Mid Valley Southkey: Food, Shops & Getting There

The Mall, Mid Valley Southkey is Johor’s biggest shopping centre and one of the easiest big days out from Singapore. It opened in April 2019, has more than 300 retailers over six floors, and sits beside the Eastern Dispersal Link, which the mall says puts it about five minutes’ drive from the Causeway. This guide is a floor-by-floor plan for eating and shopping there, the visitor services most Singaporeans don’t know about, and how to arrive and leave smoothly by car.

Tenant names below come from the mall’s official directory at time of writing. Shops change, so check the directory on the mall’s website before you go if you have one particular store in mind.

Mid Valley Southkey at a glance

What you need to know	Details
Opened	April 2019
Mall hours	Daily, 10am–10pm (mall website, at time of writing; some restaurants keep their own hours)
Size	300+ retailers across six floors, plus a car park level with food and services
Big names	SOGO, Golden Screen Cinemas, Aurum Theatre, Village Grocer, Harvey Norman, Nitori, Uniqlo, Toys“R”Us
Next door	A St. Giles hotel tower and Mid Valley Exhibition Centre Johor Bahru

Where to eat, floor by floor

Food is spread across every level, but each floor has a different personality. Use this table to decide where to head when the group gets hungry.

Floor	Good for	Examples from the directory
Lower Ground	Quick local meals, takeaway, groceries	Din by Din Tai Fung, Dragon-i, Meng Meng Roasted Duck, Mak’s Chee wonton noodles, MyIPOH, Nasi Lemak Shop, OldTown White Coffee, The Founders Bakery, Sisters Crispy Popiah, Village Grocer
Ground	Brunch and pastries	Antipodean, The Founders Cafe, Tonkatsu by Ma Maison, Lapisan Patisserie
First	Sit-down family meals	Madam Kwan’s, Paradise Dynasty, LONGJING, TGI Fridays
Second	Korean barbecue, coffee	Jang Won Korea BBQ, Vivo Cafe
Third	The widest choice for groups	PopCorn Food Hall, Nam Heong Ipoh, Sin Man Kee HK Char Chan Teng, Sushi Zanmai, Absolute Thai, Fix Banana Leaf, Palsaik Korean BBQ, Arashi Shabu-Shabu
Third Mezzanine	Casual meals near the cinema	Bar.B.Q Plaza, Ichiban Ramen, Sukiya, Mr Dakgalbi

If you cross early

Early crossings beat the border queues, and the mall publishes an “Early Birds” list of outlets that do breakfast, including Nam Heong Ipoh for dim sum, OldTown White Coffee, Kedai Kopitiam Oriental Kopi, The Founders Cafe and Antipodean. Their opening times can differ from the mall’s, so check before you plan breakfast around one of them.

Feeding a mixed group

The third-floor PopCorn Food Hall and the Lower Ground food outlets are the easiest places to keep everyone happy, because each person can order something different. Din by Din Tai Fung on the Lower Ground is described in recent reviews as a pork-free version of the dumpling chain, which suits groups that avoid pork. If halal certification matters to you, look for the certificate at each outlet rather than relying on the cuisine type.

What to shop for

• Department store: SOGO anchors the mall and spreads over several levels.
• Home and furniture: Harvey Norman on the Lower Ground, Nitori on the second floor, plus mattress and massage-chair showrooms such as Getha, King Koil and OSIM.
• Everyday and household: Village Grocer, Watsons, Guardian, Mr D.I.Y Plus, DAISO, MUJI, KKV, Miniso and the Popular bookshop.
• Fashion and sport: Uniqlo and Mango on the Ground floor, with a cluster of sports brands on the third floor, including Nike, New Balance, asics and Salomon.
• For kids: Toys“R”Us, the LEGO store, mothercare, and play spaces on the Third Mezzanine such as Kiddytopia and KF Kiddy Circuit.
• Entertainment: Golden Screen Cinemas on the Third Mezzanine and the premium Aurum Theatre on the third floor.

Comparing Southkey with JB’s other malls? Our JB shopping malls guide matches each mall to a purpose.

Visitor services worth knowing

These are listed on the mall’s facilities page and are especially useful for day-trippers from Singapore:

• Information counters on the Ground floor at Centre Court, North Court and South Court. They lend strollers, wheelchairs and battery-operated scooters, and offer a free emergency contact wristband for children and seniors.
• Tourist Privilege Card. Foreign visitors aged 16 and above can show their passport at an information counter for a card that unlocks offers at participating outlets for seven days.
• Money changer on the Lower Ground, and ATMs on the Lower Ground (South).
• Luggage storage and a prayer room on the second floor (North); a nursing room on the Third Mezzanine (South).
• Clinics: a medical centre on the Ground floor and a dental clinic on the Third Mezzanine.

Getting there by private car, and where to be dropped off

From the Johor Bahru checkpoint at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar, the mall is reached by the Eastern Dispersal Link, so the drive is short once you are through immigration. Allow extra time on weekends, when the roads around the mall get busy.

Choose your court

The mall is long, and arriving at the wrong end means a lot of walking with bags and children. Tell your driver which part you want to start in: North Court, Centre Court or South Court. Each has an information counter on the Ground floor, which also makes a clear meeting point later.

Arrange your pick-up

• Agree a pick-up court and time with your driver when you are dropped off.
• Send a message about 15–20 minutes before you are ready, so the car is waiting when you walk out.
• If you buy something bulky at Harvey Norman or Nitori, mention it in advance so the driver can plan where to pull up.

Plan the trip home

Sunday evenings and the day before a public holiday bring the longest queues back into Singapore. Our Woodlands vs Tuas checkpoint guide explains when each crossing is quieter. If you are bringing groceries or other goods home, read our guide to the Singapore customs allowance first.

Practical tips

• Arrive at opening time on weekends; the mall fills up from lunchtime.
• Eat away from peak hours. Popular restaurants have queues from about noon and again at dinner.
• Bring your passport anyway for the border, and use it for the Tourist Privilege Card while you are there.
• Use luggage storage if you are heading on to a hotel or airport afterwards.
• Combine stops. Mount Austin’s food streets are a short drive away; see our Mount Austin food guide.

Why a private car suits a Southkey day

Big shopping days end with heavy bags, and queuing for a ride at the mall then again at the checkpoint is the least fun part. With Luxway SGMY, your driver collects you anywhere in Singapore, everyone stays seated through immigration at both checkpoints, and you are dropped at the court you choose. Fares are per car and already include tolls, checkpoint fees, fuel and parking: from SGD 100 one way in a Toyota Innova, with the same fare for the return. If you want the car to wait between stops, transfers include waiting time at SGD 40 per hour, or book our hourly Day Trip Service for a full day across JB. Full JB fares are on our Johor Bahru rates page.

Book your Mid Valley Southkey trip

See vehicles and fares on our Singapore to Johor Bahru private car page. Then Whatsapp us your date, pick-up address and preferred court, or book on our online booking page. There’s no deposit: you pay the driver on arrival.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 14 October 2026