The best seafood restaurants in Singapore

Jumbo's name is apt as it's arguably one of the biggest names in Singapore's seafood business. The chain has even expanded regionally to China, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam, with more to come. It's been serving chilli crabs (from $10.80 per 100 grams) at its birthplace, East Coast Park, since 1987 and has long been a favourite of many. The reason for its popularity has to be its choice of crabs – they’re all extremely meaty. Its sauce is pretty unique, too, deploying ground peanuts for an added crunch. Other crowd favourites include the salted egg prawns (from $26) – wok-fried in a thick, salted egg sauce, and the plump, juicy scallops wrapped in a fragrant yam ring (from $22).

If you’re after the freshest catch in Singapore, make a dive for Orchid Live Seafood. With directly imported seafood, you’ll feel like you’re dining by the shore. For over two decades, the restaurant has served Teochew-inspired dishes in a comfy setting with views of live seafood tanks. Signature dishes include the umami-packed lobster porridge (from $72/pax) with your choice of lobster, the signature Singapore chili crab (from $80/two pieces) with either the mud crab, Dungeness crab, or Alaskan king crab, live soon hock (from $9/100g) served steamed or deep-fried with soya sauce, and the juicy Steven Chicken (from $16) coated in a savoury sauce that keeps diners coming back. Pro tip: tables fill up fast, especially during festive seasons, so be sure to book ahead here.

What’s a seafood list without including an all-you-can-eat option? There’s no better way to satisfy your seafood cravings than with an endless spread of the ocean’s bounty. And while there are plenty of buffets with excellent seafood stations – The Line and Lime Restaurant are some – Colony remains a reliable all-time favourite. Get your money’s worth at the weekend seafood dinner ($118), where the ice bar is stocked with a sprawl of fresh seafood: snow crab, langoustines, clams, mussels, prawns, and more. The sashimi station is lined with sweet slices of salmon, tuna, amberjack and tsubugai (sea whelk). And the seafood night special sees succulent grilled octopus paid with gula Melaka, tamarind and salsa crudo.

Housed in a historic black and white house along Upper East Coast Road, Hua Yu Wee is big on the nostalgia factor. The zi char restaurant hasn't moved from its original location since the 1970s and continues to produce exceptional Chinese dishes at affordable prices. Crabs are priced around $78.48 for 800 grams and its version of chilli crab is milder than most and heavier on the tomatoes rather than the spice factor. Keen to dial up the spice? Order the black pepper crab instead. Other unmissable dishes include drunken prawns (from $20.71) and coffee pork ribs (from $19.62). Do note that longer preparation times are pretty common during peak hours, but that's the trade-off for dining in this historic establishment.

One of the more prominent farm-to-table concepts around, Scaled showcases the range of seafood produced by Ah Hua Kelong – one of the few remaining local fish farms in Singapore. Now located in Jalan Besar, the restaurant brings in the freshest catches of green-lipped mussel, seabass, pearl grouper, golden pomfret and more. The star dish? Plump and succulent mussels (from $11) drenched in homemade curry and paired with golden-brown pillowy mantou. The smoked seabass pate ($16) is equally popular, featuring caramelised onions, olive greens, pickled garlic shoots, and sourdough bread. And while Scaled isn’t an Italian restaurant, it whips up a pretty mean prawn dashi aglio olio ($32) with fried prawn heads, roasted prawns, and prawn stock for a deeper, more robust flavour.

Roland Restaurant has been around since the 50s, and their claim to fame? That they are the original creators of Singapore’s chilli crab. Roland Lim took over the famed chilli crab recipe from his mother — Cher Yam Tian herself. It's quite an unassuming restaurant though, located in a HDB carpark in Marine Parade. But try the original recipe here – it differs a tad bit from chilli crab dishes we see nowadays, as they use an eggless gravy with no added sambal. It’s cooked with large crabs (seasonal price), and you know the drill by now, fried buns are a must. You can choose to add these on for $0.60 per piece. On top of the crab dish, you can also sample Roland's specialty fried rice (from $16) and the famed homemade chilli sauce ($4.80). 

Fun fact: this vibey seafood restaurant and wine bar in Bukit Pasoh was the backdrop for one of the scenes in Crazy Rich Asians. Take your pick between Summerstone, Blue Pool, Hammersley Inlet and Eld Inlet oysters ($8 per piece). And if $8 a pop’s too much of a splurge, the oyster happy hour runs all day on Mondays and public holidays, and till 7pm from Wednesday to Sunday, where one piece goes at $4. Besides oysters, the restaurant is also known for its seafood-forward plates, like the applewood-smoked hamachi pastrami tostada ($14) with pickled mustard sour cream; or house-cured swordfish belly bacon ($32) tossed with ricotta cavatelli. Make sure to head down with friends – the menu is specially designed to be shared.

Keng Eng Kee in Bukit Merah is one of the more well-known seafood and zi char restaurants around. If you’re here for crabs, be sure to make a reservation in advance since it’s typically sold out for walk-ins. The chilli crab (market price of around $100 per kilogram) is popular with the regulars, served with a thick chilli gravy that’s on the milder side for a less accustomed palate – think a slightly more watery, eggy and sweet sauce. Make sure to grab some steamed mantou to sop up all that gravy. And while KEK manages its seafood fare with aplomb, the brand is also known for its range of zi char dishes, with highlights like moonlight hor fun (from $7.80) and coffee pork ribs (from $15.80).

Greenwood Fish Market has been known as a mainstay joint for fresh seafood since it opened in 2003. Its two outlets – at Bukit Timah and Quayside Isle – boast comprehensive oyster selections that showcase the best of Australian, Ireland, Canada, France and the US. Try the Australian Coffin Bay ($5.95 per piece) for clean, crisp and sweet flavours, or the French Fine de Claire ($4.95 per piece) for a more delicate profile. You can also order the cold seafood platter ($109.95) to share – freshly shucked oysters make an appearance along with a range of other cold seafood. With half a Boston lobster, clams, mussels, prawns, cold smoked salmon and swordfish with furikake, this easily feeds up to four diners.

This Bib Gourmand awardee is best known for its wok-kissed dishes and its long list of celebrity chef fans, of which chefs Justin Quek, Andrew Walsh, and Jason Tan are among the star-studded list. Like them, the crowds keep coming back for unbeatable zi char dishes, like its killer rendition of white pepper crab (market price). This dish is only slightly spicy to let the natural sweetness of the crustacean shine. Make sure to order a plate of the san lou bee hoon (from $8) to accompany the seafood feast. It appears simple, but this humble plate of charred seafood noodles resembling a pancake is actually one of the joint’s star dishes.