Recommended by netizens！Singapore’s super-popular seafood restaurant — must-order “Chili Crab”

Text & photos byUnrestrained (Buji)

One of the most anticipated dishes during this trip to Singapore was the famous “No Signboard Seafood.” While researching travel information beforehand, I found countless online reviews praising the deliciousness of No Signboard Seafood. So, I marked it as a must-try and one evening headed to the original branch in Geylang for dinner.

No Signboard Seafood has four branches, located at VivoCity, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, Clarke Quay, and the original store near the red-light district in Geylang.

According to many netizens, prices at different branches vary depending on location and decor. The original store is the most basic but also the cheapest and most delicious. Other branches, like the one at the Esplanade, have a modern and stylish decor but come with higher prices.

The original No Signboard Seafood in Geylang Road boasts bright red and green neon signs that are visible from afar, making it quite eye-catching. The original branch looks a bit old and traditional, with decor and an atmosphere similar to Taiwan’s night market stir-fry joints. The interior is semi-open with no air conditioning. Overall, it may seem a bit tacky, but there’s somehow a sense of humor and approachability about it.

At the entrance, there’s a large stone sign with a crab underneath. Hearing that the crab is a must-order dish made me even more excited to try it.

While waiting to be seated, I snapped a few photos of the interior. Under the tin-roofed ceiling, the space is bright and spacious, with a very relaxed and cheerful atmosphere—just like Taiwan’s night market eateries, where you can laugh and chat freely. At around 7:30 p.m., the seating area was about 80% full, with people of all nationalities, and every table had a plate of crab on it. It’s clear that No Signboard’s crab is really famous.

These two bronze statues are of the founders.

After being led to my seat by the staff, the menu was handed to me along with some side dishes.Note: The side dishes aren’t free. Usually, the server will ask if you’d like them, but if they don’t, remember to send them back to avoid being charged extra.It seems to be a common practice in many Singaporean restaurants to serve water, side dishes, or wet wipes upfront—but all come at a cost, so if you don’t want them, just ask the staff to take them away.

Once the menu arrived, let’s take a look. The cover starts with a story about how No Signboard Seafood got its name, and the back features clippings of the restaurant in various media.

Now, let’s highlight the star dish: No Signboard Seafood’s crabs!!! Since nearly every table had crab and everyone online raved about how amazing they are, I definitely had to order the signature crab.

But eating crab requires a deep wallet ORZ. Crabs are priced by weight. A regular crab costs 70 SGD per kg (about NT$1610), and you can’t order half a crab—minimum is one whole. Typically, one weighs around 55–70 SGD, and the one I ordered was 65 SGD (about NT$1490). As for king crabs, don’t even think about it XDD—they’re 200 SGD per kg (about NT$4600).

There are many crab flavor options: cheese crab, ginger-scallion crab, steamed crab, etc. But the most famous are the Chili Crab and the White/Black Pepper Crab. I went with the Chili Crab.

Since we were at a seafood restaurant, even though I was on a budget and mainly wanted the crab, I still wanted to order one more dish to make the dinner less monotonous. So I chose the cereal prawns that many others also get. Boss, give me a plate of 20 SGD (about NT$460) cereal prawns. Even the smallest portion comes with six big prawns—more than enough for two people.

Since it was just the two of us, we couldn’t order much. The menu also includes lobster, abalone, shark fin, sea cucumber, various fish and shellfish, meats, stir-fried vegetables, and more—the choices are quite diverse. Besides the prawns and crab, my friend and I each also ordered an iced milk tea (2 SGD each, about NT$46) and a plate of four small buns (2.5 SGD, about NT$58). Apparently, the buns dipped in the chili crab sauce are incredibly flavorful and also more filling.

Once the iced milk tea arrived, the hot cereal prawns were served—looking great on the plate.

The six prawns were fairly large, each at least 13 cm long. They were deep-fried after being coated in a thick layer of oats. Since they were fried, I ate the shells too @@, giving off a savory, crispy shrimp vibe. The shrimp meat itself was pretty sweet, clearly very fresh, and the oat coating added a slightly sweet texture. So good!!

But I felt two prawns per person was enough since each one was quite large, and eating more would’ve gotten a bit greasy… probably a common issue with fried food.

Soon after the oat prawns came the side dishes—and the star of the meal: the chili crab.

Looking at this huge chili crab, with a shell diameter of about 12–13 cm and super plump claws, I felt an urge to stand up and applaud—it was just so big and fragrant. Just looking at it was a visual treat.

The orange-red sauce—I have no idea what it’s made of—has a bit of bean paste flavor, some sweetness, but is mostly salty. The flavor incorporates crab roe, giving off a strong crab aroma. The chef also added beaten egg while cooking the crab, which probably contributes to the sauce’s smooth and velvety texture. Delicious!!!

The restaurant provides tongs to help crack the shells and extract the meat, but for someone like me who rarely eats crab, I was totally clueless and ate very slowly. But it was worth it—the crab meat, soaked in the flavorful sauce, was amazing. Especially the thick crab tubes—biting into them gave a burst of juicy crab meat. It was so satisfying, making the afternoon hunger totally worth it. I even licked the sauce off my fingers XD.

While enjoying the crab, I also spotted the four buns next to me—time to try dipping them in the chili crab sauce. The verdict? “Super awesome.” The rather bland-tasting buns, when dipped in the rich sauce, had their slight natural sweetness balance out the heavy crab flavors, making them smooth and easy to eat one after another.

Halfway through the meal, I felt that drinking iced milk tea with such flavorful seafood wasn’t quite right. Though the tea was fragrant and tasty, it was a bit sweet and didn’t refresh my seafood palate. So I ordered a bottle of Tiger Beer (8 SGD, about NT$184), and it was indeed refreshing and thirst-quenching.

● 《ET News Cloud》 reminds you: Don’t drink and drive, and don’t drive after drinking.

After a hearty meal, let’s capture the scene of the messy tableware :D!

With the 7% goods and services tax included, a meal for two would cost around 2,500 TWD... It’s pricey, but if your budget allows, you can try No Signboard Seafood in Singapore—it’s pretty delicious. On a scale of five stars, I’d give it a solid 4!

※Related Information
Address of No Signboard Seafood in Geylang:414 Geylang Rd, Singapore. (Take the MRT to Aljunied Station Exit A, walk straight along Aljunied Rd, cross Sims Ave, and turn left at the intersection with Geylang Rd—you’ll see No Signboard Seafood in about 10 minutes.)
Introduction and addresses of each branch:http://www.nosignboardseafood.com/#pgBranches

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