Popular Arab Street eatery Fika Swedish Cafe And Bistro to close in August

Popular eatery Fika Swedish Cafe And Bistro announced on Tuesday (Aug 4) that it will be closing its Arab Street spot on Aug 14. The news comes just as Fika celebrates its 17th anniversary this week.

In a post on its social media page, Fika Swedish Cafe And Bistro wrote: "Since opening in 2009, we’ve been honoured to be part of so many memories. Thank you for every visit, every meal, and every bit of support over the years.

"As we celebrate this milestone, we also share that Aug 14 will be our final day of service at Arab Street. If you’ve ever wanted one last plate of our Swedish meatballs or one last fika with us, we’d love to see you before we close."

The post added that the team is now "excited to focus" on growing its bakery offshoot Konditori, located on Bussorah Street.

Speaking to CNA Lifestyle, one of the cafe's founders, Singaporean entrepreneur Tasneem Noor, said the main reason behind Fika's closure is the team's decision to focus its energy on growing Konditori.

"Fika has been a meaningful part of my journey, and I’m grateful for the 17 years we’ve had," she said. "It wasn’t an easy decision, but I also wanted to challenge myself creatively while growing as a culinary entrepreneur.

"I am definitely sad. Fika was my first baby, even before my children, who are now 15 and 14, were born. But I'm also excited and looking forward to seeing how Konditori will grow."

She added: "It's not just about rent. We are lucky to have a good relationship with our landlords, who are also sad to see us go."

She shared that the team has already secured a lease for a new Konditori outlet, in addition to its existing bakery in Bussorah Street. 

The brand also plans to expand its presence through festivals and pop-up markets in Singapore and the region, following its appearance at The Great Food Assembly at Suntec Convention Centre in early July.

"That said, this isn’t the final chapter for Fika. While we’re closing our physical restaurant, the brand remains very close to my heart," Tasneem said, noting that she does not wish to retire the Fika brand entirely and is open to keeping it alive through pop-ups and events.

"I don’t see this as goodbye, but rather a pause while I focus more on Konditori, which will let us be more creative and flexible in how we want to deliver our food and creations to our customers," she added, pointing to how heritage nasi padang brand Warong Nasi Pariaman, which closed its Kampong Glam outlet in January, also made an appearance as a pop-up at The Great Food Assembly a few months following its closure.

Tasneem added that the company is also committed to looking after its staff during the transition, whether by retraining employees to support Konditori's expansion or helping those whose roles are affected by Fika's closure.

Fika Swedish Cafe And Bistro was founded by Tasneem and her then-husband, Joakim Smidhagen, who is Swedish. It specialises in Swedish food made using halal ingredients, and is well-loved for its signature meatballs.

In a previous interview with CNA Luxury, Tasneem said that the cafe was born out of Smidhagen's homesickness.

"We soon realised that there was no authentic Swedish food here and on top of that, no halal Swedish food," she said at the time. "So we thought that it would be a great idea to introduce Singaporeans to the cuisine."

The news of Fika’s closure comes amid a string of shutdowns in the vicinity, including Warong Nasi Pariaman and Fluff Bakery. 

A report by CNA noted that rent prices have surged in the Kampong Glam area, with several tenants in Haji Lane reporting that their rents jumped from around S$3,000 (US$2,340) to close to S$10,000 over the past few years.