NEX is the biggest mall in the north-east, and that’s the problem. Seven floors, two food courts, and something like seventy F&B outlets means the choice paralysis is real — you end up standing at the directory for ten minutes and then just queueing wherever the line looks shortest. This is the short version: how the mall is laid out, and what to grab when your bus is coming.
Where is NEX, and how do you get there?
NEX is at 23 Serangoon Central, Singapore 556083. It sits directly on top of Serangoon MRT, which is an interchange between the North East Line (NE12) and the Circle Line (CC13) — so you can get here from Dhoby Ghaut, Punggol, Bishan or Paya Lebar without changing twice.
The bit people underrate: Serangoon Bus Interchange is inside the mall, on Basement 2. You don’t walk out to a kerb. You come off your train, go down, and you’re already at your bus bay. That single fact changes what you should eat here, which we’ll get to.
What’s the food scene like at NEX?
Spread across seven floors, and it splits roughly three ways:
- Food courts — there are two of them, one down at Basement 2 and one up on Level 4. Handy when you’re with a group who can’t agree on anything.
- Sit-down meals — most of the restaurant space is on the upper floors. Ramen, hotpot, Japanese, the usual mall spread. Fine if you’ve got an hour.
- Quick bites and takeaway — scattered through the basements, which is where the commuter traffic actually is.
So the honest question isn’t “is there food at NEX.” It’s how much time you’ve got before your bus or your train.
Taiwan street food at NEX — I Love Taimei, #B2-48A
We’re at 23 Serangoon Central, #B2-48A NEX, Singapore 556083, open Mon–Sun, 11:00–22:00.
That unit number matters more here than at our other outlets. B2 is the bus interchange level — so we’re on the way out, not a detour up three escalators. If you’re heading home to Hougang, Ang Mo Kio or Punggol, you can pick up chicken and a drink and still make your bus.
I Love Taimei has been around since 2009 — women-owned, co-run by Phoebe and Yadah, now 14 outlets island-wide. The menu is built off Taiwan’s night markets, Shilin and Raohe in particular, which is why it reads like a stall lineup instead of a restaurant menu.
The chicken — all four are $6.90:
- Original Chicken (原味雞排) — plain, so the marinade does the talking. Start here if it’s your first time.
- Extra Crispy Chicken — thicker batter, more crunch.
- BBQ Chicken (碳烤雞排) — glazed, sweet-savoury, no chilli heat.
- Taiwan Popcorn Chicken (鹽酥雞) — bite-sized, easy to share on the bus ride. Basil goes into the oil, so you get that green, faintly aniseed smell coming off the bag before you’ve opened it. That’s the night market part.
We use chicken thigh, not breast. Costs us more, and it’s the reason the meat stays tender after a hard fry — breast dries out, thigh holds. Everything’s marinated before it goes in and fried fresh when you order, so build in a few minutes. If you want the longer argument, we wrote one: thigh vs breast.
Sides run $3.90 to $5.30 — Shake Shake Fries, Tofu Fries and Mini Hashbrown at $3.90, Golden Sweet Potato Fries and Enoki Mushroom at $4.60, Mushroom Combo at $4.90, and Taiwan Seafood Tempura (甜不辣) at $5.30. Worth flagging: the tempura is a fish-paste snack, Taiwan-style — not the Japanese battered kind, and it does contain seafood.
The drinks — Brown Sugar Milk Tea at $3.90 (M) / $4.90 (L) is the pairing that works with fried chicken, because the sugar cuts through the salt. 1988 Milk Tea, our house blend, is $4.50 (M) / $5.50 (L). Toppings are $0.80 (M) / $1.20 (L).
One thing said plainly: I Love Taimei is not halal certified. All our food is prepared with no pork and no lard, and we don’t serve beef either. That’s a middle ground, not a certification, and we’d rather you hear it straight than guess — there’s a fuller explanation in our halal FAQ if it matters for your group.
Can you make a morning of it at NEX?
Yes, and this one’s genuinely free. On the Level 4 rooftop there’s Kidzplay @ Skygarden, a pirate-themed playground with both a wet play zone for older kids and a dry area for toddlers. Entry doesn’t cost anything. Next to it is a dog park — reportedly the first one inside a Singapore mall — and the Serangoon Public Library is up on the rooftop level too.
Do check current opening hours on the official NEX website before you go. Rooftop water play tends to close for weather and maintenance, and we’d rather not be the reason you dragged the kids across the island for a locked gate.
Practical order of operations: playground first, then come down. Wet kids and hot fried chicken is a bad combination in the other direction.
Common questions about eating at NEX
What time does the food at NEX close? It varies by outlet. Our NEX store runs 11:00 to 22:00 daily, and kitchens around the mall generally wind down a little before the mall itself shuts. If you’re cutting it fine, the basement takeaway spots are your safer bet than a sit-down restaurant.
Where is I Love Taimei in NEX exactly? Unit #B2-48A, on the Basement 2 level — the same floor as the bus interchange. Come down from the MRT and you’ll hit it on the way to the bus bays.
Is there anything at NEX for a group that can’t agree on food? The two food courts, one on Basement 2 and one on Level 4. Everyone orders separately and nobody has to compromise. Grab drinks from us on the way through if the queue at the drink stall is long.
Can Muslim friends eat with us at I Love Taimei? We’re not halal certified, so that’s a call each person makes for themselves. What we can tell you factually: no pork, no lard, and no beef anywhere on the menu. Plenty of customers with mixed groups make it work, but we won’t make the decision sound simpler than it is.
Is the NEX rooftop playground really free? Yes, admission is free. Hours can change, so check the mall’s site first.
Before you go
If you’re heading to a different part of the island, we’re at 14 malls — the full list is on our outlets page.
Otherwise: come find us at #B2-48A on your way to the bus. See the full menu.
Taste it for yourself — 14 outlets island-wide. No pork, no lard.
