The Best Tapas in Seville: 11 Classics You Can’t Afford to Miss in 2020
Your guide to the best tapas in Seville, and where to go to order them!
As soon as you arrive in Seville, you’re going to run into a problem.
There are too many places to eat at.
Now, that might not sound like a huge problem straight away, but just think about it. There are over 3,000 tapas bars and restaurants in Seville—that’s huge!
Unless you plan on spending at least a few years doing nothing but bar-hopping (and if so, invite me), you’re never going to get to all of these places. So, you need to know where to go, and what tapas to order.
Luckily, I’ve spent most of the past few years doing nothing but tapas-testing. As well as leading tapas tours around Seville for my job, eating out is also my favourite hobby (and I’m pretty good at it, too)!
I’ve put together a list of my favourite classic tapas, and the best places to get them. Read on to see my top 11 tapas recommendations in Seville! And for everything other than tapas, check out my ultimate foodie’s guide to where to eat in Seville.
Contents
What are Tapas?
But first, we have to settle one thing. What exactly are tapas?
You’re going to hear a lot of different legends about tapas during your time in Spain. Most agree that it comes from the bits of bread, cheese, or ham served on top of glasses of wine back in the day.
Given that “tapa” (the singular of “tapas”) is the Spanish word for lid, this would make a bit of sense. But after that, the legends start arguing about why this is. Some say it was to prevent sand or flies from getting inside the glass, while others claim it was to stop the King getting too drunk early in the day!
Whatever the origin, tapas today is synonymous with how people eat in Spain. Yes, it’s a size of
But more than that, it’s a way of eating. In Spain, people don’t just eat tapas, they do tapas. It’s the idea of sharing plates of food while socialising with friends and family—the highlight of any Spaniard’s day!
It’s not just cured meats, cheeses, and olives—stews, salads, steaks; anything can be a tapa! (Just remember, this isn’t fine dining, it’s everyday food! If you want something with more white tablecloths, check out my guide to the best Michelin restaurants in Seville!).
But which ones are the most traditional, and which are the best bars to get them at?
The 11 Best Classic Tapas in Seville: What to order and where
Let’s get down to business.
No matter how long your stay in Seville, if you manage to eat all 11 of these traditional tapas dishes, you’ll have had a great trip!
Jamón Ibérico at Bar Las Teresas
Jamón ibérico might be the best thing to happen to the world.
No, there’s no “might” about it: jamón ibérico is the best thing to happen to the world!
Spain’s acorn-fed Iberian ham is the stuff of
With an acre of space guaranteed for each individual pig, and with at least 3 years of curing for the meat, it takes a lot of effort to make a Spanish ham. Add in the delicious, subtly sweet flavour of those foraged acorns that the pigs eat, and it’s not uncommon to see a leg of ham sell for over 1,000 euros!
The best ham in Seville is hand-carved to order at Bar Las Teresas, where the knives of past ham-slicers are hung on the wall as trophies!
- Bar Las Teresas: Calle Santa Teresa, 2.
Read more: I’ve put together a complete list of the best places to try Spanish ham in Seville, check it out!
Puntas de Solomillo at Las Golondrinas
This has got to be one of the best tapas in Triana.
This beautiful neighbourhood across the river from the old town of Seville has some of the best food in the city, but this dish really takes the cake.
The “punta” is the hip-tip of an Iberian pork sirloin, beaten into tender submission with a mallet. At Bar Las Golondrinas, the steak is lightly grilled in olive oil and served with coarse grains of sea salt on top of a piece of bread.
It’s simple, delicious, and really hard not to have a second one!
- Las Golondrinas: Calle Antillano Campos, 26.
Croquetas at Casa Ricardo
Croquetas really are the pride and joy of Spain. These simple balls of fried goodness may be small, but they pack a delicious punch.
Spanish croquettes are simple spheres of bechamel sauce stuffed with… whatever! You can get pretty much anything inside a croqueta. From stew to squid, and from spinach to cheese, there’s no limit to what a croquette can be!
But as with anything, the simplest are usually the best. Try the croquetas de jamón (Iberian ham croquettes) at Casa Ricardo, and prepare to never eat any other bar snack again.
This bar is famous for having the best croquetas in town, and they’ll make you fall in love with simple Spanish cuisine. The bar has decorated its walls with images of Seville’s Easter parades, so get ready for a traditional bar experience like no other!
- Casa Ricardo: Calle Hernán Cortés, 2.
Espinacas con Garbanzos at El Rinconcillo
El Rinconcillo is Seville’s oldest tapas bar, and a must-visit destination for any foodie in town!
They have a fairly extensive tapas menu, but the best advice I can give anyone is “do what the locals do”.
I call it the law of When Harry Met Sally: look at what locals are eating, and tell the waiter “I’ll have what she’s having”!
Grab a spot standing at the bar (you won’t see many locals sitting down to eat here). Aside from the classics of cured meats and cheeses, El Rinconcillo is also famous for its version of Seville’s most classic tapa:
A pretty humble veggie stew of spinach, chickpeas, and cumin spice, there are few things as delicious as this. It’s a dish that also tells you a lot about Seville’s past, as none of those 3 ingredients come from Spain!
A twist on an Arabic recipe, this tapa dates back to the time of the Moors in Spain, with ingredients introduced from the Middle East. It’s warm, cozy, exotic, and healthy! Who said you couldn’t be a vegetarian in Spain?!
- El Rinconcillo: Calle Gerona, 40.
Read more: Get my recipe for espinacas con garbanzos, Seville’s best vegetarian tapas dish!
Solomillo al Whiskey at Casa Eme
This pork sirloin steak, doused in a garlic and whiskey sauce, is a Seville institution. Honestly, my mouth waters just thinking about it.
Everyone has their favourite place for grilled solomillo (apart from their mother’s recipe!). Mine is Casa Eme, a super rustic hole-in-the-wall bar on the edge of Seville’s old town.
Seriously, this bar is so no-frills it’s illegal to wear ruffled clothing inside.
The whiskey sauce is garlicky, salty, fatty, and just the faintest bit whiskey-sweet. Drenched over the pork steak and roasted potatoes, it’s as comfortable as comfort-food can get!
- Casa Eme: Calle Puerta del Osario, 3.
Salmorejo at Vega 10
Another one of the best tapas bars in Triana, Vega 10 really shines with its
This cold tomato soup is similar to gazpacho, but ask a local and they’ll say there’s a world of difference! Firstly, there are fewer ingredients. Salmorejo is just the humble blend of tomatoes and garlic with bread, sherry vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil.
But when you emulsify everything together in a blender, you get a smooth and creamy soup, way bigger in body than a gazpacho. I keep about a litre of it in my fridge to help get through summer in one piece!
It’s deliciously light, which makes for a perfect lunch on a hot day. It’s also perfect for when you’re too full for a solid lunch, like if you’ve had a breakfast of Seville’s best churros!
At Vega 10, try their classic version or opt for the one made with beetroot. It’s divine.
- Vega 10: Calle Rosario Vega, 10.
Tortilla Española at Bar Santa Marta
One of my Spanish friends once told me that the yellow part of the Spanish flag is there for tortilla.
He might have been joking, but still—people take this stuff seriously!
Spanish tortilla (a.k.a. the potato omelette) is nothing like the Mexican corn flour tortilla. Well, it’s round, but that’s where the similarities end!
This thick and cake-like omelette is a mass of potato and egg, served all over the country. Most people will say they can make a better tortilla than any professional chef (myself included!), but it takes so much effort that it’s usually way easier to just order a tapa of tortilla at a bar.
But don’t get me wrong, tortilla española is still one of the best tapas around. And the best one in Seville? Well, I reckon that’s at Bar Santa Marta, in the heart of Seville’s old town.
And if that’s not enough potato for you, you can check out my picks for the top 5 best tortillas in Seville.
It’s also just down the road from one of the best ice creams in Seville, so dessert is sorted, too!
- Bar Santa Marta: Calle Angostillo, 2.
Read more: Do tapas at home, and try out my authentic recipe for Spanish tortilla!
Montadito de pringá at Bodeguita Romero
O.K., so some people might argue that montaditos (small toasted sandwiches) aren’t really tapas. But these delicious snacks are a mainstay on tapas menus throughout Seville, and my life wouldn’t be the same without them.
And there’s one
Pringá is as Andalusian as sun and siesta, but way more delicious than both of those. It’s a thick and juicy stew of pork mince mixed with chorizo and morcilla (Spanish blood sausage spiced with cumin).
Every bar has
Pro tip: Pair it with some of Seville’s best vermouth for a gobsmacking combo!
- Bodeguita Romero: Calle Harinas, 10.
Chicharrones de Cádiz at Taberna Álvaro Peregil (La Goleta)
There are two types of chicharrones in Seville.
Chicharrones de Sevilla (or de Triana, if you live in Triana) are deep fried pork rinds, seasoned with a secret mix of Andalusian herbs and spices.
Order chicharrones de Cádiz, on the other hand, and you’ll get roasted chunks of pork belly, rubbed with smoky paprika, cumin, garlic, and salt.
(Writing this post might kill me. Seriously, I’m drooling so much I might get dangerously dehydrated.)
To be honest, both types are fantastic. But I can never resist the Cádiz variety, especially the ones from La Goleta.
This bar is barely more than two metres wide and three metres long, but what they lack in space they more than
Delicious by themselves, the chicharrones also pair nicely with the bar’s other famous offering: sweet Andalusian orange wine.
- La Goleta: Calle Mateos Gago, 20.
Adobo de Cazón at Freiduría La Isla
If you’re looking for the best tapas in Seville’s Santa Cruz area, you can’t miss this humble fry-shop.
Family-run since the 1930s, this fish-and-chip joint churns out fried deliciousness to a very loyal crowd. And the prize jewel in Spanish fried fish? Adobo de cazón.
This is a dish that doesn’t translate well. So, if you see “pickled dogfish” on a menu, I want you to ignore it. Sure, technically it’s dogfish and technically it’s been pickled but it’s so much more than that!
Dogfish is actually a type of sand-shark, with a juicy and meaty texture. To prepare it in Andalucia, fishermen marinate it overnight in a mix of sherry vinegar, cumin, preserved lemon and garlic.
Fry it the next day for lunch, and you’ve got one tasty bit of seafood! Meaty, tangy, salty, crispy, spicy: adobo has it all!
- Freiduría La Isla: Calle García de Vinuesa, 13.
Into your seafood? Don’t forget to visit some of the best food markets in Seville and see some of the freshest fish in town!
Carrillera at Eslava
In case you haven’t noticed yet, Spain is the land of pork.
There’s a good reason for why Iberian pork features so heavily in the local diet: it’s delicious! And for a long time, it was the simplest way to prove to the Inquisition that you were catholic. The result is that today, lamb and beef are rare, especially in the south of Spain, where the Inquisition was strongest.
And it’s not just the sirloin and the ham that we eat here. Every part of the pig gets consumed in Seville, even the cheeks! Carrillera (braised pork cheeks) is the most popular way to eat them, and is a stew that you’ll find on any good menu in town.
My favourite is the rich, slightly sweet yet still incredibly meaty dish served at Eslava. This slightly upscale restaurant routinely ranks among Seville’s best
It’s the “fanciest” place on this list, but their carrillera is SO good that it deserved a place here, too! While not as “everyday” as the other traditional bars and local taverns in this post, it’s worth making the pilgrimage to the north side of the old town to try this plate.
- Eslava: Calle Eslava, 3.
Read more
Now that you’ve got lunch and dinner sorted, don’t forget about the most important meal of the day! Check out my guide to the best breakfast in Seville, as well as Seville’s best coffee. And if you’re considering going plant-based, check out my vegetarian guide to Seville!
If this all seems a bit too traditional and solid for your tastes, why not try out some of my recommendations for craft beer in Seville!
Looking to challenge your taste buds? One thing that didn’t make my list of the best tapas in Seville is snails! Each year in Spring, the city loses its collective mind over these little shelled boys and girls, and you should too! Find out where to eat snails in Seville (and why we even eat them in the first place).
And if you’re travelling around southern Spain, don’t miss my picks for where to eat in Malaga, and the best restaurants in Cordoba! While you’re at it, check out my other foodie guides to my favourite eating and drinking destinations.