October 27, 2020

So, Ham Isn’t a Vegetable? Your Vegetarian Guide to Seville 2020

I get it: being vegetarian can be hard in Spain. I mean, this is a country that thinks pork is a vegetable. Most salads include ham, a sandwich vegetariano is mostly tuna (don’t ask), and the cookies are full of pork fat.

But that doesn’t mean that you can’t have a delicious time as a vegetarian in Seville!

I decided to go full vegetarian about a year ago, five years after moving to Spain. (Leaving the ham was hard.) Lucky for me, that gave me enough time to learn about the best places to eat vegetarian in Seville! Without realising, I’d soaked up everything I needed to know about where to go, and what to order, if I wanted to live my best plant-based life.

And now I want to pass that knowledge to you. No need for years of research and prep, just dive right into eating vegetarian tapas in Seville!

Before you dive in, check out my guide to the best vegetarian tapas in Spain!

Contents

Eating Vegetarian in Seville

With all of its terrific sunshine, Spain grows a big chunk of Europe’s fruit and veg. You’ll have easy to access to so much fresh and local produce!

But the thing is, vegetarianism is still a weirdly new concept in Seville. You’ll have to search out the menu items that don’t have meat or fish, but luckily more and more bars are marking which dishes are vegan or veggie-friendly. When in doubt, you can always ask the waiter (but chances are they’ll bring you a salad with ham).

Here are few phrases you might need:

Handy Spanish Phrases for Vegetarians

Yo soy vegetariano/a — I’m vegetarian.
Yo soy vegano/a — I’m vegan.
Soy pescetariano/a — I’m pescatarian.
No puedo comer… — I can’t eat…
- carne — meat
- pescado — fish
- marisco — seafood
- productos lacteos — dairy products
- huevos — eggs.
Quiero pedir algo sin carne — I want to order something without meat.

Vegetarian Breakfasts in Seville

Vegetarians, you’re in luck! Spanish breakfasts are, by definition, a vegetarian’s delight. Bacon and eggs? Please… those are lunch and dinner foods in Spain!

In Seville, you’ll see almost every local chowing down on the humble pan con tomate. Crusty bread, fresh tomato or tangy tomato puree, and golden, peppery extra virgin Spanish olive oil.

It’s the simplest, tastiest breakfast I’ll ever eat. It’s also easy to find! See a bar open before midday? They serve pan con tomate.

Churros on the side of a cup of chocolate.

And if toast ain’t your thing, you can always go for churros. An easy savoury dough (just flour, olive oil, and salt), deep fried in even more olive oil! The most famous version is chocolate con churros, served with a cup of thick, dark drinking chocolate. But if you don’t eat dairy, you can always have your churros with a café for dunking instead!

You can check out my list of favourite places to get churros in Seville here. But my top pick has always been Bar El Comercio, serving fresh churros all day!

Bar El Comercio: Calle Lineros, 9.

Where to Eat Vegetarian Tapas in Seville

Despite Spain’s love of all things pork, there are a surprising number of vegetarian tapas on offer at almost every bar in town. While you can order pretty much all of these dishes at all of Seville’s tapas bars, I’ve picked my favourite spots for each different tapa!

Espinacas con Garbanzos at El Rinconcillo

Espinacas con garbanzos is one of Seville’s most iconic tapas, vegetarian or not! It’s full of the aromatic spices that you find all throughout southern Spain, and really hits the spot.

My favourite version of this tapa is at El Rinconcillo, the oldest bar in Spain! Opened in 1670, this bar is a piece of history and well worth a visit.

El Rinconcillo: Calle Gerona, 40.

Tapas of spinach and chickpeas in Seville.

Tortilla de Patatas at Bar Santa Marta

Is there anything as Spanish as the humble tortilla de patatas? It’s basically the yellow in the Spanish flag.

You can get a good tortilla at a lot of bars in Seville, but my favourite is from Bar Santa Marta. Plus, it’s a great place to grab a seat in the patio under orange trees, in front of an old church, and just live your best Spanish life!

Bar Santa Marta: Calle Angostillo, 2.

Pimientos de Padrón at Casa Morales

Seville’s second oldest bar is Casa Morales. It’s one of my favourite spots to hit up for a glass of sherry and an afternoon tapa. And since I’ve been veggie, I’ve been loving their pimientos de padrón. These bittersweet peppers are the perfect bar snack, healthy and delicious at the same time (just ignore the oil they fry in).

Casa Morales: Calle García de Vinuesa, 11.

Salmorejo at Vega 10

Wondering where to eat tapas in Triana? You could do a lot worse than Vega 10, home to my favourite salmorejo in Seville.

Salmorejo is a classic Andalusian chilled tomato soup. It’s similar to gazpacho, but with a few key differences. First, there are fewer ingredients. But second, one of those ingredients is breadcrumbs! Combined with the olive oil, the soup emulsifies to a creamy, silky texture. It’s a delicious vegan tapa (but be careful, it’s common to garnish it with chopped boiled egg and Iberian ham. Make sure to request it sin jamon y sin huevo).

Vega 10: Calle Rosario Vega, 10.

Pisto at La Fresquita

Pisto is like ratatouille, but with a Spanish chef in charge instead of the cartoon rat. It’s a classic veggie stew from La Mancha in central Spain; tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, zucchini… basically anything you want can go in a pisto!

My favourite in Seville is from the religious bar La Fresquita, a hidden gem near the Cathedral in the centre of town. Classically, pisto comes with a fried egg on top. So if you don’t eat eggs, as for yours sin huevo, por favor.

La Fresquita: Calle Mateos Gago, 29.

Patatas Bravas at Sal Gorda

Sal Gorda is the least traditional bar on my list. It’s in the more modern, “fusion” theme of restaurants that you’ll find in Seville, but one of the few not owned by a restaurant group!

Similarly, patatas bravas is not a dish I’d usually recommend. Since it’s not a classic Andalusian recipe, it tends to be churned out for tourists. Just soggy potatoes, too-sweet ketchup, and bad mayo that always gives me stomach cramps.

But at Sal Gorda? I could eat that tapa all day. Crispy potatoes, natural tomatoes, and garlicky alioli!

Sal Gorda: Calle Alcaicería de la Loza, 2.

patatas bravas; Spain's most famous vegetarian tapas dish. — It’s hard to find *good* patatas bravas in Seville. But when you do? Hold them close and never look back.

Champiñones at Las Golondrinas

I have eaten more champis at Las Golondrinas than any other tapa in Seville! Beautiful button mushrooms with a garlicky parsley alioli. That’s it. Get me another plate.

Las Golondrinas is one of the most popular bars in Triana, so be prepared to elbow your way to the bar and flag down a waiter pronto.