# Zi Char in Tanjong Pagar

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: 71
- Matched to a government licence/register: 4
- Median years in business: 12

## 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)
- [SABAR Singapore](https://lookup.sg/biz/sabar-singapore), Tanjong Pagar · 100 Tras St #03-14 · 3 min walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT
- [Guo Fu Hotpot](https://lookup.sg/biz/guo-fu-hotpot), Tanjong Pagar · 7 Wallich St #02 - 01 Guoco Tower · 1 min walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT
- [Mouth Restaurant](https://lookup.sg/biz/mouth-restaurant), Tanjong Pagar · 38 Maxwell Rd #01-01/02 Air View Building · 3 min walk from Maxwell MRT
- [Humpback](https://lookup.sg/biz/humpback), Tanjong Pagar · 18-20 Bukit Pasoh Rd · 2 min walk from Outram Park MRT
- [Marcy's](https://lookup.sg/biz/marcys), Tanjong Pagar · 39-40 Duxton Rd · 2 min walk from Maxwell MRT
- [Yellow Pot](https://lookup.sg/biz/yellow-pot), Tanjong Pagar · 83 Duxton Rd, Duxton Reserve · 2 min walk from Maxwell MRT
- [Element Restaurant](https://lookup.sg/biz/element-restaurant), Tanjong Pagar · 165 Tg Pagar Rd, Level One Amara Singapore · 3 min walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT
- [The Oyster Bank](https://lookup.sg/biz/the-oyster-bank), Tanjong Pagar · 39 Tg Pagar Rd, #01-02 · 2 min walk from Maxwell MRT
- [Old Chang Kee](https://lookup.sg/biz/old-chang-kee-tanjong-pagar), Tanjong Pagar · Amara Singapore, 165 Tg Pagar Rd, Singapore 088539, Singapore · 3 min walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT
- [Chef Lam’s Sichuan Cuisine | 兰堂川菜](https://lookup.sg/biz/chef-lams-sichuan-cuisine), Tanjong Pagar · 5 Wallich St, #01 - 13 · 1 min walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT
- [Xǐ Yàn](https://lookup.sg/biz/xi-yan-tanjong-pagar), Tanjong Pagar · #01-15/17 Maxwell Chambers · 1 min walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT
- [Mott 32 Singapore](https://lookup.sg/biz/mott-32-singapore), Tanjong Pagar · 1-42/43/44, Galleria Level, The Shoppes · 1 min walk from Shenton Way MRT
- [Tao Seafood Asia](https://lookup.sg/biz/tao-seafood-asia), Tanjong Pagar · 12 Marina View, Asia Square Tower 2 · 1 min walk from Shenton Way MRT · SFA licensed · registered 2013
- [Kia Hiang Restaurant](https://lookup.sg/biz/kia-hiang-restaurant), Tanjong Pagar · 10 Anson Rd, #02-29 International Plaza · 1 min walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT · registered 1977
- [Ya Ge](https://lookup.sg/biz/ya-ge), Tanjong Pagar · 1 Tras Link, Level 3 Orchid Hotel Singapore · 2 min walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT · registered 1983
- [Peony Jade](https://lookup.sg/biz/peony-jade), Tanjong Pagar · 165 Tg Pagar Rd, #2F AMARA Singapore · 3 min walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT · registered 2003
- [Jia Yuen Eating House](https://lookup.sg/biz/jia-yuen-eating-house), Tanjong Pagar · 120 Maxwell Rd, B1-29/49 MRT Station (EW15 · 1 min walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT · registered 1994
- [Salmon Samurai](https://lookup.sg/biz/salmon-samurai-tanjong-pagar), Tanjong Pagar · 100 Tras Street, 01-11 100AM · 3 min walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT · registered 2014
- [Gattopardo Ristorante Di Mare](https://lookup.sg/biz/gattopardo-ristorante-di-mare), Tanjong Pagar · 34 Tras St · 3 min walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT · SFA licensed
- [Mellben Signature - Tanjong Pagar](https://lookup.sg/biz/mellben-signature-tanjong-pagar), Tanjong Pagar · 7 Tanjong Pagar Plz, #01-105 · 3 min walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT · SFA licensed
- [MYO restobar](https://lookup.sg/biz/myo-restobar), Tanjong Pagar · 138 Robinson Road Oxley Tower Lobby 1, #19-01 · 2 min walk from Shenton Way MRT · registered 2017
- [Yi Ho Eating House (億和餐室）- Tanjong Pagar](https://lookup.sg/biz/yi-ho-eating-house-tanjong-pagar), Tanjong Pagar · 1 Tanjong Pagar Plz, #02-04/05 · 3 min walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT · SFA licensed
- [Friends Kitchen HK 朋友小廚](https://lookup.sg/biz/friends-kitchen-hk), Tanjong Pagar · 78 Neil Rd · 1 min walk from Maxwell MRT · registered 2022
- [Shin Terroir](https://lookup.sg/biz/shin-terroir), Tanjong Pagar · 80 Tras St, #01-03 · 2 min walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT · registered 2023
- [Spicy Moment](https://lookup.sg/biz/spicy-moment), Tanjong Pagar · 5 Duxton Hl · 1 min walk from Maxwell MRT · registered 2023
- [City Hot Pot](https://lookup.sg/biz/city-hot-pot-tanjong-pagar), Tanjong Pagar · 7 Wallich St, B1 - 04 / 05 Guoco Tower · 1 min walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT
- [Outram Park Ya Hua Rou Gu Cha](https://lookup.sg/biz/outram-park-ya-hua-rou-gu-cha), Tanjong Pagar · 7 Keppel Rd, #01-05/07 PSA · 5 min walk from Cc32 MRT
- [Chengdu Restaurant](https://lookup.sg/biz/chengdu-restaurant), Tanjong Pagar · 57 Amoy St · 3 min walk from Maxwell MRT
- [Hoo Kee Rice Dumpling](https://lookup.sg/biz/hoo-kee-rice-dumpling), Tanjong Pagar · Amoy Street, 7 Maxwell Rd, #01-18 Food Centre · 2 min walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT
- [Hua Yi Dumpling](https://lookup.sg/biz/hua-yi-dumpling), Tanjong Pagar · 1 Tras Link, #01-13 Orchid Hotel Singapore · 2 min walk from Tanjong Pagar 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.