# Zi Char in Bukit Merah

Zi char stalls cook Chinese dishes to order for sharing, mostly in coffeeshops and hawker centres where prices are nett. Seafood such as chilli crab is often priced by weight at 'market price' – ask for the per-kg rate and the weight before it is cooked. Each stall holds its own SFA licence and SAFE grade.

## Key facts
- Listings: 169
- Matched to a government licence/register: 14
- Median years in business: 13

## Licences
- **Food Shop Licence (SFA)** (Singapore Food Agency (SFA), required): Every restaurant, cafe, bakery, stall and food court outlet selling food to the public must be licensed by SFA. Since 19 Jan 2026 the licence carries a SAFE grade (A, B, C or NEW) based on the outlet's food-safety track record; scan the QR code on the displayed licence to see it. Check: https://go.gov.sg/sfa-track-records

## How to choose
- Ask for the per-kg price and the actual weight of crabs, lobster or fish before cooking; 'seasonal price' disputes are a common complaint.
- Order dish sizes (small/medium/large) to match the group – a small usually serves two to three.
- Check the stall's own SFA licence and SAFE grade; the coffeeshop and each stall are licensed separately.
- Coffeeshop zi char is usually nett; seafood restaurants in air-conditioned premises often charge "++".
- Return trays and crockery or leave them at the stall as instructed – table-littering rules apply in coffeeshops too.

## Red flags
- Seafood priced as 'market price' without a stated per-kg rate.
- Refusal to show the live weight of crab or fish before cooking.

## Listings (top 30)
- [San Laksa Steamboat](https://lookup.sg/biz/san-laksa-steamboat-bukit-merah), Bukit Merah · 404 Telok Blangah Rd · 6 min walk from Telok Blangah MRT · SFA licensed · registered 2007
- [Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh](https://lookup.sg/biz/ya-hua-bak-kut-teh), Tiong Bahru · 593 Havelock Rd, #01-01/02 · 2 min walk from Havelock MRT · SFA licensed · registered 2011
- [Xin Cuisine Chinese Restaurant](https://lookup.sg/biz/xin-cuisine-chinese-restaurant), Tiong Bahru · Outram Rd, Level 4 · 1 min walk from Havelock MRT · registered 1990
- [Paradise Teochew Restaurant](https://lookup.sg/biz/paradise-teochew-restaurant), HarbourFront · VivoCity 1 Harbourfront Walk #01-53 · 3 min walk from Harbourfront MRT · registered 2011
- [Dancing Crab](https://lookup.sg/biz/dancing-crab), HarbourFront · 1 HarbourFront Walk, #03-10 VivoCity · 2 min walk from Harbourfront MRT · registered 2014
- [Summer Garden](https://lookup.sg/biz/summer-garden), Bukit Merah · 2 Telok Blangah Wy, #02-05 SAFRA Mount Faber Club · 14 min walk from Telok Blangah MRT · SFA licensed
- [Lower Delta Seafood Chuan Kee Seafood](https://lookup.sg/biz/lower-delta-seafood-chuan-kee-seafood), Bukit Merah · 1091A Lower Delta Rd · 8 min walk from Tiong Bahru MRT
- [Por Kee Eating House](https://lookup.sg/biz/por-kee-eating-house), Tiong Bahru · 69 Seng Poh Ln #01-02 · 4 min walk from Havelock MRT
- [波记海鲜酒楼@Tiong Bahru](https://lookup.sg/biz/tiong-bahru), Tiong Bahru · 30 Seng Poh Rd #02-58 Food Centre · 4 min walk from Havelock MRT
- [Putien](https://lookup.sg/biz/putien), HarbourFront · 1 HarbourFront Walk, #02 - 131 / 132 VivoCity · 2 min walk from Harbourfront MRT
- [Nude Seafood](https://lookup.sg/biz/nude-seafood), Bukit Merah · 725 Havelock Rd · 4 min walk from Tiong Bahru MRT
- [肥嫂釀豆腐](https://lookup.sg/biz/business-168871), Bukit Merah · Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home (Silat), 148A Silat Ave · 8 min walk from Cc31 MRT
- [No. 3 Crab Delicacy Seafood](https://lookup.sg/biz/no-3-crab-delicacy-seafood), Tiong Bahru · 265 Outram Rd · 2 min walk from Havelock MRT
- [Feng Xiang Bah Kut Teh (豐香)](https://lookup.sg/biz/feng-xiang-bah-kut-teh), HarbourFront · #03-01, VivoCity (Level 3), 1 HarbourFront Walk · 1 min walk from Harbourfront MRT
- [A-One Claypot House](https://lookup.sg/biz/a-one-claypot-house), HarbourFront · Vivocity, 1 Harbourfront Walk · 1 min walk from Harbourfront MRT
- [Mr Hainan VivoCity 海南先生](https://lookup.sg/biz/mr-hainan-vivocity), HarbourFront · 1 HarbourFront Walk, #02-116 VivoCity · 2 min walk from Harbourfront MRT
- [Mala Mala](https://lookup.sg/biz/mala-mala), HarbourFront · 1 HarbourFront Walk, #03-01R5 in Food Republic) Vivo City · 1 min walk from Harbourfront MRT
- [Food Republic](https://lookup.sg/biz/food-republic-harbourfront), HarbourFront · Vivocity, 1 Harbourfront Walk · 1 min walk from Harbourfront MRT · SFA licensed · registered 2005
- [Zi Yean Restaurant](https://lookup.sg/biz/zi-yean-restaurant), Bukit Merah · 56 Lengkok Bahru, #01-443 · 4 min walk from Redhill MRT · SFA licensed · registered 1985
- [Sin Hoi Sai Seafood Restaurant](https://lookup.sg/biz/sin-hoi-sai-seafood-restaurant), Tiong Bahru · 55 Tiong Bahru Rd, #01-59 · 3 min walk from Havelock MRT · SFA licensed · registered 2007
- [Paradise Dynasty](https://lookup.sg/biz/paradise-dynasty-harbourfront), HarbourFront · 1 HarbourFront Walk, #02-128 / 130 · 2 min walk from Harbourfront MRT · SFA licensed · registered 2010
- [Hoo Kee Bak Chang](https://lookup.sg/biz/hoo-kee-bak-chang), Bukit Merah · 161 Bukit Merah Central · 8 min walk from Redhill MRT · SFA licensed · registered 2010
- [Chang Cheng Mee Wah](https://lookup.sg/biz/chang-cheng-mee-wah), Bukit Merah · 12 Telok Blangah Cr · 16 min walk from Harbourfront MRT · SFA licensed · registered 2011
- [Dong Sheng Eating House](https://lookup.sg/biz/dong-sheng-eating-house), Bukit Merah · Block 38 Beo Cres, #01-42 · 3 min walk from Tiong Bahru MRT · SFA licensed · registered 2016
- [Ah Orh Seafood Restaurant](https://lookup.sg/biz/ah-orh-seafood-restaurant), Bukit Merah · 115 Jalan Bukit Merah, #01-1627 · 7 min walk from Tiong Bahru MRT · registered 1995
- [Tian Tian Seafood Restaurant](https://lookup.sg/biz/tian-tian-seafood-restaurant), Tiong Bahru · 239 Outram Rd · 3 min walk from Havelock MRT · registered 1996
- [Sin Thor Eunos Bak Kut Teh](https://lookup.sg/biz/sin-thor-eunos-bak-kut-teh), Bukit Merah · 6 Jalan Bukit Merah, #01-111 · 10 min walk from Queenstown MRT · registered 2006
- [Tiong Bahru Lien Fa Shui Jing Pau](https://lookup.sg/biz/tiong-bahru-lien-fa-shui-jing-pau), Bukit Merah · 120 Bukit Merah Lane 1, #01-10 · 11 min walk from Queenstown MRT · registered 2004
- [Lao Beijing](https://lookup.sg/biz/lao-beijing), Tiong Bahru · 302 Tiong Bahru Rd · 1 min walk from Tiong Bahru MRT · registered 2002
- [No Signboard Seafood 无招牌海鲜](https://lookup.sg/biz/no-signboard-seafood), HarbourFront · #03-02, VivoCity, 1 Harbourfront Walk · 2 min walk from Harbourfront MRT · SFA licensed · registered 2023

## FAQs
### Why is chilli crab priced by market price?
Crab, lobster and live fish prices change with supply, so restaurants quote a per-kg 'seasonal' or 'market' price. Always ask for the current per-kg rate and the weight of the actual crab before it is cooked, and get the total confirmed – this avoids disputes when the bill arrives.

### What happened to the A, B, C, D hygiene grades in Singapore?
From 19 January 2026 SFA replaced the annual A–D hygiene grade with the SAFE framework. Outlets now get A (more than three years with no major lapse), B (one to three years), NEW (operating under a year) or C (a court conviction for a food-safety offence or a licence suspension under the demerit-points system). Scan the QR code on the SFA licence at the counter to see the current grade.

## Sources
- SFA – New Safety Assurance for Food Establishment (SAFE) framework: https://www.sfa.gov.sg/news-publications/newsroom/new-safety-assurance-for-food-establishment--safe--framework--to-strengthen-food-safety
- NEA – Stepped-up enforcement against table littering from 1 June 2023: https://www.nea.gov.sg/media/news/advisories/index/stepped-up-enforcement-against-table-littering-from-1-june-2023

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Source: Lookup (https://lookup.sg) · Data as of October 2026 · Listings compiled from Singapore government open data (data.gov.sg), OneMap and Overture Maps places. Free listings never show contact details; featured listings are labelled.