A famous Singaporean dish that always hits the spot, chilli crab is loved by both locals and tourists from other countries. Cher Yam Tian made the first spicy, starchy, savory, and eggy dish in the 1950s. He made a stir-fried crab dish with bottled chili sauce instead of tomato ketchup, which was a popular treat at the time. Shortly after, Cher opened Palm Beach Restaurant along East Coast Road and everyone went crazy for her creation. And thus, a legend was born. Or so the story goes.

Today, you can find chilli crab at just about every local seafood or zi char joint. But not everyone gets the sauce just right, or uses meaty crabs that are oh so satisfying. If you’re looking for great chili crab, whether it’s your first time or your hundredth time, these seafood restaurants have it.

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Sweet and savoury with that signature garlicky spice

One of Singapores oldest seafood restaurants, Red House Seafood has managed to keep up with the times. It has restaurants in cute parts of Singapore, but the newest one on the water at Esplanade is the one that stands out. The owners still get their meaty mud crabs from Colombo, Sri Lanka, because they care about sustainable seafood. The crabs can be cooked in a number of different ways. There’s no better way to make chili crab than this place. It’s sweet, sour, and spicy all in one bite.

Keng Eng Kee in Bukit Merah is one of the more well-known seafood restaurants in Singapore. If you want to eat crab, you should make a reservation ahead of time because they usually run out for walk-ins. The chilli crab is one of their more popular dishes, and is served with a thick chilli gravy. Dip one of the steamed mantou in– they don’t offer the fried buns here. Other highlights are the moonlight hor fun (from $7. 80) and coffee pork ribs (from $15. 80).

Kelly Jie and her chilli crabs have been a Toa Payoh institution since 2006, so die-hard fans will know about them. Even though they serve other popular seafood tzi char dishes that are great on their own, the saucy amber-colored crustacean dish is what keeps people coming back for more. Crabs are always fresh and their iconic sauce runs sweet and savoury with a lick of garlicky spice. And theres nothing more colloquial than slurping chilli crabs under an HBD void deck in Singapore.

They’ve been around since the 1950s, and their big claim to fame is that they came up with Singapore’s chilli crab. It’s quite the unassuming restaurant though, perched on a HDB carpark in Marine Parade. But try the original recipe here. It’s a little different because they use a gravy without eggs and no sambal. It’s cooked with a large crab (seasonal price), and you can choose to add on mantou for $0. 60 per bun.

You can find this casual seafood restaurant in Ang Mo Kio for decades. They’ve also opened up in Toa Payoh and Pasir Ris, which are in the middle of the city. People keep coming back for the chili crab. There are different sizes of Sri Lankan crab to choose from, including medium (from 1 2kg, $114), large (from 1. 6kg, $152), and extra large (from 2kg, $190). You should also get fried mantou (fried buns) to share. They taste great when dipped in the chili crab sauce.

Chili crabs start at $88/kg at Jumbo Seafoods in East Coast Park, where it all began in 1987. It has been a favorite of many for a long time. Its popularity must come from the crabs it serves; all of them are very meaty and have extra-large pincers. Its sauce is pretty unique, too, deploying ground peanuts for an added crunch. Jumbo has several other outlets in Singapore including Dempsey Hill, ION Orchard, and Jewel Changi Airport.

Long Beach has been there for as long as anyone can remember, and based on the large groups of families with children and teens that visit on the weekends, it looks like it will stay that way. Don’t be distracted by the other goodies piled high on surrounding tables. Just concentrate on the huge Sri Lankan crabs doused with a molten, eggy, tart, tongue-singeing chilli crab sauce. Mop it all up with crispy fried mantou.

Blue Lotus is famous for its traditional Chinese dishes with modern twists. Its atas digs at Sentosa Cove have beautiful views. The same can be said about its chilli crab ($9. 80/100g). Its chilli crab is a great mix of fresh herbs and spices that adds heat. It comes with pomelo slices for a burst of sweetness and sourness.

Seafood Paradise started as a humble zi char stall located in a coffee shop on Defu Lane. There are now more than 30 restaurants in Singapore under this brand, and almost 30 more around the world. Its main store at Marina Bay Sands has 177 seats and eight private rooms for when you want to eat crabs with your hands without getting messy. Speaking of crabs, live seafood is the order of the day at Seafood Paradise. Spice up your meal with Sri Lankan crab or the restaurant’s famous Dungeness crab topped with creamy butter and coconut crumbs.

Because it is in Gardens by the Bay, Majestic Bay Restaurant is perfectly placed to serve the large group of tourists who are craving local treats. For $5, you can try the classic chilli crab dish by ordering the chilli crab meat buns. Each signature chilli crab dish comes with two of the crustaceans. 50/3pcs) on its all-day dim sum menu. Otherwise, get the weekday chilli crab set for $99, which comes with two spicy crabs, Yangzhou fried rice, and a plate of greens. It’s enough for a table of four hungry people.

Westies like Sinaran Seafood because it serves affordable Halal-friendly zi char and seafood dishes that are good for big groups. You can find their version of chili crab under the chicken rice. It’s covered in a thick, flavorful sauce that has a bit of spice to it. The location might make you not want to go, but this might: it’s one of the cheapest, if not the cheapest, chili crab dishes in Singapore. And dont forget to mop up the sauce with their mini-fried mantous when youre chowing down.

With its old black-and-white building on Upper East Coast Road, Hua Yu Wee is all about nostalgia. Since the 1970s, the zi char restaurant hasn’t moved from its original spot and still serves delicious Chinese food at reasonable prices. It costs about $73 for 800 grams of crab, and its chili crab is milder than most because it has more tomatoes than spices.

Heres a hack that was recommended to us by Pang Seng Meng, the founder of New Ubin Group. Its live mud crabs come in two different types: chili and garlic baked. You can ask for both to be cooked at the same time. The result is a spicy and savoury dish thats packed with whole cloves of soft garlic. It ranges from $44 (300 grams) to $75 (800 grams). A true dining revelation.

What better way to indulge in chilli crab than at the restaurant that started it all. The view from Palm Beach is one of the best in town. It looks out over Marina Bay and the Singapore River. But keep in mind that because this is a popular tourist spot, the seafood dishes here are more expensive than most (1 kg of crab costs more than $100).

The Best Chilli Crab in Singapore: Food Finders EP3

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