F ZINE’s Best New Cafe And Restaurant Picks For March 2026

March usually brings things back to baseline in Singapore – fewer big-occasion meals, more casual where-should-we-eat decisions. It’s also when the quieter openings start to surface, from low-key neighbourhood cafes to romantic date-night backdrops. This month’s mix runs wide: serious matcha counters, easy rooftop hangs, and wood-fire steak nights. If your usual rotation is starting to feel a little autopilot, consider this your nudge to switch things up. Read on for the best new cafes and restaurants to check out in March 2026.

P.S.: In case you missed it amidst all the CNY reunion dinners, check out last month’s food round-up featuring bread sushi, steak, and a cosy cafe hidden at the back of a homeware store. If you’re out to hit all the food trends, check out our recommendations on best bakeries for shio pan and where to get the viral Korean Dubai chewy cookie in Singapore.

BEST NEW CAFES AND RESTAURANTS IN FEBRUARY 2026

1. Amor

Amor is the new Spanish spot on Amoy Street by the ex-Olivia team and it lands with a bit more polish than the usual newcomer. Expect a tight tapas lineup, a properly done paella, and desserts that are worth saving space for. 

Food & Drink: Spanish fare gets a polished, slightly modern spin here, moving from smoky vegetable tarts ($16) to beautifully grilled octopus ($32). The Mediterranean seafood paella ($56) is the standout – saffron rice, prawns, sea bass, and a crisp base that’s worth scraping the pan for. “Happy Eggggg” ($18) might sound a tad gimmicky, but the pumpkin puree, truffle sabayon, and soft egg combo works. The drinks hold their own too, with the smoked pineapple Amor Tai ($19) delivering just the right smoky-citrus notes. 

The Vibe: The restaurant’s a subtle nod to Gaudi without feeling theme-y, with its mosaic details and curved arches. A perfect backdrop for date nights or small groups who fully intend to over-order tapas. 

What We Recommend: Order the seafood paella to share – it’s the most satisfying plate here, and you’ll want every bit of that crispy rice scraped onto your plate. If you can, sit by the mosaic bar for the full Gaudi moment. 

Address: 107 Amoy Street
Instagram: @amor.singapore
Website

2. Merci Marcel Serangoon Gardens

Merci Marcel’s latest outpost has opened its doors at Serangoon Gardens – the same easygoing French bistro, now in a breezy two-storey space. 

Food & Drink: The menu reads exactly like what regulars would expect – polished bistro plates that move easily from brunch into dinner. Expect the familiar run of tartines, eggy brunch staples, and small plates built for sharing, before things shift into more substantial mains. Almost everything is a crowd fave: crab croquettes ($15) disappear quickly, while the beetroot hummus with pita ($15) holds its own for the table. For mains, the slow-cooked beef cheeks ($36) are a safe bet – tender, rich, and reliably satisfying. Wines and spritzes round things out neatly. 

The Vibe: Green-painted beams, warm wood tables, and walls lined with bottles give the space a cosy, lived-in feel – there’s a classic Merci Marcel ease to it. 

What We Recommend: Book the upstairs terrace if you can – it’s light-filled by day and pleasant once the sun dips.

Address: 7 Maju Avenue
Instagram: @mercimarcel
Website

3. Third Floor Social

Third Floor Social is an all-day rooftop cafe and bar perched above Design Orchard, pleasantly removed from the chaos below. It comes from the team behind cocktail joint No Sleep Club, so the drinks list is in very safe hands. 

Food & Drink: Start light: oysters ($6 each) with a mignonette sauce and loaded potato chips ($14) topped with manchego and coppa ham are easy crowd-pleasers. Personal pizzas land with properly blistered crusts, while larger plates like spinach tagliolini ($22) with burrata, ricotta ravioli with bolognese ($28), and slow-cooked beef cheek ($28) keep things comforting without feeling heavy. Coffee is solid too, with espresso classics, rotating filters, and a cold brew tonic that drinks clean and gently bitter. As for cocktails, expect well-made Old Fashioneds, Manhattans, and highballs that keep things classic and unfussy.

The Vibe: Feels like a stylish friend’s apartment, just with better lighting and someone properly manning the bar. 

What We Recommend: Order the beef cheek if you’re settling in for dinner – it’s deeply satisfying, especially with the gnocchi on the side. 

Address: #03-01 Design Orchard, 250 Orchard Road
Instagram: @thirdfloorsg
Website

4. Patchwork Kitchen

This fifth-floor East-Asian bistro tucked above South Bridge Road takes a little effort to find – which, honestly, adds to the charm. The $24 lunch sets are a draw for the CBD crowd, especially with that skyline view in the mix. 

Food & Drink: It’s fusion in the literal sense: laksa finds its way into pasta, chicken rice reappears as arancini, and katsu gets the kimchi-tomato treatment. It sounds chaotic on paper, but the flavours stay comfortingly familiar. Plates are built for sharing, and drinks keep things breezy with canned cocktails and a tight wine list spotlighting Asian producers. 

The Vibe: Brick walls, colourful chairs, and a slightly eclectic bistro setup – warmer and more lived-in than sleek.

What We Recommend: Book a window seat – the CBD skyline adds more atmosphere than you’d expect from a fifth-floor address.

Address: #05-01, 42 South Bridge Road
Instagram: @patchworkkitchen
Website

5. Pour.traits Coffee Roasters

Tucked inside Havelock II, Pour.traits Coffee Roasters is a specialty coffee counter that feels intentional in a mall not exactly known for cafe hunting. It’s a compact, beans-first setup – the kind that actually cares about the coffee, not just the brunch crowd. 

Food & Drink: Coffee is the main event, with rotating single-origin filters for those who actually read the tasting notes. Expect clean, fruity cups – Kenya, Ethiopia, Ecuador – with bright acidity and a neat finish, rather than heavy profiles. Bakes stay simple: banana bread ($5.50), Basque cheesecake ($8.60), tiramisu ($14), and the occasional freshly baked focaccia ($6.50). 

The Vibe: Dark green counters, a log-style bar, and front-row seats to the espresso machine. It’s a compact and intimate space, very much a specialty coffee counter, not a brunch cafe. 

What We Recommend: Try the coffee flight, smaller pours of different beans served side by side so you can taste the differences without committing to a full cup. 

Address: #01-14 Havelock 2, 2 Havelock Road
Instagram: @pour_traits
Website

6. Barely Aged

Barely Aged is Joo Chiat bottle shop BoundbyWine’s cooler riverside offshoot – less of a grab-and-go shop, more wine-and-cheese hangout built for an unhurried evening. 

Food & Drink: The by-the-glass lineup is the real hook, with roughly 30 labels in regular rotation and weekly pours that make it dangerously easy to keep “just tasting”. The selection skews slightly off-mainstream, with pet-nats, bright whites, juicy reds, and the occasional sparkling. Food is kept simple and snackable, with customisable cheese and charcuterie boards loaded with creamy brie, aged manchego, cranberry cheddar, cold cuts, olives, and crackers. If you’re not in the mood for wine, try a Dirty Sips cocktail ($20) or two, with playful concoctions like White Boy Negroni and All The Wei. 

The Vibe: Casual and gently buzzy – easy to slip into and stay awhile. Fire-engine red ceiling, sunshine-yellow benches, and leafy green tables keep the mood playful. 

What We Recommend: Build your own platter and work your way through different wines by the glass instead of committing to a full bottle.

Address: #01-17 Rivergate Condominium, 95 Robertson Quay
Instagram: @barely.aged
Website

7. Studio Frond

A weekend-only matcha and botanical takeaway bar along Joo Chiat that knows exactly what it’s doing – small, focused, and very much for people who actually care about their tea. 

Food & Drink: Matcha and hojicha take the lead here, done clean and not drowned in sugar. Usucha starts from $6.50 and lattes from $7, with three tea profiles depending on how grassy or roasty you like things. The signatures are a little more fun: Pink Coconut (from $8) and Miso Butterscotch (from $8), but they’re still firmly tea-focused. There’s also a small rotation of cold brew teas (from $6) if you want something lighter. 

The Vibe: Small, calm, and very design-forward. Dark green counters, a log bar, and a clear view of the whisking keep the focus firmly on the tea. 

What We Recommend: Get the floral holder set ($15) with your drink – it’s the full Studio Frond experience. You’ll get to pick a base, focal bloom, and accent stem to build your own mini floral arrangement while they whisk your matcha. 

Address: #01-05 Soho Life, 216 Joo Chiat Road
Instagram: @studio.frond
Website

8. The Velvet Cut

The Velvet Cut is a Muslim-owned steakhouse in Joo Chiat from the folks behind The Malayan Council, bringing serious steakhouse energy to the neighbourhood. 

Food & Drink: Dry-aged beef is front and centre here, with cuts rested for at least 15 days to coax out deeper, fuller flavour. Much of the menu comes off the wood fire, with New York strip, porterhouse, tomahawk, and wagyu rump leading the charge. It’s not all big-format steaks though – the dry-aged burger ($32), piled with horseradish and caramelised onions, makes for a delish detour, while the veal malfadine ($28) keeps things a little lighter without feeling skimpy. Drinks stay zero-proof but considered, spanning non-alcoholic wines and breezy house coolers like the Katong Cooler – a bright, thirst-quenching mix of mango, fresh mint, lime, and soda. 

The Vibe: Burgundy velvet booths and rustic brick walls set an easy date-night mood. The dry-age fridge steals the spotlight, stacked with hulking cuts that double as decor and a not-so-subtle preview of what’s coming to the table. 

What We Recommend: Go straight for the grazing board ($80), a generous platter showcasing three signature cuts (intercoastal, demonico, and eye of rump) plus your choice of side. It’s the easiest way to get a proper taste of what the kitchen does best. 

Address: 51 Joo Chiat Road
Instagram: @velvetcut.sg
Website

9. Soru Handroll

This no-frills handroll counter in Telok Ayer is keeping prices surprisingly sane for the CBD. Rolls are made to order – very much weekday fuel rather than destination dining.

Food & Drink: Handrolls here play up texture: creamy fillings, lightly torched fish, and the occasional crunch to keep things interesting. Flavours are undeniably crowd-friendly, with the likes of spicy salmon, wasabi salmon, kani miso cream, and golden ebi crunch – none veer into gimmick territory. There’s a small aburi lineup too, including torched tuna mentaiko and engawa (flounder) shoyu. Rolls start from $4, which frankly feels like a small win in the CBD. 

The Vibe: With the counter’s bold blue walls, tight seating, and a steady lunch-hour hum – you’re here to eat, not to linger. 

What We Recommend: The three-roll set ($10.90) is the smart play, an easy way to mix creamy, torched, and crunchy in one go. 

Address: #B2-12 Icon Link, 8 Club Street
Instagram: @soru.sg
Website

10. Antler & Ember

Antler & Ember is a Waterloo Street newcomer that positions itself as your next date-night spot – Valentine’s Day may be over, but the reservations shouldn’t be. 

Food & Drink: The menu reads contemporary European at first glance, but there’s a clear local influence running through. Sesame laksa dumplings ($18), chilli crab mantou ($12), and salted caramel butter anchovy toast ($11) keep things interesting without going overboard. Mains are richer, with black cod in seaweed butter ($42), Angus filet mignon ($68), and Hanwoo striploin ($128) making up the heavier plates. The drinks list pulls its weight too, with signature cocktails and a solid by-the-glass wine choice, with a few easy spritz-style choices for lighter sipping. 

The Vibe: Airy and light-filled – lots of greenhouse energy with a polished dining room edge, softened by the cascading greenery.

What We Recommend: Go for the three-course business lunch ($38), a polished midday pick that feels far pricier than it actually is. 

Address:  #02-01/02 Hotel Waterloo Singapore, 78 Waterloo Street
Instagram: @antlerandember.sg
Website