Tiong Bahru Bakery

It’s been too long! I have been in this place many times over the last few years, and it never disappoints. As I remembered great coffee, and even better sweets/​pastries.
If late morning on the weekends, good luck finding a seat! Yes, it’s that good… :-)

Convenient and casual stylish place to have a cuppa joe and some lovely pastries to accompany. Nice European style breads and croissants to bring home too. A little expensive but that’s expected for the location.

Probably not my cup of coffee… (See what I did there) ahaha
Ambience was alright — casual. Good place to get together with friends or colleagues.
Had somewhat a variety of pastries/​sandwiches. They looked good but did it taste as good? I can’t say.
Ordered the flat white for $ 5.50. Looked bitter, smelt bitter and what do you know? It was bitter — big surprise.
I wish they had a wider variety of drinks besides coffee i.e. Chai tea latte or hot chocolate.
On the bright side, service was fast.
Returning customer? Probably not. Definitely not worth the «hype».

Coffee is nice and strong, pastries are great for a quick breakfast. Not a huge selection but what they have is freshly baked.

They have a modern take of the ice cream uncle peddling his $ 1 ice cream bread, Instead of your regular Walls or Magnolia ice cream bar tucked between two wafers or a slice of bread, Tiong Bahru Bakery does it with a petit croissant instead.
There are only two choices of ice cream. You can also request for just ice cream in a cup which was what we did. The honey and fig ice cream was delicious and at $ 2. it was quite a steal in the city center area. It will be $ 3.50 for the ice cream in the petit croissant. I hope they will retain the price for a long time. Sometimes you just want something simple and easy on the pockets.
The pastries are not bad though I find them a bit too hard for my liking. So I will stick with the ice cream over here in future.

The croissants are good. Not a fan of their coffee… Orange juice are freshly squeezed but so so sour…

Spacious venue in Raffles City for tea break. Wide variety of pastries and drinks available! Food is so so though.

This place is a regular stop for me. I try not to eat too many carbs but this bakery remains one of my peccadilloes. They are vying for first place for best croissants (plain, almond, chocolate-​almond) in Singapore. The kouign amman is justifiably famous– it’s a buttery, carmelized, salty-​sweet gooey bunch of deliciousness. Have that with a cup of the really good coffee and you’ve made a damn fine start (or end!) to your day. The baguettes are also up there at best-​in-​Singapore level so take one of those home with you. Most of the baked goods are delicious with the exception of the brioche which, as a previous reviewer mentioned, is dry and makes you kick yourself for not ordering the kouign amman you had your eye on to begin with.
I was in Orchard yesterday and saw a new outlet in Tang’s. That makes me happy. Two suggestions for the owners: 1) please get rid of those awful pencil-​legged tables at the Raffles City outlet and 2) keep it real – don’t let the success go to your head!

Admittedly I only decided to come here cos this is the only place I know they sell Kouign Amann that I craved for since my return from the States. It’s alright, bread stuff is fairly alright but appreciate the range of bake goods this place offers (hence the ability to find said Kouign Amann).
If you follow my check ins, I’m a person who seeks out places for awesome coffee art. Though the taste of the mocha was nothing special but the art is elaborate enough for my fancy without me requesting for it.
Service staff is prompt, always willing to lend a helping hand. The manager (presumably cos he was not in uniform) tonight even offered to help get my utensils and serviettes seeing that my hands are full. His service was so awesome to a point that i thought he had only eyes for my table of 1 but in actual fact he was helping to serve the whole floor. Top notch service for a simple place.
So come here if you are a exotic bread fan or maybe want to see some cute coffee art or just wanna bask in the quality service to feel like a boss after a day of work feeling like a rat in a rat race. :D

Great desserts. Friendly staff.

During one of my many strolls around City Hall MRT, I saw a huge advertisement for a croissant at Tiong Bahru bakery. Something about that ad made me crave a croissant so bad. Whichever marketing agency Tiong Bahru bakery engaged with for their ads, they should retain them for life.
I walked about 100 meters and found the location nestled next to many other food options. I queued up, placed my order, and found a seat so that I could partake in this bakery item. My first bite lived up to expectations. The croissant was amazing. I cherished every morsel, and after it was over, I was so hooked that I had already made future plans to visit this place. Singapore has many bakeries on the island, but not many specialize in Western bread items. Tiong Bahru bakery gets it, and I’m glad they exist. If you happen to walk by one of their locations, make sure you queue up and grab one of their many deliciously looking baked goodies.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
I’ve (literally) stopped by the original location, and thought to myself «What is the deal with this place?! It’s 10:45 AM on a Friday, I’m not really near CBD, and this place is packed.»
So I guess it was fate that a few months later, I’d be a bit early for my Browhaus appointment, end up wandering aimlessly around Raffles City’s basement level, and discover the second location of this famed bakery.
It was around 9:45 AM on a Friday, so the crowd was minimal. Ordering was easy and my coffee was delivered to my table within a reasonable time frame.
I tried the almond brioche, which was a bit dry. Overall, not mind blowing, yet pretty edible. Since I was a bit pressed for time, I ordered the piccolo latte which was absolutely adorable. It’s served in an espresso shot glass thingy, complete with great latte art. I found it pricey for $ 5, but it tasted awesome.
Great place to have a meeting, as there’s a fountain in the middle that always shoots water randomly. So if you get stuck in an awkward conversation, everyone in the table can just listen to or look at the fountain and hope that the awkwardness will eventually subside. Oh, and excellent coffee, obvs.

My husband and I stopped in hoping for a nice snack and we were not disappointed. He had the signature croissant and I ended up choosing pastry with a caramelised sugar glaze on it after trying a sample offered from the friendly staff. The croissant had a nice buttery flavour and the pastry was sweet without being overbearing. Both were very enjoyable, would have gone nice with a cup of coffee. Overall it was an enjoyable experience though I felt perhaps a tad overpriced for what you get.

Love the Croissant!!! Generous portion of coffee and tea! great place for tea break.

The signature croissant (eaten up before any photos could be taken) lived up to my expectation partly because I had reheated it in my oven till the crispness I want. But I doubt it will be the same eating in the shop unless they are straight out the oven.
However, I think their Almond croissant with Chocolate filling (left) and Kouig Aman (right) are equally competent, if not better than its croissant if you prefer something sweet.
Both flaky and fragrant, the almond croissant was heavenly while the latter, despite its ugly appearance, was swirled with salted caramel remains my personal favourite.
If you don’t like chocolate, do try the Plain Almond Croissant. It was consumed at room temperature but remained crispy.
However, some of the pastries left me in a blur. The Raisin Roll (right) was average while the Pandan Flan (Bottom Left) lacked any distinct pandan aroma or flavour and the pastry was soggy. Meanwhile, The Rapsberry Crumble (Top Left) was underbaked resulting in a slightly chewy lacklustre pastry and the crumble toppings were too little.
Just as I thought there would be no new items anymore, it’s Christmas specials– A Chocolate Snowball Globe tart took me by surprise. Filled with sweet milk chocolate mousse and the tangy pineapple and passionfruit compote, the chocolate ball sat on a crumbly almond tart whose sweetness was just right.
At the centre sits a mini delicate red balloon of salty raspberry sauce which burst open at the poke of a fork. This is not something new but still very interesting to have in local bakeries.

I’ve been to both the original outlet at Tiong Bahru and the new one at Raffles City several times and think TBB is slightly overhyped.
Croissant: delectably crispy shell which flakes off in layers, and a smooth buttery inside.
Pain au chocolat: nothing special, they aren’t super generous with the chocolate inside.
Kouign amman: delicious on first bite but I couldn’t finish it, it was too sweet. Chocolate brioche: the bread didn’t taste like much, and was too soft. the chocolate chips on top smeared off a little too easily
Chocolate Viennoise: rather soft, didn’t make much of an impression otherwise
Catalan: a good level of savoury to balance out all the sugar in the other breads.

At Raffles City, the retail space measures three times that of Tiong Bahru’s. It has a very roomy dining area with cushion sofa seats against the wall and movable wooden chairs. Dressed in a self-​serviced concept, you will help yourself to a common corner with cutlery, sugar sticks, drinking glasses & bottles of tap water. Facing the bustling Din Tai Fung restaurant, this bakery is no lack of patrons. Spontaneously I joined the line for my order at the counter. In the queue, you could quickly scan through the options in the glass display. Categorized in 3 sections, sweet & savory buns/​breads being the first; ready-​made sandwiches in the middle; cakes & pastries selection the last, before reaching the cashier. Be sure to note your table number so that any beverages/​food that requires time to prepare, can be delivered to you efficiently.
It pays to be aware of the chef signature most of the time although it may not be a hit every time. Here, croissant is the trademark of Cherrier. I have seen mixed reviews on this viennoiserie bread — some find it excessively rich and buttery while others are hooked on them. I agreed with the latter, it was very good. One could tell the difference at first sight — very distinctive thick airy folds. The crust is very tenderizing and instead of being crumbly, each flake held firmly to the dough pretty well. Lesser mess on the table as a result. Unlike other French style croissant, this one taste less buttery than those «ultra-​rich» dead-​oily ones. The one at Paul Bakery perhaps should stand aside and I gladly choose them over Wild Honey’s. Even though, I still love the ones at Maison Kayser, Cherrier’s suit me better — seriously a balanced and less weighty taste.
I see many eulogizing the breton cake — Kouign Aman; strangely, I idolized the Almond Brioche for its endearing taste. It didn’t appear catchy but somewhat burnt and stiff. Don’t belittle this slab that arrives massive. I am surprised by its light fluffy texture when I knifed it. Encircled by a crisp crust, the middle was moist and almond-​rich with a gentle sweetness. While people next to my table were busy chatting, my dining partner saw me busy gnawing on the slab!

Er, no it ain’t halal. I just went there with a Chinese friend during fasting month once. She was hungry and wanted to fuel up, so we ended up in this popular bakery.
It’s self-​service at this store, so while my friend scrambled off to pick some bites, I made a quick inspection of the premises. The bakery oozes a casual vibe and boasts such a wide array of breads, even I was tempted to try some. Prices are mid-​range.
My friend returned to our table with a cup of hot chocolate, a croissant and a Squid Ink Bun with Smoked Salmon and Ham sandwich. The Squid Ink bun does look exotic with its jet-​black appearance. She said the hot chocolate was chocolatey enough. She loved the croissant — it was crunchy but did not splinter to little pieces. Her sandwich was piled high with heaps of fresh greens and slices of smoked salmon and ham. My friend could not sense any distinct squid ink flavour but found the bread very soft and buttery. I was just sitting at the table, watching her eat. Evil woman.
I do hope some day Tiong Bahru bakery sets up a halal outlet somewhere. Then I could try their mouth-​watering offerings myself!

Located at a much more convenient location, and being way bigger, there’s no need to head to Tiong Bahru to squeeze into long queues or the cramped 40-​seater outlet.
Three times bigger than the original outlet, what this means is that you can finally sit down and enjoy your croissants and kougin amans in peace without having people bump into you or trying to yell over the din. Everything’s the same here, from the menu right down to the delicious bread on offer. While the level and quality of bread is good, I still feel they aren’t as good as the ones I had from Maison Kayser, but that could just be biased views at play.

Tiong Bahru Bakery at Raffles City is the second outlet of the very popular Tiong Bahru Bakery at Tiong Bahru. The location might be less quaint, but it’s way more accessible for us city folks. The new branch takes over the space that was formerly Aerin’s and is triple the size of its first outlet.
The croissants are, I’m pleased to report, as good as the ones from the original outlet, and there seems to be more variety here. I still love the almond croissants but reckon other places offer a better lemon tart, this one was a bit too tart for my liking (largely prefer the ones from Canele, PS Café and Wild Honey) and the crust not as crumbly as I normally would have liked.
A lunch and dinner menu will be available soon, so it’ll be interesting to see what they are offering then.