Beloved Filipino bakery-café Mary Grace has made its overseas debut in Singapore, bringing its famed ensaymadas, nostalgic cakes, and home-style Filipino dishes to Tras Street.

The long-awaited opening on Friday, March 13, marked the brand’s first expansion outside the Philippines, where it operates more than 140 outlets and enjoys near-cult status among diners.

For many Singapore-based Filipinos, the name already carries a sense of familiarity. The café’s signature pastries—particularly its soft ensaymadas and cheese rolls—have developed a loyal following through word of mouth and travelers returning from Manila with boxes in tow. Now, those bakes are available fresh from the oven in Singapore, alongside savory dishes, desserts  and drinks, including several items created exclusively for the city.

The excitement surrounding the opening has been palpable. In a message posted on social media shortly after the launch, Mary Grace Singapore thanked diners for turning out in large numbers. “We are deeply humbled by your support on Day 1 of our opening,” the café wrote.

The strong response has prompted temporary changes to how guests are served. “For weekends, dine-ins are currently strictly by reservation only. We will not be able to accept any walk-ins,” the café said in the same post, adding that takeaways of baked goods, cakes, and some beverages remain available on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open at 9:00 a.m. each day, with the team in Singapore encouraging customers to arrive early while stocks last.

Inside, the new outlet reflects the warm, nostalgic atmosphere that has become synonymous with Mary Grace cafés across the Philippines. The space features tiled floors, Tiffany-style lamps, and walls decorated with framed family photographs personally chosen by founder Mary Grace Dimacali. Murals by Filipino artist Amanda Lapus Santos and Singaporean artist Eunice Hannah Lim add a whimsical touch to the cottage-like interior.

The story behind the brand is rooted in a home kitchen. Dimacali began baking for her five children, crafting personalized birthday cakes and sharing homemade treats with neighbors and friends. After taking a baking course in the United States, she launched Mary Grace as a home-based business in 1994. She initially sold baked goods at bazaars and local markets before opening a takeaway kiosk in 2002, followed by the first dine-in café in 2006. Over the next two decades, the brand grew into a household name across the Philippines.

Despite its scale today, the business remains family-run. All five of Dimacali’s children play roles in the company, and the Singapore branch is led by her eldest daughter, Chiara Dimacali-Hugo, who has lived in the city with her husband for the past eight years.

Mary Grace’s first product was not the pastry it is most associated with today. The business originally sold fruitcakes during the Christmas season. Its breakthrough came with ensaymadas—the Filipino adaptation of the Spanish ensaimada, a coiled bread traditionally dusted with sugar and eaten during Easter. In the Philippines, the pastry evolved into a richer, softer bun often finished with butter and grated cheese.

Dimacali’s version set itself apart for its unusually light, fluffy texture. Developed with her children’s preferences in mind, the bun is airy and delicate, finished with a topping of aged Edam cheese and real butter rather than buttercream. Today, it remains one of the brand’s defining products and is priced at S$5.50 in Singapore.

As the pastry gained popularity, the Mary Grace style began influencing how ensaymadas were perceived locally. Dimacali-Hugo explained that the softer interpretation eventually became the version many Filipinos came to expect.

“People say Mary Grace’s is very soft, and they love that we have Edam cheese on top. A lot of ensaymadas use cheddar cheese, and they may use buttercream, whereas we use 100 percent real butter. It’s really up to the baker. But, my mom chose real butter and Edam cheese,” she told CNA.

Singapore diners will also find a flavor created specifically for the local market: a salted egg ensaymada available only for dine-in. Filled with molten salted egg cream and topped with a nutty crumble, the pastry emerged from a lengthy research process that tested several flavors before settling on what Dimacali-Hugo considered the best match. “Salted egg works so well with the Edam cheese on top, because it’s savory,” she said.

Another Mary Grace staple is the cheese roll, a soft elongated bun wrapped around a strip of cheddar. Priced at S$4.30, the pastry was originally designed to be easy for children to hold and eat. A Singapore-exclusive version, filled with house-made kaya and coated in caramelized coconut sugar, also appears on the menu.

Beyond baked goods, the café serves a selection of savory dishes drawn from its Philippine outlets. The Angus beef tapa—slices of beef glazed with a sweet-savory marinade and topped with garlic chips—is one of the chain’s most recognizable meals. It is served with rosemary or garlic rice and eggs cooked to order, alongside condiments such as mango atchara, vinegar, and fresh tomatoes.

Other items reinterpret Filipino flavors in café-style formats. Chicken inasal, typically served with rice, appears here as a sandwich layered inside freshly baked focaccia. A Singapore-exclusive crabcake brioche pairs a fried crab and prawn patty with melted cheese on a brioche bun made from the same dough used for the ensaymadas.

Light bites include cassava chips served with onion dip—a sauce so popular that customers have reportedly asked for it to be bottled—and a halloumi salad dressed with calamansi vinaigrette. Classic café fare such as eggs Benedict, Caesar salad, and wild mushroom soup round out the menu, while additional rice dishes and pastas popular in Manila are expected to arrive in May.

Desserts are likely to be another major draw. Display counters feature Mary Grace’s signature cream cakes, including the Mango Bene, layered with fresh mangoes, crisp meringue, and whipped cream. The cake is named after the founder’s dachshund. Other offerings include a toasted almond sans rival, strawberry basil shortcake, and a Valrhona chocolate truffle cake.

Customers can also purchase boxes of ensaymadas and cheese rolls to take home, alongside packaged cookies such as butter lengua thins and queso de bola lengua thins made with Edam cheese.

For drinks, the Singapore branch introduces several beverages not available in the Philippines. Among them are Ube Coconut Cloud, Drinkable Tiramisu, and Frozen Hot Chocolate, alongside the café’s usual coffee and tea options.

Dimacali-Hugo suggested the brand may expand further in the city if the launch proves successful. Mary Grace, she said, could also open kiosks so that it would make it more accessible in other areas of Singapore.

Mary Grace Singapore is located at 52 Tras Street in the Tanjong Pagar district.

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