Touring Onan Road, A Freehold Landed Estate With A “Hidden” Enclave Of Shophouses
Get The Property Insights Serious Buyers Read First: Join 50,000+ readers who rely on our weekly breakdowns of Singapore’s property market.
TJ's interest in property was sparked after returning from the UK- where balconies are not counted in one's square footage!- and finding that the Singapore property had totally changed in the 7 years she was away. When not reading and watching articles & videos about property, she is busy cooking and baking for friends, family & her blog Greedygirlgourmet
A few months back, Jordan requested a tour of the Onan Road landed estate, but closer to the i12 side. (Thanks for following this series, by the way!) It took me a while to get round to it- apologies, but it’s hard to time the tours because of Singapore’s incessant rain- but that’s where we are off to today!
The stretch of Onan Road we’re visiting today is in between Dunman Road and Fowlie Road. It’s actually right next to Joo Chiat Road where you’ll find a plethora of commercial units so you’re never far from good food such as Mellvin Seafood Restaurant. (That’s also where you’ll find Joo Chiat Community Club and Duku Road which we visited a while back. To be honest, the 2 areas felt so different, I didn’t even realise they were next to each other till I looked at Google maps! (For more information about the shops and restaurants near Duku Road, click through to that tour- one thing about living in this part of East Coast is that there’s a real village feel and you’re usually within walking distance of cool places to hang out.))

Map for your reference. Although not clear in the map above, at the Dunman Road-Onan Road junction, you can find Dunman Food Centre (so literally at the doorstep of Onan Road properties- to be honest, it may be a bit too close for some people, such as myself.)









































Before we reach Malvern Springs, there’s a little surprise along Onan Road: shophouses! Given that we’d only seen modern houses before this, I was pleasantly surprised to find them.
More from Stacked
Buying Land At A 30% Discount At Marina South: A Good Deal Or A Sign Of Weak Demand?
That’s how I would feel, if I were the consortium of developers that won the recent bid for a Marina…







This brings us to the end of today’s walkabout. How did you find the area?
Before we go, some things to highlight:
- according to this NLB article, Onan Road was identified as a flood prone area in 1995. However, there are fewer floods as compared to the 70s. I did a quick Google search for “Onan Road flood Singapore” but no recent news came up. (Although with Google results these days…. Has anyone else found that the search results are becoming increasingly dodgy?)

These were the closest results I could find for flash floods in Onan Road.
According to the same article, the Onan-Joo Chiat area has a history of being a red light district, with complaints as recent as 2005-2009 about “scantily clad women”, massage parlours and bars in the area. Another Google search resulted a 2024 article about “public entertainment outlets” in Joo Chiat, going so far as to mention a ring fencing operation at “the corner at Onan Road.”
And, finally, here’s the history of sales transactions in the area for your reference.

Now that we’ve come to the end, let me know your thoughts in the comments!
TJ
TJ's interest in property was sparked after returning from the UK- where balconies are not counted in one's square footage!- and finding that the Singapore property had totally changed in the 7 years she was away. When not reading and watching articles & videos about property, she is busy cooking and baking for friends, family & her blog GreedygirlgourmetRead next from Editor's Pick
New Launch Condo Analysis This New Upper Bukit Timah Condo Starts From $993K: But Would You Trade MRT Convenience for Greenery?
Homeowner Stories “I Didn’t Think Property Prices Could Go Up So Fast Anymore With ABSD” Why One Buyer’s Regret Still Feels Familiar Today
Landed Home Tours I Toured A Rare Quiet Yet Central Freehold Landed Enclave Where Houses Sell For $12 Million
New Launch Condo Reviews W Residences Marina View – Singapore Condo Review: A Luxury Condo Above A 5-Star Hotel From $1.77m
Latest Posts
Pro We Compared Old vs New Condos in One of Singapore’s Priciest Neighbourhoods — Here’s What We Found for Smaller Units
Property Market Commentary 6 Curiously Abandoned Houses In Singapore And The Stories Behind Them
Property Market Commentary Which HDB Towns Are Getting Close To Condo Prices In 2025?
Pro We Compared Old vs New Condos in One of Singapore’s Fastest-Changing Neighbourhoods — Here’s What We Found Out
On The Market We Found 5 Freehold 1-Bedroom Condos Under $1 Million With The Most Efficient Layouts
Singapore Property News The Hidden Price of Upgrading To A Condo In Singapore: What Most Buyers Don’t Budget For
On The Market We Found 5 Spacious HDB Flats Above 1,300 Sqft You Can Still Buy Under $600K
Pro We Compared Old vs New Condos in One of Singapore’s Priciest Family Neighbourhoods: Here’s What We Found For Family-Sized Units in District 21
Property Market Commentary Why Singapore Homes Feel So Unaffordable (Even If Incomes Have Risen)
Property Investment Insights Which Condos Made the Biggest Profits in 2025? One Owner Earned $3.8M in Just 5 Years
Pro Are Older One- and Two-Bedders in District 21 Holding Up Against the New Launches? We Break It Down
Property Advice Most New Condo Buyers in Singapore Forget to Check This Before Buying (Until It’s Too Late)
Singapore Property News Why This Rare New Queenstown Condo Nearly Sold Out Even At $2,800 Psf
On The Market Surprisingly Affordable 5 bedroom Condos You Can Buy Right Now Under $2.3 Million
Singapore Property News When ‘Fringe’ Homes Cross $2,000 PSF, Has Singapore’s Idea of ‘Prime’ Changed for Good?
Thank you for the tour and for this series! I saw the Duku Road tour previously and was eagerly awaiting this one.