Bengawan Solo @ Jewel

Popular with locals as gifts to bring abroad, this confectionary offers a wide range of cakes, cookies, kuehs and biscuits in beautiful tin containers. The Pandan chiffon cake is a classic and well-loved by locals and foreigners. You’ll see them packed in boxes or served as individual slices at the counter, and they usually fly off the shop fast.

5/5 for Pandan Cake 😊 3/5 for cornflak cookies (it use to be my favorite everytime when i came to Singapore, too bad the taste was difference back from 2 years ago)

Very friendly and honest staff giving advice what to buy for myself and as gifts. The freshly made cakes are really yummy.

The story of Bengawan Solo begins in the 1970s, inside a small HDB flat in Marine Parade. Its founder, Anastasia Tjendri-Liew, an Indonesian immigrant, had started baking kueh and cakes simply to recreate the flavors she missed from home. What began as a gesture of nostalgia soon became a neighborhood sensation. Friends and neighbors loved her creations so much that she began supplying them to local shops. When authorities eventually shut down her unlicensed home business in 1979, Anastasia didn’t let the setback end her dream. Instead, she opened her very first shop at Marine Terrace, marking the beginning of what would grow into one of Singapore’s most beloved bakery chains. From that modest start, Bengawan Solo expanded steadily. By the 1980s, it had a presence on Orchard Road, and in 1987 it became a pioneer by introducing the central kitchen model to Singapore’s confectionery industry, ensuring consistency and quality across outlets. The late 1990s brought an even bigger milestone—Bengawan Solo stores opened in Changi Airport. Those airport shops would go on to become some of its busiest and most iconic locations, turning its green boxes into must-have souvenirs for travelers worldwide. Today, Bengawan Solo is more than a bakery—it is a cultural institution. Its Pandan Chiffon Cake has been hailed by CNN as “Singapore’s National Cake,” and tourists often buy it alongside the brand’s other specialties like Kueh Lapis, Ondeh Ondeh, and pineapple tarts. What makes Bengawan Solo stand out is its unwavering commitment to authenticity. Despite its scale, much of its production remains handmade, using premium ingredients without artificial preservatives. Anastasia herself is known to personally inspect production, ensuring that quality never slips. The result is a bakery chain that has grown without losing its heart. Each slice of pandan chiffon, each bite of ondeh ondeh, carries not just flavor but history—of resilience, tradition, and innovation. Bengawan Solo has become more than a business; it is part of Singapore’s story, bridging heritage with modernity and offering a taste of home to locals and visitors alike.

Every time I fly via Changi airport, I will ensure to visit Bengawan Solo. I have always loved the variety of kueh they offer. The selection is impressive, with many traditional favorites. Recently, I tried the Prune Kueh Lapis, and it was fantastic. It wasn't too sweet, which I really appreciated. The flavors were just right, and the texture was perfect. One of my other favourite is the pandan chiffon cake. Yummmmm! Bengawan Solo is a great place to get authentic Singaporean treats. The staff might be one of the inconsistency, some were really friendly and some really just don't give a damn attitude, however the quality of the delicacy are consistently good. I'll definitely be coming back for more!