Singapore Eat: The 1950’s Coffee (五十年代) @ Chinatown Complex
- Rick
- Dec 30, 2025
- 2 min read
The 1950's Coffee (五十年代) is a traditional coffee stall located in Chinatown Complex in Chinatown of Singapore. The little stall, recommended by Singapore Michelin Guide since 2016, serves traditional Nanyang kopi, traditional teh and other beverages. It has another stall in Maxwell Food Centre, on the other side of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, which serves their signature coffee and tea with option for breakfast set that includes traditional toasts and soft-boiled eggs.
The stall's black Nanyang kopi-O is thick, non-bitter and has a nice traditional kopi aroma — going for kosong or siew dai (less sugar) is my preference.
The main stall used to have traditional toasts, thick toasts and soft-boiled eggs but serves mainly beverages these days — toasting breads requires longer time which often holds up the queue. However, their style of butter-kaya toasts and soft-boiled eggs are still being served at the Maxwell outlet.
The charcoal-grilled toasts are spread with kaya (coconut jam) and a slice of butter. The kaya is applied sparingly so the toasts are not too sweet. And the butter makes each bite so creamy and savoury. The nostalgic taste of charcoal-grilled traditional toasts are getting harder to find in Singapore these days. The soft-boiled eggs are nicely done without a trace of being overcooked or with still-raw egg white. The timing is perfect!
Their Peanut Butter Thick Toast — no longer on the menu — uses ultra-soft bread that is lightly-toasted to induce a subtle toasty aroma and retaining its softness. Spread with thick peanut butter, it is nice to go with coffee too.
If there is long queue at The 1950's Coffee's main stall or prefer to have traditional breakfast with coffee, the Maxwell outlet is about 200 metres away.
Address #1:
Chinatown Complex, #02-048
335 Smith Street, Singapore 050335
Opening Hours:
7am to 4:30pm | Closed on Monday
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Address #2:
Maxwell Food Centre, #01-90
1 Kadayanallur Street, Singapore 069184
Opening Hours:
8:30am to 4pm | Closed on Monday