Katong & Joo Chiat Restaurants: Three Meals from Our Reviews
Spanish wood-fire cooking, American barbecue or Thai sharing plates? Choose between three Katong and Joo Chiat meals from our original reviews.
Looking for somewhere to eat in Katong or Joo Chiat, but not another enormous list? These three restaurants offer quite different meals: Spanish wood-fire cooking at Asador, American barbecue at Smokey’s, and Thai sharing dishes at Khao Hom by Rung Mama.
This shortlist draws on Fatspoting’s original meal accounts and photographs. It is not a ranking of every restaurant in the neighbourhood. The linked reviews were published between 2022 and 2025; the tasting notes below describe those meals, not a new September 2026 visit. We checked the restaurants’ official location listings on 16 September 2026. Menus, prices and opening hours can change, so use the official links before booking.
Which restaurant suits your meal?
- Asador: choose this for Spanish dishes and wood-fire flavours. Our account ranges from jamón and beef tartare to grilled cabbage, roast chicken and Basque cheesecake.
- Smokey’s BBQ: choose this if brisket, burgers and a smokehouse-style meal are the main attraction. Our earlier meal included a blue-cheese burger as well as barbecue sides.
- Khao Hom: choose this for a table of Thai dishes to share. The moo ping stood out in our original meal, while the chilli-lime fish was milder than we wanted.
Asador and Smokey’s are both on Joo Chiat Place. Khao Hom’s Katong branch is in Katong Square on East Coast Road. Pick the cuisine you want first, then confirm the correct outlet when making a reservation.
Asador: Spanish cooking beyond the meat dishes
Our Asador review, published in September 2025, is the most recent meal account in this collection. It includes hand-carved jamón with cristal bread and tomato, anchovies on toast, and wagyu tartare on crisp fried polenta.
The grilled Hispi cabbage is worth noticing alongside the richer dishes: our account describes anchovy-garlic sauce, fried kale, smokiness and umami. That makes it an interesting vegetable dish, but not a vegetarian recommendation. Roast chicken with prunes, olives and shallots brought a savoury-sweet combination, while the smoked mash echoed the meal’s smoky flavours.
For dessert, our original account highlights the caramelised top and custard-like centre of the Basque cheesecake. If that combination of Spanish small plates, grilled dishes and cheesecake appeals, start with the full review and photographs. Check the current menu rather than assuming every dish from that meal remains available.
Current location listing: 51 Joo Chiat Place, Singapore 427775. Asador’s official website has its menu, booking link and operating hours.
Smokey’s BBQ: brisket and a blue-cheese burger
Our Smokey’s BBQ review, published in January 2022, describes a meat-led meal. The beef brisket was tender and juicy with a deep flavour, while the Black & Blue burger combined a medium-cooked beef patty, crumbled blue cheese and caramelised onions.
The useful detail for anyone wary of blue cheese: we found its flavour added a sharp note without overwhelming that burger. The meal also included buffalo wings and smoked beef chilli nachos. Those are historical tasting notes, not a promise about today’s preparation or availability.
This is the option to investigate when the group specifically wants American barbecue rather than Spanish cooking or Thai seafood. The original account is several years old, so give the current menu a proper look before deciding what to order; we have not used its old promotional material to claim a current deal.
Current location listing: 73 Joo Chiat Place, Singapore 427790. Smokey’s official location page lists dine-in and takeaway service; use its website for current menus and reservations.
Khao Hom by Rung Mama: Thai sharing dishes at Katong Square
Our Khao Hom Katong Square review, published in October 2022, contains both standouts and reservations. The grilled moo ping was smoky, tender and juicy. The red tom yum seafood soup was tangy, sweet and mildly spicy in that meal.
We also liked the springy vermicelli and plump prawns in the steel pot, and the simple crab-meat omelette with rice let the crab’s sweetness come through. But the steamed fish with chilli and lime was not an unqualified hit: we wanted a stronger, more robust sauce.
That contrast is why the full review is more useful than a blanket “must try” label. If you want several dishes for the table, browse the original photographs and notes, then compare them with the current menu. The old review’s “second outlet” wording describes the 2022 opening, not the chain’s present outlet count.
Current location listing: 88 East Coast Road, Katong Square, #01-05/06/07, Singapore 423371. Khao Hom’s official website lists the Katong outlet and links to menus and reservations.
Before you choose
- Read the full meal account. Each review above includes original photographs and more detail than this shortlist.
- Check today’s menu and total cost. We have deliberately not carried old prices, opening promotions or festive offers into this guide as current deals.
- Confirm dietary needs directly. A vegetable dish may contain anchovy sauce, and a dish name alone does not establish suitability for allergies or dietary restrictions.
- Choose one meal, not a compulsory three-stop itinerary. These are alternatives for different cravings, not a claim that you should eat at all three in one outing.
Our starting point: Asador for a Spanish meal with varied plates, Smokey’s for a barbecue craving, or Khao Hom for Thai sharing dishes—with the original review’s strengths and caveats in mind.