Kampong Glam Diary

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Are you a foodie? Coffee shop lover? Or someone who enjoys electric neighborhoods and lets be honest, the immense amount of gramable (I am sure that will be a real word soon) photos? Then read on and get excited for your visit to Kampong Glam!

During my 5 day stay in Singapore I visited the Kampong Glam area three times – my hotel was within reach and I pretty much fell in love with the culture, history and vibrant street art. The word ‘Kampung’ means ‘village’ and the ‘gelam’ tree would grow in this area that orginiated as a fishing village. For more on the history look here.

I stayed a nice 17 minute walk in Little India from this neighborhood and I am so thankful I did! From Arab St. to Haji Lane, day or night, this place is a must if you are visiting Singapore.

Transportation / Nearest train station: Bugis off the downtown line. Cabs are pretty inexpensive as well!

To check out/

Masjid Sultan

This mosque is the focal point for Singapore’s Muslim community and is one of their oldest mosques – it is pretty hard to miss and absolutely stunning.

Arab St.

The best part of traveling is not having a plan – at least for me. This area is the perfect place to NOT have a set plan. Walk along Arab St. taking in the beautiful rug and lamp shops and buy some treasures to bring back home.

Explore Haji Lane

Snap a few basic photos like my self (you see the theme here?) and walk around to all the adorable shops, cafes, and grab a refreshing smoothie or cocktail to escape the heat.

romper / sandals / hat (similar)

Food & cafes:

First off, check out this guide – they had some pretty sweet recommendations! I let the true foodies do the research for me 😉

Places I checked out:

Artistry cafe

From coffee, to breakfast to pasta – this place has it all! I went for my morning wake up call, but wish I had stayed for the grub.

Beirut Grille

This place I seriously still think about (thanks to my falafel wrap). Bussorah St. is a must for lunch or dinner if you are a fan of Lebanese food. Sit on the street, watch the sun set and ENJOY the experience! I truly felt so thankful to be there.

Smoothie time! The Juice Clinic

Do I worry about eating crazy healthy while exploring a new country? Not exactly 😉 But, if you want a nice salad and enjoy Haji Lane head over to the Juice Clinic for a salad, fresh juice (I went for the orange, pineapple and grapefruit blend) and then reward yourself with their Instagram worthy rainbow cheesecake.

Evening drinks

Blu Jaz cafe

I visited this place twice  – once for a glass of wine and pasta (surprisingly good) and the second for some local live music, a ‘Tokyo Island’ drink (yikes) and some bar appetizers. This place was SO fun at night! Everyone enjoyed the music, and a random customer even went on stage to play drums with the band! I didn’t feel like a tourist even though I was snapping away. Between the wall art, amazing music (a girl seriously ROCKED the chelo) and great bar food – sing the night away here.

Bar Stories

This bar is all sorts of cool – the bartender perfected my dream cocktail of cucumber, hibiscus goodness paired with gin and the presentation was also amazing. You can easily miss this place (we walked right by it) because it only has a small sign and is on the second floor. The building was previously used for business purposes but now it is a successful, creative and very hip bar. Cocktails range from $20-25 Singapore dollars but I think it is worth it 😉

Any other gems you love in this neighborhood? I hope I can try them when I return (because I need to relive this amazing place)!

Pin the post below for your trip to Singapore! Cheers!

Til next time,

Katherine