# Zi Char in Queenstown

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: 85
- Matched to a government licence/register: 5
- 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)
- [Peach Garden](https://lookup.sg/biz/peach-garden-buona-vista), Buona Vista · 9 N Buona Vista Dr #02-02 The Metropolis · 1 min walk from Buona Vista MRT · SFA licensed · registered 2002
- [Canton Paradise 樂天小香港 at The Star Vista](https://lookup.sg/biz/canton-paradise-at-the-star-vista), Buona Vista · 1 Vista Exchange Green #B1-45 The Star Vista · 3 min walk from Buona Vista MRT · SFA licensed
- [Crystal Jade Hong Kong Kitchen (Holland Village)](https://lookup.sg/biz/crystal-jade-hong-kong-kitchen-holland-village), Holland Village · 2 Lor Mambong · 1 min walk from Holland Village MRT · SFA licensed
- [Hong Kong Street Old Chun Kee](https://lookup.sg/biz/hong-kong-street-old-chun-kee), Queenstown · 117 Commonwealth Dr · 6 min walk from Commonwealth MRT · registered 2015
- [Wok Master Express](https://lookup.sg/biz/wok-master-express), Queenstown · 60 Pasir Panjang Rd · 5 min walk from Labrador Park MRT · registered 2020
- [Beauty in The Pot](https://lookup.sg/biz/beauty-in-the-pot), Buona Vista · 1 Vista Exchange Green #02-24 · 3 min walk from Buona Vista MRT
- [Shi Li Fang Hot Pot](https://lookup.sg/biz/shi-li-fang-hot-pot), Buona Vista · 1 Vista Exchange Green #02-09 · 3 min walk from Buona Vista MRT
- [The Boiler](https://lookup.sg/biz/the-boiler), Buona Vista · 1 N Buona Vista Link, #01-03 Elementum · 3 min walk from Buona Vista MRT
- [Canton Paradise](https://lookup.sg/biz/canton-paradise), Queenstown · 460 Alexandra Rd, #02 - 30 · 2 min walk from Labrador Park MRT · SFA licensed · registered 2010
- [Master Crab Seafood Restaurant](https://lookup.sg/biz/master-crab-seafood-restaurant), Buona Vista · 19 Ghim Moh Rd · 7 min walk from Buona Vista MRT · registered 2007
- [Segar Restaurant](https://lookup.sg/biz/segar-restaurant), Buona Vista · The Star, 1 Vista Exchange Grn · 3 min walk from Buona Vista MRT · registered 2005
- [Ah Pang Steamboat Seafood](https://lookup.sg/biz/ah-pang-steamboat-seafood), Queenstown · 159 Mei Chin Rd, #02-21 Food Center · 5 min walk from Queenstown MRT · registered 2010
- [Guest La Mien](https://lookup.sg/biz/guest-la-mien), Queenstown · Innovis, 2 Fusionopolis Way · 3 min walk from One-North MRT · registered 2010
- [Dover Village XO Fish Head Bee Hoon](https://lookup.sg/biz/dover-village-xo-fish-head-bee-hoon), Queenstown · 5 Dover Cres, Block 5 · 9 min walk from One-North MRT · registered 2013
- [Rong Hua Bak Kut Teh](https://lookup.sg/biz/rong-hua-bak-kut-teh), Queenstown · Connexis, 1 Fusionopolis Way · 1 min walk from One-North MRT · registered 2014
- [Hong Kong Kitchen](https://lookup.sg/biz/hong-kong-kitchen), Queenstown · 24 Clementi Rd · 22 min walk from Kent Ridge MRT · SFA licensed
- [Chen's Mapo Tofu](https://lookup.sg/biz/chens-mapo-tofu), Buona Vista · 1 Vista Exchange Grn, #02-08 The Star Vista · 3 min walk from Buona Vista MRT · registered 2017
- [Wok Palace](https://lookup.sg/biz/wok-palace), Queenstown · 1 Fusionopolis Wy, #02-01/02 Connexis · 1 min walk from One-North MRT · registered 2019
- [Imperial Sky Pavilion 御天阁](https://lookup.sg/biz/imperial-sky-pavilion), Queenstown · 2 Boon Leat Terrace, Harbourside Building 2, 2 Boon Leat Terrace, #01-01 · 6 min walk from Pasir Panjang MRT · registered 2024
- [New Lucky Claypot Rice](https://lookup.sg/biz/new-lucky-claypot-rice), Buona Vista · 44 Holland Dr, #02-19, Holland Drive Market & Food Center, 44 Holland Dr · 4 min walk from Buona Vista MRT
- [Crystal Jade Hong Kong Kitchen (One Holland Village)](https://lookup.sg/biz/crystal-jade-hong-kong-kitchen-one-holland-village), Holland Village · 7 Holland Vlg Wy, #02-28/30 · 3 min walk from Holland Village MRT
- [Lao Huo Tang](https://lookup.sg/biz/lao-huo-tang-buona-vista), Buona Vista · 1 Vista Exchange Grn, #B1-31A The Star Vista · 4 min walk from Buona Vista MRT
- [Ming Kitchen Seafood Restaurant](https://lookup.sg/biz/ming-kitchen-seafood-restaurant), Holland Village · 40 Holland Dr · 3 min walk from Holland Village MRT
- [Stirling Seafood](https://lookup.sg/biz/stirling-seafood), Queenstown · 169 Stirling Rd · 6 min walk from Queenstown MRT
- [Chuan Kee Boneless Braised Duck](https://lookup.sg/biz/chuan-kee-boneless-braised-duck), Buona Vista · 20 Ghim Moh Rd, #01-04 · 7 min walk from Buona Vista MRT
- [The Scholar](https://lookup.sg/biz/the-scholar), Queenstown · NUS (Shaw Foundation Alumni House), 11 Kent Ridge Dr · 16 min walk from Kent Ridge MRT
- [Ru Ji Kitchen 如记小厨 (Main)](https://lookup.sg/biz/ru-ji-kitchen-main), Buona Vista · Holland Drive #02-28/29, #44 Market & Food Centre · 3 min walk from Buona Vista MRT
- [新山顺发肉骨茶](https://lookup.sg/biz/business-138565), Queenstown · Alice @ Mediapolis, 29 Media Cir · 11 min walk from One-North MRT
- [Meng Kee Seafood](https://lookup.sg/biz/meng-kee-seafood), Queenstown · 121 Pasir Panjang Rd, #01-30/31 · 1 min walk from Pasir Panjang MRT
- [Hong Kee Porridge](https://lookup.sg/biz/hong-kee-porridge), Holland Village · 31 Commonwealth Cres, #02-89 · 7 min walk from Commonwealth 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.