Lion City Coffee
The brother duo behind Lion City Coffee,
which serves authentic Singaporean street
food, took inspiration from their late father’s
passion for cooking and their constant search
for good Singaporean food.
After moving from Singapore to New York
City in the late 1980s, when the Lion City
founders visited home, they’d stop at kopitiams
— coffee shops that offer breakfast foods
and beverages — and hawker centers — large,
open air complexes with food stalls offering a
variety of different foods and beverages. They
would try to replicate their favorites back in
the city.
Their version of a Singaporean coffee shop
includes “mee pok,” egg noodles with fishball
and minced meat; “chai tow kueh,” stir-fried
radish cake; “kaya toast,” toast with coconut
jam; and “kopi,” coffee served black, with milk
or sweetened with condensed milk. They also
sell jars of their signature kaya (jams), packaged
kopi and other baked goods on their
JULY 2019
online store.
The brothers, who live in Forest Hills and
Long Island City, serve the food at local markets.
Recently they sold their authentic fare at
Taste of Sunnyside in May. They will be at the
Queens Night Market at the New York Hall of
Science most Saturdays this year.
Lion City Coffee
LIONCITYCOFFEE.COM
@LIONCITYCOFFEE
Photos courtesy of Lion City Coffee
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