Up To 90-Min Wait For Tables After Clinton St. Bakery Co. Announced S’pore Outlet Closure

The original New York bakery-restaurant opened in 2001 as a cosy mom-and-pop 32-seater on the Lower East Side. Owned by husband-and-wife Neil Kleinberg and Dede Lahman, it became famous for its rib-sticking food, which “takes inspiration from the American South, coastal New England, Jewish New York, and the Spanish cooks who bring to our kitchen their rich culinary traditions from Mexico and the Southwest.” Most of its dishes are made from scratch in-house.

The brand used to have a franchised outlet in Bangkok which closed in 2020, and another branch in Dubai that closed earlier this year. After the shuttering of the Singapore cafe, the remaining international outlet is in Tokyo (the restaurant still has two outlets in its native New York).

Reason for closure 

So why is Clinton St. Bakery Co. closing, despite a good seven-year run here? According to its staff, it’s because the lease for its Purvis Street shophouse was up, and the landlord had wanted the unit back.

Cafe’s fans rushed for one last meal there 

A week after its closure announcement on Aug 11, Clinton St. Bakery Co. Singapore posted on social media that it was no longer taking reservations as it was fully-booked for the month. “We encourage visitors to avoid lunch timing between 11am to 2pm for greater chance of getting a table,” the notice stated.

Full house 

While the cafe still entertains walk-ins, it was full house when we dropped by on a weekday afternoon. We were told by the staff (all exceptionally warm and helpful) to try our luck in the morning at “around 8am or 9am” just after the eatery opens (it closes at the odd hours of 4pm on weekdays and 5pm on weekends, even pre-closure announcement).

QR code queue number for walk-in customers

The good thing is that you don’t have to queue up or linger outside the cafe. You can scan a QR code pasted on the cafe’s door to get a queue number, and the staff will call you when it’s your turn.

Estimated waiting time of 60 to 90 mins 

But do take note that there’s an estimated waiting time of an hour to one and a half hours for a table, though we observed that the turnover rate was pretty fast.

Address and opening hours

Clinton Street Bakery Company Singapore’s last day of operations is on Aug 30, until 4pm.

Address: 31 Purvis St, S188608

Tel: 9654-6822

Opening hours: Open daily, Mon-Fri 8am-4pm, Sat & Sun 8am-5pm

www.clintonstbaking.sg