11 Heartland Malls in Singapore that We Absolutely Love

In 2025, as Singapore continues to evolve into a global hub of innovation and lifestyle, the retail landscape has kept pace by expanding beyond the iconic Orchard Road. With the rise of neighbourhood shopping malls, residents and visitors can now enjoy a more localised shopping experience. These malls cater to diverse needs, offering everything from family-friendly amenities to eco-conscious shopping spaces. As urban living becomes increasingly dynamic, these neighbourhood malls have become essential centres of community life, providing convenience, variety, and unique experiences right at our doorsteps. So, without further ado, here are some of the best neighbourhood malls in Singapore that I’ve been to!

Also read: Top 35 Fun Things to Do in Singapore — Including Free Activities!

1. IMM

Short for International Merchandise Mart Mall, IMM is situated in Jurong East, just a short distance away from Jurong East MRT station. After renovation works to expand the shopping space, it is now the largest outlet mall in Singapore, with more than 50 outlet stores. These outlet stores have provisions for everything: Fashion, sports, travel, furniture. Famous brands include Calvin Klein, Coach, Samsonite, Adidas etc.

The place is also great for families, as they have a wet and dry playground for older children on the 3rd level of the mall. Imagine, you can deposit your children here, shop to your heart’s content, then retrieve them when you’re ready to head home!

For parents with young babies and toddlers, nursing rooms are available, and there are baby strollers that can be borrowed for free. In fact, it is so family-friendly, it has won accolades for it. What’s not to like?

2. Nex

Dog lovers, you’ll definitely want to hear about this. Shoppers bring their pets into Nex through specially designated lifts and escalators, and these little animals are allowed entrance to specific areas. In the SkyGarden at the rooftop, K9 Park is the first dog park in Singapore built within the confines of a mall.

In addition, similar to IMM, Nex also has a children’s playground with both dry and wet equipment. Since it is located right next to K9 Park, one can imagine all the chasing, laughter, and barking going on at the open-air rooftop garden!

They’ve got a wide range of shopping options too. As the biggest mall in the Northeast region, it has numerous amenities, such as 24-hour supermarkets and gyms, a library, and the cinema. Global fashion brands can also be found here: H&M, Uniqlo, Sephora, etc.

Integrated with the Serangoon Bus Interchange and Serangoon Interchange MRT station, its accessibility is also a huge plus to friends living in the north-east.

3. City Square Mall

This is the first eco-mall in Singapore! This means that during the building of this mall, green features were incorporated to make it as energy-efficient and green as possible. As such, the mall is equipped with various green features such as eco-restrooms and designated parking spaces for hybrid cars. It even has its very own urban park, aptly named City Green.

The park aims to provide a learning experience about ecology and the natural environment, to promote caring for the environment and green living, amongst others.

4. Jurong Point

Integrated with both the Boon Lay Bus Interchange and MRT station, Jurong Point became one of the largest suburban malls in Singapore after its second expansion in 2008. Boasting more than 400 shops, it comprises JP1 and JP2, referring to the original wing and the extended new wing respectively.

With a 24-hour supermarket, departmental stores, and a cinema, it is the meeting place for many students from the nearby schools. So don’t be surprised if you see these uniformed kids hanging out at the fast-food restaurants after school, it is practically the only shopping mall around anyway.

Being the only largest shopping mall around, meal time is crunch time for diners, especially for dinner. As such, the mall has a huge array of dining options. It’s a foodie’s heaven here, but what I’d like to emphasise here are their food streets. Specially designed to emulate an iconic area of a certain country, these designated food areas showcase the defining characteristics, as well the restaurants selling their respective cuisines! To my knowledge, they’ve currently got food streets named after those in Japan, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

Just imagine, you could literally spend the entire day here, trying out all the Asian food! Breakfast in Malaysia, lunch in Korea, tea in Hong Kong, dinner in Japan, then dessert in Singapore: Call it a food tour around Asia, right at your doorstep. A relatively cheaper option then flying all over the place, isn’t it?

5. Queensway Shopping Centre

Though old and looking a little worse for wear from the outside, this shopping centre is a favourite haunt of students and sports buffs alike. Why?

At the grand old age of 50 years, the mall is still a hot favourite with locals looking for limited edition sports gear, and customised shirts and jerseys. Looking to restring a racket? Top-of-the-line limited edition sports shoes? A cheaper customised football jersey? Queensway Shopping Centre is your answer to all these needs, and more.

Its interesting octagonal layout makes for a mystifying yet hilarious shopping experience. I can’t recall how many times I’ve wanted to return to a shop, only to be unable to find it because I didn’t take note of the unit number of the shop! I know I’m not the only one either; I’ve seen many people standing in the middle of the mall, staring up and around them blankly, looking for the shop they want to buy from in vain.

And after your bargain-hunting experience, pop over to IKEA Alexandra, conveniently located just a street away, for some of those well-deserved meatballs!

6. Tampines 1

Yes, I know, I’ve neglected the east-siders. But this is dedicated to you guys! Located right next to Tampines MRT station and Tampines Bus Interchange, it is very accessible for east-siders, and west-siders too. Well, if you’re willing to brave the west-east train ride to and fro, and risk butt-ache from the hard train seats. I’m kidding. (Not really, I’ve tried it.)

Food choices are aplenty here as well. It has a cluster of double-storey quaint cafes and restaurants, a not oft-seen thing in land-scarce Singapore, as well as more mainstream options like 4 Fingers, Aburi-en and Luckin Coffee to name a few.

And for families for kids, how can you miss out on the wildlife-themed rooftop water playground? Parents can turn this into an educational trip for your kids, and let them learn more about wildlife conservation in a fun and wet way!

7.  Jem

Directly connected to Jurong East MRT interchange, the mall is a hot favourite with commuters looking to do some shopping or grab a quick bite after work.

Only opened in the past couple of years, it features many major retailers, such as Uniqlo, H&M, etc., for whom it is their first time setting up outlets in suburban Singapore. Other stores include Rituals, Charles & Keith, Innisfree and so on. See, I told you there was no need to go to Orchard Road for your major shopping needs, didn’t I?

If there’s one thing I admire about mall developers in Singapore, it is how they manage to constantly innovate themselves, work with limited space, and incorporate anything into the design of the malls. I mean, whoever heard of a sheltered marine-themed kids’ playground in a mall, and right within a rooftop garden?!

On top of all that, there are green spaces and rooftop gardens tiered across the 5th to 7th floors of the mall. I personally find it a great space to escape from the strong air-conditioning of the mall, whilst admiring the orange glow of the setting sun on Singapore’s residential landscape. It’s usually quiet enough on weekdays for some much-needed introspective reflection too.

8. Westgate

Westgate completes the cluster of malls of the Jurong East enclave of entertainment options. A unique architectural hybrid that comprises both alfresco and indoor areas, the mall always has plenty of attractive lunch deals, making it a popular choice for office workers at its adjoining office tower and around the area. Like Jem, it has also attracted several brand names to set up outlets here, including the likes of Michelin-starred dim sum eatery Tim Ho Wan, and fashion names such as Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein. Ion Orchard of Jurong, maybe?

As with many of the malls on this list, it has provisions for kids while their parents shop to their hearts content. However, when Westgate decides to do something, it goes big, or not at all. Proof of this is the fact that it is home to Singapore’s largest thematic outdoor playground in a mall, giving Jem a run for its money.

Open to the public for free, some of the things to look out for in Westgate Wonderland include giant replicas of flora and fauna, a 10-metre tall tree house and a huge watering can that sprays water—very much like an oversized garden, don’t you think? Children can experience what it’s like to dance among the flowers, à la Jack and the Beanstalk!

And as night falls, the playground is magically brought to life with special sound and lighting effects, turning it into yet another make-believe world in which kids can spend ages, playing hide-and-seek with the shadows, until you holler at them to go home!

9. Causeway Point

For those of you residing in the north, Causeway Point is the place to go to get your shopping fix. One of the largest shopping malls in Singapore, Causeway Point contains more than 250 shops for you to explore.

With many large retailers like Uniqlo opening outlets in Causeway Point, the north of Singapore is definitely no less satisfactory for the shopaholics among us!

And after you are done shopping, you can indulge in the mouth-watering food available in the mall. You can sink your teeth into a helping of delicious Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak or go to FoodRepublic, a food court which serves some of the best hawker food alongside international cuisine.

Like some of the malls above, Causeway Point has facilities set up for children to enjoy while their parents shop. However, Causeway Point has not one but two playgrounds for children to have fun in. Your little ones can can pretend they are travelling in a train in the second indoor playground. With the playgrounds open from 10am to 10pm, your children will have lots of time to enjoy themselves.

10. Toa Payoh Shopping Mall

This must be the only mall that is not exactly the conventional definition of what a mall should be. It comprises the surrounding neighbourhood shophouses and the void-deck shops lining the ground floor of the HDB blocks that, together, make up Toa Payoh Hub.

A quaint shopping street that seems entirely removed from the modern skyscrapers of bustling Singapore, it’s the perfect “mall” for young locals and tourists to go for a closer look at the few colonial shophouses that still stand in Singapore today, though you probably shouldn’t expect to pick up vintage bargains of any sort here. You also get to see how the general Singaporean population go about their daily lives, and grab a daily necessity or two on the way.

Walk along the tiled streets. Take a seat on the open-air benches lining the middle of the street. Look up. Feel dwarfed by the high-rise apartment blocks. Pop into one of the many hardware shops to pick up a bargain or two, or go for a facial at one of the small aesthetic centres lining the ground level.

And after, go for a walk around one of Singapore’s oldest estates, and see if you still can spot any old-school mosaic playgrounds!

11. Waterway Point

Conveniently located next to Punggol MRT and LRT, Waterway Point is a bustling hub that offers a perfect blend of shopping, dining, and entertainment options. This mall is a favourite among families, thanks to its frequent kid-friendly events and pop-ups. From the vibrant tokidoki summer party to the adventurous Jurassic World scavenger hunt, complete with bouncy castles and photo ops, there’s always something exciting happening at the Atrium.

For movie enthusiasts, Shaw Theatres at Waterway Point features 11 halls, including an IMAX theatre, making it a top spot to catch the latest blockbusters in spectacular fashion. Need to stock up on groceries after hours? The 24-hour NTUC FairPrice Finest has you covered for those late-night essentials.

Final Thoughts

Neighbourhood malls in Singapore have transformed the way we shop, dine, and spend our leisure time. By blending convenience with unique offerings, they’ve become more than just retail spaces: They’re vibrant community hubs that cater to diverse lifestyles. Whether you’re on the hunt for a great bargain, seeking family-friendly activities, or simply looking for a quiet spot to unwind, these malls offer something for everyone. As we embrace 2025, it’s clear that Singapore’s neighbourhood malls are redefining the shopping experience, bringing the best of retail therapy closer to home. Which mall is your go-to spot?

Also read: A Shopping Paradise: The Best Malls in Singapore to Shop Till You Drop