Singapore's Apartment Coffee is the number one coffee shop in Asia – for the second year in a row

They've done it again – local café Apartment Coffee has been crowned Asia's best coffee shop for the second year running by The World's 100 Best Coffee Shops. It ranks sixth globally in 2026, the same as last year.

Think of The World's 100 Best Coffee Shops as the Michelin Guide of the coffee world. It only debuted in 2025, but has earned serious coffee credentials through a fair and transparent voting process that involves an expert panel and members of the public. There's a high bar for coffee shops to meet across nine criteria, including coffee quality, barista experience, consistency, and community.  

That said, Apartment Coffee has stayed steady in a shifting regional landscape. Just like 2025, it's the only Singaporean coffee shop to rank in the list. It's joined in the top 10 by just one other Asian café, Malaysia's Story of Ono, which moved up one rank to eighth place. 12 other Asian cafés were recognised this year, including South Korea's Momos Coffee Flagship Store (#22) and Japan's Ult Coffee (#24). Where the Philippines and Malaysia dominated in 2025, this year sees a greater mix across Thailand, China, and Taiwan as well. 

Why Apartment Coffee keeps winning

Coffee is king here. Apartment Coffee's menu features just a handful of coffee and tea to let the care and precision in their sourcing, roasting, and brewing shine. You can follow their travels from Colombia to Rwanda, which the team has personally visited as part of their conscientious selection process. 

You can taste the quality in the cup, but sometimes a great café just makes you feel right at home. And true to its name, its Selegie Road flagship is styled with calming white walls and natural wood furnishings, making for a zen hideout just on the edge of Little India's bustle. Sit at the bar for the best service – the baristas tend to be busy, but often spare the time to wax lyrical about their brews. 

What's new with Apartment Coffee?

The folks behind Apartment Coffee are also not sitting still. Between collaboration pop-ups, mini art exhibitions, and barista competitions, it's also carved out a new space in Serangoon. Opened in  June 2025, Apartment Roastery occupies a minimalist venue on #15-9 Jalan Riang, serving a similarly concise menu of coffee and tea for dine-in.

The new Apartment Roastery is open only on weekends from 10am to 5pm, while the main Apartment Coffee Studio at 139 Selegie Road is open daily from 10am to 6pm. And if you need more café inspiration, check out our round-up of the 50 best cafés in Singapore and our monthly round-up of new coffee shop openings.  

10 best coffee shops in the world in 2026:

1. Onyx Coffee LAB, USA
2. Tim Wendelboe, Norway
3. Alquimia Coffee, El Salvador
4. Only Coffee Project Crows Nest, Australia
5. Toby's Estate Coffee Roasters, Australia
6. Apartment Coffee, Singapore
7. Gota Coffee Experts, Austria
8. Story of Ono, Malaysia
9. Tropicalia Coffee, Colombia
10. Tanat, France

Best coffee shops in Asia in 2026:

1. Apartment Coffee, Singapore
2. Story of Ono, Malaysia
3. Momos Coffee Flagship Store, Republic of Korea
4. Ult Coffee, Japan
5. Koffee Mameya Kakeru, Japan
6. Espresso Alchemy, China
7. Yardstick, The Philippines
8. Coffee Sind, Taiwan
9. KEEP Coffee Roastery, Taiwan
10. Ruli Coffee, Republic of Korea
11. Tomorrow Coffee Roasters, Taiwan
12. Fika & Co. Cafe, Thailand
13. Coffee Stopover Black, Taiwan
14. Coffee Stain, Malaysia

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