Fika Ran For 17 Years, But Its Last Words Were "It's Not About The Rent"

If you want one last taste of Fika's Swedish meatballs, you've got until August 14. Fika Swedish Cafe And Bistro, which has served halal Swedish food on Arab Street for 17 years, announced on social media on August 4 that this would be their last day of operation on Arab Street — coincidentally, right in the same week as their 17th anniversary.

The post read: "Since opening in 2009, we've been honoured to be part of so many memories. If you've ever wanted one more plate of our Swedish meatballs, or one more fika with us, come visit before we close."

Kampong Glam has seen a steady stream of closures in recent years — traditional Malay eatery Warong Nasi Pariaman, which shut in January, is one recent example, and CNA reported that some Haji Lane tenants saw rents climb from around $3,000 to nearly $10,000. Read against that backdrop, it's easy to file Fika's closure under yet another old-timer being pushed out by rising rents.

But co-founder Tasneem Noor, a Singaporean, put it plainly to CNA Lifestyle: "It's not just about the rent. We have a good relationship with our landlord, and they're sad to see us go too." She said the main reason for closing is that the team decided to focus its energy on their bakery brand Konditori — the bakery on Bussorah Street will continue operating, and they've already signed a lease for another new Konditori outlet.

Fika was founded by Tasneem together with her late Swedish husband Joakim Smidhagen. She's shared before that the idea started simply — he was homesick, and the two realised Singapore didn't even have authentic Swedish food, let alone halal Swedish food, so they decided to open their own place. Seventeen years on, Tasneem still gets emotional talking about the decision: "Fika is my first child, born before my kids who are now 15 and 14. Of course I'm sad, but I'm also excited to see how Konditori grows."

She stressed this isn't the end for the Fika brand, just a pause on running a physical restaurant — she noted the brand appeared at The Great Food Assembly at Suntec Convention Centre in early July this year, and plans to keep showing up through pop-ups and food festivals going forward. She specifically drew a comparison with Warong Nasi Pariaman, which appeared at the same event as a pop-up months after closing its Kampong Glam location. The team also said they'll help staff transfer to roles at the expanding Konditori, or assist with manpower arrangements affected by the closure.

What Fika's closure really points to isn't whether a shop can keep up with rent, but that even a 17-year-old establishment can choose, on its own terms, to give up a beloved brick-and-mortar signature and put its resources into a smaller, more flexible bakery instead. As of publication, Fika Swedish Cafe And Bistro has not announced a concrete pop-up schedule.