1-day Katong and Joo Chiat food itinerary

When my friends ask where I’m at on weekends, the answer is rarely anywhere other than Joo Chiat. As a cafe girlie, Katong and Joo Chiat—technically two separate but adjacent neighbourhoods, though most people, myself included, use the names interchangeably—are the place to be, whether you’re after a solid cup of coffee, a TikTok-viral cafe, or heritage names that have been around for decades.

The Katong neighbourhood is known for its rich Peranakan heritage, a legacy you can still see in the area, most prominently in the colourful shophouses along Koon Seng Road that have become quite the IG hotspot. Some argue Katong has become more gentrified over the years, with newer cafes and concept stores standing alongside the old, but it’s still one of my favourite pockets of Singapore to spend a day in.

This is the loop I’d send anyone on if they only had 12 hours to explore the area. While it mostly covers places to eat, I’ve also woven in a bit of shopping in case you’d like to walk off those calories between feasts.

26 Katong And Joo Chiat Food Places For A Chocolate Buffet, Legit Tonkatsu And More

Breakfast: Janggut Laksa (Roxy Square)

Whenever I have friends visiting from another country, I always bring them to Janggut Laksa, since it pretty much embodies what Singapore laksa is all about. Plus, it takes a certain pedigree to call yourself “The Original Katong Laksa,” and Janggut Laksa claims to be just ...