NEX has 125 places to eat, which is more than anyone needs. Here is the short list: 26 worth walking to, with unit numbers and what to actually order.
One thing to know first. More than half the food here, 68 outlets of 125, is in the two basements, and both connect straight to Serangoon MRT and the bus interchange. B1 also holds the &JOY Japanese food street, 12,000 square feet and eight Japanese concepts in one row. If you are short on time, do not go upstairs.
Chin Mee ChinThe Katong kaya toast institution, open since 1925, and this is the first time in a hundred years they have opened anywhere else. Charcoal toasted buns, proper kopi, sugee cake. Opens 8am, which makes it the earliest breakfast in the building.
Charcoal Grill ShinpachiCharcoal grilled himono, which is fish air dried before it hits the grill, served as teishoku sets. &JOY lists this as the first in Singapore. Saba or salmon, rice, miso, done.
A Hot HideoutMala that started in an NTU dorm room in 2020 and turned into eleven outlets. Get the mala collagen soup, simmered over twelve hours and thick enough to drink on its own.
Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken RiceBangkok's Bib Gourmand khao man gai, and the chilli sauce is the entire reason people come back. Halal.
Koo KeeYong tau foo from a name going since 1954, served the old way in sets of five. Soya bean and ikan bilis broth, egg noodles with minced chicken.
Yew Kee SpecialitiesTeochew braised duck rice, sauce built on more than ten herbs and spices. The group started as a Nee Soon pushcart in 1961.
Qi JiHomegrown Chinese-Malay, and the handmade popiah is the order. Halal, which makes it one of the easier calls for a mixed group.
Food RepublicThe B2 food court and the biggest single F&B footprint in the mall at seven unit numbers. Where you go when the group cannot agree.
Food JunctionThe other food court, up on Level 4 next to the cinema. Quieter than B2 at lunch, which is sometimes worth the lift ride.
Din Tai FungXiao long bao and the fried rice, which is quietly the better order. Reliable, always full, nobody ever objects.
PutienFujian cooking done seriously. Seaweed with mini shrimps when it is in season, razor clams in spring, yellow croaker flown in. Note the Michelin star belongs to their Kitchener Road branch, not this one.
Beauty In The PotHotpot with broths made fresh daily. The one to book if you are eating as a group and want it to last two hours.
Tai ErSichuan sauerkraut fish, founded 2015, now 500 plus outlets. Sour, numbing, and better shared.
Dian Xiao ErHerbal roast duck, marinated for hours in Chinese herbs then roasted. Order the duck, then order more of the sauce.
Soup RestaurantDouble boiled soups and Samsui ginger chicken. The kind of meal you take your parents to and nobody complains.
Seorae JibKorean charcoal barbecue, and the cut to get is galmaegisal, the skirt meat most places do not carry. They smoke some of it over hay and oak in onggi pots.
Ichiban Boshi (&Amp;Joy Japanese Food Street)Sushi and set meals inside the &JOY Japanese food street. Dependable rather than exciting, which is exactly what you want at 9pm.
Ramen Kiou (&Amp;Joy Japanese Food Street)Osaka ramen, at it since 1995 with twenty plus shops in Japan. Sits in the &JOY food street with the rest of the Japanese cluster.
Gokoku Japanese Bakery (&Amp;Joy Japanese Food Street)Kobe bakery baking since 1961, known for their five grains seven fortunes buns. Opens 10am and the good stuff goes by evening.
Ghost KakigoriJapanese style shaved ice, and the brand calls itself Singapore's first of its kind. Hojicha and black sesame soy are the ones to get.
Oriental KopiMalaysian kopitiam chain. The egg tart is the thing, thick enough that it holds a Malaysia Book of Records entry, plus the polo bun and Nanyang coffee.
Eat 3 BowlsTaiwanese comfort food, open 10.30am to 9.30pm. Braised pork rice territory, cheap and fast.
ChageeYunnan tea brand, 6,000 plus stores. The jasmine green milk tea is their bestseller by a distance and it is not sweet by default.
Pull-Tab CoffeeAerofoam coffee, butter toast and pizza in the basement. Odd combination, works better than it sounds.
Wok HeyWok fried rice cooked to order in front of you, halal, and fast enough to catch before a movie upstairs.
Guzman Y GomezAustralian founded Mexican. Burritos and tacos, and the queue on Level 2 moves quickly.
NEX trades 10.30am to 10.30pm daily. Chin Mee Chin at #B2-60 opens earlier at 8am, and Cold Storage, FairPrice Xtra and Anytime Fitness run 24 hours.
Serangoon MRT, NE12 on the North East Line and CC13 on the Circle Line. The mall is directly integrated with both the station and the Serangoon Bus Interchange, so you never step outside.
A 12,000 square foot Japanese dining street at #B1-78 with eight concepts in one stretch, including Charcoal Grill Shinpachi, Ichiban Boshi, Ramen Kiou, Gokoku Bakery and Yakiniku-GO. Most of it runs 11am to 10pm.
The basements. Food Republic at B2 is the biggest food court in the mall, and Koo Kee, Yew Kee and Wok Hey are all basement level. Food Junction on Level 4 is the quieter alternative at lunch.
Yes. Qi Ji at #03-10, Wok Hey at #B2-10 and Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice at #B1-05 are all halal. Check the certificate at the counter if it matters to you.
Same brand. Chin Mee Chin has been in Katong since 1925 and says this is its first outlet outside that original shop in a hundred years.
On weekdays it is $1.50 for the first hour then $0.75 per half hour, with a 10 minute grace period. On weekends and public holidays it is $1.60 then $0.80. There is overflow parking at Blk 264 with a covered link bridge to Level 1.