Is the famous Beo Crescent Curry Rice closing for good? Here’s what we found out
8days.sg visited the popular curry rice stall to speak to its reticent owner as it faces closure rumours for the second time in three years.
Beo Crescent Curry Rice was recently rumoured to be closing down. (Photos: Beo Crescent Curry Rice, 8Days/Simone Chuah)
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There has been much buzz among the curry rice-loving community that the beloved Beo Crescent Curry Rice stall is set to shut down and has been forced to relocate following a change in ownership of the coffee shop where it operates.
Back in 2022, similar drama arose over the stall’s rumoured closure. At the time, 8days.sg reported that it turned out that the eatery was merely temporarily closed for a two-month renovation, much to the relief of its fans. Fast forward three years, and history seems to be repeating itself.
Affectionately nicknamed “No Name Hainanese Curry Rice” by netizens because the stall has no signboard, Beo Crescent Curry Rice has been serving customers since 1988. It’s owned by a lady who only wants to be known as Auntie Mo, and her husband.
8days.sg first caught wind of the possible closure via a Facebook post by the retired co-founder of Eighteen Chefs, Benny Teo.
According to his post, the beloved curry rice stall was allegedly meant to close at the end of this month after the coffee shop was sold to Chinese owners for S$4 million, who intended to evict the current stalls.
8days.sg reached out to Teo for more information but he has yet to respond, so 8days.sg is unable to verify the details. We also went down to the coffee shop to find out more.
A separate Facebook user shared similar news, adding that the stall owners were searching for a new place to relocate to.
Moreover, the hawkers’ children posted on the stall’s Facebook account on behalf of their parents on Sep 21. While they did not confirm the eatery’s closure, they explained that discussions with the new coffee shop owners were ongoing as they were trying to reach an agreement that would allow the curry rice stall to remain at the same location.
As such, 8days.sg dropped by the stall on Monday (Sep 22) to investigate.
Perched beneath a block of old HDB flats on Havelock Road, Beo Crescent Curry Rice operates out of Roxy Square Kopitiam, right next to Beo Crescent Food Centre. The kopitiam looks relatively new, thanks to renovations carried out in 2022.
It’s a small space with only two stalls currently up and running. Alongside the curry rice stall is Ruai Ruai Thai Food.
We asked the hawker behind it if he’ll be staying on at the premises following the coffee shop’s change in ownership. He briefly replied: “We’re not staying,” before waving us away.
There's also a drinks stall there but it seemed permanently closed. Customers now order drinks from the kopitiam next door.
Despite having no signboard, Beo Crescent Curry Rice is hard to miss. Long queues are a common sight, with netizens often remarking on the stall’s consistent lines.
When 8days.sg popped by at 11.15am, we assumed the snaking queue was driven by news of the stall’s possible closure. However, most of the customers we spoke to appeared unaware of the rumoured closure.
One man, however, was eager to be kept updated on the stall’s fate: “Let us know, we’ll read the article. Write more about these old stalls closing down, too many closing.”
8days.sg waited around 30 minutes for our food. At one point, we counted 25 people in the queue.
When we reached the front of the line, the aunties manning the stall were too busy to chat and asked us to return after they closed shop at 2.30pm. However, when we returned, the queue was still going strong.
It wasn’t until 3.15pm, after the food had sold out and the hawkers were packing up, that we managed to speak briefly with the no-nonsense Auntie Mo.
“Hi auntie, are you closing down or relocating your stall?” asked 8days.sg. She briskly replied: “Just renovating, renovating. Open till [the] last day of the month [on Sep 30], renovations [begin] in October.”
When we enquired when the stall would reopen, she added: “I don’t know when the renovation will be completed.”
Is it true that the coffee shop where her stall sits was sold for S$4 million and has the rental for her stall increased as a result of the sale?
“I don’t know,” she told 8days.sg dismissively. Our subsequent attempts at extracting information from the hawker were met with an abrupt “thank you” and “bye-bye”.
For now, you can get your hands on a plate of their curry rice till Sep 30, before the kopitiam undergoes renovation.
Beo Crescent Curry Rice is located at Roxy Square Kopitiam, 40 Beo Crescent, Singapore 160040. Open Thurs-Tues, 7am to 2.30pm. Closed for renovations from Oct 1.
This story was originally published in 8Days.
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