Six zi char kitchens worth the trip, from Keng Eng Kee's flat-priced $93 crab and Kok Sen's Big Prawn Hor Fun to New Ubin's daily 50% deals and Uncle Leong's $38 crab. Menus, prices and promos were read off each restaurant's own ordering site or promo page on 27 October 2026.
Zi char is where Singapore eats as a table: crab, hor fun and har cheong gai, all from one roaring wok.
> Quick view: best all-rounder is Keng Eng Kee (any-style crab at a flat $93); best deal is New Ubin's 50% off a different dish category daily to 31 Dec; cheapest crab is Uncle Leong at $38. Watch the ++: most add about 19%.
Three generations of wok hei, from a 1970s hawker stall on Old Havelock Road to today's KEK.MUST ORDER: Signature Moonlight Horfun ($12, seafood hor fun with a raw egg yolk on top), Coffee Pork Ribs, Prawn Paste Chicken ($17), KEK Curry Fish Head ($38) and Butter Cereal Prawns ($32), all priced on its own ordering site. CRAB: KEK does not price by weight. A crab of about 900g is a flat $93 whether you want it chilli, black pepper, white pepper, salted egg, ginger onion or in claypot bee hoon soup.THE DEAL: 10% off online self-pickup orders with no minimum, and code FIRSTORDER6 for $6 off a first order of $60+ (not stackable). Delivery is a flat $5 islandwide.OUTLETS: Alexandra Village (124 Bukit Merah Lane 1, #01-136), SAFRA Tampines and SAFRA Punggol, both open to non-members. KEK lists itself as Michelin Select 2016-2025.BEST FOR: a first zi char dinner, or a crab night where you know the bill before you order.
10% off online self-pickup orders (no minimum) + $6 off a first order of $60+ with FIRSTORDER6; $5 islandwide delivery
Code: FIRSTORDER6
The Keong Saik institution, founded in 1965 and a long-time Michelin Bib Gourmand pick, now with a second branch at City Square Mall.MUST ORDER: Big Prawns Hor Fun ($26.50 on its ordering menu), Claypot Yong Tau Foo ($23.80), har cheong gai and the claypot dishes.THE DEAL: its own Oddle store gives 10% off $100, 15% off $200 and 20% off $300 on pickup orders any day; delivery gets the same ladder on weekdays and 10% off $150 or 15% off $300 on weekends. Apply it at checkout.OUTLETS: 4 Keong Saik Road (the original, expect a queue at peak hours) and City Square Mall #04-31/32 (daily 11.30am-2.30pm and 4.30pm-9pm, air-conditioned).FINE PRINT: the $40++ Signatures Set from September has ended, so expect a la carte prices.BEST FOR: a hor fun pilgrimage, or a big family takeaway where the 20% tier kicks in.
Pickup any day: 10% off $100, 15% off $200, 20% off $300 on its online store (weekend delivery: 10% off $150, 15% off $300)
The Pulau Ubin kampung kitchen turned CHIJMES restaurant, known for its USDA ribeye served with Heart Attack Fried Rice cooked in the beef fat.THE DEAL: 7 Days of 50%, extended to 31 December 2026.MON, WED AND SAT: 50% off individual 400g crabs (garlic baked, chilli, black pepper or salted egg; code CRABS50 online).TUESDAY: 50% off the USDA Black Angus ribeye, all sizes (BEEF50).THURSDAY: 50% off every starter (STARTERS50).FRIDAY: 50% off selected seafood such as prawns, fish and squid (not crab).SUNDAY: 50% off the champagne brunch, dine-in only.TIMING: valid 11am-5pm and from 9.30pm to closing, including public holidays, for dine-in, takeaway and delivery on its own Oddle and GETZ sites, but not on GrabFood or foodpanda, and not with other discounts. Service charge and GST apply. ALSO: pay with GrabFood Dine-Out for 20% off a first visit or 10% off after. WHERE: CHIJMES, 30 Victoria Street #02-01B/C, daily 11am-1am (last order 11.30pm). The Stevens outlet closed in July 2025.BEST FOR: a late supper or a long lunch timed to the half-price window.
7 Days of 50%: a different half-price category daily (crab Mon/Wed/Sat, ribeye Tue, starters Thu, seafood Fri, brunch Sun), 11am-5pm and 9.30pm to close, to 31 Dec 2026
Code: CRABS50
Valid till 31 Dec 2026
A zi char seafood group built on crab flavours you will not find elsewhere, from cereal and Oreo butter to Guinness and Hong Kong typhoon shelter.THE DEAL: a whole 600-700g crab for $38 (usually $50+) in any of 14 flavours, and a 1kg crab for $78 (usually $110), extended to 30 November 2026, which the restaurant confirmed to us on 22 October. Two small crabs ($76 for 1.2-1.4kg) beat one big one on price and give the table two flavours.OUTLETS: Joo Koon, 1 Joo Koon Circle #03-26, FairPrice Hub (10.30am-9.30pm) and Macpherson, 1 Kampong Ampat #01-08 (11am-11pm). The Hougang branch has closed.FINE PRINT: the group's online ordering menus still showed the small crab at $55-$58.30 when we checked, so the $38 is safest as a dine-in order, and prices are before prevailing taxes.BEST FOR: a crab-first dinner in the west or around Macpherson on a budget.
$38 whole crab (600-700g, usually $50+) in 14 flavours; 1kg crab $78; dine-in at Joo Koon and Macpherson to 30 Nov 2026
Valid till 30 Nov 2026
Sin Hoi Sai calls itself the oldest restaurant in the Tiong Bahru estate, and it is the zi char that is still frying long after the others have stacked their chairs. PRICES on its own ordering menu: Sambal La La $20.80, Claypot Pork Belly with Salted Fish $23.80, Sliced Fish Thick Bee Hoon Soup $10.80, plus bullfrog, mantis prawn, geoduck and lobster.GROUP SETS: 4-5 pax from $158.80 and 8 pax from $208.80, the easiest way to feed a big table without debating the order.FINE PRINT: chilli crab is listed at $173.80 online, so ask the size and dine-in price before it hits the wok. WHERE: 55 Tiong Bahru Road #01-59 (tel 8381 1234). Online pickup and delivery run 2pm-11.45pm; dine-in goes into the small hours, but listings disagree on the exact closing time, so call ahead.BEST FOR: supper after 11pm, or a group dinner in the Tiong Bahru area.
Visit website
Not a destination restaurant, but the zi char stall many HDB estates already have downstairs. Kimly Seafood runs inside the Kimly coffeeshop network, and its own Oddle page describes 27 spots in neighbourhoods across Singapore.WHAT TO ORDER: the brand's own picks are Home-made Beancurd Prawn Roll, Kimly Nyonya Assam Fish Head and Prawn Paste Wings (har cheong gai), plus the one-plate fried rice and hor fun sets.PRICES: one-plate sets sat around $16 before discount on delivery apps in June 2026, far below the restaurants above.FINE PRINT: no promotion is running on 27 October 2026 (the Father's Day set deal ended on 30 June), and its own web ordering store had no live menu, so order at the stall or through the delivery apps.BEST FOR: a weeknight zi char dinner near home without a booking.
Visit website| Restaurant | Must order | Crab price | Current deal | Outlets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keng Eng Kee | Moonlight Horfun $12, Coffee Pork Ribs | Flat $93 (about 900g) | 10% off self-pickup; FIRSTORDER6 | 3 (Alexandra Village, SAFRA Tampines, SAFRA Punggol) |
| Kok Sen | Big Prawns Hor Fun $26.50 | Not on online menu | Up to 20% off pickup orders of $300+ | 2 (Keong Saik, City Square Mall) |
| New Ubin Seafood | Ribeye with Heart Attack Fried Rice | 400g crab 50% off Mon/Wed/Sat | 7 Days of 50% to 31 Dec | 1 (CHIJMES) |
| Uncle Leong Signatures | 14 crab flavours | $38 (600-700g), $78 (1kg) | $38 crab to 30 Nov | 2 (Joo Koon, Macpherson) |
| Sin Hoi Sai | Sambal La La $20.80 | $173.80 online, ask in store | None; sets from $158.80 | 1 (Tiong Bahru) |
| Kimly Seafood | Assam Fish Head, Har Cheong Gai | Varies by stall | None on 27 Oct | 27 coffeeshop spots |
Dishes, prices, outlets and promos were read on 27 October 2026 from each restaurant's own ordering store or promotions page: kengengkee.oddle.me, koksen.oddle.me, newubinseafood.com (50deals, Grab Dine-Out and locations pages), sinhoisai.oddle.me and kimlyseafood.oddle.me. Uncle Leong's $38 crab terms were confirmed by the restaurant on 22 October 2026. Kok Sen's City Square Mall unit and hours come from its opening coverage and outlet listings. JB Ah Meng, a popular Geylang supper spot, is left out because it has no official site or ordering page we could verify prices on.
For most diners, Keng Eng Kee Seafood: three generations of wok hei, a Moonlight Horfun at $12, and any-style crab at a flat $93 on its own ordering site, with 10% off self-pickup. For Cantonese classics, Kok Sen at Keong Saik and City Square Mall is the other benchmark.
New Ubin Seafood at CHIJMES runs 7 Days of 50% until 31 December 2026: 400g crabs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, ribeye on Tuesdays, starters on Thursdays, selected seafood on Fridays and brunch on Sundays, valid 11am-5pm and from 9.30pm to closing. For crab alone, Uncle Leong Signatures sells a 600-700g crab for $38 until 30 November.
New Ubin Seafood at CHIJMES takes last orders at 11.30pm and its 50% deals restart at 9.30pm. Sin Hoi Sai in Tiong Bahru stays open into the small hours, though listings disagree on the exact closing time, so call 8381 1234 before heading over.
Often, yes, if you order on the restaurant's own site. Keng Eng Kee gives 10% off online self-pickup with no minimum, and Kok Sen gives 10% off $100, 15% off $200 and 20% off $300 on pickup orders any day. New Ubin's 50% deals also apply to takeaway, but not on GrabFood or foodpanda.
