Pretty Good Muffins Has $1.40 Muffins And $5 Matcha In Chinatown—Worth The Hype?

Pretty Good Muffins has cheap muffins and matcha latte

Singapore’s Chinatown is a treasure trove of food gems, with almost endless options for foodies in the area. Besides hawker gems, there’s a series of trendy cafes such as Spring Coffee, Durian Haus, and Bullock Cart Coffee, making it a hotspot for cafe hoppers. One often talked-about spot is Pretty Good Muffins, a bakery at Hong Lim Complex that offers freshly baked muffins at wallet-friendly prices.

The muffin specialist offers up to 15 varieties of muffin flavours each day, along with a separate kiosk for matcha drinks. Intrigued by the hype, we had to visit to see if these muffins are indeed pretty good, as they say. 

Food at Pretty Good Muffins

A muffin here ranges from just $1.40 for the Almond or Cranberry to $3 for the Mango Coconut, and $4.50 for the Crunchy Valrhona Chocolate. We ordered a varied box of six to sample a wide range of their offerings. 

I immediately gravitated towards their more popular muffins: the Blueberry ($1.50) and Seasalt Nutella ($1.80). 

They were super generous with the sweet blueberry jam in the former, but I found the Nutella spread in the latter a bit stingy. Still, both muffins were fluffy and satisfyingly sweet. 

Next up was the trendy Pistachio Kunafa ($2.20), which we thought was generously filled with that sweet and nutty kunafa filling for its price. It was a well-balanced combination of crunchy filling and soft muffin that provided just the right amount of bite. 

The Pandan Coconut Apple was extremely fragrant, with fruity notes accented by the nutty coconut flakes.

The Chocolate Cream Cheese ($2.30) had a cloud-like softness and a decent amount of chocolatey flavour. However, we would have appreciated a heavier use of cheese to balance the chocolate. 

Lastly, the Matcha Peach ($3) was a great finish with its pronounced matcha notes and thick, juicy, and sweet peaches interlayered within. 

If you’d like to try something different, get the Matcha Oreo ($2.40) or Chocolate Kaya ($1.70). If not, the Apple ($1.50) and Biscoff ($1.90) muffins are equally delicious alternatives.

Besides their range of muffins, Pretty Good Muffins also serves up Pretty Good Matcha,  made using famous matcha brands such as Niko Neko’s Yuri Matcha. Prices start at just $5 for the regular Matcha Latte.

The Ceremonial Grade Matcha Latte ($6) was impressive and well-crafted, featuring a high-quality matcha that was earthy and satisfyingly bitter. While the Banana Pudding ($6.90) here might not be as visually impressive as others around, the concoction was still really enjoyable, with a combination of cloyingly sweet banana pudding and ceremonial-grade matcha.

Ambience at Pretty Good Muffins

Pretty Good Muffins is a takeaway kiosk and does not provide immediate seating space. Here’s a tip: Walk across the bridge facing the kiosk, and you’ll find Hong Lim Food Centre, a huge two-storey hawker centre complex with many Michelin-recognised stalls. You might find a seat there to take a siesta with your muffins and matcha, but don’t count on it during the peak lunch crowd! 

Pretty Good Muffins is a seven-minute walk from Chinatown MRT Station. 

Pretty Good Muffins – Eatbook review

Whether you’re a muffin connoisseur or just wanting to dabao confectioneries for your family or office, you can’t go wrong with the tasty muffins found here—especially at such unbeatable prices and wide varieties. We appreciate them staying humble with their name, but we definitely think their muffins are legit more than just “pretty good”! 

For more cheap bakes, read our guide to the best hawker bakeries in Singapore. Alternatively, check out our guide to the best traditional bakeries in Singapore for old-school banana pie, orh nee tarts and more. 

Address: 531 Upper Cross Street, #02-57B, Hong Lim Complex, Singapore 050531
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 9:30am to 3:30pm
Website
Pretty Good Muffins is not halal-certified.

Photos taken by Mordecai Lee and edited by Marcus Neo.
This was an independent review by Eatbook.