Zi Char, a quintessentially Singaporean culinary experience, embodies the vibrant tapestry of flavors that define the city-state’s diverse food culture. This unique dining concept, often found in bustling hawker centers or humble stalls, offers an extensive array of dishes that span the culinary spectrum. What sets Zi Char apart is its distinct cooking method – the sizzle of ingredients in a wokhey, infusing every dish with the unmistakable essence of wok hei, or “breath of the wok.”
Whether it’s a gathering of friends or a family feast, Zi Char promises an authentic culinary adventure where the wok takes center stage, delivering a symphony of tastes that encapsulate the heart and soul of Singapore’s gastronomic landscape.
Top 10 Best Zi Char Singapore
Presenting the Top 10 Zi Char havens in Singapore, this curated list showcases the crème de la crème of establishments celebrated for their mastery in crafting this beloved Singaporean culinary experience. These distinguished spots have garnered acclaim from both discerning locals and eager visitors, solidifying their status as paragons of authentic Zi Char.
Long Ji Zi Char
Address: 253 Outram Rd, Singapore 169049
Opening Hours: Daily 5-1030pm
Known of their seafood dishes Long Ji Zi Char is a good option for those who love seafood espically their signature Crab Bee Hoon. Other specialties like salted egg dishes, prawn dishes, fermented sauce pork and gong bao chicken are also a must try when heading down, with many good reviews about it.
Public Rating: 4.2/5
Public Reviews:
“Love the crab bee hoon. The sauce that comes with the bee hoon has a lot of wok hei. The fried har chiong chicken is fantastic. The venison with spring onion is good. The fried pork goes well with the sweet garlic 🌶️ sauce.
They do not charge corkage unless you open 3 bottles. Kam hiong lala was good. Service is fast and good.”
“Have always wanted to try this place. No better occasion than to have a bday dinner here for my mom. Ordered the crab beehoon which is what they are known for. The crab is fresh and huge (~1.3kg i was told) The soup broth that is in the beehoon is packed with umami yet not too overwhelming. I suggest eating the crab meat with one spoonful of the broth. Fuiyoh the next moment ur in heaven. Only issue is this dish is mutha ex. Mine was $130 exclu tax. Next dish i recc is the fermented pork belly ($18 for small). Pork is crispy and tender on the inside. Also had the salted egg prawn balls($22 for small) which is ok. What i normally will expect. Also heard others recc the prawn paste chicken and salted egg squid. Will probably try again on the next visit. Do make a reservation here or come early like near their opening hours to avoid disappointment.”
Kimly Zi Char 金味海鲜 (514A Bishan)
Address: Bishan Street 13 Blk 514A #01-480 Bishan Bus Interchange, Bishan Street 13, 571514
Opening Hours: Daily 12-1045pm
With their reasonable pricing for Zi Char, Kimly Zi Char 金味海鲜 is well loved by many locals as showned by the constant long queues especially on the weekends. They are known for their fishhead and dim sum which is a Singaporean go to delight and they truly have mastered it.
Public rating: 3.6/5
Public reviews:
“Reasonable priced above average zi char. Recommended to call before going down. Weekend queue can be 1 hr for evening. Very popular with the residents nearby and grab food. Dishes is better than hor fun and fried rice. Some food are nice some are average.”
“Simple standard zichar stall at the kopitiam, although they have neat tricks like a flattened crispy chicken. However, xome early if u want it because they sell out fast! Otherwise, all the other dishes tasted great too. Really cheap too, we had four dishes for under $40!”
J.B. Ah Meng Restaurant
Address: 534 Geylang Rd, Singapore 389490
Opening Hours: Daily 5pm-215am
The restaurant’s name ‘JB Ah Meng’ is rather enigmatic. Its owner Wang Feng, 53, hails from Ipoh, Malaysia and now has over 30 years of culinary experience under his belt. With a reasonably priced food some of their best dishes raved about are bee hoon in particular san lou bee hoon, pepper crab, stir fried lala, prawn paste chicken and many more.
Public Rating: 4.2/5
Public Reviews:
“Must try the white pepper crab. It is so good. But that aside, after frequenting this place for quite a bit, have to recommend their Bee Hoon too. The service here is pretty efficient and helpful. Anything you request they’ll help make it possible. They would even custom make some vegetarian dish that’s not on the menu and it’ll be pretty good (done that before for my vegetarian friends who joined for dinner) Generally don’t get rice here. Just save the space for the dishes. Price wise, the crab is usually half the cost. 2 crabs cost us $120. Total bill for 5 came up to $250.”
“SUPER SHIOK DINNER!!! Totally worth the wait and the price. Abit chaotic indoors but just order immediately. …. 1) Superior Prawn Soup with Tanghoon, Beancurd Skin & Enoki – OMG DAMN FLAVORFUL AND GAO. Must must order confirm no regrets! Prawns were huge and fresh! 2) San Lou Bee Hoon – Must order! Looks plain but noo very shiok and well seasoned! 3) Fried Pork – One word SHIOK! Must order very addictive. The ratio of fats to meat is perfect! 4) Longbeans with Dried Shrimps – Good and yummy, the hae bee hiam very addictive to snack on. 5) Stir Fry Lala – Good dish to accompany 6) Salted Egg Prawns – Prawns are fresh but the salted egg is the grainy type not creamy version. Can try but not a must. Will revisit to eat again!”
Lao Li Zi Char 老李传统古早味大排档
Address: 282 Bedok Rd, Singapore 469438
Opening Hours: Daily 11 am–3 pm, 5–11 pm
Lao Li Da Pai Dang (老李大排档) is a new and exciting Chinese Zi Char restaurant in Singapore with a mission to serve up a feast of signature Chinese dishes and everyday savoury zi char fare to fill your bellies and satisfy your taste buds. Classic dishes at great prices with great services too.
Public Rating: 4.1/5
Public Reviews:
“The makan place can be crowed at times, make a reservation to avoid a wasted trip.
Ordered those dishes as in the pictures. The chicken 猪肚 is a must try, most likely you will love it also.
Just for heads up, the Hor Fan portion is for 1 pax, for small eater 2 pax still doable. For our serving, I felt it was slightly chow tar for the taste. Other than that the hor fan is a must try also as they were generous with the ingredients like prawn.
The beans and prawn paste chicken were quite normal like any other stall.
Lastly, the fried rice is a miss. It was too damp for our serving. If you have tried Ding Tai Feng egg fried rice, my was definitely a disappointment.
Overall the, the meal is good with fast serving. Price was reasonable. Will visit again.”
“Aside from the dining area during lunch time was hot.. the staff and food was served promptly. The staff was also friendly and recommended popular items. Given that it’s just 2 of us ladies dining, food portion was big and we can’t finished it.. food cost was definitely reasonable too and I would recommend people with family to patronise.. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻”
Sin Hoi Sai Eating House
Address: 187 E Coast Rd, Singapore 428893
Opening Hours: Daily 4pm-3am
Serving the typical Zi Char dishes like Fish, Shark Fin, Prawns, Crab, Claypot, Sotong, Chicken. They are mainly known for their seafood dishes as they are fresh and with the authentic taste.
Public Rating: 4.1/5
Public Reviews:
“This is probably the best Old Skool, most unpretentious, and consistently excellent Zi Char restaurant in Singapore. I ordered my own bespoke off-menu big prawns in singapore chilli crab sauce with mantou (didnt want to struggle with a crab), Seafood Mee Goreng with extra vegetables (this is a special order because not many restaurants would cook Mee Goreng with veggies even, clams with ginger and garlic ( we ordered this twice), Asparagus with scallops, kai lan with sliced fish, beef on hot plate, and BBQ squid. Delicious.
This is the OG and by far the more authentic rendition of good quality traditional no frills Zi Char the way zi char should be. Had been my favourite for a long time and still is.”
“Enjoyed their Tze Char very much, flavours of the sotong, chicken, soup & hor fun were not too strong and their customer service is good. I saw many people from different races enjoying their food here, so I’d say that this place is worth a try if you’re craving for a nice local Tze Char”
Kian Seng restaurant
Address: 4013 Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 1, #01-450, Singapore 569629
Opening Hours: Daily 11am-1030pm
The boss started working since he was a teenager to help relieve the family’s burden. He worked as a coffee boy, kitchen helper and slowly worked his way to be a cook. Kian Seng Restaurant was set up in the 1960s. Previously it was located in near Yio Chu Kang Stadium as an air-conditioned restaurant. He decided to get another branch at Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 1 now known as Kian Seng Seafood Restaurant Pte Ltd. Unable to get the tender at the Yio Chu Kang Stadium, he decided to focus on the new restaurant. Our dishes are between a “Zi Char” and a restaurant, serving from Sweet Sour Pork and Fried KaiLan to Buddha Jump Over the Wall and Roast Suckling Pig (charcoal roasted on the spot).
Public Rating: 4/5
Public Reviews:
“Despite the industrial canteen setting, don’t be deceived—this place serves incredibly delicious food at remarkably affordable prices. I’m a frequent patron, especially when I have visitors or during special occasions. The standout dish is the chili crab—it’s generously portioned and bursting with flavor. In fact, I find the value here superior to many pricier, touristy restaurants. The affordability is a definite plus.”
“Solid Zi Char but it’s so popular. If you’re coming try to avoid dinner period as it gets crowded. Our food took about 40min to arrive. We also ordered too little (all small dishes) for 3 pax so you can take that as your gauge.
– Guinness Pork Ribs (so soft and great flavour)
– Asparagus, Scallops, Assorted Veggies (nice flavour too, don’t know how it’s so gentle yet so flavourful)
– Hei Zho damn good please (gentler taste)
– Beancurd (has a herbal taste won’t order again just cause doesn’t suit my personal taste but i can tell they cooked it with SKILL)
atmosphere wise this is a great place to eat good Zi char without the chaos (if you sit inside la) there’s air-con and it’s not as noisy inside :)”
YANG MING SEAFOOD
Address: 71 Ubi Cres, #01-05 Excalibur Centre, Singapore 408571
Opening Hours: Monday, Sunday 11 am–2 pm, 4:30–10:30 pm
Tuesday-Saturday 11 am–2:30 pm, 4:30–10:30 pm
Local Seafood Restaurant, we selling live seafood and zichar! Second outlet in Singapore (Bishan and Ubi). Famous for their pig stomach with herbal chicken soup, it requires preorder of hence do take note. Furthermore, they sell unique items like lobster chee chong fan, bamboo clam and many more.
Public Rating: 4/5
Public Reviews:
“Delicious, fast serving, service very good very attentive.
Bamboo clam – meat is thick and good. Steamed with garlic and vermicelli. $13/ clam
Chilli crab – very different from how Singapore chilli crab taste. Sweeter chilli taste with strong taste of ‘hei bi’ too. (Min. $90/crab) The live crab is labelled with their price. you may ownself choose and decide what price range u are comfortable in.
Mini bun $4 for 8 (min. Order)
Lobster cooked in 3 diff way. Sashimi, shabu shabu and fried bee hoon.
Sashimi – can taste the sweetness of the lobster.
Soup – is being served together with chicken soup and you may cook Ur sashimi if you’re not a raw food fans. But the soup I have to say it taste real good. Even better than some of the reputable seafood restaurant.
Fried bee hoon- after you have completed the sashimi /shabu shabu. They will clear the lobster head and stir fried tgt with bee hoon. Bee hoon is served with gravy. Very flavorfulw ith wok hei. $148/kg
Overall, food is good and delicious but with the environment and location I feel the price at slightly at the higher end.
Worth to give it a try if u don’t mind paying.”
“Everything is a 5/5. Need to take into account that atmosphere is a coffee shop atmosphere, but very well done as it wasn’t hot or uncomfortable.
Food was really good, and came quite quickly. Every seafood dish was really fresh. I really liked the deep fried chicken wings (English phrasing so other people can understand). To me the least nice dish (still good) was the tofu dish.
Would definitely recommend coming here.”
Changi Lorong 108 Fei Lao Seafood
Address: 86 Bedok North Street 4, Singapore 460086
Opening Hours: Thursday-Monday 11 am–2 pm, 5–9 pm
One of the very rare zi char that sells liver in it with a good amount of wok hei and the smokiness really hits the spot. Some famous dishes like the hor fun, braised fish head and some classic like Prawn Roll, Fried Squid and Chye Poh Egg.
Public Rating: 4.1/5
Public Reviews:
“The horfun was absolutely delicious and packed with ingredients. There was a smokiness in the kway teow, the hor fun gravy was of the right consistency and there was a good assortment of seafood (prawns, squid, slices of fish and even sea cucumber!). We came quite late (8.30pm) so we didn’t have to wait at all.
Ordered the fried rice and it was just as amazing. The dark sauce used was not too sweet and yet had a savoury aftertaste. Coupled with the smokiness from the wok hei skills and the bits of char Siew and prawns, it was definitely a good finisher to our dinner.”
“It was one of the best hor fun in town. But expect a long waiting time, we waited for almost 50 mins for our food when we visited on Friday at 5.30 pm.
Prawn rolls are quite normal, but we enjoyed the stir-fried pork liver. Will visit to try other dishes.”
Uncle Leong Seafood @ 1 Kaki Bukit View
Address: 1 Kaki Bukit View, #01-01, Singapore 415941
Opening Hours: Daily 11:30 am–3 pm, 5–10 pm
First founded in a neighbourhood coffeeshop amidst the friendly Ang Mo Kio estate, the ever-popular Uncle Leong Seafood (best seafood restaurant in Singapore) has now heightened into three full-fledged restaurants at Punggol, Techview, and Toa Payoh. Still keeping its modesty, Uncle Leong Seafood welcomes a daily haul of customers comprising both locals and foreigners. Uncle Leong Seafood is THE place to go for crabs. Its signature “Shimmering Sand Crab delight” has drawn a keen following since first introduced in 2002. This original Uncle Leong recipe: larger than average crab, drizzled with Uncle Leong’s signature sauce and topped with a sprinkle of oat, a combination of flavours that complement the fresh flesh perfectly
Public Rating: 4.4/5
Public Reviews:
“First time went to this outlet of Uncle Leong Seafood. Well known for their crab, definitely one of our dish ordered. I love their chilli crab. The gravy is spicy and less sweet.
We also ordered sweet & sour pork, lemon fried chicken, claypot toufu. All the dishes are nice and importantly not too salty. We ordered all in small size but portion seem quite generous.
Saw people eating the beer pork ribs and wine prawns, Hokkien noodle (with dark gravy type)… looks yummy too! Will try it out in my next visit.”
“1st Review (takeaway):
All selected dishes are based on the numerous reviews here. A tad pricey for the volume though, but overall tasty makes up for it. Likely to give this place another shot for the crabs.
2nd review (dine-in):
Returned for chilli crab, was not disappointed. Chilli sauce was great and crab was meaty despite choice of small size (800g). Pleasant surprise was freshne”ss of bamboo clams, which were delicious with the generous garlic. Overall, a great place for family to eat.”
Lai Huat Signatures
Address: 17 Upper E Coast Rd, Singapore 455208
Opening Hours: 11:30 am–2:30 pm, 5:30–10:30 pm
Since 1951 the most well known Zi Char Buffet with over 70 dishes to choose from, it serves ala carte options too with an affordable and comfortable environment to enjoy Zi Char in not the typical coffeeshops but in an aircon restaurant! Some dishes like fried fish with sambal chilli, steamboat with a very taste soup base.
Public Rating: 4.1/5
Public Reviews:
“Yummy food and the price is not too expensive. Love the deep fried fish with sambal chilli, super crispy! Hor fun has good wok hei too.”
“A recommendation by a friend. Must try the recommended dishes!! Especially the spicy fried fish for all the fish and chilli lovers. A good dish to go with it will be the fried rice. Try it with the chilli!”
Google Map’s Best Zi Char in Singapore 2023
We have curated from Google Maps the top 50 Zi Char in Singapore, so that you don’t have to! The list below shows the top 50 Zi Char Stalls with at least 50 reviews and ratings of more than 4!
Are you a zi char outlet on Google maps with more than 50 reviews and 4 stars and better but not listed? Reach out to us HERE and we are more than happy to list, feature and collaborate with your brand!
Frequently asked questions about Zi Char
What makes Zi Char unique?
The distinctive feature of Zi Char is the cooking method, where dishes are prepared using a wok, imparting a characteristic smoky flavor known as “wok hei.”
What are some popular Zi Char dishes?
Signature Zi Char dishes include Chili Crab, Black Pepper Crab, Salted Egg Prawns, Cereal Prawns, and various stir-fried noodles and rice dishes.
What is the significance of wok hei in Zi Char cooking?
Wok hei refers to the “breath of the wok,” a smoky and aromatic flavor that results from high-heat stir-frying. It is considered a crucial element in Zi Char cooking.
