A kopitiam for everyone

mei mei launched in 2019 to be a kopitiam for everyone, embracing the culture, convenience and nourishment you would expect from a Singaporean hawker stall with the quality and speed you would expect from a modern coffee shop. mei mei aims to be a place where you meet for “makan”, share a catch-up over tea or introduce your friend to something new. A place that feels like home but totally fit for the next generation to share with everyone.

‘mei mei’ is a term of endearment or affection and translates to ‘little sister’ in Chinese.

A Kopitiam is a type of coffee house serving traditional South-East asian fare. The word kopi is an Indonesian and Malay term for coffee and tiam is the Hokkien/Hakka term for shop.

The story of Mei Mei so far:

In 2016, rising star Chef Elizabeth Haigh (pictured left) led her team to a Michelin UK 2016 guide recognition of 1 star. Among other notable pop-ups and events throughout London, 2019 marked the debut of a fast food-style concept close to her heart, inspired by her memories of home-cooking and growing up in Singapore and London - “Mei Mei will be the first truly accessible kopitiam in London, where you can enjoy Singaporean-style breakfast with kopi coffees, or try the absolute best Hainanese chicken rice.”

Our vibrant, specialty dishes like Hainanese chicken rice, Nasi lemak, chicken curry, sayur lemak, and kaya toast, as well as our brunch menu paired with a selection of authentic kopi coffees to suit your taste, are ideal for "grab and go". All dishes are made fresh in-house, and our promise is to bring you the best flavor profiles for these dishes.

Inspired by Elizabeth’s childhood memories of home-cooked comfort food, Mei Mei (Chinese for ‘little sister’) is largely a reference to cooking for her family or social scenarios that create a warm and familial environment. The aim was to bring back those convivial moments by focusing on Elizabeth’s heritage cuisine and recreate them using sustainable, quality produce.

Chicken rice and nasi lemak have become instant hits for Londoners and it is the teams vision to introduce more people to this widely loved and nostalgic menu. In 2021, Mei Mei was awarded the best street food award by Harden’s food guide.