Meet the trio behind Hey Slow Joe, a tucked-away spot at Farrer Park that serves up leisurely cuppas and fresh bakes

As I step into Hey Slow Joe situated along the busy Tessensohn Road, I feel an immediate sense of calm. 

Perhaps it’s the soothing, vibey playlist (which I later learn is a joint effort by the three owners), or perhaps it’s just the welcoming disposition of co-founder Shu, who greets me warmly as I enter the space. 

Co-founder Shannon tells us that it’s just the feeling they’re looking to inspire when people come into their cafe. “Singapore is such a bustling city,” she says. “I wanted people to just slow down and have a cup of slow joe.”

I first found out about Hey Slow Joe through a friend who lived in the area. She was excited at the prospect of a new neighbourhood coffee spot and had mentioned in passing that it was helmed by a trio of girl pals who wanted “folks to slow down a little”. 

The trio? None other than Shu, Shannon and Huda. They have asked HungryGoWhere not to use their full names for privacy reasons.

The story behind Hey Slow Joe   

It’s a weekday afternoon when I visit and Hey Slow Joe is relatively quiet, save for intermittent drop-ins by regulars in search of their caffeine fix. 

Located on the ground floor of 1953, a new mixed-development with art-deco vibes, Hey Slow Joe’s space is small. There’s just space for maybe two or three groups and so it’s easy for me to hear any chatter between the crew.

But interestingly there is none, save for the quiet hum of the coffee machine. 

Yet, the three work like clockwork. You’ll find Shu at the front of the house, greeting incoming customers, and Huda on the coffee machine, doling out the cuppas, while Shannon is often at the back, working on the pastries.

It’s easy to see the rapport between the three, though it’s evident that each of them have distinct personalities. 

Shannon is a former stewardess-turned-pastry chef. Huda has worked in the F&B industry for more than a decade, while Shu worked in media production, but had always loved coffee and decided to switch careers. 

It was chance that brought the three together — they were rostered for the same shift at a reputable cafe chain and realised that they had strikingly similar tastes when it came to their Spotify playlist. 

Once the three began talking, they realised that they had many other things in common beyond just music. 

One thing led to another and after a group trip to Japan in late 2022 — during which they visited many popular cafes like Blue Bottle and Bear Pond — they decided to take the plunge and start a cafe together. 

And with that, Hey Slow Joe opened in mid-August 2023. 

The Hey Slow Joe experience

It’s not uncommon for most people to zip in and out of a coffee spot when grabbing their daily brew.

But the trio want to change that mentality. 

If you look closely, the cafe’s mascot, which adorns walls and cups, is depicted relaxing leisurely on a float — the very epitome of a chilled out individual.

Aside from wanting people to slow down over a cup of coffee, the ladies tell us that they, too, wanted to take the time to converse with customers — something they were not able to do in their previous workplace. 

Shu tells us: “We make it a point to check in with every customer and tailor (our) approach to each person.”

You can also see elements of this personalised service through its cute cups, which read: ‘Hey [name], slow down, savour life, you deserve it’.   

“We may not have the time to talk to (all) customers so it’s important that our cups have this personalisation,” Shannon explains. “We also wanted to write these messages as a timely reminder to leave your worries at the door and chill with us.”

In fact, Shu excitedly regales a story of how a young customer had come into the cafe, grumpy and unable to be pacified by his mother. 

It wasn’t till he had a taste of the cafe’s warm pecan tart that he brightened up. Since then, he has dubbed the cafe his happy spot and insists on dining in whenever he and his mother would walk by. 

Through this interaction, Shu had a realisation.

“Something so small can change someone’s day,” she says.

Hey Slow Joe’s menu

For a small cafe, Hey Slow Joe’s menu is delightfully adequate and surprisingly thoughtful — with a decent variety of drinks, dessert tarts, muffins and cakes, and savoury scones, freshly baked onsite by Shannon.

Aside from the usual drinks, the cafe also serves up a cuppa joe (S$8), an iced cappuccino with a creamy smooth finish. It’s rare to find local cafes that serve up an iced cappuccino with actual cold foam — most opt to use whipped cream instead.

There’s also a Magic joe (S$6) on the menu, which piqued our curiosity.

Shu tells us that they had intentionally left the description out on the menu — they meant for it to be a conversation starter. You only need to check in with any one of the three to find out it’s a homemade lemonade with blue pea infusion. 

Not wanting to forget the non-coffee drinkers, Hey Slow Joe also has Shu’s brew (S$6), a 12-hour infused black tea with notes of peach and apricot. 

We also enjoyed their tarts, in particular the well-loved warm pecan tart (S$8) and the fluffy-soft goma (sesame) and strawberry rolls (S$6 each). Best part: The rolls are gluten-free, which made us feel a lot better about indulging in one too many. 

For those of us that might appreciate variety, the unique shape of Hey Slow Joe’s tarts mean that you can combine various slices of different flavours to form a whole tart — perfect for a bigger dining party and fuss-free portioning.

If one of your new year’s resolutions is to take a step back, stop and to smell the roses, give Hey Slow Joe a visit and see if its playlist and warm pecan pie has that effect on you.

For more cafe spots to explore, check out Kwaa Song, a quirky new spot selling croissants, and Vernacular Coffee, a industrial-themed cafe that delivers on its brews. 

Hey Slow Joe is on the GrabFood delivery service and offers free delivery (up to S$3 off) with GrabUnlimited.

Do explore the new GrabFood Dine-in service for awesome deals.

You can also book a ride to Hey Slow Joe at Farrer Park.