Say Goodbye to Harry’s Singapore Chilli Crab: An Iconic Sydney Eatery Closes its Elizabeth St Doors
Key Highlights :
After nearly 40 years of serving up Singaporean-style dishes, Harry’s Singapore Chilli Crab has closed its Elizabeth St location in Sydney’s CBD. The iconic eatery first opened in Eastlakes in 1982 before moving to Surry Hills and then its current spot in 2014. But, while the family is saying goodbye to their beloved Elizabeth St home, there is still cause for celebration. The restaurant is scheduled to reopen in Potts Point in a matter of weeks.
Harry Lau, the founder of the restaurant, had been serving up his signature dishes for decades, which famously included seafood slathered in different kinds of thick and spicy sauces. After his death in 2020, his son-in-law Andy Zhan took over the business and remains at the helm today.
The restaurant recently posted the announcement to its glass exterior and online, closing its CBD doors for the final time on June 11. Mr Zhan, who married Mr Lau’s daughter Elaine, told The Daily Telegraph that he would miss the restaurant’s current location that he “personally built … from scratch”. “Of course I’m going to miss the place, but things have to move on and keep going,” he said. “We’ve been around for 43 years and our plan is to be around for 100 years. That is our target.”
The new restaurant will open up on Macleay St next door to Cho Cho San and is anticipated to cut down its previously 100-dish menu to focus more on its signature dishes. Sharing the family’s “fond memories” of 188 Elizabeth St, by all appearances Mr Zhan seems completely captivated with the restaurant’s new inner east location. “Potts Point (is) a suburb full of Sydney’s best restaurants,” the website read. “We can’t wait to see you there!”
Harry’s Singapore Chilli Crab has been a beloved part of the Sydney dining scene for decades and while it is sad to see the restaurant close its Elizabeth St doors, the reopening of the iconic eatery in Potts Point is sure to be a cause for celebration.
