Artisan Bakery Near Me in Bendemeer: Keong Saik Bakery Sor Hei Guide

Keong Saik Bakery stays open until 9pm every day at its flagship, 70 Bendemeer Road, #01-03, Singapore 339940, with the kitchen taking last orders at 8pm. Its signature Sor Hei bun, a charcoal and white danish shaped like a hair bun, costs S$7.10 on the official shop, and the whole menu is no pork and no lard. For an artisan bakery near me that still serves after dinner, this Luzerne building cafe near Bendemeer MRT is one of the few options in the city.

The bakery was founded in 2017 in a shophouse on Keong Saik Road in Chinatown, a Chinatown street lined with old clan associations. Its aim, in its own words, was to blend traditional and modern flavours and pay homage to the people who lived on that road.

After six years there it announced a move. Mothership reported in March 2023 that Keong Saik Bakery would relocate to Boon Keng in the middle of May 2023, taking a ground-floor unit in the Luzerne building at 70 Bendemeer Road. The name stayed, even though the shop is now a few MRT stops away from the road it is named after. A second outlet runs at Chip Bee Gardens in Holland Village.

The bakery's emblem is a bun with a backstory. The founder was inspired by Cantonese opera and by the Shunde women known as Majie, domestic workers from Guangdong who took a vow never to marry and wore their hair in a tight bun. The ceremony of putting up the hair was called sor hei, and the bakery borrowed the word for its pastry.

The Sor Hei is a charcoal and white danish with chocolate chips, coiled to look like a Majie's bun, and sells for S$7.10. It is the item most first-timers photograph, and the charcoal swirl does a better job on camera than it does on flavour, which is mild and buttery rather than dramatic.

Beyond the Sor Hei, the case mixes French technique with local flavours. A French butter croissant made with Elle & Vire butter costs S$4.70, the kouign-amann S$5.20 and a garlic butter croissant S$6.30. The Otak Danish, filled with spiced fish paste, is S$5.80, and the mini clairssants, including otak chicken floss, truffle potato and black sesame muah chee, are S$4.60 each.

The tarts are where the bakery puts its most careful work. The black sesame tart and the cactus tart both cost S$10.80 on the official shop, and the Seashore 2.0 cake is S$10.10. Eatbook singled out the black sesame tart and the truffle potato clairssant as standouts in its review. Retail prices include 9% GST.

The heritage thread runs into the celebration side of the menu. The shop sells pandan chiffon at S$3.30 a slice and boxes of xi bing, the traditional Chinese wedding biscuits, from S$20, alongside baby full-month boxes from S$20. These are the orders that need the two days of notice, so plan them before you visit rather than at the counter.

The Bendemeer flagship runs a full cafe menu as well as a bakery counter, with separate 2026 dine-in and drinks menus. Dine-in prices are shown before GST and service charge, and members pay less. A latte is S$6 at the walk-in price or S$5.50 for members, a kopi susu is S$6, and the iced kaya latte, one of Eatbook's recommended drinks, is S$10, or S$9.50 for members. Membership is free to join by asking the staff.

An honest verdict: skip the matcha yuzu iced latte, which Eatbook found underwhelming, and order the kaya latte or a straight kopi instead. Cakes also run on the pricey side compared with a neighbourhood bakery, so treat the tarts as the splurge and keep the drink simple.

The cafe has a choice of seats: a row facing the square outside, tables in a recessed nook, a communal table and a long wooden bench running around the room. Tables can be booked through the bakery's online reservation page, which is useful for a group on a weekend afternoon.

Celebration cakes, catering and bulk orders need two days' notice, and the bakery handles urgent requests over WhatsApp. Island-wide delivery is offered for larger catering orders with a minimum of 20 people. Because the flagship opens until 9pm, an after-dinner visit is possible here, something most bakeries in the city cannot offer, and Eatbook listed the extended hours as one of the cafe's main advantages.

Luzerne is about a five-minute walk from Bendemeer MRT on the Downtown Line and around seven minutes from Boon Keng on the North East Line. Eatbook warns that the route from Bendemeer is not sheltered, which makes it an uncomfortable walk in the midday heat and a soggy one in a downpour.

On a wet afternoon, take a taxi to the door or come from Boon Keng and duck along the covered stretches. If you are already in Holland Village, the Chip Bee Gardens outlet at 44 Jalan Merah Saga, #01-42, opens from 7:30am on weekdays and is the easier backup.

Keong Saik Bakery sits in a neighbourhood known more for its hawker centre than its cafes. Bendemeer Market and Food Centre at 29 Bendemeer Road is a short walk away, with stalls such as Wang Wang Crispy Curry Puff, Hai Sheng Carrot Cake and Generation Coffee Roasters.

A good afternoon here pairs the two: a curry puff and carrot cake at the hawker centre for lunch, then a black sesame tart and kopi at the bakery for dessert. The Kallang River runs nearby for a short walk before the evening crowd arrives.

Flagship: 70 Bendemeer Road, #01-03 Luzerne, Singapore 339940. Open Monday to Sunday 8am to 9pm, last order 8pm. No pork, no lard.

Holland Village outlet: 44 Jalan Merah Saga, #01-42, Singapore 278116, open Monday to Friday 7:30am to 9:30pm and weekends 8am to 9:30pm, last order 8:30pm. Orders need two days' notice, and tables can be reserved online.