As one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Singapore, Serangoon Gardens is a private residential area brimming with all sorts of F&B establishments—ranging from hawker centres to hipster cafes and fine restaurants.

Ask any local about the must-tries in Serangoon Gardens and no doubt many will point you to Chomp Chomp Food Centre. However, those who residinnd the area would know that there is more to the dining scene at Serangoon Gardens than just that.

Here are our top picks of hawker stalls, cafes, bars and eateries you have to visit at Serangoon Gardens.

AH SENG BRAISED DUCK RICE

A family-favourite at Serangoon Gardens Market & Food Centre, Ah Seng Braised Duck Rice became popular through word-of-mouth recommendations as their braised duck is considered to be one of the best in the area.

For S$3.50, diners get a portion of braised duck and white rice that is drizzled over with savoury soy sauce.

49A Serangoon Garden Way
#01-44, Serangoon Gardens Market & Food Centre
Singapore 555945
Tel: +65 9667 4860
Mon to Sat: 10.30am – 7.30pm
Sun: Closed
Nearest Station: Serangoon

ALIFF NASI LEMAK

Ask anyone what you have to order at Serangoon Gardens Market & Food Centre and you will most likely get Aliff Nasi Lemak as the answer. This muslim-owned stall offers mouthwatering Nasi Lemak from S$3 and the secret to their success is the use of natural ingredients.

Complement the flavourful rice with ingredients such as deep-fried chicken wings, ikan bilis and otak otak.

49A Serangoon Garden Way
#01-27 Serangoon Garden Market
Singapore 555945
Tue to Thu, Sat & Sun: 7.30am – 2pm
Mon & Fri: Closed
Nearest Station: Serangoon

BOTTEGA

Takign over the former premise of Udders Ice Cream at myVillage, Bottega—an Italian grocer, bar and restaurant—imports their ingredients from trusted artisan suppliers for their Italian-inspired dishes. Their signature pizzas are made from Italian soft wheat blend, which is free from all sorts of preservatives.

Besides their range of pizzas, pastas and desserts, you can also purchase Italian groceries from them.

1 Maju Avenue
#01-11
Singapore 556679
Daily: 10am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Serangoon

GARDEN STREET KWAY CHAP

This family business has been around for years and they are still dedicated to serving hearty, comforting bowls of kway chap that start from S$4.50. Some of our favourites include pig intestines, pork slices, pig skin and salted vegetables.

49A Serangoon Garden Way
#01-21 Serangoon Garden Market
Singapore 555945
Tue to Sun: 8am – 3pm
Mon: Closed
Nearest Station: Serangoon

GEYLANG CLAYPOT RICE

Claypot rice is comfort food for us and if you are looking for a great option to look out for at Serangoon Gardens is Geylang Claypot Rice.

If you have time to spare, their claypot chicken rice is worth the 25-minute wait. In addition, the eatery also serves other classic zi char dishes too.

4 Maju Avenue
Singapore 556682
Mon to Wed, Fri to Sun: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 5pm – 11.30pm
Tel: +65 6816 2754
Nearest Station: Serangoon

HAJIME TONKATSU & RAMEN

Opened by Chef Tan-San—who was previously from Tonkichi and Tampopo—Hajime Tonkatsu & Ramen is a casual eatery at myVillage which offers authentic tonkatsu and ramen at relatively affordable prices. Some of the recommended dishes include the Premium Pork Loin (S$21.90) and Miso Ramen (S$11.90).

1 Maju Avenue,
myVillage @ Serangoon Garden, #02-07/8/9
Singapore 556679
Tel: +65 6509 9952
Daily: 11.30am – 3pm, 6pm – 10pm
Nearest Station:

HANWOORI KOREAN RESTAURANT

Hanwoori Korean Restaurant is one of those under-the-radar restaurants that only Korean food lovers in the know and residents will find their way here.

The owner is a jovial lady that is so passionate and hospitable, she makes you feel like you are dining in a hole-in-the-wall joint in Korea. We find ourselves returning so often for she serves very authentic Korean food.

76 Serangoon Garden Way
Tel: +65 6283 6339
Daily: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 5.30pm – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: Serangoon

LITTLE WIMBLY LU

Opened by the same folks behind Wimbly Lu, Little Wimbly Lu is a dessert cafe where you will find all the sweet tooths. You can expect a delicious offering of waffles, ice cream and cakes on the menu. Some noteworthy items include Nutella Chocolate Pie, Earl Grey White chocolate Mousse Cake and Salted Caramel Brownie.

1 Maju Avenue
#01-09/10 myVillage
Singapore 556679
Sun to Thu: 11am – 11pm
Fri & Sat: 11am – 12 Midnight
Nearest Station: Serangoon

NUNSARAM

Step inside Nunsaram and cool off from the sweltering heat with a bowl of Korean bingsu. Located just beside Oblong, patrons can choose among 15 different bingsu flavours and crowd favourites include injeolmi and black sesame.

The best part? Nunsaram is opened till late at night so if you are looking for a late-night dessert spot in Serangoon Gardens, you know where to go.

12 Maju Avenue
Singapore 556690
Sun to Thu: 12pm – 12 Midnight
Fri & Sat: 12pm – 2am
Nearest Station: Serangoon

PLONK

Australian bar Plonk has just the right ambience for after-work drinks with your colleagues and friends. Carrying wine from Australia and even Europe, go all out at their fully-stocked bar and Mediterranean food.

Highlights of their menu include Cape Grim Steak, Chicken Liver Pate and Plonk’s Own Deconstructed Steak Sandwich. Plonk also offers all-day brunch on the weekends.

7 Maju Avenue
Singapore 556685
Tel: +65 6286 4688
Mon to Fri: 11am – late
Sat & Sun: 9am – late
Nearest Station: Serangoon

POW SING RESTAURANT

Established in 1983, Pow Sing Restaurant at Serangoon Gardens is known for their traditional Hainanese Chicken Rice and Nyonya dishes including Ayam Buah Keluak and Kueh Pie Tee. We have been patronising Pow Sing Restaurant for years and the Chicken Rice is always very satisfying. We will go so far as to say that it is one of the best chicken rice restaurants in Singapore.

59 Serangoon Garden Way
Singapore 555961
Tel: +65 6284 0800
Daily: 9.30am – 9.30pm
Nearest Station: Serangoon

RK EATING HOUSE

Known for their gigantic tissue prata and teh tarik towers, RK Eating House is our favourite prata restaurant in Singapore. The prata place is open for 24 hours so you can get your prata fix at any time of the day. Besides prata, they also have other Indian-Muslim options such as murtabak and Indian rojak.

1A Kensington Park Road
Singapore 557253
Tel: +65 6289 5379
Daily: 24 Hours
Nearest Station: Serangoon

SOI THAI KITCHEN

Up for some spicy, sour and full-flavoured Thai cuisine? Make your way to Soi Thai Kitchen where you can feast on tom yum soup, basil pork and Thai fried rice to your heart’s content.

Dishes range from S$6 to S$10 and customers save on GST and service charges when they dine there.

58 Serangoon Garden Way
Singapore 555954
Tel: +65 6282 3788
Daily: 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 1.30pm
Nearest Station: Serangoon

SOON HUAT PIG’S ORGAN SOUP

A crowd favourite and one that sees insanely long queues on a regular basis, is Soon Huat Pig’s Organ Soup. We really adore their soup that boast a delicate flavour yet brims with a delightful pork and garlicky flavour.

Be sure to order up a side of their braised dishes as well—their braised pig trotters is a must, and you have the option of opting for extra lean or extra fatty.

51 Serangoon Garden Way
Singapore 555947
Tue to Sun: 9.30am – 4pm
Nearest Station: Serangoon

SRI SUN EXPRESS

A popular hangout spot among the young crowd, Sri Sun Express is a 24-hour eatery that serves up a smorgasbord of Indian supper favourites from the classic roti prata (done in possibly a hundred different ways), murtabak to even some innovative creations such as their masala tacos.

Another common sight here is their massive 3-litre drink towers.

56 Serangoon Garden Way
Singapore 555952
Tel: +65 6282 2325
Daily: 24 Hours
Nearest Station: Serangoon

STAPLE FOOD

Staple Food in Serangoon Gardens aims to provide nutritious, yet gratifying meals that do not compromise on taste—using only fresh ingredients so from reliable suppliers. The cafe has a curated food menu but diners can customise their own bowl to suit their personal dietary needs.

Fans of salted egg yolk will not be disappointed with their Egg Yolk Soft Shell Crab (S$16) pasta.

1 Maju Avenue
#B1-23/24, myVillage
Singapore 556679
Tel: +65 6634 1181
Daily: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Serangoon

STEAM BOX

A fairly current dining concept that fuses the idea of steaming raw food as opposed to the conventional hot pot or grill, Steam Box is an underrated restaurant in the Serangoon Gardens Estate that truly deserves a mention.

Their ingredients are fresh and prices are relatively affordable too, which make a great alternative for group dining if you are sick of hot pot.

68 Serangoon Garden Way
Singapore 555962
Tel: +65 6281 6939
Tue to Fri: 11am – 3pm, 6pm – 11pm
Sat & Sun: 11.30am – 11pm
Mon: Closed

For more recommendations, read our guide on Chomp Chomp Food Centre—featuring the 8 best local food to try.

It started with another email thread again, this time Camemberu suggested to check out the famous Founder Bak Ku Teh and a date was set. I don’t usually write posts about hawker food. It’s not like I don’t eat hawker food, but the problem is I have too many backlogs of the nice places that I went recently.

Founder is one of the few popular choices that most people will think of them when you mention Bak Kut Teh. You know a place is famous when we actually queued up twenty minutes for a table by the road side of Balastier road, watching the others slurping down their warm peppery soup.

The fact that the walls are filled with the numerous photographs of famous celebrities, and there’s hardly any empty space for new photographs that they probably paste it over some of the fallen-stars. Or the fact that even when we left the place, there’s still a snake-like queue waiting outing for their turn to get in – just for a bowl of bak ku teh.

While the highlight of the show should be the pork ribs, but the pork trotters was even better. Surprisingly, the proportion of lean meat to fats was just right; there wasn’t much fats like the usual pork trotters. The meat was so tender that it falls off the bone and melts in your mouth splendidly.

We also had an pig organ soup that consisted of kidney, liver and small intestines. I like how the medium-rare liver retained it’s tinge of pink, and the robust flavour of the kidney, but the soup lacked the wow factor.

The Bak kut teh was quite a let-down – we were expecting a lot for the fact that we queued twenty minutes for this. Or for the fact that we ordered wrongly and had the normal tough pork ribs instead of the supposedly superior loin ribs. There was the usual side-dishes like youtiao, beancurd skin, salted vegetable, and braised taupok (beancurd).

Founder Bak Ku Teh
347 Balestier Road
(under New Orchid Hotel)
Singapore 329777
Tel: 63526192