Riders Cafe in Bukit Timah to close after 15 years for Cross Island Line works

SINGAPORE – After 15 years in Bukit Timah, popular Riders Cafe is slated to close by end February 2023 to accommodate a worksite that supports tunnelling works for the Cross-Island Line.

Housed in a colonial-era building set amid lush greenery, the breezy all-day eatery offers signature dishes such as its Riders Burger, bone-in pork chop and fried chicken and corn cake.

The closure was announced on Riders Cafe’s social media platforms on Monday, with a statement from co-owner Jan Yeo saying that she will be sharing stories of the restaurant’s 15-year journey, and the “joys and tears of the roller-coaster life of a restaurateur”.

Riders Cafe is a tenant of Bukit Timah Saddle Club, which has to vacate its premises by the first half of 2023 and move to its new home in Woodlands.

The restaurant has always existed on “borrowed time”, says Ms Yeo in a press release. It started out with a three-year lease that was renewed intermittently.

ALSO READ: Cafes in Singapore that satiate your appetite for food and vintage stuff

She says: “My vision was to introduce and share with people this hidden corner of Bukit Timah, by showing them that special places like Riders Cafe do exist in Singapore. ”

Calling it a “good run”, she adds that the closure is disappointing but beyond their control.

Ms Yeo - together with co-owner Willa Wong - still runs seven-year-old American-style barbecue restaurant Red Eye Smokehouse and its neighbouring cocktail bar Rex - which opened in August in Jalan Besar.

Riders Cafe at 51 Fairways Drive opens from 8am to 9pm, Tuesdays to Sundays, and is closed on Mondays. For more information, go to riderscafe.sg.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.