Elephant Grounds opens in Singapore: Famous HK cafe brand brings its coffee and fresh bakes to Bugis
Cafe lovers who have been to Hong Kong might be familiar with the name “Elephant Grounds”.
It’s a popular lifestyle cafe brand that started in Hong Kong in 2013 — with eight outlets in the city alone, two others in Manila, and plans for one more in Jakarta this year.
The brand is starting off 2026 strong, with a brand new one under its belt — but more specifically, this is its first outlet in Singapore!
Elephant Grounds’ Singapore outlet will be located in Guoco Midtown in Bugis, occupying a cosy ground-floor unit with indoor and pet-friendly al fresco seating.
The Singapore outpost is done up the same way as Hong Kong: Plenty of warm tones, wood accents, and underscored with the brand’s signature shade of orange.
More importantly, it also has an in-house bakery so you’ll be getting Elephant Grounds’ signature pastries made fresh. This marks the brand’s second outlet with its own production kitchen!
New Bugis brunch spot
So, what can you expect from this new Bugis brunch spot?
The Elephant Grounds menu is a mishmash of comfort fare, including smoked salmon Benedict (S$20), Mr. Shakshuka (S$20), and chicken parm (S$22), as well as healthier options such as the Buddha bowl (S$18).
Something interesting is the fish filet sando (S$22) that throws you back to your childhood.
The combination of soft-milk bread, breaded fish, and piquant wasabi mayo tastes like an upgraded version of McDonald’s iconic fish burger!
Honestly, though, we recommend you save your stomach space and order more of the pastries instead — the bakes are where Elephant Grounds excels at.
While there are plenty of croissants and Danishes to choose from, Elephant Grounds’ banoffee croissant (S$6) is something less frequently seen and definitely worth a try.
In this, you get a good mix of toasty coffee and sweet banana — a friend described it as “goreng pisang, but French”!
Another bake that is worth cheating on your New Year’s resolutions with is the doughnuts (S$5) — the earl grey one, in particular.
The bomboloni-style doughnut itself is soft with a nice bit of chew, but the fragrant and twangy earl grey cream is what makes it so delightful.
If you’re partial towards soft cookies, Elephant Grounds’ choco chips cookie (S$2.50) is also a good choice.
The best way to describe its texture is: 2010s Subway cookies, but better!
Elephant Grounds’ grounds
Besides brunch and bakes, Elephant Grounds’ other signature is its speciality coffee.
Its signature house-blend is sourced from an award-winning farm in Java and roasted in-house, before being served in a variety of styles.
You can get it as a classic long black (S$5), flat white (S$6.50), or OG blend pour-over (S$8).
What we got from the pour-over is a nicely balanced mix of roasted depth and fruity acidity.
Besides the classics, the Elephant Grounds menu also features some adventurous options, such as the Bulletproof (S$8.50) — an Elephant Grounds exclusive that mixes coffee with butter and coconut oil.
The coffee carries a brighter acidity and silkier mouthfeel, along with a touch buttery richness and coconut fragrance.
It’s a bit of an acquired taste, but you should give it a go, to see if it fits your palate!
But even if you aren’t into adventurous concoctions, Elephant Grounds has plenty of solid coffee options, as well as bakes and brunch offerings, to please everyone.
This was a hosted tasting.
For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on beloved sandwich shop Park Bench Deli’s return and the stylish and viral new cafe, Cloudfields.
Tue 8am - 8pm
Wed 8am - 8pm
Thu 8am - 8pm
Fri 8am - 8pm
Sat 8am - 8pm
Sun 8am - 8pm
- Bugis
Evan started off writing about food on Instagram, before joining outlets such as Buro and Confirm Good to pursue his passion. His best work usually comes after his first whisky shot in the morning.
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