Asian and international delights, great coffee, trendy bars, unique antiques – you'll find all this and more in Everton Park and its surrounding vicinities!

Here’s a fun fact: The Everton Park housing estate is one of Singapore’s oldest neighbourhoods.

Constructed in 1965 and situated in downtown Singapore, it housed the Singapore Harbour Board staff until its renovation in 1979 – where the flats were then re-allotted for residential use.

Today, two rows of flats (blocks one to three and four to six) and the surrounding vicinities of Cantonment Road, Neil Street and Bukit Pasoh – all of which are about 10 minutes away – are dotted with trendy cafes, bakeries, restaurants, shops and places of culture ready for you to explore.

Check out these must-visits!

*Please note there will be further changes to the Covid-19 restrictions post the Phase 2 Heightened Alert on June 13, 2021. It goes without saying, the safety of everyone remains a top priority.

Things to do in Everton Park

1. Everton Park facial spots

Want to relax but rushed for time? Get a revitalizing facial treatment in just 20 minutes at Kew Organics – home to the world’s first organic peel bar.

Using glycolic acid derived from sugar cane, its signature Sugar K treatment removes acne scars, unclogs pores, minimizes enlarged pores, helps with oil control and improves hydration. Sweet!

Tiff’s Facial House, on the other hand, does waxing and a variety of facial treatments such as its oxygen enzyme express facial, diamond glow enzyme facial – all in a spa-like environment.

Melt away your tensions with soothing music and aromatic essential oils while the professional facialists pamper your skin.

Kew Organics
Address:  Block 2 Everton Park, #01-47, 081002
Opening hours: 7am to 2am (Monday to Friday); 10am to 7.30pm (Saturday)

Tiff’s Facial House
Address: 2 Everton Park, #01-61, 081002
Tel: 6423 9438
Opening hours: 11am to 9pm (Monday to Friday); 10am to 6pm (Saturday to Sunday)

2. Mister Moustache Barber Shop

Whether you want a full shave or razor fades, Mister Moustache is the place to go. With haircuts starting at $38 and a full shave with hot towel at $35, this barber shop will have you looking real dapper.

Mister Moustache Barber Shop
Address: 5 Everton Park, #01-20, 080005
Tel: 6815 4812
Opening hours: 11am to 8pm (Monday to Saturday)

3. Dollhouse Pets

It’s totally fine to splurge a little on your fur-mily member(s). Whether it’s spa treatments, hair cuts or just a bath and fluff – pamper your precious pets with a spa day at Dollhouse Pet Salon.

Doll House Pets
Address: 7 Kampong Bahru Rd., 169342
Tel: 6498 9820
Opening hours: Opening hours: 11am to 7pm (Monday to Sunday) *Closed on Tuesdays

4. NUS Baba House

Ever wondered what the interior of some of these shophouses looked like in the past?

This beautifully restored three-storey townhouse located in the historic Blair Plains district has been conserved as a heritage house and museum, conceptualising Peranakan Chinese material culture and aesthetics in a domestic setting.

Book a visit before before heading down. Tours are free for Singapore citizens, PRs, students with valid student passes and NUS Alumni and staff. There is a $10 admissions fee for anyone else.

NUS Baba House
Address: 57 Neil Rd., 088883
Tel: 6227 5731
Opening hours: 10am to 11pm (Monday to Friday); 1pm to 4pm (Saturday)

5. Sri Layan Sithi Vinayagar Temple

Built in 1925, this temple is one of the temples where the Vinayagar Chathurthi is celebrated most grandly.

The temple has three Vinayagar idols that they acquired over the years (Vinayagar being the Hindu god of new beginnings and wisdom) and sees devotees of all different races.

Sri Layan Sithi Vinayagar Temple
Address: 73 Keong Saik Rd., 089167
Tel: 6221 4853
Opening hours: 7.30am to 12pm, 5.30pm to 8.30 pm.(Monday to Sunday)

6. Church of St. Teresa

Built in 1929, this is the only church in Singapore to feature Romano-Byzantine architecture. Interested in more history?

The stained-glass windows at the back of the sanctuary were made in France and narrate key events in the life of the church’s patron saint: St. Theresa of Lisieux, France.

Church of St. Teresa
Address: 510 Kampong Bahru Rd., 099446
Tel: 6271 1184

7. Gajah Gallery

Gajah gallery explores contemporary southeast Asian art from around the region, with an emphasis on Indonesian contemporary art. It currently features Indonesian contemporary artist Noyman Msrida Yunizar and hosts artwork related to socio-cultural issues in Asia.

Gajah Gallery
Address: 39 Keppel Rd., #03-04, 089065
Tel: 6737 4202
Opening hours: 11am to 7pm (Monday to Friday); 12pm to 6 pm (Saturday to Sunday)

8. Art Porters Gallery

Contemporary art from international artists is presented in various mediums including painting, drawing, sculpture, digital animation and photography at Art Porter’s Gallery. Admission is free so you can enjoy its many changing exhibitions.

Art Porters Gallery
Address: 64 Spottiswoode Park Rd., 088652
Tel: 6909 0468
Opening hours: 10.30am to 7pm (Tuesday to Sunday)

9. Tea Chapter Trading

Attend a tea appreciation class at a traditional Chinese tea house.

With Grand Tea Master Patrick Kang at the helm, the workshops ($48 per person) will introduce you to the art of tea making, the origins of Chinese tea and the distinctive characteristics or tea profiles of the various varieties Chinese of teas.

You can also shop for tea wear and a variety of Chinese teas like Oolong and Pu’er. These would make great gifts as well!

Tea Chapter Trading
Address: 9 Neil Rd., 088808
Tel: 6226 1175
Opening hours: 11am to 9pm (Monday to Thursday); 11am to 10.30pm (Friday to Saturday); 11am to 9pm (Sunday)

10. Breezedeck Art Jamming

Located on the second floor of a shophouse in the near by Kampong Bharu vicinity, you can enjoy an art jamming session indoor or out on the rooftop terrace here. Breezedeck also does acrylic painting, tie-dye and batik workshops.

Spend the day with the kids doing something fun and creative or go with a partner or just some friends.

Breezedeck Art Jamming
Address: 77 Kampong Bahru Rd., #02-01, 169376
Tel: 8753 5648
Opening hours: 9.30am to 9.30pm (Monday to Friday); 8am to 10.30pm (Saturday to Sunday)

11. Bethel Pottery Studio

Get busy with your hands at Bethel Pottery Studio. Pottery workshops are available with award-winning potter Robert Min Chen as your coach.

Everything is provided (just bring along your creativity!) but booking in advance is highly encouraged. You’ll get to keep your finished masterpieces, of course.

Bethel Pottery Studio
Address: 2 Everton Park, #01-59A, 081002
Tel: 9771 4733
Opening hours: 11.30am to 6.30pm (Wednesday to Saturday); 11.30am to 2.30pm (Tuesday and Sunday)

12. Murals and Architecture

A series of nostalgic murals by street artist Yip Yew Chong, depicting Singapore in the Kampung Day’s can be found painted on the walls along the alleys of Everton Park.

For some architectural history, check out historical landmarks like the former Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, Jinrikisha Station (built in 1903), the shophouses along the Blair Plains Conservation Area and the old Eng Aun Tong factory.

Built in 1924, it is where Singapore’s famous Tiger Balm was produced for almost 50 years. The building has now been converted into a Shake Shack, but the exterior is still reminiscent of old-world Singapore.

Yip Yew Chong Murals
Address: Multiple locations

Former Tanjong Pagar Railway Station
Address: 30 Keppel Rd., 089059

Jinrikisha Station
Address: 1 Neil Rd., 088804

The Blair Plains Conservation Area
Address: 66 Spottiswoode Park Rd., 088655

Eng Aun Tong Factory
Address: 89 Neil Rd., 088849

Where to eat and drink

1. Kafe Utu

Be transported to Africa at Kafe Utu. They serve up an array of African cuisines, from Marrakech, to Liberia, Kenya and Lagos, including Liberian peanut chicken stew, Moroccan lemon chicken tagine and Swahili fish curry.

Brunch plans?

Switch up from your regular eggs ben and tuck into uji, Kenyan porridge with ragi flour, chia seeds, quinoa, yoghurt and natural peanut butter, and maharagwe East African bean stew made with fava beans, coconut cream, bacon, paneer, smoked pork sausage and barn egg.

There is even rooftop terrace on the second floor to enjoy snacks and drinks.

Kafe Utu
Address: 12 Jiak Chuan Rd., 089265
Tel: 6996 3937
Opening hours: 9am to 5pm, 6pm to 10.30pm (Wednesday to Sunday)

2. Mad about Sucre

This hidden gem on Teo Hong Road is an award winning patisserie that sells desserts, bespoke cocktails and food. Its menu uses only natural ingredients and many of its confectionaries are gluten free.

Like its spring cake, flavoured with rosé wine, pineapple and cashew and square root cake, flavoured with milk tea, lemongrass and hazelnut. There is even an option when ordering, to have these paired with a tea, or cocktail. Desserts and cocktails? Yes please!

Mad about Sucre
Address: 27 Teo Hong Rd., 088334
Tel: 6221 3969
Opening hours: 11am to 8pm (Tuesday to Sunday)

3. Coucou Authentic Swiss Restaurant and Bar

Fondue, rosti and wine? No, you’re not in Switzerland (alas!). Coucou on Craig road brings you authentic Swiss cuisine, including specialties like malakoff, a fried gruyere cheese dome found exclusively in some parts of the La Cote region. Now, that’s something to raise your glass to.

Coucou Authentic Swiss Restaurant and Bar
Address: 9 Craig Rd., 089669
Tel: 6226 0060
Opening hours: 11.30am to 2pm, 5.30pm to 9pm (Tuesday to Sunday)

4. Ji Xiang Confectionery

This Everton Park institution has been around since 1988. And it is the perfect place to stop by if you want to step back in time and get a taste of local culture.

The family-run business serves up traditional, handmade, Nonya ang ku keuh, a chewy red pastry skin, made out of glutinous rice flour, coconut milk, sugar and food colouring, filled traditionally with a sweet bean paste. Other variations on offer include coconut, peanut and yam.

Ji Xiang Confectionery
Address: 1 Everton Park, #1-33, 081001
Tel: 6223 1631
Opening hours: 8.30am to 5pm (Monday to Saturday)

5. Kekito Bakery

Gluten allergies? Watching your sugar intake? This bakery’s got you. Inspired by Japanese cakes, Kekito Bakery has set out to create keto bakes that are non-blood sugar impacting. It bakes without flour or sugar, creating flourless, sugarless, low carb bakes for everyone to enjoy.

Products include confectionaries such as strawberry yoghurt mousse cake, matcha cheesecake and chocolate fudge cake, as well as savouries like keto bread rolls and keto cheese buns.

Kekito Bakery
Address: 3 Everton Park, #01-73, 080003
Tel: 8774 7237
Opening hours: 2pm to 7pm (Tuesday to Friday); 11am to 4pm (Saturday); 11am to 2pm (Sunday)

6. Apiary

The heat of the tropics beckons for ice cream. Apiary serves up the usual fare, of vanilla bean and cookies and cream alongside unique flavours like blue milk ice cream (milk, butterfly pea flower, and salt), lychee and yuzu sorbet, lavender and black sesame.

Tea lovers can indulge in their intense hojicha or earl grey ice creams. Its signature Apiary flavour (an apiary being a place where bees are kept) contains honey and cacao nibs.

Apiary
Address: 84 Neil Rd., 088844
Tel: 6493 7273
Opening hours: 12pm to 9pm (Monday to Sunday)

7. Folk and Stories

Get your cookie fix here. Folk and Stories use all-natural ingredients, French Butter, Belgian couverture chocolate, and handmade jams and reductions in its bakes.

With unique flavour combinations like caramalised white chocolate and miso, alongside classics like sea salt and dark chocolate and strawberry cheesecake crumble.

An egg free cookie option, with banana, chocolate and pecan is also available and custom flavour orders can be done upon request for special occasions.

Folk and Stories
Address: 3 Everton Park, #01-63, 080003
Tel: 8774 7237
Opening hours: 12pm to 4.30pm (Wednesday to Friday); 12pm to 3.30 pm (Saturday)

8. The Biscuit Shop

For something a little more traditional, The Biscuit Shop sells an assortment of old-school Singaporean biscuits and crackers. From iced gems to traditional lemon puff biccys, it’s a great spot to visit for some local munchies with a sprinkle of nostalgia.

The Biscuit Shop
Address: 6 Tanjong Pagar Plaza, #01-08/09, 081006
Opening hours: 10am to 7pm (Monday to Friday); 9am to 4pm (Saturday)

9. Sisaket Thai Food

This little gem at Food at Maxwell Food Centre a great spot to get your fix of Tom Yum soup, pineapple fried rice, green curry, and Thai mango salad. It’s open till 2 in the morning for late-night Thai food cravings, and you’ll love the affordable hawker stall prices!

Sisaket Thai Food
Address: 1 Kadayanallur St., #01-85, Maxwell Food Centre, 069148
Opening hours: 8am to 2am (Monday to Sunday)

10. Myo

A casual joint featuring Asian and Asian-fusion dishes, Myo serves up Japanese garlic rice bowls and curry rice as well as western mains commonly found at local hawker centres such chicken chop with fries and chicken cutlet with salted egg cheese sauce. A great place to check out Singapore's adaptions of western cuisine.

Myo
Address: 4 Everton Park, #01-42, 080004
Tel: 6721 9085
Opening hours: 12pm to 9.30pm (Monday to Friday); 12pm to 9.30pm (Sunday)

11. The Elephant Room

Inspired by the streets, culture and flavours of the Little India district, The Elephant room sources ingredients from Tekka Market and its surrounds.

With unusual spirits that acquired from India, spices like saffron and cardamom are also used in the mixes along with produce such as mango, sugarcane, coconut and pink guava. Small details like the staff’s aprons sewn with leftover saree cloth add to the cultural immersion.

The Elephant Room
Address: 20A Teck Lim Rd., 088391
Tel: 9111 5131
Opening hours: 11am to 7am (Monday to Sunday)

12. Rebel Rebel Wine Bar

At this terroir driven wine bar, you can get a taste of international wines from the Jura, Rhone, Corsica, Alsace and Bordeaux regions France, or from other parts of the world like Austria, New Zealand, Japan, USA and Germany.

(Just in case you’re not sure, terroir wines are wines that are unique to a particular region, and cannot be reproduced outside of that area due to the region’s climate, soil and terrain giving them their distinct flavour.) Prepare to find your new favourite wine region here!

Rebel Rebel Wine Bar
Address: 4 Bukit Pasoh Rd., 089828
Tel:  6224 5466
Opening hours: 4pm to 10pm (Monday to Sunday)

13. The Better Half

Nestled in a corner of block one, The Better Half started off as an online bakery, and in 2019 opened a physical store at Everton Park.

Bakes are made from scratch, and cakes like coconut passionfruit, rose raspberry, gula melaka avocado and chamomile honey, are available alongside the traditional chocolate and vanilla ones.

The Better Half
Address: 1 Everton Park, #01-43, 081001
Opening hours: 10am to 4pm (Tuesday to Sunday)

14. Beano

Beano serves up delicious soy milk and beancurd jelly, or tau huay – as it is known here in Singapore. This delicacy is commonly eaten for breakfast or as a dessert.

Apart from the traditional plan soy milk and beancurd jelly, Beano has bandung (sweet rose syrup), chocolate and almond flavoured beancurd.

Beano
Addess: 6 Everton Park, #01-02, 080006
Tel:  9852 7900
Opening hours: 7.30am to 7pm (Monday to Friday); 7.30am to 2pm (Saturday)

15. Fotia

We may not have a Mount Olympus but we have got Fotia on Duxton Hill, bringing a taste of Greece and slice of the Mediterranean to Singapore. Dolmas, souvlaki and an array of mezze – wash it all down with the selection of Greek wines on the menu.

Fotia
Address: 28 Duxton Hill, Singapore 089610
Tel: 9455 1004
Opening hours: 5pm to 10pm (Tuesday); 12pm to 10.30pm (Wednesday to Saturday); 12pm to 9pm (Sunday)

Where to shop

1. Peranakan Tiles Gallery

Inspired by the tile motifs and décor of the shophouses that surround Everton Park? You can get some for your own creative projects. The Peranakan Tiles Gallery sells replica tiles, and a range of vintage tiles from England, Japan and Belgium along with Peranakan inspired gifts.

Peranakan Tiles Gallery
Address: 36 Temple St., 058581
Tel: 6684 8600
Opening hours: 12pm to 6pm (Monday to Sunday)

2. The Shophouse Fabric

Beautiful cottons in vibrant prints, vintage fabrics, trims, leather and leather tools, The Shophouse Fabric is a great spot to pick up some fabrics or just for some style inspo! Let its variety of vintage prints inspire your next sewing project.

The Shophouse Fabric
Address: 33 Erskine Rd., The Scarlet Hotel Shop, #01-04, 069333
Tel: 8128 9232
Opening hours: 11am to 5pm (Tuesday to Saturday)

3. Littered with Books

A quite retreat away from the bustle of the business district, this charming independent bookstore holds a collection of fiction, non-fiction, travel and food literature, as well as crime and thrillers, sci-fi, fantasy and children’s books. A little something for everyone!

Littered with Books
Address: 20 Duxton Rd., 089486
Tel: 6220 6824
Opening hours: 12pm to 8pm (Monday to Friday); 11am to 8pm (Saturday to Sunday)

4. Talent Arts Frame Makers

This picture framing shop was established in 1973 and has a variety of services, from making custom frames to doing conservation framing of jerseys and medals. Doing some home décor? The shop does custom framing of wall mirrors.

Talent Art Frame Makers
Address: 1 Tanjong Pagar Plaza, #01-19, 082001
Tel: 9238 1644
Opening hours: 10.30am to 6.30pm (Monday to Friday); 10.30am to 4pm (Saturday)

5. Sally’s Room

Luxurious scents with 100-percent soy made candles, Sally’s Room uses premium fragrance oils from a scent maker in Switzerland. If you’re interested in learning how to make your own candles, check out its range of candle-making workshops, too.

Plus. it sells everything you need to DIY at home. Think waxes, fragrances, pressed flowers, etc.

Sally’s Room
Address: 4 Everton Park, #01-44, 080004
Tel: 9391 6182
Opening hours: 12pm to 6pm (Monday to Saturday) *Closed on Tuesdays

6. East Inspirations Shop

At this darling antiques shop, you will find ceramic vases, pottery, porcelain, oriental art, lamps and beautiful tea wear. It’s a great place to shop for a unique gift – for someone else or your own home.

East Inspirations Shop
Address: 256 South Bridge Rd., 058805
Tel:  8889 8379
Opening hours: 10.30am to 6.30pm (Monday to Sunday)

7. De Yee

Up for more treasure hunting? De Yee antiques has a variety of carvings, wooden trinkets, oriental vases, ceramics and statues from the east. There is even a section with quartz crystal orbs, raw semi-precious stones, necklaces, bangles and bracelets.

De Yee
Address: 87 Keong Saik Rd., 089170
Tel: 6535 7865
Opening hours: 11am to 5pm (Monday to Sunday)

8. Curious Creatures

Chic, delicate, demi-fine jewellery is what you will find at Curious Creatures. Adorned with gemstones, the pieces are lovingly handmade and perfect for everyday wear – not too flashy for work, but just fancy enough for special events.

Though its temporarily closed due to Covid, its Facebook page will announce when the shop will be re-opening.

Curious Creatures
Address: 333 Kreta Ayer Rd., #03-21, 080333
Tel: 8799 2017
Opening hours: 12pm to 7pm (Monday to Thursday)

This article was first published in The Finder.