Looking for the best things to do in Keong Saik, Tanjong Pagar and Chinatown, Singapore? We thought we would share the neighbourhood the way we know it.
Our Binary Style studio and flagship boutique is tucked upstairs at 25 Keong Saik Road, right where Chinatown, Tanjong Pagar, Duxton and Bukit Pasoh begin to overlap.
This is where we work, but it is also where we eat, shop, meet friends, wander and find inspiration.
As designers, we are constantly looking at the details around us. Old shophouses, temple roofs, tropical plants, tiles, architectural details and the wonderfully layered history of this part of Singapore have all found their way into Binary Style designs.
So this isn't meant to be another generic list of the "best things to do in Chinatown".
Think of it instead as our insider's guide to Keong Saik, Tanjong Pagar and Chinatown, the places we genuinely visit and personally recommend to friends coming to Singapore.
Come hungry, wear comfortable shoes and don't try to rush it.
1. Start with a classic Singapore breakfast at Tong Ah Eating House
If Keong Saik Road has a neighbourhood institution, Tong Ah Eating House must surely qualify.
Tong Ah has been here since 1939, when it opened in the distinctive red-and-white triangular building at the junction of Keong Saik and Teck Lim roads. It moved across the road to its current location at number 35 in 2013. Through the decades, it has witnessed the extraordinary transformation of Keong Saik, from a residential and trading neighbourhood, through its more notorious years, to the dining and design enclave it is today.
Come for a proper Singapore breakfast, kaya toast, soft-boiled eggs and kopi. We particularly like their crispy toast.
Binary Style tip: Go early, when Keong Saik is just waking up.
Address: 35 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089142
Opening hours: Daily, 7am–10pm. Some current listings show shorter Wednesday hours, so it is worth checking if visiting later on Wednesday.
Prefer a heartier breakfast?
Walk into Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre and look for Fatty Ox HK Kitchen.
This is breakfast for days when kaya toast simply isn't going to cut it. Our pick is the beef noodle with tendon.
Finding stall #02-84 inside the enormous Chinatown Complex is part of the experience.
Address: Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre, #02-84, 335 Smith Street, Singapore 050335
Opening hours: Wed 8am–2.30pm, Thu–Sun 7.30am–2.30pm, closed Mon & Tue.
Vegetarian? We have one for you too.
Make your way to the basement of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and you'll find Lian Xin Vegetarian.
It is a wonderfully unassuming vegetarian dining spot serving rice, noodles, vegetables and other simple dishes. Go early because it can get busy.
Address: Basement 1, Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, 288 South Bridge Road, Singapore 058840
Opening hours: Daily, 7.30am–4.45pm, last order 4.15pm.
2. Discover the secret rooftop garden at Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
Most visitors photograph the magnificent red exterior of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, explore the prayer halls, and then leave.
Don't.
Make your way upstairs to the rooftop.
Here you'll find a surprisingly tranquil orchid garden surrounding the Ten Thousand Buddhas Pagoda and its large Vairocana Buddha Prayer Wheel.
Give the wheel a turn, say a little prayer if you wish, then take a moment to enjoy the quiet.
Downstairs is the hustle and bustle of Chinatown. Up here, surrounded by greenery, the city suddenly feels rather far away.
Binary Style tip: Enter from the main entrance facing South Bridge Road and use the lift on the right to make your way upstairs.
Address: Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, 288 South Bridge Road, Singapore 058840
Temple hours: Daily, generally 7am–5pm.
3. Lunch at one of Keong Saik's stalwarts, Kok Sen
By lunchtime, head back towards Keong Saik Road for KOK Sen Restaurant.
Kok Sen is an old-school Singapore zi char institution, the sort of place where several dishes arrive in the middle of the table and everybody shares.
Our regular orders are the big prawn hor fun and claypot yong tau foo.
But frankly, we have eaten our way through quite a bit of the menu and everything is good.
Come early if you can. Queues are common.
Address: 2/4 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089110
Opening hours: Tue–Sun. Published hours vary slightly between sources, so check on the day if timing is important. Chinatown Singapore currently lists 12pm–10.30pm. Closed Monday.
4. Shop beautiful Singapore-designed jewellery at Eden + Elie
After lunch, wander towards Duxton Road and visit EDEN + ELIE.
This Singapore jewellery brand creates beautiful contemporary pieces using tiny beads, and we particularly admire the story behind the brand.
Eden + Elie trains and employs adults on the autism spectrum as artisans. It is a business with a big heart, but, just as importantly, the jewellery itself is genuinely lovely.
Their studio is housed in a beautifully restored Duxton shophouse, another reason to pop in.
Address: 77 Duxton Road, Level 1, Singapore 089536
Opening hours: Mon–Fri 11am–7pm, Sat–Sun 10am–7pm.
5. Discover the combination of silk and metal at Forbidden Hill
Silk and metal?
Naturally, we were intrigued.
Make your way towards Bukit Pasoh Road and visit Forbidden Hill.
We particularly love their interchangeable silk cuffs. You can change the silk colour to suit your outfit, mood or latest colour obsession, pairing it with different metal finishes and medallions.
As scarf designers, perhaps we are slightly biased towards anything that finds another interesting way to wear silk.
Address: 23 Bukit Pasoh Road, Level 2, Singapore 089837
Walk-ins: Weekdays, 2pm–6.30pm
By appointment: Weekdays 9.30am–2pm, Saturday 11am–6pm
Public holidays: Closed except by appointment.
6. Cool down with gelato at Birds of Paradise
At some point during your walking tour of Chinatown and Tanjong Pagar, Singapore's heat will probably win.
That's your cue to head towards Craig Road and Birds of Paradise Gelato Boutique – Craig (Tanjong Pagar).
Their botanical gelatos and sorbets are exactly what we want on a hot afternoon.
Our favourites are Sea Salt Hojicha and Osmanthus Pear Sorbet.
And don't automatically order a cup. Their cones are made in-house and infused with thyme. That little herbal note makes a surprisingly big difference.
Address: 53 Craig Road #01-01, Singapore 089691
Opening hours: Sun–Thu 12pm–10pm, Fri–Sat 12pm–10.30pm.
7. Step into an Aladdin's cave at Tong Mern Sern
Before you leave Craig Road, step next door into Tong Mern Sern Antiques Arts & Crafts.
You can't really describe this place as "curated".
It's more like several decades of Singapore have accumulated inside one shophouse.
Furniture, porcelain, old signs, lamps, jewellery, clocks, typewriters and curious objects whose original purpose you may spend several minutes trying to decipher.
It's cluttered, eccentric and completely wonderful.
Say hello to the friendly owner and go in without looking for anything in particular. That's the point.
Address: 51 Craig Road, Singapore 089689
Opening hours: Current listings differ slightly, with approximately 9am/9.30am to 5.30pm/6pm daily. We suggest checking before making a special trip.
8. Find your perfect Panama hat at Hat of Cain
Heading back towards Keong Saik, hat lovers should visit Hat of Cain.
This Singapore hat specialist was founded in 2012 and specialises in genuine Panama hats handcrafted in Ecuador. Their team will measure and fit you properly, rather than leaving you to guess your hat size.
We own several of their hats.
Are they an investment? Yes.
Worth every penny? We think so.
A beautiful Panama hat lasts and looks completely at home under the Singapore sun.
Address: 43 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089147
Opening hours: Tue–Sat 11am–6pm, Sun 11.30am–3.30pm, closed Mon & Public Holidays.
9. Visit Binary Style's hidden Keong Saik boutique
And, of course, come upstairs to Binary Style.
By now you've spent a few hours walking through the neighbourhood that inspires so much of what we do.
Our Binary Style flagship boutique is tucked away on the second floor of a heritage shophouse at 25 Keong Saik Road, just above Bistro Gaston.
Inside you'll find our illustrated silk scarves, apparel, accessories, homeware and gifts, many carrying stories inspired by Singapore's architecture, neighbourhoods, flora, fauna and everyday culture.
If you've been walking around Chinatown, you might even start recognising some of the places and details that appear in our prints.
Address: 25 Keong Saik Road #02-01, Singapore 089132
Opening hours: Mon–Fri 11am–5pm, Sat 11am–4pm, closed Public Holidays.
Stamp hunters, don't miss this
Ask us for the Binary Style Heritage Stamp while you're here.
No purchase is required.
Bring your own stamp book or pick up one of our illustrated Singapore postcards, from S$3, and stamp that instead.
10. Happy hour at Humpback
By now, you've earned a drink.
Walk over to Bukit Pasoh and settle into Humpback, one of our favourite places in the neighbourhood to unwind before dinner.
Oysters, cocktails, wine, friendly people and very good things to nibble on.
If the weather cooperates, sit outside as the afternoon heat disappears and the light begins to soften over the shophouses.
And here's a little movie trivia, Humpback also appeared in Crazy Rich Asians.
Tourist trap?
Ehm, no.
We're locals and we LOVE it.
Address: 18–20 Bukit Pasoh Road, Singapore 089834
Opening hours: Mon–Fri 5pm–11pm, Sat 12pm–11pm, Sun 12pm–9pm
Happy Hour: Opening until 7pm daily.
11. Dinner downstairs from Binary Style at Bistro Gaston
Hankering for French food?
You barely need to move.
Bistro Gaston is literally downstairs from Binary Style.
The food is unapologetically Burgundian, hearty, comforting and exactly the sort of food you want alongside a good bottle of wine.
Their wine list is excellent too.
It's also rather convenient for us. Finish work, walk downstairs, dinner.
We recommend you do the same.
Address: 25 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089132
Opening hours: Tue–Sat 12pm–12am, kitchen until 9.30pm, closed Sun & Mon.
12. Still have room? Have Chinese dessert at Mei Heong Yuen
If somehow you still have room, head back towards Chinatown for Mei Heong Yuen Dessert.
This is where you go when choosing just one dessert seems impossible.
Hot pastes, chilled desserts, steamed egg puddings, mango, almond, sesame, walnut, the list goes on.
Our advice is to bring friends so you can order several things for the table.
It's almost always busy.
For good reason.
Address: 63–67 Temple Street, Singapore 058611
Opening hours: Tue–Sun 12pm–9.30pm, closed Monday.
13. Follow the Tanjong Pagar Designers Clan
One of the things we love most about working in the Keong Saik and Tanjong Pagar neighbourhood is the community of independent Singapore designers around us.
Many of us have come together as the Tanjong Pagar Designers Clan, a collection of independent design businesses scattered around Tanjong Pagar, Keong Saik and the surrounding streets.
When you visit Binary Style, pick up our Tanjong Pagar Designers Clan walking map. It will lead you to other independent brands in the area and turn your afternoon into a little self-guided Singapore design trail.
Because while Chinatown's temples and famous food are absolutely worth visiting, some of our favourite discoveries are behind shophouse doors, upstairs, around corners and down streets you hadn't planned to explore.
That's really how we think you should experience Keong Saik, Tanjong Pagar and Chinatown.
Get a little lost. Look up at the buildings. Notice the old tiles and five-foot ways. Stop when something catches your eye. Eat something good. Meet a local designer. Buy something made in Singapore.
And if you find yourself on Keong Saik Road, come upstairs and say hello.
Visit Binary Style at Keong Saik
Binary Style Flagship Boutique
25 Keong Saik Road #02-01
Singapore 089132
Monday–Friday: 11am–5pm
Saturday: 11am–4pm
Closed on Public Holidays
These are personal recommendations from the founders of Binary Style, not sponsored listings. Opening hours can change, so we recommend checking directly with individual establishments before making a special trip.