For nearly eight decades, the aroma of freshly prepared dosai and bubbling hot filter coffee would linger, enticing customers and passers-by who walked along the narrow shophouse Komala Vilas’s walkway at 76-78 Serangoon Road.
However, the friendly warmth of Komala Vilas’s stoves has been replaced with vacant emptiness, as the sign on its shutters, which were pulled down shortly after the Pongal festival, read: “We are temporarily closed for renovation starting Monday, 19 January, 2026.”
The sign did not state when the restaurant would reopen.
Its sweet shop, Komala Vilas Sweets and Savouries in Upper Dickson Road, was also shut and is listed as permanently closed online.
Responding to media requests for comment, Komala Vilas owner Rajakumar Gunasekaran, said in a text message at about 8.40pm on 17 March: “I’m overseas right now. I’ll get back to you at the end of the month.”
After mounting online chatter and speculations for about a month, Tamil Murasu and The Straits Times (ST) published a report on 18 March.
Following that, several netizens expressed their concern online.
Reddit user Han5henman said: “sigh, slowly but surely we are losing our heritage and who we are.”
Another user AtrainV said: “Hope they can turn it around! It’s always top on the list of restaurants I tell people visiting Singapore to try out.”
Established in 1947 by Murugiah Rajoo, Komala Vilas is one of the oldest Indian-origin businesses in Singapore.
Famous for its authentic South Indian banana leaf meals and spicy savouries, the restaurant is highly sought after by locals and tourists alike.
In 2015, news of Singapore’s then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s dinner with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the restaurant splashed across Indian media.
Described as ‘dosa diplomacy’, the meeting underscored the restaurant’s role in cultural and soft diplomacy.
In response to queries from Tamil Murasu, Mr S. Mahenthiran, honorary secretary of the Indian Restaurants Association (Singapore), said the association’s “current understanding is that the outlet is undergoing renovation.”
He added that the 79-year-old establishment has played a significant role in shaping the local Indian food scene, and that the association is looking “forward to the next chapter of their operations”.
Former chairman and current adviser of the Little India Shopowners’ & Heritage Association (LISHA), Mr Rajakumar Chandra, had said he was in close contact with the restaurant owner and described him as a man dedicated to carrying on the family business started by his grandfather.
Mr Rajakumar, who is also the owner of Jothi Store and Flower Shop in Campbell Lane and vice-chairman of the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said people should refrain from spreading rumours.
“Komala Vilas is a longstanding heritage business,” said Mr Rajakumar. “As a community, everyone wants to see the place back in action.”
The restaurant is listed under the SG Heritage Business Scheme by the National Heritage Board (NHB), a title awarded to businesses that are the “backbone of Singapore’s cultural landscape and provide time-honoured trades, goods or service”.
In response to queries from ST, an NHB spokesperson said the board has been in contact with Komala Vilas for matters relating to the scheme.
“We respect the privacy of the business owners and defer to their decision on when to share their plans,” the spokesperson added.
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18 Mar 2026 11:33
