Tapas Bar Near Me on Telok Blangah Hill: UNA at Alkaff Mansion

Most searches for tapas bar near me in Singapore end in a shophouse, but one Spanish kitchen that has been cooking since 2014 sits on a hill in a 1918 mansion. UNA first opened at 1-Rochester in 2014 and now occupies Level 2 of The Alkaff Mansion at 10 Telok Blangah Green, inside Telok Blangah Hill Park. Its tapas are sold by the piece, so you can build a bar-style meal from single bites even in a room with chandeliers.

UNA is part of 1-Group, which also runs The Alkaff Mansion's Wildseed Cafe and 1918 Heritage Bar. Two cooks have been with the restaurant since its first night at 1-Rochester: Chef Tom Kung, now associate culinary director and group executive chef, and Chef Weng, who by the restaurant's count has spent 12 years at the paella pan. Kung once worked alongside a consultant Basque chef, Marta, a graduate of the Basque Culinary Center.

The restaurant has collected recognition along the way. ICEX Spain, the Spanish government's trade promotion agency, has certified UNA under its Restaurants from Spain programme since 2022, and Wine Spectator gave it a 2026 Award of Excellence for its wine list. Its culinary advisor is Diego Grimberg, who opened Albert Adrià's Enigma in Barcelona as head chef and has run the kitchen at the Michelin-starred Hofmann since 2021.

UNA's menu dated 13 October 2026 prices its tapas individually, which is what makes it work for a bar-style evening. Pan con tomate on toasted crystal bread with fresh tomato purée is S$3 a piece, with toppings of Ibérico chorizo for S$3 more, or bluefin tuna or lomo Ibérico for S$5. The patatas bravas here are a potato mille-feuille tart with garlic aïoli and spicy bravas sauce, S$6 each.

Croquetas de jamón, Ibérico ham fritters with béchamel, are S$6 a piece, and the mussel croquetas are S$8. Piquillo peppers stuffed with Atlantic cod and finished with black olive dust cost S$8 each. For something richer, the coca de foie, a seared foie gras torchon with caramelised fig on toasted brioche, is S$12 a piece, and the battered courgette flower with goat's cheese and truffle honey is S$15.

The ham is hand-carved to order. UNA serves Cinco Jotas, the acorn-fed 5J Ibérico cured for 48 months, at S$28 for 20g or S$46 for 40g, with crystal bread and tomato. Padrón peppers with sea salt are S$12, sous-vide white asparagus with olive oil is S$15, and an heirloom tomato salad with white asparagus and pomegranate is also S$15.

Gambas al ajillo, red sea prawns sautéed with garlic, bird's eye chilli and white wine, cost S$27, and the smoky grilled octopus with purple potatoes, mojo picón and mojo verde is S$36. Among the soups, the lobster bisque with mussels, langoustine and clams is S$24 and the sherried consommé with seared scallop and morels is S$23.

Paella and fideuà come in two sizes. The mariscos version with red sea prawns, clams, black mussels and saffron is S$58 or S$78, and the chorizo rice with petit pois and ñora pepper is S$56 or S$76. The squid ink negra with red prawns is priced like the seafood paella. These are the dishes Chef Weng has been cooking since 2014.

Mains include spatchcock chicken at S$34, Moralejo milk-fed lamb leg chops at S$44, and turbot with a Café de Hofmann sauce, a nod to Grimberg's Barcelona kitchen, at S$54. Roasted suckling pig is S$92 for two, and a whole pig for eight to ten people costs S$388 with three days' pre-order. From the asador, a 600g Rubia Gallega bone-in striploin is S$168.

Desserts lean classic. Churros with 70% Guanaja chocolate namelaka are S$20, crema catalana with mixed berries is S$18, caramel flan is S$18 and a turrón almond coulant with raspberry sorbet is S$26. A cheese board of Manchego and Idiazábal with truffle honey and quince is S$18, and it pairs well with a last glass from the award-winning wine list.

If you would rather not choose, the tasting set menu is S$98++ per person with a minimum of two diners, covering snacks, tapas, a main and dessert, with supplements for the premium steaks. All prices carry a 10% service charge and prevailing government taxes. UNA also runs Domingo de Paella Sunday brunches with all-you-can-eat paella at S$58++ per person.

UNA is a dinner restaurant for most guests. It serves dinner Tuesday to Sunday from 6pm to 10.30pm, with last orders at 9.30pm, and is closed on Monday. Lunch is offered only for group bookings with set menus, arranged by email at una@thealkaffmansion.sg.

Unlike a shophouse tapas bar, UNA asks guests to follow a smart formal dress code, and the restaurant notes that reservations are accommodated at management's discretion. That makes it a better fit for an anniversary or a long dinner than for a quick plate after work, though ordering tapas by the piece keeps the bill flexible.

The Alkaff Mansion stands within Telok Blangah Hill Park, one of the green spaces linked by the Southern Ridges walking trail. Arriving an hour before your booking lets you walk part of the ridge while there is still light, then head up to UNA as the sun goes down over the trees.

Henderson Waves, the wave-shaped pedestrian bridge that links Telok Blangah Hill with Mount Faber, is the best-known stretch of the trail and a short walk from the mansion. After dinner, the 1918 Heritage Bar inside the same building is the natural place for a final drink before heading back down the hill by taxi.

Address: Level 2, The Alkaff Mansion, 10 Telok Blangah Green, Singapore 109178. Dinner: Tuesday to Sunday 6pm to 10.30pm, last orders 9.30pm; closed Monday. Lunch: group bookings only, Tuesday to Friday 12pm to 2.30pm and Saturday and Sunday 12pm to 3pm. Dress code: smart formal. Prices are subject to 10% service charge and prevailing government taxes.