Final countdown: Prince Coffee House to close its doors at Beach Road in July

Singapore’s F&B scene has seen its fair share of ups and downs recently, with exciting new openings, alongside a growing number of establishments bidding farewell.

One name that has been on our radar is Prince Coffee House along Beach Road. This nearly 50-year-old brand is known for its old-school Hainanese-western fare and is set to close its doors sometime in July.

“Around July 20-something,” says owner Jimmy Lim, but he declined to lock down the exact date.

Jimmy, now in his late 80s, is the man behind the eatery. He continues to warmly welcome and serve customers, even today.

When HungryGoWhere asked about how he felt about the impending closure, Jimmy admits that he is tired, and that a part of him can’t help but feel a sense of sadness. 

After all, Prince Coffee House has come a long way since the 1970s, having become a well-loved fixture for many locals, and even tourists.

Though Jimmy will miss the daily hustle at the eatery, he’s looking forward to his retirement, where he hopes to spend more time with his family and travel the world. 

Nearly 50 years in the business

Prince Coffee House’s journey dates back to the mid-1970s, when it first opened at the now-demolished Shaw Towers along Beach Road, where it operated for 13 years.

Besides its distinctive brutalist architecture, the building was also home to the famed Prince Cinema — an iconic destination for moviegoers in Singapore at that time.

The eatery took its name from the cinema, and traces of that glamorous history remain at Prince Coffee House today. Vintage movie memorabilia and old-school furnishings give the space a nostalgic charm that’s hard to come by these days.

The eatery later moved to Coronation Plaza in Bukit Timah and spent 21 years there, before settling into its present Beach Road space nearly 15 years ago. 

Through every relocation, Jimmy has stayed dedicated to serving comforting Hainanese-western dishes that generations of customers continue to return for.  

Even the plates are a relic of that era. As Jimmy points out, they’ve been in use for more than 50 years!

Nostalgic Hainanese-western fare

Its menu is a sprawling one, featuring classic western dishes such as grilled tenderloin steak (S$36) and fried fish & chips (S$16), plus zi char staples such as sweet & sour chicken with rice (S$10), and even lemon chicken (S$15).

For long-time patrons, however, the all-time favourites remain the Prince’s special ox-tail stew (S$36) and fried beef hor fun (S$10).

Before we get into the food, it’s best to manage your expectations, particularly with all the attention the coffee house has been receiving ahead of its closure. During our meal, we found the seasoning across several dishes to be fairly muted. 

That said, the appeal of Prince Coffee House goes beyond what’s on the plate. With its long history and retro charm, it’s easy to see why it holds a special place in the hearts of many Singaporeans — and why it is still worth dropping by, before it shutters for good. 

One east-meets-west fusion dish that you can’t miss out on is the Hainanese pork chop (S$18). Prince Coffee House’s rendition features a deep-fried pork loin blanketed in a thick tomato-based gravy with onions, served alongside crinkle-cut fries and mixed vegetables.

Rather than the usual crushed-cream cracker coating, the pork is finished with a breaded crust. It’s still enjoyable, though sans the distinctive crunch that usually comes with the classic dish.

I would have liked the sweet-and-tangy sauce to pack more punch, too. But there’s something undeniably comforting about it — an old-school dish that’s worth a try while you still can.

If there’s another dish that feels like a blast from the past, it has to be the Prince’s special ox-tail stew (S$36). Served with braised potatoes and boiled vegetables, it’s a beloved old-school dish that has become increasingly difficult to find on our sunny island. 

We’ll be honest: Flavour-wise, it leaned a little flat, and its lighter hue didn’t quite match the dark, glossy sauce we’re accustomed to. 

That said, the oxtail itself was easily the highlight. Cooked until fork-tender, it practically melted in our mouths — a testament to the time and care that goes into preparing the dish. 

From the zi char selection, we went straight for the classic fried seafood hor fun (S$10). 

At first glance, it checked all the right boxes — glossy gravy, slightly charred kway teow, and a decent mix of seafood. More importantly, the noodles carried a lovely wok hei aroma, lending the dish that requisite smoky flavour we always look out for. 

A more robust and slightly less starchy gravy would have elevated the hor fun considerably, but as it stands, it’s still a satisfying order for those craving something familiar.  

There’s also the all-time favourite sweet & sour pork (S$15), starring crispy pork pieces, generous chunks of tomatoes and onions, all coated in a sticky ketchup-based sauce. 

This is one of those dishes where the sauce does most of the talking. Personally, it’s that sweet-tangy glaze that really seals the deal for me. Here, the flavours could have used a bit more oomph — it needed just that extra hit of sweetness and a sharper tang to push the dish into truly shiok territory.

The dishes at Prince Coffee House may not be the best in town, but that’s not why it’ll be sorely missed when it shutters next month.

One thing that shines through is just how much the eatery means to Jimmy. You can tell this place is truly his 心肝宝贝 (xin gan bao bei) — his pride and joy and something he built from scratch and poured decades of hard work into.

If you’ve never been, better late than never — now’s the time to pay Prince Coffee House a visit before it closes for good by end-July 2026. 

And to Jimmy: Thank you for your years of dedication and service. Here’s wishing you a well-deserved retirement filled with rest and everything you’ve been putting off all these years! 

For more eats around the area, check out Tokyo’s futuristic 2050 Coffee at Beach Road and the beloved heritage brand Geylang Claypot Rice.