With chilli crab being one of Singapore’s unofficial national dishes, it’s little surprise that our city loves seafood. Feasting on seafood in Singapore isn’t one single experience either. We’ve got options aplenty, including oyster bars, zi char seafood eateries, and more upscale Chinese restaurants where seafood takes centre stage. To help you along your next dinnertime splurge, we’ve curated some of the best seafood restaurants in Singapore to check out.
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New Ubin Seafood is one of the pioneers of new age zi char in Singapore. Founded in Pulau Ubin, the eatery has since expanded onto the mainland, with several outlets islandwide. While they’re best known for dishes such as their USDA Black Angus Steak, which comes with rice fried in beef drippings, the menu also has a healthy selection of seafood dishes that can feed a family. Options include live mud crab, tiger prawns, or squid cooked with your preferred sauce, and a selection of whole fish dishes. Do note that the menu and prices differ between outlets, but a common thread between all of them is a repertoire of dishes that’ll please the fam, and the restaurants’ laidback vibes.
Website
Full list of outlets
New Ubin Seafood is not a halal-certified eatery.
First established in 1987, Mellben Seafood began as a family-run zi char stall before transforming into a full-on seafood restaurant. They’ve received a Michelin Plate nod, and have also garnered quite a following for their signature crab dishes. While they do serve an extensive ala carte menu, the eatery also has sets designed to feed groups. Their five-people set, which is priced at $299++, is quite the steal, as it comes with their famed Claypot Crab Vermicelli Soup, Teochew Style Steamed Fish, Abalone Fried Rice and more.
Website | Full list of outlets
Mellben Seafood is not a halal-certified eatery.
Lai Huat Signatures is a zi char buffet restaurant with over 70 dishes to choose from, including seafood. Pay $39.90++ per adult and enjoy unlimited servings of sotong and lala, as well as single serves of their Poached Prawn, Crayfish with Chilli Sauce, and Lai Huat Sambal Fish. If going down the ala carte route is more your jam, don’t feel like you’re missing out. The eatery has a generous selection of seafood dishes that are sure crowd-pleasers, from their famed Crab Meat with Fish Maw Pottage (from $25++) to their XO Sri Lanka Crab Bee Hoon Soup (seasonal price).
Read our Lai Huat Signatures review.
Address: 23 China Street, #01-01, Singapore 049565
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 2:30pm, 5pm to 10pm
Tel: 6636 3828
Website
Lai Huat is not a halal-certified eatery.
If you’re looking for a more atas seafood restaurant for a family meal or a special occasion, try out Red House Seafood. The 40-odd-year-old eatery is famous for their refined dishes, ranging from braised abalone to whole lobsters, priced seasonally. This restaurant is a must if you’re looking for lobster dishes in particular, as you get to choose between Boston or Australian Rock variants, cooked the way you like, with a choice of 11 different styles. These include Cheese Baked, Steamed, and Braised with Ee Fu Noodles. The seafood here is also sustainably sourced, for extra brownie points.
Read our Red House Seafood review.
Website
Full list of outlets
Red House Seafood is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: Scaled
Ah Hua Kelong is a well-known local seafood farm and supplier, but they’re also known for their farm-to-table concept restaurant, Scaled. Located in Bendemeer, the intimate restaurant is a great one to consider if you’re looking for a place to bring a date. The dishes on the menu are a cross between zi char and a distinct Western influence, so you’ll be able to enjoy the best of both worlds. Popular seafood picks include their Canto Grouper ($30++), served with lala in a Cantonese broth, and their addictive Fried Baby Squid ($12++).
Address: 8 Hamilton Road, Singapore 209179
Opening hours: Wed 5:30pm to 10:30pm, Thurs, Sun 12pm to 2:30pm, 5:30pm to 10:30pm, Fri-Sat 12pm to 2:30pm, 5pm to 10:30pm
Tel: 9133 3379
Website
Scaled is not a halal-certified eatery.
Palm Beach Seafood has been around since 1965 and is a longtime fave for many Singaporeans who want a seafood restaurant that’s also great for a special occasion. They claim to be the restaurant that perfected chilli crab, so you can be sure you’re getting a solid rendition of the iconic dish here. Apart from crab, the restaurant has a wide selection of other seafood—think lobster, prawns, and whole fish—prepped in myriad styles. You can also get seafood platters here if you’re dining with four people or more. Each comes with sliced Hokkaido scallops, air-flown Pacific oysters, and more. Prices vary according to season.
Address: 1 Fullerton Road, #01-09 One Fullerton, Singapore 049213
Opening hours: Daily 12pm to 2:30pm 5:30pm to 10:30pm
Tel: 6336 8118
Website
Palm Beach Seafood is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @tripntravelms
Hua Yu Wee is a seafood-focused zi char restaurant with its roots dating back to the 1950s. They’re housed in an old-school building, and the restaurant’s setting is cosy, with family-friendly tables. You get to choose how you want your seafood done here, and prices are mostly fixed, instead of the usual market rates that restaurants tend to charge. If you love crab ($73.50++ per 800g), you can choose to have the crustacean dressed in any of their six different house-made sauces. We’re also fans of their prawn dishes, which give you the option of having the shrimps served with or without their shells.
Address: 462 Upper East Coast Road, Singapore 466508
Opening hours: Daily 5pm to 11pm
Tel: 6442 9313
Website
Hua Yu Wee is not a halal-certified eatery.
JUMBO Restaurant is so famous, they need little introduction. With several outlets around the island, JUMBO is a de facto choice for many looking to get their chilli crab fix. The menu differs across their various outlets, though we recommend skipping a la carte and opting for their set menus instead so you can get a bit of everything. Menus are curated for group sizes that range from two to ten, and all of them come with the famed chilli crab, among other dishes! JUMBO Restaurant is also a popular pick for business meals and family gatherings, as select outlets have private rooms.
Website
Full list of outlets
JUMBO is not a halal-certified eatery.
Humpback has been a Chinatown fixture since it first appeared along the Bukit Pasoh stretch. The seafood restaurant doubles as a wine bar, with over 60 different labels to pair with your meal. Obviously, the food remains the main attraction, and here, you can enjoy dishes that marry European culinary techniques with Japanese flavours. Choose between small and big plates here, all great for sharing. Signatures include their King Crab Donabe with Kani Miso and Trout Roe ($88++) and their Octopus with Smoked Soy Glaze and Eggplant ($32++). Humpback is also known for offering $4++ oysters during happy hour, sourcing the shellfish from around the Washington coast.
Address: 18/20 Bukit Pasoh Road, Singapore 089834
Opening hours: Mon, Wed-Fri 5pm to 10pm, Sat 12pm to 11pm, Sun 12pm to 9pm
Tel: 9772 9896
Website
Humpback is not a halal-certified eatery.
Mutiara Seafood is the JUMBO Group’s first venture into offering a halal-certified seafood restaurant to Singaporeans. You can expect dishes from their OG JUMBO outlets offered here, as well as all-new grilled seafood additions. The latter includes Udang Bakar Jimbaran ($28++ for four prawns), a smoky barbecued tiger prawn dish, and Ikan Tilapia Merah Bakar dengan Sambal ($40++), where red tilapia is grilled with sambal. The restaurant is also conveniently located in Wisma Geylang Serai, just a quick jaunt from Kembangan MRT Station.
Read our Mutiara Seafood review.
Address: 1 Engku Aman Turn, #01-02 & #02-02/03, Wisma Geylang Serai, Singapore 408528
Opening hours: Daily 11:30am to 3pm, 5pm to 10pm
Tel: 6816 3030
Website
Mutiara Seafood is a halal-certified eatery.
Those looking for a relaxed zi char restaurant in the HDB heartlands should put Ocean Curry Fish Head on the radar. They’re famous, of course, for their Curry Fish Head, prepared with a legacy Nyonya recipe that dates back to the ‘80s. However, the restaurant also has plenty more to offer, and at wallet-friendly prices, from their Sambal Prawns (from $6), wok-fried in a smoky-sweet chilli sauce, to their fragrant sambal lala (from $7). Note that they’re also a cai png stall by day, but don’t be taken aback by their display, they still sell seafood dishes round the clock.
Read our Ocean Curry Fish Head review.
Address: Block 92 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh, #01-264, Singapore 310092
Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 9pm (closed alternate Tuesdays and the day after public holidays)
Tel: 6252 2168
Website
Ocean Fish Head Curry is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @uncleleongsignatures
Another seafood restaurant fave in the heartlands is Uncle Leong Seafood, with outlets in Punggol, Kaki Bukit, and Toa Payoh. Menus and prices differ slightly between outlets, but you can get their signature dishes across the board. These include their Shimmering Sand Crab, where a whole crab is wok-fried in a salted egg yolk sauce perfumed with curry leaves, and topped with oat crumbles for texture. Otherwise, their Claypot Crab Bee Hoon Soup is another must-try, where a whole crab is cooked in sweet seafood stock and served with thick bee hoon.
Website | Full list of outlets
Uncle Leong Seafood is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @puranut
Chin Huat Live Seafood has been around since 1982, and they’ve made a name for themselves with their Golden Sauce Crab (seasonal price), where a live crab is cooked with a luscious pumpkin sauce, and served with crispy mantou. Aside from this staple, this seafood restaurant also has other delights great for sharing, including Live Lobster in Superior Broth, and Steamed Giant Grouper Fillet in Celery Sauce. Located in the Clementi heartlands, this is one restaurant that’s great to take the fam to if you live in the West.
Address: 105 Clementi Street 12, Sunset Way, #01-30, Singapore 120105
Opening hours: Wed-Mon 11am to 2:30pm, 5pm to 10:30pm
Tel: 6775 7348
Website
Chin Huat Live Seafood is not a halal-certified eatery.
Seafood shellout places in Singapore are dime a dozen these days, but Cajun On Wheels remains one of the biggest names serving up the Louisianan dish. Here, diners get to build their own bucket with a variety of different seafood options, including crabs, crawfish, and lobster. Then, choose a sauce to go alongside it, and have the option of having sides such as potatoes or sweet corn to seal the deal. Shellout is always something to share with friends and family, so come hungry and be ready to get messy in the best way possible.
Address: 68 Orchard Road, #03-92, Plaza Singapura, Singapore 238839
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 10pm
Tel: 6341 9665
Website
Cajun On Wheels is a halal-certified eatery.
Shrimp Prawn Seafood isn’t a conventional seafood restaurant, but this Thai eatery along Boat Quay has tons of seafood on the menu. They specialise in goong ob woonsen, AKA Thai steelpot shrimp vermicelli, and offer different takes on the dish. You can have your noodles with Giant Scampi River Prawn ($25.80++), for example, or with Premium Vannamei ($16.80++), a type of Thai prawn. Otherwise, the eatery also has seafood platters aplenty, including their signature CB Platter ($108++), which feeds up to five and comes with slipper lobster, lala, and Vannamei prawns.
Read our Shrimp Prawn Seafood review.
Address: 53 Boat Quay, Singapore 049842
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 11:30am to 2:30pm, 5:30pm to 10:30pm, Sat-Sun 5pm to10:30pm
Tel: 8375 3888
Website
Shrimp Prawn Seafood is not a halal-certified eatery.
Aside from these seafood restaurants on the list, we also have a round-up of the best cheap oysters in Singapore, if that’s how you’re looking to indulge. Else, for more eateries suited to dining with a group, check out our best restaurants for business lunches, or restaurants with private dining rooms.
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