Kovan and Serangoon Gardens: The Neighbours Next to Hougang Central
A guide to Kovan and Serangoon Gardens, the two food-and-landed enclaves next to Hougang, plus the Upper Serangoon Road heritage stretch, and how they fit into daily life at LinkTown Residences (Hougang Central Residences).
When people talk about Hougang, two other names usually come up in the same breath: Kovan and Serangoon Gardens. They are not separate towns in the HDB sense, but they have their own character, their own food crowds and, in Serangoon Gardens’ case, a very different streetscape. If you are looking at LinkTown Residences (Hougang Central Residences), these two enclaves are part of the package, even though they are not on the project’s doorstep.
This guide looks at what each neighbourhood offers, the heritage stretch of Upper Serangoon Road that ties them together, and how they complement life at Hougang Central. For a broader picture of the town itself, read our Living in Hougang guide.
The lie of the land
Picture Upper Serangoon Road as a spine running roughly north-east from Serangoon towards Hougang. Kovan sits along it between the two, around Kovan MRT station (NE13). Serangoon Gardens lies a little to the west, off the main road, as a mostly landed pocket with a small commercial hub at its centre. Hougang Central, where the new Hougang Central integrated development is taking shape, is further along at Hougang MRT (NE14).
- NE14Hougang CentralTown centre, future NEL–CRL interchange, new mall and bus interchange with LinkTown Residences above.
- NE13KovanOne NEL stop towards the city. Heartland Mall, Kovan Market & Food Centre, a busy eatery strip.
- BusSerangoon GardensNo MRT station of its own. Landed streets, Chomp Chomp Food Centre, Serangoon Gardens Circus.
Kovan food and more: one stop, lots of choice
Kovan is the easiest of the two to fold into daily life. It is a single stop from Hougang on the North-East Line, so it works as an extension of your own town rather than a special trip.
Heartland Mall
Heartland Mall is Kovan’s neighbourhood mall, near Kovan MRT station. Think everyday errands rather than a destination day out: groceries, quick meals, services and the kind of shops you visit every week. For residents of Hougang Central, it is a useful second option alongside Hougang Mall while the new town centre mall is being built.
Kovan Market & Food Centre
Kovan Market & Food Centre is the heart of the area for many locals. Mornings are for the wet market and breakfast; later in the day, the food centre and the surrounding shophouse eateries pick up the dinner and supper crowd. We don’t name stalls here. Everyone has a favourite, and the queues will tell you more than we can.
The eatery strip
Beyond the food centre, the roads around Kovan station are lined with restaurants, cafés and coffeeshops. It is a good place for a casual dinner that is a notch up from the hawker centre without heading into town.
Serangoon Gardens: a landed-estate village
Serangoon Gardens feels different the moment you arrive. Instead of HDB blocks, you see low-rise landed homes on quiet, leafy streets. The area has a village-like centre where the shops, eateries and food centre cluster together, and it draws visitors from across the north-east, especially in the evenings and at weekends.
For buyers, it is also a useful reference point. Serangoon Gardens shows how the area’s landed and private housing sits alongside Hougang’s HDB heartland, and why this corner of District 19 appeals to families who want space, food and convenience together.
Chomp Chomp Food Centre
Chomp Chomp Food Centre is Serangoon Gardens’ best-known name. It has a lively, open-air feel and is popular with families and groups who come for a proper hawker meal together. The surrounding streets get busy at peak times, so it is worth considering the bus or a taxi rather than hunting for parking.
Serangoon Gardens Circus
The roundabout at Serangoon Gardens Circus is the landmark around which the neighbourhood’s shops and eateries sit. Around it you will find cafés, bakeries, restaurants and everyday services. It is the kind of place for a slow weekend breakfast or an easy dinner out that doesn’t need a reservation weeks ahead.
Upper Serangoon Road heritage
The road linking these neighbourhoods carries a lot of history. Hougang’s name, 后港 or “rear port”, refers to its position upriver along the Serangoon River, and the area’s Teochew and Catholic communities left landmarks that remain part of local life today.
- Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Upper Serangoon Road is one of Singapore’s older Catholic churches. It anchors a long Catholic presence in the area that is also reflected in nearby schools. See our schools guide for the schools reported near Hougang Central.
- Tou Mu Kung Temple, also on Upper Serangoon Road, is known for its Nine Emperor Gods festival, when devotees and visitors gather and the area takes on a festive atmosphere. If you are not a devotee, it is still worth seeing respectfully as part of the district’s living culture.
Neither is a museum. They are active places of worship, so dress and behave accordingly, especially on festival days.
How Kovan and Serangoon Gardens complement Hougang Central
Hougang Central and its neighbours do different jobs. Seen together, they cover most of what a household needs.
| Need | Hougang Central | Kovan | Serangoon Gardens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transport | NEL today; NEL–CRL interchange from around 2030; new bus interchange | NEL (one stop away) | Bus or car |
| Shopping | Hougang Mall now; a new mall of about 300,000 sq ft planned | Heartland Mall | Shops around the Circus |
| Food | Coffeeshops and hawker food around the town centre; new F&B planned | Kovan Market & Food Centre, eatery strip | Chomp Chomp Food Centre, cafés |
| Character | Busy, connected town centre | Lively heartland hub | Quiet landed streets with a village centre |
The practical takeaway: living at Hougang Central gives you the transport hub and, once it opens, the town’s largest mall on the doorstep. Kovan is close enough for a weeknight meal or an errand. Serangoon Gardens is the weekend dinner or café run. You get variety without long journeys.
There is also a pricing angle worth understanding. Landed homes in Serangoon Gardens and older condos around Kovan and Hougang set the local context that buyers will compare against. We look at nearby condos in LinkTown Residences vs nearby Hougang condos and at analysts’ expectations in our price estimate guide. No official prices have been released.
Getting around between them
- Hougang to Kovan: one stop on the North-East Line, or a walk, cycle or short bus ride along Upper Serangoon Road.
- Hougang to Serangoon Gardens: by bus or a short drive. There is no direct MRT link.
- Hougang to Serangoon (NEX): two stops on the NEL, with the Circle Line interchange there.
After the Cross Island Line opens, Serangoon North becomes one CRL stop from Hougang, adding another rail option on the western side. Details are in our Cross Island Line guide.
Who will appreciate this
If you grew up in the north-east, you probably already have a Kovan or Serangoon Gardens habit, and a home at Hougang Central lets you keep it. If you are new to the area, these neighbourhoods are a good reason to visit on a weekday evening before deciding: walk Upper Serangoon Road, eat at one of the food centres, and see how it feels. For the exact position of the site, see the location page.
If the Hougang–Kovan–Serangoon Gardens corner sounds like home, register your interest and we’ll update you when the preview and price list are released.
