The ultimate guide to retro Singapore

If you think vintage shopping is about second-hand duds and 80s clothes, A Vintage Tale will prove you wrong. This little gem in Joo Chiat stocks genuine vintage threads, some from way back in the '50s. Dig up brands like Gucci, Valentino, Moschino, pick from accessories and clothes and also bring home your collection of treasures at the end of it all. 

Zha Huo Dian is short on snacks, but that's okay thanks to Nelly's Restro Snacks. This candy shop is stocked with biscuits, sweet treats, and snacks – stored in nostalgic biscuit tins. The shop also does regular Facebook livestreams, where you can bid for your favourite munchies and have them delivered to you for a small fee. But nothing's stopping you from being old-fashioned and perusing the physical shop at Junction Nine of course. 

Queensway Shopping Centre is the pinnacle of retro. Besides stocking up on affordable sports items, get some more shopping done at Threadlightly, which offers pre-loved, vintage and vintage-inspired clothing. It also has tie-dyed shirts and handmade shirts bags for sale, alongside accessories from local makers like Bologna Jam so you can complete your eclectic, retro-inspired look. 

Retro and vintage looks are back in vogue – not just in fashion, but in interior design too. Achieve that old-school aesthetic in your home with vintage finds from Second Charm. This place started as a vintage furniture store in 2001, selling refurbished chairs, ottomans, coffee tables, chests and more that have been sourced from the region. Since 2010, Second Charm has also been manufacturing its own pieces, with styles across mid-century modern, art deco, Scandinavian and French. 

A former camp for the Royal Air Force (RAF), this casual dining hotspot is now a museum of retro memorabilia. Think antique bicycles, vintage cameras and kerosene lamps. The restaurant itself is spacious, airy and close to nature, with surrouding natural greenery and the sea. The menu includes sharing plates like har cheong gai (prawn paste chicken) ($16), crispy pork ribs ($16) and wagyu cubes ($24), while the mains like nasi campur ($26), scallop and prawn laksa ($26) and wagyu beef hor fun ($28) promise an elevated experience of familiar local dishes. 

Nestled in the quiet historic Telok Blangah precinct (and next to the swimming pool at SAFRA Mount Faber), Old Habits is both a vintage boutique and diner. Step through the front doors and into another era with the big boxy old television sets and walls of vintage advertisements and posters lining the walls. Browse through the nostalgic items in the store and you will find typewriters, gramophones, old vinyl records, classic video game sets, vintage plates, ceramic ware and more – which are all available to purchase. And when you get hungry after all the digging, check out the menu which serves hearty diner and pub grub like sandwiches, burgers and pasta. Islandwide delivery and self-pickup are also available during these times. 

Straight out of Glodok (aka Jakarta’s Chinatown), this retro-inspired restaurant serves Masakan Tionghoa Indonesia – that is, Chinese cuisine with an Indonesian flair. So, expect a lot more chilli, coconut milk, and Indonesian spices. Try its signature nasi campur babi ($13), a bowl of assorted pork bits served with fragrant chicken rice. The sate babi ($16) is another house specialty, a pork satay served with shredded galangal, green chili shallot pickles and sweet soy sauce.

Who serves up prawn cocktails these days, let alone T-bone steak, chips and peas? Well, Colbar does, and loyal fans love them for it. The place, looking for all the world like a glorified tin shed, is locked in a time warp (circa 1956), and that’s just fine with us. The cooking isn’t great – on a recent visit, the poached eggs ($5.50) were the texture of cotton wool, and the sausages ($9) a touch mealy, accompanied by wooden chips – but it’s all cheap and good, and just what the doctor ordered after a hard night’s partying. At our breakfast, the next table cracked open a bottle of beer to go with their omelette – it’s that kind of place. Word to the wise: there’s no air-conditioning, just lazy ceiling fans, so be prepared to shvitz a little when it’s warm outside.

Sinpopo aims to emulate Singapore as it was in the '80s, with its grilled shophouse storefront, tiled floors and rattan chairs. Much of the furniture is also made by the owners of the brand, a testament to the effort put into this joint. Food here is prepared the traditional way – its nasi lemak rice is steamed in a muslin cloth, and its coffee is made Nanyang-style with the kopi sock. Dessert selections are also an ode to local culture, with gula melaka, pulut hitam and kueh salat cakes ($8 each) being some of its most popular offerings.

Step into Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel at The Great Madras. This pastel-hued dream pad has five tastefully-decorated room types outfitted with retro furniture and eye-popping wallpaper. Watch the world go by from the comfort of your room in the Balcony Room (from $188), or get close to nature without leaving the hotel from the Courtyard Room (from $288). Or just go big or go home with a night’s stay at The Great Suite (from $358), complete with a study and circular bathtub for a relaxing bubble bath.

Another boutique hotel in a conserved shophouse, Hotel 1929 oozes old-world charm meets modern chic. Lounge in retro furniture, escape to the landscaped garden and sundeck at The Patio, or explore more of Singapore's heritage at Chinatown – a mere 5-minute walk away.