Hairy Crab Season 2026

Singapore does not get autumn. It gets a crab with hair on its legs, which is close enough.

Hairy crab is for people who enjoy the work as much as the eating: small crabs, a lot of shell, and the prize is the rich golden roe. If that is you, bring a second diner, because most of these menus are sets for two, and book. If you want a lot of meat for your money, this is not your season.

Four Chinese kitchens are running hairy crab menus this autumn, the first from 12 October. The dates and menus below come from a secondary report rather than the restaurants themselves, so confirm both when you book.

Min Jiang at Goodwood Park Hotel is where we would start: two sets for a minimum of two diners, Hairy Crab Bliss and Hairy Crab Indulgence, from 12 October to 30 November, plus a short à la carte list with a steamed crab, a rice noodle roll with crab roe gravy and crab on glutinous rice steamed in bamboo. Pick Bliss if you want the whole steamed crab.

TungLok Signatures, at Clarke Quay Central and Orchard Rendezvous Hotel, builds a set menu around a whole 220g crab until 30 November. Reservations are required and it is dine-in only, so this is not a tapao job.

Jia Wei, at Grand Mercure Singapore Roxy on East Coast Road, is the east-side option: a six-course Golden Autumn set for two, built on Yang Cheng Lake hairy crab, from 20 October to 20 November.

Cassia at Capella Singapore on Sentosa has the shortest window, 1 to 18 November, and the most flexible menu, all à la carte: whole steamed crabs (the female ones cost more, because of the roe), crab-powder xiao long bao and crab meat fried rice with salted egg yolk. Come here if you want one crab rather than a set.

On technique, there is no elegant way to do this. You will use your fingers, it will take a while, and the white shirt should stay at home. In Shanghai the crab's arrival is how people know the year has turned; here, where the weather never gets the memo, the menus have to do it.

Good to know Dates, menus and prices come from one secondary report, not the restaurants; confirm them when you book. Check set-menu minimums and expect service charge and GST on top.