We all know how magical our daily dose of coffee is, in perking our spirits up at work or fighting the Monday blues. Like it or not, Raffles Place may not be the most ideal work location given the crazy throngs of working crowd at anytime of the day, but guess what, the wide number of gourmet coffee joints in this area is amazingly high in almost every strategic corner and landmark. We embrace coffee at anytime of the day, which makes it a convenient excuse to get our ass off the desk and take a breather at work.

This list is not definitive, but should suffice for the coffee junkie working in Raffles Place vicinity. Do leave us a comment if you think there is any worthy-to-be-listed joint which we have missed out!

If you are visually in tune with maps, then probably the above works for you perfectly….. and if you ain’t, read on! For our list of Orchard Road’s coffee hunts, read more here!

1. Starbucks

Just look at the map! Based on their latest strategy of ensuring all Raffles Place white collar workers are just 3minutes away to their nearest Starbucks, there are 11 Starbucks stores squeezed into the one kilometres square of  prime commercial land. No further introduction required for Starbucks though.

Cafe Location: Asia Square Tower 2, City House, Equity Plaza, Fullerton Waterboat House, Hong Leong Building, Marina Bay Link Mall, Ocean Financial Centre, OCBC Centre East, One Fullerton, One George Street and Singapore Land Tower

2. Joe & Dough

Another coffee and pastry chain expanding rather rapidly in the CBD area. But despite their coffee standards being above average, be warned that there is a serious lack of consistency. Be warned.

Cafe Location: Golden Shoe Car Park, Income at Raffles and Marina Bay Link Mall

3. Costa Coffee

Their latest branch just opened at the latest Business-atas hotel in town – So Sofitel, and it looks like a really comfy place to hide from your bosses! If you loved their coffee during your last visit to London, then perhaps you might be excited to have your daily cuppa here as well.

Cafe Location: Chervon House and Sofitel So

4. Coffee Smith

Small cafe located in an overhead bridge, serving coffee roasted by Papa Palheta. Be here to see the rush hour traffic go by below you. Barrister always does their coffee with a smile. =)

Cafe Location: OUE Link

5. Dimbulah

Served with beans from their own farm in Tropical North Queensland, Australia. This cafe seemed to be our window into Down Under without having to fly down, especially for the team at tRP – who simply love the Aussie vibe! Very consistent blend and easy environment. Their Chervon House branch now faces stiff competition with Jewel (right opposite), Krispy Kreme, Joe and Dough and Costa Coffee and all within walking distance away!

Cafe Location: Bank of Singapore Building, Chervon House and Commerce Point

6. SPR MRKT

Not really Raffles Place, but SPR MRKT deserves a feature in this list! Awesome place for a coffee, and even better if you are looking for some food to fill your hungry stomachs. The big round table at the back of the cafe make it a really good place for the often single souls to find a seat and for the opportunity to find the “special” someone to share the next Cafe Latte with!

Cafe Location: McCallum Street

7. Jewel Cafe

Ex-banker turned cafe chain owner. First branch opened with a big thumbs-up from coffee lovers, with a second city-branch opened just last month at Income at Raffles building. tRP verdict on their new branch ain’t firmed up yet as we did our rounds during their $2 Latter offer in early Aug’14 and found their coffee disappointing. Let’s hope the second branch gets it right soon.

Cafe Location: Income at Raffles and One Shenton

8. 63 Celsius

Loved it when it first opened. But it seemed to have a policy of chasing coffee-only drinkers away during lunch hours – due to a lack of tables. Not sure if this has changed. Coffee was ok.

Cafe Location: Asia Square Tower 2

9. Artisan Boulagerie Co. (aka ABC)

Asia Square workers do have it lucky. From the boring Starbucks to Jewel, to 63 Celsius and the next door Exchange, this place is dotted with coffee! And we are not even counting the number of local coffeeshops and the likes of Toast Box and Killiney in the area. Do come to ABC for good coffee and pastry, they were good and we have been hearing that they been doing it unwaveringly since.

Café Location: Asia Square Tower 2

10. Three Cups Coffee

With their coffee served with a standard double shot of Ristretto, Three Cups Coffee has its coffee beans roasted by a local micro roaster. The location at level 4 of the newly revamped One Raffles Place is no longer a secret, as evident from the strong lunch crowd. We love the strong punch of caffeine from the coffee here and it might still be quite a peaceful spot on weekends, while it last.

Café Location: One Raffles Place

11. JBM Coffee & Dining

Other than offering savoury French and Italian fare, JBM is also quite serious in making coffee. Helmed by award winning barista Shawn, the Jamaican coffee beans are carefully sourced to provide the best brew. Definitely a great option for having some good coffee in comfort.
Café Location: One Raffles Place

12. Huggs

With outlets along Shenton Way, Cecil Street and Raffles Place, Huggs Café uses Columbian and Brazilian coffee beans and is perceived more as a takeaway counter around CBD than a dine-in café. Nonetheless, Huggs do serve sandwiches and baguettes as well and probably has one of the healthiest menu around.

Café Location: Shenton Way, Cecil Street and Raffles Place

Now, why are you still working?! Go get yourself a coffee and plan for what’s for lunch, or perhaps dinner?!