Holland Village: How to Spend a One-Day Food Crawl in Singapore’s Expats Oasis

Once a military base that housed British armies, Singapore’s Holland Village has become the go-to place among young locals and expatriates looking for trendy restaurants and lifestyle shops. This small neighbourhood tucked between Bukit Timah and Queenstown originally hosted Dutch communities and plantation estates before transforming into an enclave that catered to the needs of British militaries and their families between the 1950s and 1960s. Decades later, Europe’s influence can still be seen in the village: from the giant windmill perched atop Holland V Shopping Mall to the old-world architecture of many shophouses dotted in the area.

Exploring this side of Singapore can be overwhelming, thanks to the sheer abundance of retail shops, homegrown specialty stores, and tiny art galleries. But expats and young Singaporeans particularly flock to this community for dining, be it an after-work drinking session at a sports bar or a cozy brunch with friends and families. To help you navigate this enclave, we explored the best places to visit in Holland Village for a food trip—from breakfast through supper!

BREAKFAST

Start off your day with some blueberry bagel slathered with cream cheese courtesy of Baker & Cook. This popular bakery chain’s branch in Chip Bee Gardens directly across Holland Village opens at 7:30 AM on Sundays through Thursdays. We recommend their bagels and pretzels crafted by artisanal bakers daily. You can also try their croissants (S$4.20-S$4.40) that go well with a cup of Allpress Espresso Coffee sourced from New Zealand.

Another option is Craftsmen Specialty Coffee, which serves up a bevy of brews made with special beans. You can order their croissant sandwich that comes with mixed cheese, green salad, and house-made sauce, and your choice of fillings—candied bacon, scrambled eggs and avocado, double pork bratwurst, pulled pork with jalapenos, or smoked salmon with avocados (S$15-S$17).

LUNCH

For lunch, head over to Takeshi-San, a busy Japanese restaurant that takes sushi seriously. You can find cult favourites like salmon nigiri (S$4.8) and tuna nigiri (S$5.8), as well as specialties such as aburi Hamachi mentai (S$9.8) and aburi hotate mentai (S$11.8). If you’re craving for something European, you can check out PizzaExpress, a quaint pizzeria with three stores island-wide. We are fans of their truffle pizza with trio of mushroom (S$37) paired with linguine gamberoni al aglio olio (S$25.50) or linguine granchio con panna (S$29).

DINNER

Tired from shophouse-hopping? Your Holland Village food trip should never miss a satisfying dinner at Black Marble, an all-day restaurant nicknamed as the “Godfather of Steaks.” Otto Weibel, one of the veterans in Singapore’s F&B scene, helms the restaurant, whipping up signature dishes such as surf and turf (angus beef tenderloin, lobster tail, aioli, and pan jus; S$58) and wagyu beef burger with foie gras (S$38). Don’t forget to cap off the night with wine, mojito, or beer!

DESSERT

Comb through a stretch of Lorong Mambong’s retail and dining space and it’d be hard to miss at least one cute al fresco café with inviting interiors. Sweet-tooths will never run out of choices here: from The Daily Scoop’s choc-chip overload cookie pie (S$7.90) and cha early grey (S$12.50) to Sunday Folks’ pavlova ice cream cake (S$78 for one whole) and freshly churned ice cream atop waffles. If you’re looking for a refreshing gulp, there are a couple of joints such as Koi Thé and Tiger Sugar offering milk tea and fruit juices.