Located just on the edge of Chinatown (136 Neil Road, Singapore 088865), The LoKal is a twist on the classic Aussie café, providing all our customers with great homemade food — including butter, yogurt, sauces and pickles all made on site. Our name, influenced by the German word for ‘local’, represents the way in which we aim to be more than just a local food spot.
In 2014 by Aussie Chef Darren Farr started The Lokal, a Cafe-Restaurant-Bar housed right beside the Goethe-Institut Singapore. In the day, he serves up healthy and hearty brunches like Smashed Avocado with Ricotta, Roasted Pumpkin Salad, and Steak & Eggs, but slowly transits into a cozy and versatile space for intimate dinners & casual cocktails sessions with comfort food by German Head Chef Max Strauch such as Tasmanian Grass Fed Steak Frites, Catch of the Day and Grilled Pork Chops. Aside from the normal menus, both Chef Darren & Max also prepare Daily Specials with fresh seasonal produces for Brunch & Dinner, like Victorian Truffles & White Asparagus.
The bar features a stellar collection of Australian & Austrian biodynamic-natural wines, Hong Kong & local beers and concocting cocktails with a Lokal touch, all pairing perfectly with our food.
Chef Darren Farr, more prominently known by his Instagram followers as ‘fuzzychef’, used to work at Tetsuya’s in Sydney, before working at various restaurants across London and Hong Kong. After taking a long-deserved break to look after his two children, Darren is back at the kitchen, experimenting with a variety of homemade delicacies.
Chef Max Strauch spent most of his childhood growing up in Jakarta (which explains how he can speak fluent Bahasa) before heading back to Germany to further his culinary journey, spending years in Cookies Cream, a popular vegetarian fine dining restaurant in Berlin. The well-travelled Chef Max also worked in Hamburg & Australia before settling into The Lokal in Singapore, showcasing his style of comfort food with great produces.
So, the next time you swing by, pull out a seat at the kitchen counter and have a chat with the chefs to find out more about the food you’re eating at The Lokal!
Chef-Owner Darren Farr likes to play his part in environmental & social campaigns as much as he can. He also believes that as one person, his impact might be small – but as a restaurant like The Lokal, the impact we’ll be able to make will be much bigger so he likes to involve The Lokal to be part of such campaigns.
Also because we have a substantial number of takeaway orders on a daily basis, so we go through so much paper coffee cups & containers and we know how environmentally unfriendly it is so if this campaign can bring about a change in people’s habits and mindset – it’ll be great!
The LoKal will be offering guests $1 off for every reusable container brought for food and reusable bottle/cup for drinks! Do check them out around Chinatown and follow them on their Facebook page and Instagram account!