Home-Based Cafes To Check Out For Your Next Cafe Date
Your next coffee obsession? It’s probably being brewed in someone’s living room.
Sipping coffee at another branch of a coffee chain just isn’t hitting the same anymore - the buzz, the crowds, the predictable menus; it can all start to feel a little soulless. Enter Singapore’s new wave of home-based cafes, where the coffee’s made fresh out of someone’s kitchen, and the vibe is slower, softer, and far more personal.
From rich espresso lattes to viral strawberry matcha drinks, these micro-cafes invite customers into their homes, or at least to their doorstep, for a more intimate caffeine experience. Some even let you linger on the porch or corridor seating with your drink in hand and nowhere to rush off to.
For the people behind them, these cafes are more than just a weekend hustle. Some see it as a quiet act of resistance against Singapore's relentless pace - a chance to slow down and share something meaningful. Others are building the foundations for something bigger: pop-ups, creative collabs, and eventual brick-and-mortar dreams.
Ahead, a roundup of the home-based cafes worth bookmarking for your next low-key cafe date or solo coffee run:
Brew With Grace
Coffee with major cosy vibes.
Grace Teo didn’t expect a cup of coffee to change the course of her life. But a few years ago, while visiting a home pottery studio, the 36-year-old former barista found herself wrapped in a kind of quiet hospitality she hadn’t felt in a long time — welcomed not just with conversation, but with warmth, intention, and a freshly brewed cup. That simple, grounding moment stayed with her.
Last December, Teo launched Brew With Grace — a home-based cafe shaped around that same gentle philosophy. Navigating chronic health and mental wellness challenges, she envisioned a space that would nourish both her and her guests: a soft landing spot for those in need of pause, comfort, or simply permission to feel a little off.
“We’re all going through something in life,” she says. “I just wanted to create a space where people could take a breather.”
Not your average coffee run. Brew With Grace is a soft space filled with warmth, whimsy, and espresso.
The transition from her past experience in the F&B industry to running a one-woman cafe out of her own home wasn’t easy. Teo now manages everything from DMs, stock checks, to content, and orders all on her own, but she's since found a rhythm that works for us thanks to the kindness of her patrons.
What to expect: Brew With Grace offers a tight menu of specialty brews, from classic hand-poured coffees to matcha-based drinks like her cult-favourite Yuzu Matcha with oat milk. Customers can either pre-order for pick-up or book an appointment to enjoy a quiet moment in her living room, cat cuddles with Totoro included.
Where coffee meets quiet joy, and Totoro might be your table mate.
Price range: Three dollars to $5.50
When: Wednesdays to Fridays, 10am to 4pm.
Address: Rivervale Shores, Singapore 542171
Find them on: Instagram
Knead Kopi
A home cafe with old-school kopi flair.
Rachel Neo didn’t plan on becoming a baker. It started in a secondary school cooking class — a tray of cookies, maybe cupcakes — and somewhere along the way, it turned into something else entirely. Now 25, she co-runs Knead Kopi, a home-based cafe that feels less like a business and more like a gentle rebellion: against burnout, against disconnection, against forgetting what matters.
After graduating in 2023, Rachel landed a spot at a well-known pastry chain. But the long hours kept her away from home — and more importantly, her grandmother, who had recently been diagnosed with dementia, so she left eventually.
The kind of place where kopi culture lives on, just a little closer to home.
Knead Kopi came about during quiet morning walks with Teo's grandmother. She and her partner Glenndon, who co-founded the cafe, realised their Watten neighbourhood lacked a simple, comfortable spot to unwind. So they created one. “Knead Kopi combines local flavours with a focus on community and warmth,” Rachel explains.
Family is central to the cafe — especiallyTeo's grandmother, Ah Ma Ang. Running the cafe from home allows her to stay connected in a familiar environment. “We’re happy to keep it a small, home-based space that focuses on tradition and community, with no plans to expand,” she says.
What to expect: Knead Kopi serves a nostalgic, modern menu rooted in familiar Singaporean flavours, think traditional kopi, mochi brownies (a surprise hit born out of experimentation), and a kaya set featuring their signature homemade kaya, made in small batches and available by the jar.
Guests can choose to dine in and soak up the homely atmosphere, or opt for takeaway if they’re on the go.
Price range: Starts from $1.30
When: Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays from 7.30am to 5pm, and Saturday from 7am to 5pm.
Address: 7 Watten Rise, S287290
Find them on: Instagram and TikTok
Tofutofu.sg
Tofu Tofu is the matcha stop you never knew you needed: adorable, handmade, and home-based.
What started as a low-key experiment—one woman sharing high‑quality matcha lattes with friends—quietly evolved into Tofutofu, a home-based matcha brand launched in March this year. Tris Su, 34, simply wanted to prove matcha didn’t have to be bitter or overpowering. When even her matcha-averse friends kept coming back for refills, she knew it was time to open up to a wider community.
By day, Su works in marketing. By night (and weekends), she handles everything for Tofutofu: sourcing ingredients, scheduling pick-ups, managing orders, and nurturing the growing “Tofu fam.” It’s tough, but she’s become deft at organising, simplifying workflows, and leaning on customer support to keep the momentum.
Now, she’s mapping out pop‑ups and collaborations with local food creatives. Long term, she’d love a small shop where people can pause, sip a latte, and belong—a tangible spot for a community she’s been building one whisked drink at a time.
What to expect: If you love matcha, this one's for you. Tofutofu specialises in matcha lattes made with ceremonial-grade matcha, freshly whisked to order and crafted with reportedly 100 per cent halal ingredients. The drinks come in a variety of flavours, from strawberry to yuzu and even Biscoff, with small-batch seasonal specials keeping things fresh. The Strawberry Matcha Latte remains a fan favourite, thanks to its perfect balance of earthiness and real strawberry puree (yes, with bits inside).
Tofutofu has also introduced their own in-house churned matcha ice cream and is currently experimenting with tau huay (soy pudding) toppings to offer an even more unique matcha experience. All drinks are takeaway only, and on days when cravings strike outside of regular hours, you can DM them to check for ad-hoc availability.
Price range: From $3.90
When: Weekends and public holidays from 11am to 7pm.
Address: 532 Bedok North Street 3
Find them on: Instagram and TikTok
Waterloo Coffee
From matcha to espresso, Waterloo Coffee keeps things chilled, balanced, and beautifully branded.
Ten days. That’s how long it took Umme Uzma Mueez, known to most as Uzma, to turn a casual idea into Waterloo Coffee. The 24-year-old founder wasn’t sure if people would actually show up. After all, she was brewing from home, with nothing but a vision, an Instagram account, and a love for good coffee. Would people really trek to a HDB block for a drink? Would her neighbours be okay with it?
Still, she started. By mid-April, Waterloo Coffee was live, home-based, small-batch, and deeply personal. Uzma leaned into consistency, connection, and quality. She handled the drinks, the customer service, the content and slowly, word got out. What began as a quiet neighbourhood coffee setup quickly built a loyal following.
As demand grew, so did the menu. Uzma launched a line of thoughtfully packaged canned iced drinks, ideal for grab-and-go mornings, bulk orders, or low-key gifting. The cans have since become a hit for offices and special occasions, with seasonal bundles (yes, Christmas sets included) in the pipeline.
Now, Waterloo Coffee is preparing to move into its first physical space at Waterloo Centre, a major step for a business that began with self-doubt and a home kitchen.
Layered, whipped, and topped with a brownie, Waterloo Coffee doesn’t play when it comes to matcha.
What to expect: Waterloo Coffee specialises in bold, balanced drinks from espresso-based favourites to matcha variations that quickly became standouts. While coffee was always the focus, their Strawberry Matcha has emerged as a top-seller. So has the Spanish Latte, alongside their specialty mochas that offer a richer, more indulgent twist. Everything is made with premium ingredients, which their regulars say makes a noticeable difference in every cup. Currently, the cafe remains a takeaway-only operation, but many customers enjoy their drinks just downstairs at the nearby public seating area.
Price range: Six dollars to $10.
When: Mondays to Sundays, 6am to 9am and 11am to 4pm.
Address: 263 Waterloo Street
Find them on: Instagram and TikTok
Coffee Near Me
A home cafe that’s all about laid-back vibes and clean design, Coffee Near Me keeps it simple and strong.
Some people start side hustles. Others start solutions. For 22-year-old Sonia Lim, Coffee Near Me was both. Tired of pricey coffee that didn’t live up to the hype, Sonia launched her home-based cafe in February 2024 with one goal: to make affordable coffee that didn’t compromise on taste. No gimmicks. No complicated syrups. Just well-made drinks, and a few sweet treats to go with them.
Since then, she’s built a quiet following around Casuarina Walk. Part coffee spot, part neighbourhood connector, the cafe was also born out of Lim's love for meeting new people over a good cup. But like many small F&B setups, sustainability remains a challenge. Food waste is an ongoing issue, though she tries to make the most of it, sharing leftovers with friends and family rather than tossing them.
From sweet layers to savoury bites, every item at Coffee Near Me looks as good as it tastes.
Now, Sonia’s looking ahead. There are plans to host more events and pop-ups to grow the community she’s created from the ground up, one latte at a time.
What to expect: Coffee Near Me focuses on quality-driven coffee, matcha, and home-baked goods. Their Spanish Latte is a menu staple, striking the right balance between espresso bitterness and the creamy sweetness of condensed milk. Their brownies, dense, fudgy, and rich, have become a go-to pairing. Matcha fans aren’t left out either: strawberry matcha and dirty matcha lattes round out the offerings.
Everything’s available for dine-in or takeaway, depending on your mood (or how much time you’ve got).
Price range: Prices start from $4.50
When: Weekends and Public holidays from 9am to 3.30pm.
Address: 20 Casuarina Walk
Find them on: Instagram and TikTok
Spilled Roaster & Brews
Home cafe, but make it barista-grade. Spilled Roaster & Brews is proof that passion roasts best in small batches.
Chen Delun never planned on becoming a barista. A freelance illustrator by day, he started Spilled Roaster & Brews in early 2024 as a side project — just one craft feeding into another. What began as a quiet home setup has since become a weekend staple for regulars looking for a reliable caffeine fix.
Running it solo means limits: tight storage, non-commercial gear, and everything from roasting to service handled by Delun himself. With no capacity for bulk orders, he keeps things streamlined by encouraging pre-orders — it keeps the queue (and noise) outside his flat to a minimum.
Despite the constraints, Delun sees this as a space to experiment. He’s looking into collaborations with other home-based businesses and wants to offer limited-run products that step outside the usual menu.
What to expect: Spilled Roaster & Brews serves cafe-quality coffee made with beans roasted in-house. The current favourite? A naturally processed Yunnan with fruit-wine and oolong notes — medium roast, mellow finish, and (unofficially) wife-approved. A solid break from your usual nutty espresso blends.
Customers can choose from a rotating list of beans when ordering lattes, and the same beans are also available as whole roasted bags or in drip bag format, roasted fresh, on-demand, and only via pre order
Price range: Prices start from $4.50
When: Fridays to Sundays from 9am to 2pm.
Address: 634A Tampines North Drive 2
Find them on: Instagram