NEX Mall Serangoon from Hougang: Shops, Food, Library and Getting There

Ask Hougang residents where they go for a bigger shopping trip and many will say NEX. The mall at Serangoon is two stops down the North East Line, it sits right over an MRT interchange and a bus interchange, and it has the anchors that a neighbourhood mall cannot fit. This guide is written from the Hougang side: what NEX is good for, how it compares with shopping at home, and how to get there. It also looks ahead to what the new Hougang Central mall at LinkTown Residences (Hougang Central Residences) could change.

NEX in brief

Item	Detail
Address	23 Serangoon Central
Opened	Soft opening November 2010
Size	About 600,000 sq ft over seven levels, from basement 2 to the rooftop
Shops	Roughly 340 stores
Transport	Serangoon MRT (NE12/CC13) and Serangoon Bus Interchange, both integrated
Mall hours	10.30am to 10.30pm daily per the mall’s website, September 2026

Getting there from Hougang

By MRT (easiest)

Board a city-bound NEL train at Hougang (NE14). Serangoon (NE12) is two stops, about 5 minutes in the train, after Kovan. Follow the signs to NEX; the station and mall are joined underground, so there is no need to go outside. See our Hougang MRT guide for exits at the Hougang end.

By bus

Some Hougang routes pass Serangoon along Upper Serangoon Road. SBS Transit’s route for service 107M from Hougang Central, for example, calls near Serangoon station, though it runs only at certain times. Check a journey planner for your nearest stop; for most people the train is quicker.

By car

NEX has a basement car park. Weekend afternoons are busy, so allow time to find a lot.

What is inside

Tenants change, so use this as a guide to the mix and check the mall directory before a special trip.

• Groceries: an NTUC FairPrice Xtra hypermarket is one of the long-standing anchors and the main reason for many weekday visits.
• Cinema: Shaw Theatres, useful when Hougang’s own options are limited. Book ahead for weekend evenings.
• Fashion, electronics and home: international fashion chains, electronics and appliance retailers, bookshops and beauty stores across several levels.
• Services: banks, clinics, pharmacies, phone shops and tuition and enrichment centres.
• Former Isetan space: the Isetan department store closed on 26 April 2026. Expect some reshuffling of units around it.

Food at NEX

You can eat on nearly every level: food courts for quick local meals, casual chain restaurants across many cuisines, bakeries, bubble tea and dessert kiosks, and takeaway counters near the MRT link. NEX has had food courts run by Food Junction and Food Republic; check the directory for the current operators and locations. Line-ups move often, so we don’t list individual restaurants.

For hawker food instead, Kovan Market and Food Centre is one stop back towards Hougang, and Chomp Chomp in Serangoon Gardens is a short bus ride from NEX in the evening. Our guides to Hougang hawker centres and where to eat near Hougang cover more.

Serangoon Library and the rooftop

Serangoon Public Library is on the rooftop level. It was the first public library in Singapore built on a rooftop, and it has children’s and adult collections plus study seats that fill quickly after school and at exam time. It is particularly handy for Hougang families right now: Cheng San Public Library at Hougang Mall is closed from 1 October 2025 until the first half of 2027. Check NLB for Serangoon’s current hours.

The same rooftop has a dry and water playground for children and a dog run, both unusual for a Singapore mall. They can close for weather or maintenance, so check before promising a visit.

Tips for a smoother visit

• Go early on weekends. Late mornings are calmer than afternoons, when the food courts, supermarket queues and cinema lobby are at their busiest.
• Pick a precise meeting point. With MRT links, the bus interchange and several entrances, “meet at NEX” is vague. Name a shop or an exit.
• Plan the rooftop around the weather. The water play area and dog run are outdoors, so a sunny late afternoon usually works better than midday.
• Carry groceries home by train. Two stops back to Hougang is short enough that a big hypermarket run works without a car.

NEX or Hougang Mall?

	Hougang Mall	NEX
From Hougang MRT	Next to the station (Exit B)	2 NEL stops
Best for	Daily errands, quick meals, groceries	Big grocery runs, cinema, wider fashion and electronics, rooftop play
Crowds	Busy at weekends	Very busy at weekend afternoons and school holidays

More on the home option in our Hougang Mall guide.

What changes with the Hougang Central mall

Hougang has far less private retail space per resident than the national average, about 2.8 sq ft against 11.4 sq ft, which is one reason people travel to NEX. The Hougang Central development will add a mall of about 300,000 sq ft, owned by CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust and set to be the largest in Hougang, together with a new bus interchange and a town plaza. Residents of LinkTown Residences, above it, would have that mall downstairs and NEX two stops away. Completion is expected around 2030 to 2031.

See the location page and project details for the development, or book a showflat slot alert.

Sources checked September 2026: NEX mall website (address and hours); NEX and Isetan entries on Wikipedia (size, opening, tenants, Isetan closure); SBS Transit service 107M page.

Register to get the Hougang Central Residences launch details as soon as they’re released.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get to NEX from Hougang?

Take the North East Line two stops from Hougang (NE14) to Serangoon (NE12). NEX sits over the station and the Serangoon bus interchange, so you can walk in under cover. Allow about 5 minutes in the train.

Is there a library at NEX?

Yes. Serangoon Public Library is on the rooftop level, and it was the first public library in Singapore built on a rooftop. Check NLB for current hours.

What are NEX mall’s opening hours?

The mall’s website listed 10.30am to 10.30pm daily in September 2026. Individual shops, the supermarket and the cinema keep their own hours, so check before you go.

Did Isetan at NEX close?

Yes. Isetan’s NEX store closed on 26 April 2026. Check the mall’s directory for what has replaced it.