Tras Street shophouses

Tras Street shophouse and Tanjong Pagar shophouses at a glance

Tras Street is one of the more straightforward commercial streets in the Tanjong Pagar conservation belt. It runs in a relatively straight line, its shophouses are lined up in rows, and it sits on the walking route between the Maxwell area and the CBD office edge. For many office workers it is simply the shophouse street they already eat on. That makes it a natural place to look if you are searching for a Tanjong Pagar shophouse for rent, for sale or for a restaurant.

Our existing Tras Street area briefing gives the summary, and the broader Tanjong Pagar area briefing covers the whole conservation area. This page goes deeper on history, stock, use, transport and diligence, and stays honest about what we can and cannot verify.

Tanjong Pagar shophouse history: how Tras Street developed

Singapore Infopedia records that Tras Street runs between Enggor Street and Cook Street, was named in 1898 after a Malaysian town called Tras, and was extended in 1924 up to the former Women's and Children's Hospital. The name followed an 1898 municipal resolution to use names of rivers and districts in the Malay Peninsula for streets. The Chinese name, which refers to the mouth of the Cho Su Kong temple, points to the Hong San See Temple, first built in 1829 and frequented by Hokkiens from the Nanan clan. A 1908 road-widening project acquired the temple's site, and it was relocated to Mohamed Sultan Road.

Infopedia also notes that the Chinese Kindergarten School, in the Kindergarten Building opened in 1927, stood on the street. Later, vacant land and unrestored shophouses were sold in the 1990s, which brought a handful of commercial enterprises to the street. This fits the wider story of Tanjong Pagar: URA records that 32 shophouses were restored there between 1987 and 1988 in the first government project to show that restoration was technically possible and commercially viable. Our Tanjong Pagar neighbourhood guide covers that wider history in more depth.

Streets, shophouse stock and the Craig and Peck Seah grid

Infopedia describes Tras Street as lined with many two- and three-storey shophouses, some of them conserved pre-war buildings, housing shops, eateries, pubs, boutiques and offices. Larger buildings on the street include Lian Huat Building, Union Building and Maxwell House, as well as hotels such as Amara. The four-storey 100 AM mall, formerly Amara Shopping Centre, stands near Tanjong Pagar MRT.

The street connects with a wider grid that includes Craig Road and Peck Seah Street, where the character shifts quickly from street to street. Walk the exact frontage at lunch and at night before deciding. Things to check include:

• The style and condition of the façade, and whether the five-foot-way is continuous.
• Rear yards, service lanes and drainage, which determine whether a serious kitchen is possible.
• Extract flues and grease traps, which are often the limiting factor for F&B.
• Shared party walls and services with neighbouring units.
• Loading, hotel coach and delivery activity on the street at peak times.
• Whether upper floors have separate access and a lawful approved use.

Tanjong Pagar shophouse restaurant and office uses

The usual mix is restaurants, casual F&B, pubs and some retail at street level, with offices and other uses above. Commercial zoning is the typical underwriting assumption, but each lot should be verified. If you are looking for a Tanjong Pagar shophouse for a restaurant, the question is less about the address and more about the building: wet area, flue route, seating capacity and the approved use.

Food licensing and change of use add their own requirements. Our F&B licensing and change-of-use guide walks through them. Tras Street is less of a nightlife hill than Ann Siang Hill and less temple-facing than Telok Ayer, so it tends to suit weekday-plus-evening trade.

URA conservation status: the Tanjong Pagar Conservation Area

Tras Street is part of the Tanjong Pagar Conservation Area, so façade, five-foot-way and roof form generally must be retained and restored, and conservation permission is needed for additions and alterations. Interiors and rear portions can be adapted within approved parameters. Rear extensions, if any, need an approved envelope. Confirm the status and applicable guidelines for the exact lot on URA SPACE.

Our URA conservation buyer manual explains how approvals work, and the freehold shophouses guide explains why tenure must be read from the title.

Transport: Maxwell MRT, Tanjong Pagar MRT and walking

Maxwell MRT on the Thomson-East Coast Line and Tanjong Pagar MRT on the East-West Line are the two stations most associated with Tras Street. Infopedia notes the 100 AM mall is near Tanjong Pagar MRT. The Maxwell Food Centre area is within walking distance, and Outram Park, a larger interchange, is a reasonable walk further on. Which station is closest depends on where on Tras Street the lot sits, so measure from the address.

Bus services serve the surrounding roads. Kerbside pick-up and loading can be busy at peak times, which affects both diners and suppliers. Check the LTA map for current line details.

Tras Street shophouse for rent and for sale: price and rent context

As of November 2026 we do not publish a price or rent per square foot for Tras Street, because each shophouse differs in land area, tenure, condition and approved use, and quoting an average would risk being inaccurate. Directionally, a Tras Street shophouse for sale is usually priced against comparable Tanjong Pagar commercial shophouses, adjusted for kitchen readiness and tenure. A Tras Street shophouse for rent is similar: asking rents vary widely by floor, frontage and fit-out.

To get evidence, search URA REALIS or the public URA transaction search for the street name and read land area, tenure and date for each caveat. For rent, ask your agent for evidence of signed leases rather than asking rents, and compare units of similar size and fit-out. Our commercial shophouses for sale and shophouses for rent pages show what is currently listed across the CBD belt, and our sample Club Street listing illustrates a comparable product type, not a Tras Street asking price.

Dining, retail and lifestyle

Infopedia describes the street as home to eateries, pubs and boutiques, and the Maxwell Food Centre area adds a strong hawker presence nearby. Hotel and office populations support weekday lunch and after-work trade. We make no claims about which individual venues are trading at any time, since tenancies change quickly.

For a more concentrated nightlife setting, read our Club Street guide. For a boutique hotel and bar setting, see Duxton.

Investment and operating angle

Tras Street suits operators who want Tanjong Pagar and Maxwell footfall without a premium trophy address, and investors who like simpler street geometry for leasing. The trade-offs are traffic, loading and the building-by-building variation in kitchen readiness. A shophouse that looks right on the street can still fail a serious kitchen plan.

Stamp duty depends on zoning and use. A commercial-zoned shophouse may follow the commercial pathway, which differs from residential property where ABSD may apply. IRAS sets the rates and they change, so verify before committing. Our commercial versus residential ABSD breakdown explains the difference, and the conservation investing guide covers the wider risks and returns.

Due-diligence checklist for a Tras Street shophouse

Before making an offer or signing a lease, work through the following.

• Confirm Master Plan zoning and conservation guidelines for the exact lot on URA SPACE.
• Obtain an SLA title search for tenure, land area and encumbrances.
• Verify the approved use of each floor against actual use.
• Inspect the kitchen route, extract flue, grease trap and rear access.
• Compare approved plans with the built reality, especially rear extensions.
• Commission a structural survey and have your lawyer model stamp duty for your buyer profile.

Nearby neighbourhoods

Close comparables include Telok Ayer, Chinatown and Boat Quay. The full list lives on the neighbourhoods hub, and the parent hub is District 01–02 CBD.