for food. They have a really nice looking acai bowl, and some pastries available.
4.2 Acoustics Coffee Bar @ Neil Rd
About Acoustics Coffee Bar
- Address: 61 Neil Rd, Singapore 088895
- Nearest MRT: EW15Tanjong Pagar and TE18Maxwell
- Hours: 8:30AM – 5:30PM
- WiFi: Average at 20Mbps
- Power Plug: No plugs available to customers
- My rating: 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️★/5 for work friendliness
I was a little apprehensive to visit Acoustics Coffee Bar since I read some reviews where they were not being too friendly to work in. But when I visited after lunch time on a weekday (around 2PM), I find them pleasant enough that I stuck around for a few hours.
Ordering and payment can be done on the QR code that’s pasted on every table, so there are very minimal human interaction required. WiFi password is also shared on every table, although when I tested it, it only came out to be 20 Mbps. It still felt fast enough to me though.
I got their iced white ($6.50++), and I’m really happy to report that the coffee is really good. Aside from coffee, they have a food menu consisting of brunch classics, as well as pasta and salad bowls.
5. River Valley
River Valley is known as the nice neighborhood of Singapore. It is technically part of central Singapore, but River Valley gets its own section because there are so many cafes here that are work friendly.
5.1 The Book Cafe @ River Valley Road
About The Book Cafe
- Address: 20 Martin Rd, #01-02, Singapore 239070
- Nearest MRT: DT20Fort Canning or TE16Havelock or TE17Great World
- Hours: Everyday 8:30AM – 9:30PM
- WiFi: Fast speed.
- Weekend Crowd: It can get pretty crowded around brunch time.
- Menu: Full Menu Here
- Power Plug: Some seats with power sockets.
- My rating: 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for work friendliness
The Book Cafe is yet another permanent fixture in Singapore’s F&B scene. I used to live in River Valley for quite awhile back in the 2010s, and The Book Cafe was already there. Turns out, they’ve been around long before I moved to the neighborhood – since year 2000.
What I like about The Book Cafe, other than being super laptop-friendly, is that their food is decent. Not gonna lie, it’s pretty expensive, but not overly outrageous in relative to other cafes in the neighborhood. You are in River Valley after all. They serve all-day breakfast too!
5.2 Tiong Bahru Bakery @ Foothills Fort Canning Park
About Tiong Bahru Bakery
- Address: 70 River Valley Rd, #01-05 Foothills Fort Canning, Singapore 179037
- Nearest MRT: DT20Fort Canning
- Hours: Everyday 7:30 – 7:00PM
- WiFi: Fast speed.
- Power Plug: Limited plugs.
- My rating: 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️★/5 for work friendliness
Tiong Bahru Bakery is a beloved bakery-cafe that has presence all over Singapore. They serve great pastries and coffee, and provide fast WiFi.
I especially love the location at Foothills in Fort Canning Park. It’s a serene location with greeneries around and plenty of seating. There is an indoor and outdoor seats.
5.3 Dutch Colony Coffee @ UE Square
About Dutch Colony Coffee
- Address: 81 Clemenceau Avenue #01-21, Singapore 239917
- Nearest MRT: DT20Fort Canning
- Hours: 8AM – 6PM
- WiFi: A little slow at 10Mbps
- Power Plug: No plugs
- My rating: 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️★/5 for work friendliness
Dutch Colony Coffee is a chain coffee shop with six branches all over the island, but it has been in UE Square for as long as I can remember. With it’s proximity to Fort Canning MRT station, it’s an excellent choice to work for a short period of time.
They have plenty of seating both indoor and outdoors, but I find their outdoor seating better since the indoor feels a bit cramped.
They provide WiFi, but a little slow at about 10Mbps when I went to test it out and seated outdoors. You might be getting better connection inside.
6. East Side
There is a saying among locals that says… “East side best side”, and that’s quite true, because many find the east side of Singapore quite charming. There is no tall skyscrapers here, only cool cafes and trendy eateries.
6.1 Monk’s Brew Club @ East Coast Rd
About Monk’s Brew Club
- Address: 57 E Coast Rd, Singapore 428773
- Nearest MRT: TE26Marine Parade
- Hours: Mon – Tue: 8 to 5PM / Wed – Sun: 8AM to 10:30PM
- WiFi: Password is provided when you ask. Pretty fast speed, but it may lag a little if there are a lot of people.
- Menu: $6.30+ for a hot latte (Full Menu)
- Power Plug: One of the high chair table towards the back near the restroom has a power plug.
- My rating: 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for work friendliness
Monk’s Brew Club’s bright green exterior has caught my eyes while walking down East Coast Rd, but I didn’t get the chance to check them out until I started looking for cafes to work from on Saturdays.
Doubling up as a co-working space on the second floor on weekdays, they’re very much work-friendly. The staff, bless their heart, will not chase you out even when the cafe is busy. But of course, I try to be mindful and give them business by ordering lunch and another drink if I intend to stay through lunch hours.
Their food menu is quite extensive. It’s pricey, but nothing too crazy by Singapore standard. I think the food is just ok though. I was definitely not here to eat.
My personal tip about this area: On your way out, make time to bring home a loaf of what I personally think is the best sourdough bread in Singapore from the bakery next door, the Micro Bakery at the Red House. They’re my favorite!
6.2 The Community Coffee @ Lavender
About The Community Coffee
- Address: 38 Hamilton Rd, Singapore 209208
- Nearest MRT: EW11Lavender or DT23Bendemeer
- Hours: Everyday 9-6PM, except Sunday 12-6pm
- WiFi: Fast speed
- Power Plug: No plugs
- My rating: 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️★/5 for work friendliness
Located conveniently in the trendy area in Lavender, The Community Coffee has been around Singapore for awhile since 2017. However, they have only just recently opened up their Hamilton Rd branch. Aside from coffee, they also serve small sandwiches. WiFi is provided in house and it’s pretty fast.
My personal tip about this area: For lunch, there are tons of good food in Lavender! I suggest checking out Abundance or Twin Island Noodle nearby.
In Conclusion
Unlike my experience working from cafes in Tokyo, in Singapore it is not so easy to find cafe that will give you free WiFi and let you sit there for awhile, let alone provide power plugs.
In general you’d have better luck finding work cafes in CBD (central business district) or Central Singapore area, since there are more such cafes in these locations. However, stick to my list for a tried and true experience because not all cafes are good to work from even if they offer free WiFi.
… And that’s all the list I have so far! I hope you have found it useful. Please leave a comment below if you spot anything different or if any of the cafe above have changed their amenities. I try to respond to every comment left on this blog.
Visiting Singapore? I’ve been living in Singapore for over a decade, so if you’re visiting, be sure to check out my Singapore itinerary post where I dish out all my Singapore travel tips!