Photo: Tripadvisor

La Tapilla Sixteena

Name: La Tapilla Sixteena
Address: 5 Chatham Counterguard, Gibraltar Town, Gibraltar GX11 1AA, Main Street & Town Centre, GI
Telephone: +350 200 66615
Price range: ££–£££

Mediterranean · SpanishMain Street & Town Centre££–£££

A Mediterranean and Spanish restaurant in Main Street & Town Centre with too few reviews to rank — 13 so far, averaging 4.1 on Tripadvisor.

Gibraltar Index

4.3 / 5

Tripadvisor4.113

Google4.462

A weighted blend of both, not an average. How this works

Ratings read 6 September 2026.

Our review

La Tapilla Sixteena (also written Sixtina) is a Spanish tapas bar on the pedestrianised row at Chatham Counterguard, near Casemates: 4.1 on Tripadvisor from 13 reviews, 4.4 on Google from 62, and an Index of 4.30. The reviews were re-read on 6 September 2026 and run to 4 September. One thing has to come first: a Google reviewer that day says the restaurant is no longer there and a place called Chatzz is in its spot, while another the same day, in Spanish, praises the fast service and the menu. We cannot resolve that from the reviews; check before you go.

Assuming it is still trading under this name, the case for it is consistent. Pig cheeks in sherry are the dish, called 'to die for' in August 2026 and the surprise of the night in 2021; secreto, gambones al pil pil, an outstanding octopus and an octopus salad, artichokes, cold meats and cheese, and a good wine list are named alongside. Prices are reasonable, tapas typically around £5, a big lunch with wine £18 in 2023, dinner for two with three drinks each about £60 in 2025. The owner will pick dishes for you if you tell him what you like.

It is a locals' place, and reviewers say people around the corner did not know it existed; in a town of 'Brit tapas' it is properly Iberian. Ivan, Rafa and Marina are named from 2022. Booking is advised, though one couple were squeezed in with an extra table.

The dissent is about service and the bill. An October 2025 party ordered five dishes, got six, and found the extra was £15, with untouched bread also charged; an August 2025 diner got prawns that smelt of ammonia and was told the chef said they were fine; older reviews record twenty-five-minute gaps between plates and drinks that never came, and the chorizo, one reviewer notes, arrives as cold slices rather than fried chunks.

Come for real Spanish tapas, above all the pig cheeks, on a lively pedestrian row the tourists mostly miss, and check the bill against what you ordered; but confirm the place is still open under this name first, because the newest review says it is not. Nobody from Gibraltar Index has eaten here; this write-up is from the reviews.

Written from the Tripadvisor reviews and both platforms' scores on 6 September 2026, not from a meal we ate — nobody from Gibraltar Index has eaten here. We show the Google rating but have not yet read Google's reviews for the write-up. The recurring themes it draws on are below.

What reviewers consistently say

Our summary of recurring themes across the 25 most recent reviews, written in our own words and read on 6 September 2026. Recent reviews from both platforms are quoted, with attribution, further down.

One September 2026 reviewer says the restaurant has been replaced by a place called Chatzz; another the same day praises it. Unresolved.
Pig cheeks in sherry are the dish everyone names, with secreto, prawns pil pil and octopus close behind.
Properly Spanish tapas at around £5 a plate, popular with locals and little known to visitors.
Bills have gone wrong: an unordered £15 dish and bread charged for untouched.
One report of prawns that smelt of ammonia, dismissed by the kitchen.

What it gets right

Genuinely Spanish tapas, with the pig cheeks the star
Reasonable prices on a lively pedestrianised row
An owner who will choose for you

What it gets wrong

May no longer be trading under this name, on the newest review
Check the bill: an extra dish and bread charged in one account
Slow or forgetful service in older reviews

How it compares

It holds 4.1 out of 5 on Tripadvisor from 13 reviews — level with the Gibraltar median of 4.1 across 106 restaurants with enough reviews to rank, and on only a handful of reviews, so treat it as indicative.

It is priced in the middle of Gibraltar's range.

How the Gibraltar Index Score is built

It is not an average of the two. Each source is weighted by how many reviews it carries, then pulled toward the Gibraltar average so a high score from a handful of reviews cannot outrank a strong score from thousands. La Tapilla Sixteena scores 4.1 from 13 on Tripadvisor and 4.4 from 62 on Google, which the model blends to 4.3.

We read the 25 most recent Tripadvisor reviews and summarised what recurs, in our own words; the reviews we drew on are quoted below, attributed to their authors. The Tripadvisor and Google scores are each shown 1:1 as those platforms publish them; the Index Score is ours and the formula is above. Nobody from Gibraltar Index has eaten here, so nothing is a first-hand verdict.

Recent reviews

Shown from each platform, attributed to the reviewer. We don't edit them — read the full set at source.

Tripadvisor★★★★☆4.1· 13

All on Tripadvisor →

2026-08-17
A Hidden Gem of a Tapas Restaurant
Brought to this restaurant by my daughter and her boyfriend who lives in Gibraltar. Without them I would never have found this gem of a place. The menu was extensive and I was struggling to decide what to have luckily they knew the owner who was on hand to guide me through the menu. He asked what I liked to eat and based on my answers he more →
MrsT68 · via Tripadvisor
2025-10-17
Lovely food but be careful re: paying
We ordered 5 dishes, one being fried potatoes. We were given 6 dishes, but as they came out one by one, we didn't realise until they'd all come out that there was an extra one, being a fried potato dish with some toppings on that had come out second. We thought it doesn't matter as most dishes were under £5 so we let it slide. Then when tmore →
lucybF2522EN · via Tripadvisor
2025-07-11
Good selection of tapas
Off the main center to some extent but amidst a lovely row of restaurants. Exactly what I was looking for (Spanish tapas). Unfortunately, my companion took charge and mainly ordered cold meats and cheese do we really did not get to benefit from the wide range of dishes. However, great atmosphere.more →
CarolG843 · via Tripadvisor
2025-06-10
Top notch
As lovers of a great Tapas experience, we found the visit here beyond expectations , the traditional Spanish style dishes were excellent, you can see why it is so popular with the localsmore →
503martynd · via Tripadvisor
2023-04-08
Well-priced Spanish food. A locals' favourite
A lot of the restaurants in Gib offer 'genuine British fish & chips' or 'Brit pub grub'. If you're looking for something more iberian, this is just the spot. The menus includes tapas dishes and full plates and decent prices. A huge lunch with a glass of wine set me back £18. The secreto carne was particularly good. There's no view abd it'more →
TripMember05062015 · via Tripadvisor

Google★★★★☆4.4· 62

All on Google →

2026-09-04
Nos ha encantado. El servicio rápido, el personal muy amable y el menú un 10. Muy recomendado y agradecidamore →
C B F · via Google
2026-09-04
Good choice tapas, reasonable prices typically 5€ The named restaurant is no longer there, in its place is a restaurant called CHATZZmore →
William Jenkins · via Google
2026-07-11
Small plates and a few rations, all of it was amazingly tasty! Will definitely return.more →
Joe Santos · via Google
2026-03-21
We had a delicious lunch on the patio. All the dishes were great, but the octopus was outstanding.more →
Kelli • Whiskied Wanderlust · via Google
2026-02-20
Perfect tapas. Lots and lots to choose from and everything we ordered was wonderful. Great selection of both hot and cold tapas, some dishes are available as larger 1/2 or full plates too. Reasonable prices and top food. A must go to placemore →
Graham Walton · via Google

Reviews are the opinions of their authors, reproduced from Tripadvisor and Google with attribution and a link to the original. La Tapilla Sixteena did not provide them and Gibraltar Index did not solicit or edit them.