Foodie Spotting: Where are the best places to eat hairy crabs in Yangcheng Lake? Which Yangcheng Lake agritainment spots are the best?
Introduction: In the eyes of poets, autumn is sentimental and melancholic; in the eyes of farmers, it's a season of harvest and abundance; but in the eyes of this foodie, autumn is delicious and full of lingering flavors—because the mouthwatering hairy crabs have arrived. This foodie exploration will tell you: are Yangcheng Lake agritainment spots easy to find?
Before we know it, autumn has returned—the sky is high, the clouds are light, and wild geese are flying south. In the eyes of poets, autumn is sentimental and melancholic; in the eyes of farmers, it's a season of harvest and abundance; but in the eyes of this foodie, autumn is delicious and full of lingering flavors—because the mouthwatering hairy crabs have arrived.
As the saying goes, when the autumn wind blows, the crabs start itching. Autumn crabs are not only delicious but also highly nutritious, making it the best time of year to enjoy them. I’ve long heard that the steamed hairy crabs at A’si Crab House by Yangcheng Lake are simply unparalleled. As a true foodie, I had to live up to the name, so today I came with my friends to check out this widely renowned and much-praised A’si Crab House.
We drove straight to Bacheng Town in Kunshan City, Jiangsu Province, where A’si Crab House is located on the eastern shore of Yangcheng Lake. A’si Crab House is a typical Yangcheng Lake-style boat house. From the outside, it looks quite impressive, with three floors in total. It sits by the lake at the back. Inside, the overall decor is simple yet elegant—the upper floor has private rooms, while the lower floor is the main dining hall. Since there were many of us, we chose a private room upstairs to share this delicious meal. We ordered their signature dish—steamed hairy crabs—because everyone knows this dish is the most authentic, distinctive, and famous here.
After placing our order, we followed the staff to personally pick out our crabs. Each crab can be chosen on-site by customers, ensuring you see the freshness of the ingredients. Aside from delicious hairy crabs, A’si Crab House also offers green-shelled snails, farmed soft-shell turtles, mandarin fish from the lake, and freshly grown vegetables for guests to choose from.
Here comes our steamed hairy crab platter!! One of our companions is practically an expert on hairy crabs. After taking a bite, he immediately exclaimed how incredibly delicious it was. He said, “Whether steamed hairy crabs taste good or not depends entirely on mastering the heat and timing. Too high heat or too long steaming will cause the crab roe and butter to melt out, which not only affects the texture but also ruins the nutritional value of the crab. But if steamed for too short a time, the crab won’t be cooked through—eating it could be unhealthy at best, or even life-threatening in serious cases. Only when it’s steamed just right will the crab meat be more tender and the nutrition richer. This crab house truly lives up to its reputation as an old brand—it’s mastered this perfectly. Absolutely amazing!”
During our meal, we chatted with the owner, A’si. From what he shared, we learned that A’si Crab House has been in business for over 20 years. He used to farm crabs in the lake, but now he leases fish ponds in the village and has renovated them to standard specifications, upgrading infrastructure and introducing water from Yangcheng Lake. A’si pays meticulous attention to every step—from selecting crab seedlings, creating the environment, scientifically feeding the crabs, to quality control. With years of experience and resources in Yangcheng Lake hairy crab farming, and after two years of continuous learning and experimentation, he has mastered the technique of raising high-standard crabs in crab ponds. In terms of quality, his ecologically raised crabs are very close to those from Yangcheng Lake itself.
Even in today’s booming e-commerce industry, A’si still insists on offline sales because he only deals in “premium crabs,” and his customers only want “premium crabs.” Due to limited production, and to ensure the quality of the crabs, he sticks to offline sales only.
Where are the best places to eat hairy crabs in Yangcheng Lake? Which Yangcheng Lake agritainment spots are the best? I think going to A’si Crab House is definitely not a wrong choice—highly recommended!