Tapas Bar Near Me by the River: Tapas 24 at Robertson Quay

Tapas 24 sits at 60 Robertson Quay, unit #01-04 of The Quayside, right on the Singapore River promenade, and it is the first Asian branch of the Barcelona tapas bar created by Michelin-starred chef Carles Abellán. If you are looking for a tapas bar near me that feels like Barcelona, start here. The kitchen takes the last food order at 9.45pm even though the bar stays open to midnight, and happy hour pours a glass of sangria for S$10++.

Abellán spent years in the kitchen at El Bulli under Ferran Adrià before building his own group in Barcelona, and Tapas 24 is the casual counter-culture bar in that family. The Singapore branch opened on 7 May 2021 in partnership with the local L'Angélus group, which also runs the French bistros L'Angélus and Les Bouchons. Abellán trains the kitchen team, so the recipes follow the Barcelona originals rather than a local reinterpretation.

The restaurant describes itself as an all-day restaurant-bar, with a covered alfresco section facing the water and a cooler indoor room behind it. Opening hours are Monday to Wednesday from 5pm to midnight, and Thursday to Sunday from noon to midnight. That makes Thursday and the weekend the only days you can come for a long riverside lunch, while early weekday evenings belong to the happy-hour crowd.

The dish to order first is the Bikini, the toasted sandwich that made the Barcelona bar famous, filled here with black truffle, Ibérico ham and buffalo mozzarella for S$22. Pan con tomate, toasted bread rubbed with Roma tomato, Mallafré extra virgin olive oil and sea salt, costs S$9. Jamón croquetas made with Ibérico ham in homemade béchamel are S$9 for two or S$16 for four, which is the better deal for a group.

The ensaladilla rusa at S$14 is the award-winning Barcelona Salad: russet potatoes, Mediterranean tuna, Gordal olives, lumpfish caviar and olive oil. Padrón peppers are S$17, patatas bravas with bravas sauce and all i oli are S$14, and fried baby squid with spicy paprika mayo, the puntillitas, cost S$19. A classic Spanish tortilla with a soft centre is S$17, or S$22 with chorizo and S$23 with truffle.

Hand-cut jamón from a 48-month, 100% acorn-fed Ibérico leg costs S$32 for 50 grams, sliced by knife. The board section lets you build your own selection: Ibérico chorizo and salchichón are S$13 per 50 grams, Ibérico lomo is S$17 and 36-month Ibérico paleta is S$23. Manchego aged six months is S$15 and the unpasteurised Idiazábal sheep's cheese is S$18.

Combination pricing is the smarter route if you want variety. Any three selections totalling 150 grams cost S$46, four selections for 200 grams are S$52, and five selections for 250 grams are S$60, with S$5 added if you put the hand-cut jamón into a combo. Duplicate selections do not count toward a combo, so pick different meats and cheeses.

Bigger plates come off a Josper charcoal oven, the grill made in Pineda de Mar near Barcelona. A 300-gram Black Angus ribeye is S$62, the marbled Ibérico pork tomahawk called txuleta is S$54 and the Ibérico secreto cut is S$52. Lamb or Ibérico pork collar skewers are S$25 for 150 grams. Octopus a la brasa with potato parmentier and chimichurri is S$42.

Every paella needs 30 minutes of preparation, so order it with your first round of tapas. Arroz negro with squid ink and firefly squid is S$52, the Ibérico pork paella with chorizo and abanico is S$56, the surf-and-turf Mar y Montaña is S$46 and the vegetarian version is S$42. Prawns, clams, mussels or extra chorizo can be added from S$5.

The house sangria is macerated in-house for over 24 hours with the restaurant's own imported Spanish wine, fresh fruit and citrus. Red sangria costs S$19 a glass or S$66 for a jug that serves five. Estrella Galicia on draught is S$20 for a full pour and S$14.50 for a half. The street cocktail list includes the Tapas 24 Spritz and a Kalimotxo of red wine, cola and blueberry.

Happy hour runs Monday to Wednesday from 5pm to 7.30pm and Thursday to Sunday from 3pm to 7pm. A glass of house wine, red or white sangria, Aperol spritz, margarita or Estrella is S$10++, and a jug of sangria or margarita is S$45++. Tapas bundles pair one drink with marinated olives for S$16, or with hand-cut Ibérico ham for S$35.

The 9.45pm last food order is the rule that catches people out. Arrive by 8pm on a weeknight if you want a paella, because the 30-minute cooking time pushes a late order past the cut-off. Weekend afternoons between 3pm and 7pm are the easiest time to get a riverside table and the cheapest time to drink, and bookings are taken through the reservations link on the official website.

One honest call: the gambas al ajillo at S$30 is a lot for a small dish of prawns in garlic and chilli, and the S$14 bravas or S$19 puntillitas deliver more for the money. Save room for the burnt Basque cheesecake instead, S$14 for the classic slice with almond crumble and fig jam, or S$15 for the Manchego version topped with mascarpone cream.

The restaurant pitches itself to three kinds of tables: groups celebrating, couples on date night and the sangria sundowner crowd, and the riverside layout suits all three. The alfresco tables are the ones to ask for when booking. The kids' menu, with a S$14 chicken burger and S$10 macaroni and cheese, means families also come for weekend lunch, which is worth knowing if you are planning a quieter evening for two.

Dietary icons on the menu flag pork, beef, seafood, vegetarian, vegan, egg, dairy, nut and spice, and the kitchen can make some dishes gluten-free. The menu itself notes that these are not suitable for guests with a severe coeliac condition, so mention allergies when you order.

Robertson Quay is the quieter, residential end of the Singapore River. From Tapas 24 you can follow the promenade downstream past the moored boats and footbridges toward the bars of Clarke Quay, which makes a good walk after a long meal. Upstream, the promenade continues toward the Alkaff Bridge, the pedestrian bridge covered in colourful circles by artist Pacita Abad.

Fort Canning MRT station on the Downtown Line is the closest train stop for most visitors, and from there it is a short walk down to the river. If your table is not ready, a sundowner walk along the water fills the gap better than standing at the door, and the bar's WhatsApp number is the quickest way to ask how long the wait is.

Address: 60 Robertson Quay, #01-04 The Quayside, Singapore 238252. Hours: Monday to Wednesday 5pm to midnight; Thursday to Sunday noon to midnight; last food order 9.45pm. Prices are in Singapore dollars and subject to 10% service charge and GST. Happy hour: Monday to Wednesday 5pm to 7.30pm, Thursday to Sunday 3pm to 7pm.