Tapas Bar Near Me in Joo Chiat: Carlitos on Joo Chiat Road

On the east side, tapas bar near me usually means one shophouse at 350 Joo Chiat Road. Carlitos opened at the end of 2024 as a casual neighbourhood bar from chef Carlos Montobbio, the Barcelona native best known for Esquina in Chinatown, together with chef Antonio Miscellaneo of La Bottega. The menu reads like a chef's personal map of the best tapa he ever ate in each Spanish bar, served in a Peranakan neighbourhood a long way from Barcelona.

Montobbio graduated from the Hofmann culinary school in Barcelona and cooked at three-star El Celler de Can Roca before moving to Singapore about ten years ago to run the kitchen at Esquina. When Carlitos opened, he told local media that Singapore lacked an authentic tapas experience, and that just as Singaporeans keep a mental list of the best bak chor mee or hot pot, he kept a list of where he had eaten the best version of each tapa.

The result is deliberately informal. Carlitos is run by Mission Group with the Unlisted Collection, the same hospitality group behind Esquina, but it is billed as a neighbourhood tapas bar rather than a destination restaurant. Restaurant manager Alberto runs the floor and Chef Li Vian leads the kitchen day to day, while Montobbio sets the menu.

Several tapas are priced per piece with a minimum of two, which suits a bar where people order a round at a time. Pan con tomate on crystal bread with Spanish oxheart tomatoes is S$4 a piece, gambas al ajillo, Atlantic prawns in garlic and chilli oil with sourdough, are S$6 a piece, and the Gilda de Carlitos, a skewer of bluefin tuna belly, sundried tomatoes and piparras, is S$7 each.

The Ibérico ham croquetas with saffron alioli and the buñuelos de Pamplona, cod fritters with ajoarriero sofrito, are both S$7 a piece. Olives stuffed with anchovy and finished with Espinaler sauce, the Catalan dressing used on tinned seafood, cost S$6 a bowl. Start with olives, two gildas and two croquetas while the rest of the table decides.

Padrón peppers with sea salt are S$10, as are the patatas bravas Bonanova with garlic alioli, spicy tomato sauce and chilli oil. The cod tortilla, made with organic eggs, confit shallots and padrón, is S$10 and marked as limited quantity, so order it early. Huevos estrellados, fried eggs broken over potatoes and Ibérico chorizo, cost S$13, and the Momotaro tomato salad with confit yellowfin tuna belly is S$12.

For bigger plates, pulpo La Coruña with smoked paprika and olive oil is S$22, Txipirones Bilbao, grilled squid with crispy baby squid and orzo, is S$20, and the grandmother's cannelloni of braised beef and pork is S$22. Joselito Ibérico de Bellota ham aged 48 months costs S$28. The tapa de paella with braised beef cheek is S$25, and the same rice comes as a S$70 sharing pan.

The xup-xup section, named for the Catalan word for a gentle simmer, holds the slow-braised dishes. Rabo de toro, oxtail in red wine with Manchego mash, is S$28, fricandó con setas of Ibérico pork collar with mushrooms and maitake rice is S$24, and the brothy prawn and lobster rice with clams is S$28.

Molletes are mini toasted flatbread sandwiches: fried squid with alioli for S$12, a Pepito Madrid of Angus tenderloin with fried green peppers for S$15, and a bikini of Ibérico ham and brie for S$10. The conservas list nods to Spain's tinned-seafood bars, with a cod mousse tosta at S$7, Galician clam ceviche at S$20 and razor clams with gremolata at S$22.

If you want the kitchen to pace the meal, Carlitos sells tapas bundles: El Seis, six plates for S$65++, and El Siete, seven plates for S$75++, chosen from a set list, with paid upgrades to premium plates. For dessert, churros with Valrhona chocolate are S$12 for four, the Basque burnt cheesecake tart with sangria sorbet is S$12, and torrija with Pedro Ximénez ice cream is S$13.

The Gaudí Room is a separate bar inspired by Antoni Gaudí, with lower lights and a later finish. It opens Tuesday to Saturday from 6pm to midnight, which makes it the place to carry on after dinner downstairs. Prices across the menu are subject to 9% GST and service charge.

The tapas bar opens for dinner only from Monday to Thursday, 5.30pm to 10.30pm. On Friday it serves lunch from 11.30am to 3pm and dinner from 5.30pm to 11pm. Saturday runs straight through from 11.30am to 11pm, and Sunday from 11.30am to 10.30pm. The weekend all-day hours are the easiest time to drop in for a few plates in the afternoon.

Bookings are taken online through the reservations page on the Carlitos website, and the team also answers on WhatsApp and at hola@carlitos.sg. Because the cod tortilla is made in limited quantity, an early booking on Friday or Saturday gives you the best chance of still finding it on the list.

Joo Chiat is known for its rows of restored Peranakan shophouses, and the most photographed are the pastel terraces on Koon Seng Road, a short walk from Joo Chiat Road. Late afternoon light is best for seeing the tiled facades and carved timber details before you sit down for an early dinner.

The surrounding streets, running down toward East Coast Road and Katong, are lined with bakeries, kopitiam and Peranakan kitchens, so a weekend lunch at Carlitos can easily turn into an afternoon walk. Eunos MRT on the East-West Line is the nearest train station to the northern end of Joo Chiat Road, and buses run the length of the road toward Katong.

Address: 350 Joo Chiat Road, Singapore 427598. Email: hola@carlitos.sg; WhatsApp through the website. Hours: Monday to Thursday 5.30pm to 10.30pm; Friday 11.30am to 3pm and 5.30pm to 11pm; Saturday 11.30am to 11pm; Sunday 11.30am to 10.30pm. Gaudí Room: Tuesday to Saturday 6pm to midnight. Prices are subject to 9% GST and service charge. Sister restaurant: Esquina, 16 Jiak Chuan Road.