# Zi Char in Little India

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: 13
- Matched to a government licence/register: 1

## 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 13)
- [Yong Kee Seafood Restaurant](https://lookup.sg/biz/yong-kee-seafood-restaurant), Little India · 43 Jln Besar · 1 min walk from Jalan Besar MRT · SFA licensed
- [Hot Spot Cafe Restaurant](https://lookup.sg/biz/hot-spot-cafe-restaurant), Little India · 175 Bencoolen St · 1 min walk from Rochor MRT
- [Tan Xiang Yuan](https://lookup.sg/biz/tan-xiang-yuan), Little India · 1 Dickson Rd · 1 min walk from Jalan Besar MRT
- [Taste Good](https://lookup.sg/biz/taste-good), Little India · 1 Rochor Canal Rd, #02-04/06 Sim Lim Square · 1 min walk from Rochor MRT
- [那些年烤吧](https://lookup.sg/biz/business-little-india), Little India · Campus 1A, 1A Short St · 3 min walk from Rochor MRT
- [Nanyang Culinary Club 南洋餐室](https://lookup.sg/biz/nanyang-culinary-club), Little India · 8 Perak Road · 1 min walk from Rochor MRT
- [Liu Ji Ma La Tang 刘记麻辣烫 ma la xiang guo 麻辣香锅](https://lookup.sg/biz/liu-ji-ma-la-tang-ma-la-xiang-guo), Little India · Bencoolen St, 175号, Burlington Square, #01-55 · 1 min walk from Rochor MRT
- [crabcrabyou](https://lookup.sg/biz/crabcrabyou), Little India · 180 Albert St, #01-09 Village Hotel Albert Court · 2 min walk from Rochor MRT
- [Ah Tee Ko Ko Mee](https://lookup.sg/biz/ah-tee-ko-ko-mee-little-india), Little India · 49 Jln Besar · 1 min walk from Jalan Besar MRT
- [Canton Recipes House](https://lookup.sg/biz/canton-recipes-house), Little India · 175 Albert St · 2 min walk from Rochor MRT
- [Onepot](https://lookup.sg/biz/onepot), Little India · 7 Dunlop St · 1 min walk from Rochor MRT
- [Ga Wei Chinese Cuisine](https://lookup.sg/biz/ga-wei-chinese-cuisine), Little India · 8 Perak Rd · 1 min walk from Rochor MRT
- [荣记海鲜火锅菜馆](https://lookup.sg/biz/business-31), Little India · upper dickson road · 1 min walk from Jalan Besar MRT

## 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.