Serangoon Gardens: Food, Cafés, the Country Club and Homes, from Hougang Central
Serangoon Gardens is a 1950s landed estate known for Chomp Chomp, its market and its cafés. A guide to the estate, and the bus from Hougang Central about 3 km away.
Serangoon Gardens is the low-rise, leafy neighbour to the west of Hougang: a private estate of terrace houses and bungalows built around a roundabout, with two of the North-East’s best-known hawker centres and a steady turnover of cafés. It is about 3 km from Hougang MRT, which puts it within easy reach of LinkTown Residences (Hougang Central Residences) for a weekend breakfast, a supper run or an afternoon wander. This guide covers what the estate is like and why people from all over Singapore end up there.
Where it is and how to get there
The estate lies off Yio Chu Kang Road and Serangoon Garden Way, west of Kovan and north of Serangoon Central. Its focal point is Serangoon Garden Circus, the roundabout where most of the shops and eateries cluster.
| From Hougang Central | How | Approx. time |
|---|---|---|
| Bus 136 | Board on Upper Serangoon Road, a few minutes’ walk from Hougang MRT; alight at Serangoon Garden Circus | About 20–25 min |
| NEL + bus | Hougang (NE14) to Serangoon (NE12), 2 stops; then feeder bus 315 or 317 from Serangoon Interchange | About 25–30 min |
| Car or taxi | Via Upper Serangoon Road and Yio Chu Kang Road; roadside parking near the Circus fills up in the evening | About 10 min |
Times are approximate. There is no MRT station inside the estate. Circle Line users can also use Lorong Chuan (CC14) at the south-western edge and take a bus up.
A short history
Serangoon Gardens was laid out in the 1950s as a private housing estate, well before most of the HDB towns around it. Its country club began in 1955, when estate developer Steven Charles Macey and a group of residents set up the Serangoon Gardens Sports Club. Hawkers followed the new residents, and after years of crowded roadside trading the government built a market in 1961 and, in 1972, a purpose-built food centre that became Chomp Chomp. Many roads in the estate still carry British place names, a reminder of when it was built.
Food: the main draw
The estate has two NEA hawker centres a few minutes’ walk apart, and they work in shifts:
- Serangoon Garden Market & Food Centre (49A Serangoon Garden Way): the daytime centre, with 46 cooked food stalls and 36 market stalls according to NEA. It won the public-voted Favourite Hawker Centre award at the Singapore Hawkers’ Seminar and Awards in November 2024.
- Chomp Chomp Food Centre (20 Kensington Park Road): 36 cooked food stalls, mainly an evening and supper spot known for barbecued chicken wings, seafood and char kway teow.
Our full guide to Chomp Chomp and Serangoon Garden Market has stall counts, cleaning dates and tips on timing.
Cafés and restaurants
Beyond the hawker centres, the shop units around the Circus, Kensington Park Road and Serangoon Garden Way hold cafés, bakeries, dessert shops, bars and restaurants. Many are small independents that change hands often, which is part of the fun. Our chicken rice guide includes a long-running Hainanese restaurant here. MyVillage, the small mall at 1 Maju Avenue beside the Circus, adds a supermarket and more food outlets. See our guide to cafés in Serangoon Gardens for current picks.
Do the estate in one visit: breakfast at the market, a coffee at the Circus, a walk through the quieter streets, and back for supper at Chomp Chomp. Check stall and café hours before you go, as rest days vary.
Serangoon Gardens Country Club
The country club at 22 Kensington Park Road, next to Chomp Chomp, grew out of that 1955 sports club and took its current name in 1981. Building work in the 1980s and 1990s added a three-storey clubhouse, an Olympic-size swimming pool and two new wings. It is a private members’ club, so most facilities are for members and their guests. Contact the club directly for membership or guest access.
Homes in Serangoon Gardens
The estate is overwhelmingly landed: terrace, semi-detached and detached houses on quiet roads, many rebuilt or extended over the decades. There are some condominiums on the fringes, but hardly any public housing inside the estate itself. That mix gives Serangoon Gardens its village feel, and it also means entry prices are high and supply is limited. The nearest HDB estates are in Serangoon Central and Serangoon North. Our Serangoon condo guide compares condos around Serangoon, Lorong Chuan and Kovan.
| Serangoon Gardens | Hougang Central | |
|---|---|---|
| Housing | Mostly landed, some condos | HDB estates plus new private homes planned at LinkTown Residences |
| Rail | No station in the estate | Hougang MRT (NE14), future CRL interchange |
| Food | Two NEA hawker centres, many cafés | Three NEA hawker centres in Hougang, malls |
| Feel | Quiet, low-rise, village-like | Busy town centre |
For buyers who like the Gardens’ food but want a home above an MRT station, Hougang Central is a practical middle ground: the Gardens are a single bus ride away, while daily commuting runs from the station downstairs. Our Serangoon area guide covers the wider planning area, and Kovan sits between the two.
What this means for LinkTown Residences
Hougang Central Residences is part of a mixed-use development planned to be directly linked to Hougang MRT, with a new bus interchange and a mall of about 300,000 sq ft. The Cross Island Line interchange at Hougang, with Phase 1 targeted for around 2030, will also serve new stations at Serangoon North and Tavistock, on the northern side of the Gardens.
Prices for LinkTown Residences have not been released. Analysts expect an average of about S$2,500–2,600 psf, which is an estimate, not a price. Floor-plan sizes on this site are indicative, based on Parktown Residence. The launch is expected in early 2027, and UOL’s August 2026 results guide a 2H 2027 launch.
See the location page, the indicative floor plans and the price list page.
Sources: stall counts from NEA’s list of hawker centres on data.gov.sg; award from NEA (November 2024); hawker history from Roots.sg; club history from Serangoon Gardens Country Club; addresses and distances from OneMap. Checked September 2026.
Register to get LinkTown Residences prices and preview dates as soon as they’re released.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Serangoon Gardens?
A private residential estate off Yio Chu Kang Road and Serangoon Garden Way, west of Kovan and north of Serangoon Central. Its centre is Serangoon Garden Circus, a roundabout ringed by shops and eateries.
Is there an MRT station in Serangoon Gardens?
No. The nearest stations are Lorong Chuan (CC14) and Serangoon (NE12/CC13), and most people finish the trip by bus. From Hougang, bus 136 runs from Upper Serangoon Road to Serangoon Garden Circus.
What is Serangoon Gardens famous for?
Food. Chomp Chomp Food Centre is a well-known evening hawker centre, and Serangoon Garden Market is a busy daytime market and food centre. The estate also has many cafés and restaurants around the Circus.
Can the public use Serangoon Gardens Country Club?
It is a private members’ club at 22 Kensington Park Road, so its facilities are mainly for members and their guests. Contact the club to ask about guest access or events.
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