Ice cream and waffles are arguably the most popular desserts sold in cafes everywhere. There are the usual suspects who are well known for their ice cream and waffles, but sometimes cafes hidden in our own neighbourhoods do it just as well, if not better.
Although I’m sure residents of the estates surrounding these cafes would be familiar with them, the rest of us may not. So here’s a list of 10 Heartland Cafes With Great Ice Cream + Waffles for people who want to hunt for their sweet fix.
1. Shrove Tuesday
Named after Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday fully embodies its name with its menu featuring quality food items you can’t help but devour. Its extensive menu features various baked desserts and mains, and is bound to make you experience the same level of indulgence.
This small cafe can seat approximately 30 people, but it gets packed during lunch time and doesn’t clear out completely so do be prepared for a short wait.
Notable dishes in this cafe include the Nonya Chendol Waffle ($13.90), which consists of two scoops of Chendol Gelato and Vanilla Soft Serve on top of a hot waffle.
The dessert as a whole wasn’t too sweet, and the waffles were nicely crisped up on the outside and chewy on the inside.
Expected Damage: $15 – $25 per pax
Shrove Tuesday: #01-32 Block 94 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh, Singapore 310094 | Opening Hours: 12pm – 10pm (Mon – Thurs, Sun), 12pm – 11pm (Fri, Sat) | Tel: +65 6258 2254 | Website | Facebook
2. Lickers
Lickers serves up ice cream that is distinctly different from other cafes. Since it’s within walking distance to a school, you can expect to be competing with hordes of kids for a seat. But fret not, the wait is well worth it.
The cafe can only seat about 20 people in its air-conditioned interior, but can probably fit another 10 outside. Lickers is ornamented with hypebeast-esque decor and neon lights, which give the place a chill vibe that is sure to lift your mood.
The icing on the cake is that the waffles and ice cream sold here are more affordable than the rest. A waffle paired with two scoops of ice cream costs $10, while a single scoop costs $3.50.
The best flavours to pair with their crispy waffles are the Yakult Oreo, Dark Chocolate, and Honeycomb, take it from us.
At night, Lickers transforms into the perfect place to have drinks accompanied by light snacks, so it’s definitely somewhere you can visit regardless of the time of day.
Expected Damage: $3 – $10 per pax
Lickers: #01-1446 Block 124 Hougang Avenue 1, Singapore 530124 | Opening Hours: 1pm – 2am (Tues – Thurs), 12pm – 3am (Fri – Sun), Closed on Mon | Facebook
3. Cottontail Creamery
As far as innovative ice cream flavours go, Cottontail Creamery will leave you in awe. The owners of the cafe make all their ice creams in-house using the best ingredients they can find. They pride themselves on their speciality ice creams, which deserve all the praise.
The cafe itself feels very rustic and cosy, and has loads of spots for photos for the ‘gram. It’s also located near schools, so we’d suggest avoiding peak hours if you’re planning to give this cafe a shot.
Some of the flavours that we found interesting were the Sicilian Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Burgundy Blackcurrant, and Passionfruit Meringue. It may be a little difficult to imagine the taste of the flavours, but that gives you more reason to head down to try for yourself.
If such adventurous flavours aren’t for you, you could always try their Uji Matcha and Honey, and IPA Beer flavours, which go very well with their super light and crispy Waffles (Single Scoop: $8.30, Double Scoop: $11.30).
Expected Damage: $4 – $15 per pax
Cottontail Creamery: #01-378 Block 326 Serangoon Ave 3, Singapore 550326 | Opening Hours: 11.30am – 10pm (Tues – Thurs), 11.30am – 11pm (Fri), 10am – 11pm (Sat), 10am – 10pm (Sun) | Tel: +65 8118 7552 | Facebook
4. Hatter Street
The stretch along Hougang Street 21 is known for housing many good eateries, and Hatter Street is undoubtedly one of them. Inspired by the themes in Alice in Wonderland, this cafe decked in pale pink will make you feel enchanted.
When we went, the speakers were blasting rap music that we were bobbing our heads to. The Alice in Wonderland-themed motifs and details kept us amazed throughout our visit there.
Their desserts also have a touch of creativity that makes them almost magical. The highly raved Unicorn Whoaffle ($14), comes with a scoop of Lavender White Chocolate and Toasted Marshmallow ice cream atop the chewy Whoaffle.
For lavender lovers, you’ll really like this as not only is the dessert gorgeous, the taste of the lavender is strong.
;Expected Damage: $7 – $20 per pax
Hatter Street: #01-333 Block 212 Hougang Street 21, Singapore 530212 | Opening Hours: 1pm – 10pm (Daily) ; #01-59 462 Crawford Lane, Singapore 190462 | Opening Hours: 12pm – 10pm (daily), Closed on Thurs | Tel: +65 6988 4951 | Website | Facebook
5. Carrara Cafe
This cafe in Jalan Bukit Merah is another spot which will give you gorgeous Insta-worthy photos. Decked from floor to ceiling in white colours and marble motifs, Carrara Cafe lives up to its name.
Every table has a marble tabletop perfect for taking flat lay pictures. Of course, you don’t have to step in to dine there, you can just order your ice cream from the opening above the freezer if you’re in a rush.
Carrara Cafe has pretty unique ice cream flavours, such as Osmanthus Oolong, Avocado Gula Melaka, and Rocher.
It also has a large repertoire of ice cream flavours, with regularly rotating flavours so you’ll never get bored of their offerings.
Expected Damage: $15 – $25 per pax
Carrara Cafe: 2 Jalan Bukit Merah, Singapore 150002 | Opening Hours: 11.30am – 9.30pm (Mon – Thurs, Sun), 11.30am – 10.30pm (Fri, Sat) | Tel: +65 6250 9952 | Facebook
6. Holy Cow Creamery
Creameries are aplenty in Singapore, but there aren’t that many up North, where Holy Cow Creamery is situated. Its location near the Yishun Neighbourhood Park makes it an ideal spot to visit after spending time in the sweltering heat.
The small cafe sells good ol’ waffles and ice cream, which are guaranteed to brighten anyone’s day. While other ice cream shops sell either plain waffles or charcoal waffles, Holy Cow Creamy sells both.
Variety-wise, Holy Cow Creamery sells mostly classic flavours such as Salted Caramel and Cookies and Cream. However, word on the street is that their Salted Caramel Sauce is a notch above the rest. That’s something to look out for folks.
Expected Damage: $5 – $10 per pax
Holy Cow Creamery: #01-291, 292 Yishun Street 22, Singapore 760292 | Opening Hours: 11.30am – 10pm (Tues – Thurs, Sun), 11.30am – 11pm (Fri, Sat), Closed on Mon | Facebook
7. Sweet Garden Dining Cafe
Sweet Garden Dining Cafe is really the epitome of a homey cafe. It’s located deep within a housing estate, and decorated to look like a ’90s apartment. Although it’ll take a little exploring to get to the cafe, it’s definitely worth the walk.
The extensive menu features various fusion dishes such as Seafood Tom Yam Squid Ink Spaghetti ($15.90), and Smoked Duck Japanese Curry Rice ($11.90), which we’ll have to agree, are pretty unique.
Desserts there also get their own little local twists, with colourful marshmallow flowers appearing around the Charcoal Waffles with Gelato (one scoop: $13.90, two scoops: $16.90).
Prices here may not be the lowest on this list, but I could really feel the attention that goes into creating every dish, which makes it’s pretty worth it.
Expected Damage: $20 – $30 per pax
Sweet Garden Dining Cafe: #01-50, 32 Cassia Crescent, Singapore 390032 | Tel: +65 9100 4286 | Opening Hours: 1pm – 11pm (Fri – Wed), Closed on Thurs | Facebook
8. The Workbench Bistro
Next, we have the cafe that has taken the salted egg craze to a whole new level. The Workbench Bistro has salted egg everything, you name it they have it. While that may be a slight exaggeration, it’s no lie that their salted egg game is strong.
In addition to the salted egg madness, they also have innovative dishes and desserts such as the Smoreffles Supreme ($16.90). The concept of the Smoreffle may be a little confusing I mean, smores baked into the waffles? But the execution of the dessert makes it something you definitely should get if you’re visiting.
Expected Damage: $15 – $25 per pax
Workbench Bistro: 332 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1, #01-1881, Singapore 560332 | Opening Hours: 12pm – 10pm (Mon – Fri), 10am – 11pm (Sat), 10am – 10pm (Sun) | Tel: +65 9270 0448 | Facebook
9. Wimbly Lu @ Riang
This cafe is buried deep within the residential estate is a hot spot for many residents who are looking for affordable, quality cafe fare. Wimbly Lu is situated on the first floor of a shophouse, and has a section with a large skylight, making it great for pictures.
Get yourself a comforting Beef Cottage Pie ($13), or Chicken & Mushroom Baked Rice ($11) to fill your tummies before you move on to the star of the show, the ice cream and waffles. Their Waffles with Ice Cream ($8.50) also comes with chocolate sauce, maple syrup, or toffee on the side to make everything sweeter.
Expected Damage: $15 – $25 per pax
Wimbly Lu @ Riang: 15 – 2 Jalan Riang, Singapore 358987 | Opening Hours: 12pm – 10.30pm (Mon, Wed, Thurs), 12pm – 11pm (Fri), 9am – 11pm (Sat), 9am – 10.30pm (Sun), Closed on Tues | Tel: +65 6289 1489 | Website | Facebook
10. Baby Moo Creamery
Situated a short bus ride away from Toa Payoh MRT station, this minimalistic cafe serving up affordable house-made gelato may just be the next destination for your ice cream photoshoot.
Baby Moo Creamery‘s white interior decorated with neon lights will earn itself a spot on your Instagram feed.
Its offerings are also pretty Insta-worthy, with waffles in various flavours and colours. The Buttermilk, Chocolate, and Red Velvet Waffles are all priced at $6, and each scoop of gelato will cost you $4.50 more.
Sounds like a steal to us especially because the gelato is made from scratch.
Expected Damage: $10 – $20 per pax
Baby Moo Creamery: 47 Lor 6 Toa Payoh, Singapore 310047 | Opening Hours: (Sun, Mon, Wed, Thurs) 1pm – 10pm, (Fri, Sat) 1pm – 11pm, Closed on Tues | Facebook
