17 Best Seafood Restaurants in Singapore: Crab, Oysters & the Day's Real Prices (2026)

Seafood in Singapore runs from a $2 happy-hour oyster shucked at a Chinatown bar to a $149 Cajun boil tipped straight onto your table, so the right pick depends on the night: chilli crab for a family reunion, a quiet oyster hour after work, or a hands-on boil for a group. Here are 17 restaurants worth booking, each with its area, a current price and the one thing it does best. We checked every outlet and price in August 2026. Live crab is sold at the day's market rate, usually somewhere between $70 and $150 a kilo depending on the season, so ask the rate before you order rather than read it off an old menu.

How we chose: we started from the seafood names Singaporeans actually book for a crab dinner, an oyster hour or a group boil, then checked each against its own listings in August 2026: which outlets are still open, what the signature costs today, and what each does better than the room next door. We dropped closed outlets, flagged the two East Coast Seafood Centre names caught in the NParks redevelopment, and ranked by how well each suits its occasion, not by how loud the name is. Live-crab prices move with supply, so we give the market-rate reality rather than a fake fixed figure.

In a hurry? Our quick picks

• Best-value chilli crab: Roland Restaurant, the family that lays claim to the 1956 original, at a set two-crab price.
• Cheapest seafood fix: Humpback's $2 happy-hour oysters or Greenwood's Oyster Tuesdays.
• Heartland crab dinner: Mellben's claypot crab bee hoon soup or Uncle Leong, cheaper and quieter than the waterfront.
• Group boil: The Boiler or Dancing Crab, tipped straight onto the table.

At a glance

Restaurant	Area	Signature	Style
The Boiler	Buona Vista / Esplanade	Bag ~$149	Cajun boil
JUMBO Seafood	Dempsey & islandwide	Market rate	Chilli crab
Greenwood Fish Market	Bukit Timah / Sentosa	Oysters from ~$2.50	Fish market
Humpback	Outram	Oysters, $2 happy hour	Oyster bar
The Naked Finn	Gillman Barracks	Set ~$138	Sustainable
Long Beach Seafood	Dempsey & islandwide	Market rate	Black pepper crab
Palm Beach Seafood	Marina Bay	Market rate	Chilli crab, waterfront
Roland Restaurant	Marine Parade	Two-crab ~$78	Chilli crab (1956)
No Signboard Seafood	Geylang	Market rate	White pepper crab
Dancing Crab	Orchard & malls	From ~$118++	Cajun boil
Uncle Leong Seafood	Toa Payoh & heartland	Market rate	Shimmering Sand Crab
Mellben Seafood	Ang Mo Kio	~$70/kg	Claypot crab bee hoon
TungLok Seafood	Gardens by the Bay	Market rate	Chilli crab, orange-tomato
Nude Seafood	Marina One, CBD	Mains ~$20–27	Port-to-plate
Red House Seafood	Clarke Quay	Market rate	Chilli crab, since 1976
Yaowarat Seafood	Boon Keng	Claypot crab ~$60	Thai-Chinese
Crab at Bay	MacPherson	Two crabs ~$48++	Crab bee hoon

1. The Boiler — Buona Vista

Photo: Google Maps

The Boiler cooks live crab, prawns and lobster in bold Cajun sauces, an idea the owner brought back from a food trip to Los Angeles. You pick the seafood and the sauce, it arrives in a bag, and you eat it hands-on. It runs two outlets, the bayside Esplanade Mall branch and a Buona Vista spot at Elementum.

• Go for: the Bombdiggity Bag, the loaded mixed boil, split across a group. Pick your heat and let the table dig in with gloves on.
• Worth it: the pick for a hands-on group night when you want mess and volume over finesse. Best value when several of you share one big bag rather than order singly.
• Where: Elementum, Buona Vista, and Esplanade Mall.

2. JUMBO Seafood — Dempsey & islandwide

Photo: Google Maps

JUMBO has been the safe booking for a group crab dinner since 1987, known for its chilli crab, black pepper crab and crispy baby squid. One thing to plan around: the original East Coast Seafood Centre flagship, where the brand started, closes when its lease ends on 30 September 2026, as NParks redevelops the whole seafood centre. Book one of the other outlets at Dempsey, ION Orchard, Jewel, Riverside Point or Riverwalk instead.

• Go for: the chilli crab with fried mantou to mop the gravy, plus the crispy baby squid. Book ahead for a weekend group table.
• Worth it: the reliable, no-argument choice when you are hosting and want a crab dinner that always lands. You pay for the brand and the booking ease, and it delivers on both.
• Where: Dempsey, ION Orchard, Jewel, Riverside Point and Riverwalk (East Coast flagship closes 30 Sep 2026).

3. Greenwood Fish Market — Bukit Timah

Photo: Google Maps

Greenwood has served honest, fresh fish for over a decade, with a retail counter of the day's catch next to the tables. The Bukit Timah original is quiet and good for a date; the Sentosa Cove outlet at Quayside Isle sits on the water. Time it for Oyster Tuesdays for a discounted shuck from about $2.50 apiece.

• Go for: a dozen off the Oyster Tuesday list, or a whole fish off the retail counter cooked to order. The specials boards are where the value sits.
• Worth it: the smart call for a relaxed date or a fish-forward meal rather than a crab blowout, and a genuine bargain if you time the oyster night.
• Where: Bukit Timah (Greenwood Ave) and Sentosa Cove (Quayside Isle).

4. Humpback — Outram

Photo: Google Maps

Humpback is the spot for affordable oysters near Outram MRT, with a rotating list sourced mostly from Hama Hama in Washington State and a happy-hour price from $2 a piece. The kitchen does inventive small plates around them. It marked ten years in 2026, so it has had time to get the oyster list right. Happy hour runs all day Mondays and public holidays, and until 7pm the rest of the week.

• Go for: a run of happy-hour oysters, then a couple of the seasonal small plates. The Hama Hama oysters are the house strength.
• Worth it: the best-value way to eat good oysters in town if you time the happy hour, and a proper after-work spot rather than a big-group crab hall.
• Where: Bukit Pasoh Road, Outram.

5. The Naked Finn — Gillman Barracks

Photo: Google Maps

The Naked Finn keeps things pared back in a small space, sourcing from smaller fisheries that focus on non-mainstream species. Dishes are cooked simply, like squid with just oil and salt, and it is known for its prawn noodles and lobster rolls. Closed Sundays and Mondays, so plan the visit for a weeknight or Saturday.

• Go for: the prawn noodles and the lobster roll, or the tasting set if you want the kitchen to steer. The simple cooking is the point, so trust the daily catch.
• Worth it: the choice when the sourcing and the species matter more than a big spread. A considered meal rather than a cheap one, so come for the quality, not the volume.
• Where: Gillman Barracks, Malan Road.

6. Long Beach Seafood — Dempsey & islandwide

Photo: Google Maps

Long Beach is a family-run chain tracing back to a Bedok resthouse in the 1940s, and it says it created the black pepper crab. The Dempsey, Robertson Quay and IMM outlets carry on as usual. Its East Coast Seafood Centre branch closes with the redevelopment and is relocating to Coastal PlayGrove in East Coast Park, expected to reopen around September 2026, so check which East Coast address is live before you head down.

• Go for: the black pepper crab, the dish the house stakes its name on, with the peppery heat that made it famous. The tanks cover the rest of the table too.
• Worth it: the one to book when black pepper, not chilli, is what the table wants, from a name with a real claim to the original. Check the live East Coast address first if you are heading east.
• Where: Dempsey, Robertson Quay and IMM (East Coast relocating to Coastal PlayGrove ~Sep 2026).

7. Palm Beach Seafood — Marina Bay

Photo: Google Maps

Palm Beach has served its chilli crab, black pepper crab and Coco-Lobo for more than six decades, now from a waterfront spot at One Fullerton looking across to Marina Bay. The chilli crab is the draw and the view makes it a place to bring visitors. There are non-crab options too, from abalone to lobster.

• Go for: the chilli crab with the Marina Bay skyline behind it, plus the Coco-Lobo if you are splashing out. Book a window-side table at dinner.
• Worth it: the pick when the view is half the meal, so it earns its price for hosting visitors or a special night. For everyday crab, a heartland name is easier on the bill.
• Where: One Fullerton, Marina Bay.

8. Roland Restaurant — Marine Parade

Photo: Google Maps

Roland is a Marine Parade institution that lays claim to inventing chilli crab in 1956, printed right on the menu, and its thinner, tangier, less-sweet gravy is the reason regulars keep coming. You will find it up on the sixth floor of the multi-storey car park beside Parkway Parade. Order the chilli crab with fried mantou, and look at the chilled lobster and grilled squid too.

• Go for: the chilli crab with fried mantou, in that thinner, tangier gravy, plus the chilled lobster. The two-crab set is the sensible order for a small group.
• Worth it: the value call among the pedigree chilli-crab names, with a fixed set price rather than pure market rate. The smart pick when you want the classic without the waterfront markup.
• Where: 89 Marine Parade Central, sixth floor of the car park by Parkway Parade.

9. No Signboard Seafood — Geylang

Photo: Google Maps

No Signboard grew from a 1970s hawker stall in Mattar Road that had no signboard and a long queue, and Madam Ong is widely credited with the white pepper crab. That peppery, less-sweet crab is still the dish to order over the more familiar chilli version. The original Geylang shophouse stays open past midnight if you want a late supper, with The Central at Clarke Quay as the second outlet.

• Go for: the white pepper crab, the house original, drier and peppier than chilli crab. It is the reason to come here over a chilli-crab name.
• Worth it: the one to know for white pepper crab and a genuine late-night crab supper in Geylang, well past when the waterfront names have closed.
• Where: Geylang Road (original) and The Central at Clarke Quay.

10. Dancing Crab — Orchard & malls

Photo: Google Maps

Dancing Crab does a no-frills, American-style seafood boil where crab, prawns and mussels are tipped straight onto your paper-lined table. The combos let a group share and keep the price sensible; the live-crab set bundles crab, prawns, clams and scallops in a mild Cajun sauce. Good fun for a hands-on family meal in a mall.

• Go for: the live-crab combo, poured onto the table, shared across the group with gloves and bibs on. The set combos are the value play.
• Worth it: the easy choice for a hands-on family or group meal in a mall, with a set price that is easier to plan around than market-rate crab.
• Where: Orchard Central, VivoCity and Northshore Plaza.

11. Uncle Leong Seafood — Toa Payoh & heartland

Photo: Google Maps

Uncle Leong grew into a full seafood restaurant with heartland outlets in Toa Payoh, Punggol and Kaki Bukit. Its Shimmering Sand Crab, served in a sparkling sand-crab shell with a sprinkle of oats, has drawn regulars since 2002. This is the go-to for a proper crab dinner outside town, and usually easier on the bill than the waterfront names.

• Go for: the Shimmering Sand Crab, the signature that made the name, in its oat-dusted shell. Round it out from the tanks for a full table.
• Worth it: the heartland value pick for a proper crab dinner, quieter and cheaper than the town rooms while holding its own on quality.
• Where: Toa Payoh, Punggol and Kaki Bukit.

12. Mellben Seafood — Ang Mo Kio

Photo: Google Maps

Mellben is the heartland crab name people queue at under an HDB block in Ang Mo Kio, listed on the Michelin Guide. The draw is the claypot crab bee hoon soup, a creamy broth loaded with crab, and the butter crab in a rich, milky sauce. It opens evenings only at Ang Mo Kio; the Tanjong Pagar Mellben Signature covers the town crowd and lunch.

• Go for: the claypot crab bee hoon soup, the dish the queue forms for, and the butter crab alongside it. Get there early in the evening to beat the wait.
• Worth it: the standout heartland crab experience, Michelin-listed and still HDB-priced. The evenings-only Ang Mo Kio hours are the catch, so head to the Tanjong Pagar Signature for lunch.
• Where: Ang Mo Kio (evenings) and Mellben Signature, Tanjong Pagar.

13. TungLok Seafood — Gardens by the Bay

Photo: Google Maps

TungLok builds its chilli crab around a sauce that folds in orange juice and tomato, a sweeter take that mops up well with mantou. The black pepper crab uses fresh peppercorns for extra bite, and the salted-egg prawn is a long-time favourite. The Gardens by the Bay outlet pairs the crab classics with a view of the Supertrees.

• Go for: the chilli crab in that orange-and-tomato sauce, sweeter than most, with mantou to soak it up. The salted-egg prawn is the side to add.
• Worth it: the choice when you want a house spin on chilli crab rather than the standard, and the Gardens by the Bay setting makes it an easy visitor stop.
• Where: Gardens by the Bay and Paya Lebar Quarter.

14. Nude Seafood — Marina One

Photo: Google Maps

Nude Seafood comes from the family behind Hai Sia Seafood, a third-generation wholesaler, so the pitch is sourcing straight from port to plate. The kitchen leans Japanese-influenced, with dishes like the fisherman's linguine and a seafood bouillabaisse, and there is an alfresco stretch that even runs a pet menu. A CBD lunch or dinner where the raw material is the point.

• Go for: the fisherman's linguine or the bouillabaisse, built on wholesale-fresh seafood. A weekday CBD lunch is the natural slot.
• Worth it: the pick for a modern, sit-down seafood plate at CBD-lunch prices rather than a crab feast, with sourcing as the real selling point.
• Where: Marina One, 12 Marina Boulevard.

15. Red House Seafood — Clarke Quay

Photo: Google Maps

Red House has served Asian seafood since 1976, and it marks its 50th anniversary in 2026, now run by the third generation. Its sweet-spicy chilli crab has been on the menu that whole time, with sauces made from scratch and dim sum handmade daily. The Clarke Quay and Grand Copthorne waterfront outlets and the Esplanade branch are the three to book.

• Go for: the sweet-spicy chilli crab with mantou, backed by the handmade dim sum. A riverside table at Clarke Quay is the one to book.
• Worth it: a dependable waterfront chilli crab from a name with 50 years behind it, good for hosting when you want the river setting and a broad menu.
• Where: Clarke Quay, Grand Copthorne and Esplanade.

16. Yaowarat Seafood — Boon Keng

Photo: Google Maps

Yaowarat brings the street-style seafood of Bangkok's Chinatown to Singapore, and has been cooking it on Lavender Street since 2015, a short walk from Boon Keng MRT. The signatures are the creamy claypot crab beehoon and the XO lobster treasure pot; stay for the Tom Yum if you want the fiery Thai side of the menu.

• Go for: the creamy claypot crab beehoon, the dish to build the table around, with the XO lobster treasure pot if you are pushing the boat out. Add a Tom Yum for the Thai kick.
• Worth it: the pick when you want the Thai-Chinese take rather than a straight Singapore crab, at heartland prices a short hop from town.
• Where: Lavender Street, near Boon Keng.

17. Crab at Bay Seafood — MacPherson

Photo: Google Maps

Crab at Bay is the crab spot on MacPherson Road, open since 2015, with a wide selection of live seafood cooked Chinese-style across eleven crab flavours. Its braised crab bee hoon is the dish people name, and the two-Sri-Lankan-crab deal is priced sensibly for what you get; look out for the occasional promotional rate.

• Go for: the braised crab bee hoon, the dish regulars single out, and the two-Sri-Lankan-crab set for a small group. Ask which crab flavours are freshest that day.
• Worth it: a no-fuss, sensibly-priced crab dinner in the east-central belt, good for a family meal or a business table away from the tourist rooms.
• Where: MacPherson Road, near Tai Seng.

What locals actually recommend (the Reddit take)

Search Reddit's r/singapore or the food forums and the seafood advice runs against the tourist grain. Singaporeans tend to steer you to a heartland zi char or their own neighbourhood crab spot rather than a riverside name, on the logic that you are paying the waterfront ones partly for the view and the address.

It matches our list. The heartland picks like Mellben, Uncle Leong and Crab at Bay undercut the town rooms for a similar-sized crab, and Roland gives you the pedigree chilli crab at a set price rather than pure market rate. The bay-view names still earn their place for hosting, just know what the premium buys.

The one thing everyone agrees on: for live crab, ask the price per kilo and the crab's weight before you say yes, and reserve the crab itself, not only a table, because the popular places do sell out.

Other names worth knowing

The seafood spots people search for a lot that sit just outside our 17, and where they fit.

• Keng Eng Kee (KEK) Seafood (Alexandra). A Michelin-listed heartland zi char as known for its moonlight horfun and coffee pork ribs as its crab. The all-rounder when the table wants more than crab. Photo: Google Maps.
• Seafood Paradise (Defu Lane and malls). The name behind the creamy custard golden crab, a salted-egg style many others now copy. A mid-range chain pick for the salted-egg crowd. Photo: Google Maps.
• House of Seafood (Punggol). A big crab restaurant with a huge menu and novelty crabs, from salted egg to durian. Built for large groups out east. Photo: Google Maps.
• Ban Leong Wah Hoe (Serangoon Garden). An old-school neighbourhood zi char known for claypot liver and its butter and salted-egg crabs. A local favourite away from the tourist rooms. Photo: Google Maps.

So which should you go to?

Pick by the occasion and where you are:

• Hosting visitors, want the view: Palm Beach at Marina Bay or Red House at Clarke Quay.
• Value chilli crab with pedigree: Roland at Marine Parade, at a set two-crab price.
• Heartland crab dinner, easier bill: Mellben (claypot crab bee hoon), Uncle Leong or Crab at Bay.
• Black pepper, not chilli: Long Beach. White pepper: No Signboard.
• Oysters or a lighter fish meal: Humpback's happy hour, Greenwood's Oyster Tuesdays, or The Naked Finn.
• Hands-on group boil: The Boiler or Dancing Crab.

For a first crab dinner, Roland or Mellben give you the most crab and the least markup. Save the waterfront names for when the setting is part of the occasion.

Seafood restaurants in Singapore: quick questions

How much does a seafood dinner cost in Singapore?

It depends on what you order. Oysters start around $2 to $6 each, a live crab is sold at the day's market rate, roughly $70 to $150 a kilo before service and GST, and a shared Cajun boil at The Boiler or Dancing Crab runs from about $118 to $149 for the bag. Heartland restaurants like Uncle Leong, Mellben and Crab at Bay tend to work out cheaper than the waterfront names.

Where is the best chilli crab in Singapore?

The best-known chilli crab names on this list are JUMBO, Palm Beach, Red House and Roland. Roland says its family created the dish in 1956 and prices it as a set, and Palm Beach says it helped popularise it. TungLok does a sweeter version with orange juice and tomato. For pepper crab, Long Beach claims the original black pepper crab, and No Signboard is the name that popularised white pepper crab.

Why are some East Coast Seafood Centre restaurants closing?

NParks is redeveloping the East Coast Seafood Centre, so the tenants there are affected. JUMBO's original East Coast flagship closes when its lease ends on 30 September 2026, and Long Beach's East Coast branch is relocating to Coastal PlayGrove in East Coast Park, expected to reopen around September 2026. Both brands keep their other outlets running, so book elsewhere in the chain in the meantime.

Which seafood restaurants are in the heartlands?

Uncle Leong has outlets in Toa Payoh, Punggol and Kaki Bukit, Mellben sits under an HDB block in Ang Mo Kio, Crab at Bay is on MacPherson Road near Tai Seng, and Yaowarat is on Lavender Street near Boon Keng. These are generally cheaper and quieter than the town and waterfront restaurants.

Where can I get oysters cheaply in Singapore?

Humpback near Outram runs a happy hour with oysters from about $2 a piece, all day on Mondays and public holidays and until 7pm the rest of the week. Greenwood Fish Market runs Oyster Tuesdays with shucks from about $2.50. Both are far cheaper than à la carte oyster pricing at a full seafood dinner.

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