We first started trying cafes as a weekend treat, and because there were a number of 1-for-1 deals on Entertainer. This eventually evolved into a cafe hopping hobby and a mission to find the best french toast because my dad LOVES the dish. If it's on the menu, we'd order it. Because we've tried so many over the years, I'll be splitting the list into 4 main categories: All Time Faves, Would Order Again, Worth A Try and Order Something Else, as well as Closed for all the cafes which have closed since we tried it. So here goes! It's a LONG list.
This post is updated as of 29 Sep 2024.
All Time Faves
Tolido's Espresso Nook
Their stout glazed bacon french toast has been THE all time fave since we first tried it. The texture of brioche slices are always super fluffy, and there is this amazing layer of cream between the brioche slices that gives moistness and flavour without being overly sweet. The stout-glazed salty bacon adds an extra oomp and savouriness.
Funnily enough, we had never actually tried it in-store until very recently. The first two times we visited Tolido's, our 'sweet' item of choice was their pandan pancakes. Our first time trying their french toast was during the pandemic when everything switched to takeaways, and we just kept ordering it almost every other week. When things reopened, we continued doing takeaways because the cafe is always so crowded. They used to have these coupon cards where you could redeem a free drink after 10 chops, and I redeemed it multiple times haha. And I always went for the ice blended sea salt caramel mocha (pictured below) which was the best sugar bomb.
Finally made the effort to go on a weekend morning recently - price increased again but it was as good as ever. Whenever people ask me for cafe recommendations, the first thing that comes to mind is always Tolido's because of this french toast. We also usually get the truffle mushroom and eggs with toast for a savoury dish, but we decided to try the tom yum scrambled eggs this time and it was excellent as well.
Surrey Hill's Grocer
I've only tried this once at the ION outlet because it's so difficult to get reservations and it's pricey, but it remains as one of the best french toasts we've had. So aesthetic, so crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The other item we had was their pulled pork eggs ben which was amazing as well. They are famous for their coffee, which also did not disappoint.
Twenty Eight Cafe
Okay I have to caveat that the french toast we loved was their previous version back in 2020. So moist with the hazelnut/cocoa filling in the middle. It was one of our most visited cafes during that period, but then they took it off the menu and we stopped going haha. We recently went again and french toast was back on the menu! But unfortunately they changed the formulation and it's not the same. Still decent, but not as good as previously. Just for comparison, this is how it looks now:
Sarnies
Sarnies revamped their menu and no longer offer this, but when they did, we LOVED it because it was just inundated in toppings. Look at that! Yoghurt, a variety of berries, almond flakes, brownie, cocoa powder and more. This was another item that we repeatedly ordered during the pandemic takeaway-only era.
Would Order Again
Plain Vanilla
Interestingly, I think the standard of their french toast has improved over time. I used to think it was overly eggy, bordering on soggy, and the sauce was a little too sour. However, now they have crispy edges and the inside is still eggy but more fluffy than soggy, and the sauce is less overbearing. Compare the above pic from 2023 to the below pic from 2020.
PV has been one of our go-tos for the longest time because of the 1-for-1 on entertainer, so we've tried almost everything. They do an excellent bowl of granola and the hot chocolate is TO DIE FOR (though I stopped ordering after the eye popping Nutrigrade D with 30% sugar label - thanks HPB). Their eggs royale (pictured below) used to be my go-to savoury option but it's no longer on the menu, and the truffle mushroom toast I tried recently was wayyy too oily. The stone fruit tartine was yummy but pretty expensive for one slice of toast.
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Punch
Tastes as good as it looks. Just look at those white choc-dipped strawberries and fancy quenelle cream on top. Although if I had to pick one thing from the menu from Punch, it would be their earl grey pancakes. An all-time fave for pancakes.
Five Oars Coffee Roasters
We first tried this during the pandemic as a takeaway and really liked it so promptly visited their original outlet at Keong Saik once the restrictions lifted. Amazing texture, toppings and that hefty slice of bacon. But that outlet soon closed for renos and when they reopened, it wasn't on the menu anymore. We have visited the new outlet a couple of times and luckily the new dishes were delicious too. (The latest version of menu does have a creme brulee french toast though - guess we're due for another visit!)
Baristart
This was interesting! The shape of the brioche was very different but the texture was still excellent. But the standout was that hokkaido milk cream in that little cup. SO GOOD.
Gather
More known for their crepes and galettes, Gather at Raffles Hotel also serves french toast, which shouldn't be a surprise given that they're opened by the same people who own Punch (and previously, Ronin). I think the usual one they serve is the picture below which was called Ronin's frenchie that comes with stewed apples and bacon, but we visited during Christmas and there was this special version (the pic above) which was AMAZING.
Moonchild
One of the many cafes under the Atlas Coffeehouse group, this place opened just last year at Jalan Besar and is very popular. It's spacious but go early to secure seats as the cafe fills up quickly. And order the butterscotch rum bananas french toast. I'm not a fan of bananas, but the candied hazelnuts and ice cream with the sauce, just delicious. The other item we ordered was the potato stack which we really enjoyed too.
Supernova
Another one of those cafes under the Atlas Coffeehouse group, this is a popular place along Tanjong Katong and I'd recommend reservations. Fried chicken with french toast is one of their signatures and it did not disappoint. So sinful but so so good. Look at how crispy the chicken was, elevated by the garlic butter and hot maple sauce.
September Coffee
Since we're on the topic of fried chicken with french toasts, we also have to talk about September Coffee along Chinatown. EXTREMELY popular - go early or be prepared to wait. Very yummy, but very filling and may be a little too oily for one person so I'd recommend to share.
Swee Lee
Was so excited when this opened at Clarke Quay which is walking distance from my place. We had the kaya french toast and was pleasantly surprised by the quality. The french toast was perfectly made and the kaya sauce elevated it.
Alice Boulangerie
More popular for their fancy croissants and entremets (order the Squirrel), but they also do an excellent french toast which tasted as amazing as it looks.
Dutch Colony Coffee Company
A popular halal cafe with multiple outlets, we finally made our way to their main outlet at Frankel Avenue after regularly patronising their outlet at UE square which sadly doesn't have many freshly prepared options. Reasonably priced with generous portions and toppings, this was a very solid french toast.
Bearded Bella
One of the many cafes around the Keong Saik/Duxton area, this place lived up to the hype. Loved the cream in between the thick brioche slices and the ice cream made it even more decadent. We also tried the crab scrambled egg croissant which was excellent. Pricey, but worth it.
Folk Yard
Folk Yard specialises in sandos (which I will get around to posting about), but have also expanded their menu to include pain perdu aka french toast. We tried this at their pop up at Cloud at Duxton before they added it to the menu permanently. This was simple but oh so amazing. They added a layer of burnt caramel on the top, similar to creme brulee, adding a layer of crunch while the inside remained soft but not dry. The only topping was the peach which went well, but could be made more interesting with other toppings.
Pelle and Pepe
A cute bakery in Joo Chiat specialising in sourdough bakes, they also have more substantial offerings on the weekend. We tried their pain perdu which took awhile to be served but was worth the wait. The portion was pretty generous, topped with peaches and cream. Loved the texture and how well all the ingredients came together.
Apricus
The sister cafe of Populus at Duxton, Apricus is a little ulu at Jalan Kayu. Nevertheless, we made our way there to try their very aesthetic french toast with this huge roasted rice soft serve. Honestly, I didn't have high expectations given the not-so-glowing reviews on Google, so I was pleasantly surprised that we quite enjoyed this. While the inside of the very thick toast was a little dry, it went well with the soft serve. Really liked the unique roasted rice flavour of the soft serve, and the assorted toppings with granola and berries were a plus.
Oddity
A fairly new cafe at a very inconvenient location at Upper Serangoon, I saw an ig reel of them preparing their french toast and was enticed so travelled all the way to try it. Thankfully, it didn't disappoint. A thick toast with crispy edges and a strong cinnamon flavour, topped with berries, granola and a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, this would definitely scratch the itch if craving for a french toast. My only minor complaint would be that the insides of the toast could be softer and fluffier as it was quite difficult to cut through.
Good Boy George
A new cafe which took over the
corner along Robertson Quay where Kith cafe was previously at, we headed
down to try one day since it's our hood! Pet-friendly - so great for
pet owners and not so great for people scared of animals like us. Ok firstly, the presentation of this
french toast was on point and very aesthetic. The edges were good, insides were soft, and I really enjoyed the peaches. However, if you zoom into the inside of the bread, you can see that there are 3 layers - the outsides being yellow as they absorbed the custard, but the inside was white! So they could really afford to let the toast soak in a bit more of the custard for a more consistent taste and mouthfeel when biting in. Otherwise, a really decent rendition. We also tried the duck fat rosti with salmon which was very interesting - this rosti was a thick slab and nothing at all like traditional rostis.
Worth A Try
SYIP
Tried this twice. Gorgeously presented with wonderful toppings and crispy edges, though the inside was a little bit dry. Worth a try, but if you want to order just one sweet dish, go for their kahlua tiramisu.
Merci Marcel
This was okay, worth a try but if I were to go again, I would go for their more interesting dishes like that tarte flambee.
Halcyon and Crane
I really liked the additional crunch of the cereal crusted french toast, but the presentation and toppings (or lack thereof) left much to be desired.
All Things Delicious
A halal cafe with a huge range of options, their french toast was decent and I love the array of toppings, but their other offerings are way more interesting.
The M Plot
More famous for their dutch baby pancakes, we also tried the french toast since we're on a mission. Not bad, but the toast was a little too thick so the inside was slightly dry.
Nakey
French toast donut. It was different for sure, and toppings were fairly generous, but I think we preferred the lighter brioche used usually.
The Signature Patisserie
This was a decent french toast and we liked the variety of toppings, especially the yoghurt. However, the bread slices used were a little thin and we would have preferred a thicker slice with an eggier centre.
Nassim Hill Bakery and Bistro
One of the earliest cafes, this french toast was okay but the toppings weren't the most exciting and the slices were a little thin for my liking.
Earlybird
More known for their fried chicken with pancakes which were excellent. The french toast was decent, but not particularly memorable.
Group Therapy
We used to really like going to Group Therapy for their mac and cheese and milkshakes. The french toast was okay but I wouldn't reorder it.
Free The Robot
I tried this wayyy back in 2019 and I'm not sure if they even serve it now (probably not). This was decent with a good amount of toppings, but wouldn't go back specifically for it.
Order Something Else
Atlas Coffeehouse
This was awhile back, but I recall not liking the sauce very much. We also ordered the pancakes which looked exactly the same (as you can see below), so I would just go for the pancakes instead. Or go to sister cafe Moonchild to get their version of french toast instead.
OLLA
This was ok, not terrible, and portions were way too small to justify the price. The coffee was good though!
The Shelter
A hidden gem in Chinatown, The Shelter serves cafe food and local food at really affordable prices. Their normal french toast (without bananas) costs $9, while this version we ordered with bananas costs $12 - one of the cheapest around. Unfortunately, the bread slices were pretty thin which means there wasn't the soft fluffy center that we would prefer our french toasts to have. It was just pretty basic and you could probably make it yourself at home. So skip ordering that and go for their breakfast platter, which as you can see, comes with a generous portion of ingredients for a very reasonable $18.
TAG Espresso
One of the weirdest french toasts I've eaten. Just look at how thin the slices were. And instead of ice cream or just fresh cream, I think it was a sourish sorbet on top which just did not go well. Their coffee was very good though.
CLOSED
Homeground Coffee Roasters
This was AMAZING. Loved the unique presentation. Coffee was great too. Super sad that they closed before we had a chance to go back.
One Man Coffee
A long time cafe along Upper Thomson which sadly closed recently. This was a straightforward classic french toast with fruits which was done well. Really unfortunate that they closed as this was one of the more affordable places. Luckily they still have a small outlet at one-north serving amazing coffee.
Madu The Bakery
Popular for their buns and cereal prawn toast which we tried and enjoyed. But we also loved the Madu Toast, and had to get it one more time before they shuttered their doors earlier this year.
Clinton St Baking Co
Originating from New York, their french toast was not bad, but they're most known for their pancakes which were truly amazing.
Cafe Natsu (Clemenceau outlet)
They still have another outlet at Joo Chiat, but the outlet at Citadines Hotel on Clemenceau survived less than a year. A pity, as we really liked their french toast and eggs ben that we tried.
Wild Honey (Scotts)
One of the OG brunch cafes. This was way back in 2019 at their Scotts outlet which is sadly not around anymore - though they have a new one at Bugis which I visited recently. The little flower and cream adds to the aesthetics, but in terms of toppings, this fell slightly short.
Elixir Boutique Roasters
This creme brulee french toast was very aesthetic and stacked with toppings. The top of the french toast has a layer of burnt caramel, hence the creme brulee, which may not be to everyone's preference.
Grids Coffee Bar
This cafe was at Chinatown and we visited back in 2020. The french toast was decent, but we really loved the savoury option with the salmon and kale, which they sadly took off the menu so we never visited again haha.
Wow this was long and I've procrastinated doing this for the longest time.