The true origin of the tapas culture is still a subject of much debate. Here are a couple of the more common explanations.

Tapas originates from the spanish word tapea, which means to cover. Traditionally, tapas consists of small slices of bread, cheeses ormeats placed atop of the glasses of drinks ordered. The strategic value of placing food over drinks as a lid is most prominently seen in the Southern provinces of Spain. Down south where the weather is warmer,the sweet scent of alcohol attracts flies easily.

By covering drinks with tapas, the flies are prevented access to the most precious beer, wines or spirits beneath. Providing a small portion of food conveniently on top of the glass will in addition encourage the patrons of the bar to consume some food before drink. This will allow customers to not drink on an empty stomach and hence increasing their tolerance for alcohol.

Alternatively, some believe that it was the Castilian King Alfonso X who was the originator of these delights. During his rule in the 13th century over Seville, Cordoba and Jaen, he was advised by his doctors to cut back on his calories due to health issues. As a result, his personal chefs came up with a solution to meet his dietary and medical requirements by serving him tiny morsels of food instead of large meals. Little did anyone know, these tiny morsels tasted so good that the King and, soon, everyone else became so fond of them resulting in the creation of the tapas culture.

The menu at Zsofi Tapas bar is made up of the freshest ingredients handpicked daily by our chefs from the local markets, grocers and suppliers. There is a diverse spread of tapas ranging from typical Spanish tapas to modern fusion with influences as varied as the travelers in lovely Singapore. To keep our menu fresh and vibrant, we relook at our menu every two months, increasing and changing the options of Tapas available. The current version of our dine in menu is available for download on this page.

For events, we have a specially selected list of Tapas with additional items not available in our daily dine in menu just to ensure your event is that much more special. The current version of our events menu is available for download on this page.

We have a huge variety of drinks to offer from our full cocktail bar. Our diverse selection of beers, wines, spirits, smoothies, coffee, tea and juices will definitely refresh and excite!

Come by and try the much raved Sangria, Granada cocktail (toblerone & vanilla ice cream base), Mata Hijau cocktail (kiwi base) and Absinthe!

Every regular drink you buy entitles you to FREE TAPAS

The adventure started off in spontaneous Barcelona.  We arrived on a sunny Catalonian afternoon and first place we visited was Mercat De Saint Josep (Saint Joseph Market) where we had our first taste of authentic tapas and ice-cold cerveza! Next we headed inland to the fascinating capital, Madrid.  Here we caught our first flamenco performance and were captivated by the explosion of passion which flowed from the music and dance.

After these two big cities, we proceeded south to Andalusia where we checked in our clocks and joyfully lost track of time.  We had a great time in Sevilla where we met manay amazing people of whom the one that left the biggest impression was a guy named Dan.  He was seemingly simple with a great sense of humour.  We would discover later, through casual conversation, that he is a bona fide Emmy Award-winner.

Finally we reached the picturesque plains of unforgettable Granada.  Here, is where the story of Zsofi Tapas Bar really began.  On arrival, we checked into the most rustic and comfortable of all backpackers’.  It had a roof garden, where Anand and I threw parties under our aliases, ‘Harold’ and ‘Kumar’, with the backpackers’ anointed as ‘Whitecastle’.  Coincedentally, it was on this roof garden that we met the lady who inspired the creation of Zsofi Tapas Bar.

Zsofi is her name.  We spent many hours together traipsing through the bohemian streets of Granada, walking, chatting, sharing ideas, experiences and laughs.  She captivated us, with her beauty, her smile and her charisma.  During our time together, we frequented many a tapas bar, where we quenched our thirst and got tipsy with delicious sangria, tinto de verano and cerveza, filled our bellies with free tapas and inevitably grew closer to each other.  It was simply unforgettable, she was unforgettable.  Unfortunately, time caught up with us and part we had to.  We did not exchange contact details, it seemed like a silly romantic thing to do at that time, keeping our perfect time together encased in this untouchable memory.

As Anand and I proceeded away from Granada on the train with heavy hearts, we reminisced that marvelous handful of days.  The idea of setting up a tapas bar then struck us.  We realised that the easy-going tapas culture in Granada was a key reason why we had so much fun partying in Granada, a catalyst for our surreal experience. We then decided then and there that we would bring that tapas culture to the pubbing scene of Singapore!  Voila!  There was no question then, that our tapas bar would be named after that special someone, Zsofi, who truly was the highlight of our trip to Spain.