Whilst you will find tapas all over Spain, in some form or another, it is widely agreed to have begun in the bars of Sevilla and Andalucía. So, on a trip to Seville it seemed only right to join the locals and ‘tapear’ (going bar to bar for drinks and tapas). The options for Seville tapas are endless, and so you can only scratch the surface on a visit to the city, but you can have fun in the process.
What are tapas?
Spanish tapas are snacks or small dishes, which can be combined to make a full meal if required. Each region of Spain will have its own speciality tapas which can either be hot or cold dishes. Typically, tapas would be rustic dishes, served in bars or neighbourhood restaurants, although today there are many sophisticated versions of these small plates.
Where did tapas originate from?
There is no clear answer as to the origin of tapas, just a variety of theories, such as:
- Tapare means ‘to cover’ in Spanish, so one theory is that tapas started as small slices of bread used to cover guests’ drinks to keep the flies out in bars before the bartenders started adding extras like ham, olives, or cheese to encourage customers to return.
- King Alfonso X – back in the 13th century, Castilian King Alfonso X (‘The Wise’) was recovering from a serious illness and could only manage small dishes of food or wasn’t supposed to drink alcohol (even this story isn’t agreed!), so he ate something alongside e every drink. He allegedly then decreed that alcohol should always be served with a small snack.
- Creative thinking – in Seville during the 16th and 17th centuries it was apparently prohibited to serve food and alcohol together, but innkeepers were allowed to provide bread and salt. So, the drinkers found a way around this situation and would go and buy their own food from markets and bring them back to the inn, adding toppings like ham and cheese to the bread. And it evolved from there…
And there are more theories, so just choose whichever theory you prefer!
Our Seville Tapas Trail Experience
Here are some of the bars and restaurants we ate at on our Seville tapas trail. Whilst there were similarities in the tapas dishes offered, the bars were all slightly different, from the décor to the speciality dishes on offer, or the system of ordering and service. In no particular order, here are the highlights…
Bar Postiguillo Tapas
Bar Postiguillo Tapas was our first eatery when we arrived in Seville, hungry and ready for a good meal after travelling. It was a random find near the Postigo Arch and Royal Shipyards, just around the corner from our hotel, but we liked what we found.
With a large, white-walled open dining space decorated with black and white photos and bulls’ heads mounted on the wall, the restaurant couldn’t have been more Spanish! It was a bustling restaurant with great tapas options, so we opened our tapas account (4 of us) with Iberico ham (black pig), goats’ cheese with honey, fried aubergine fingers, shrimp fritters and sea bass, all washed down with cold Cruz Campo beer. Good start!
Pimenton
Pimenton didn’t look very special from the outside but had been recommended on a local’s guide to Seville tapas blog. The decor was neither traditional nor modern, but the food was decent and reasonably priced. We visited for a quick lunch whilst sightseeing and so it suited our purposes with more Iberico ham, croquetas, and fried fish.
Cheese cones – sadly, the Pimenton restaurant was ‘out of cheese’ but it didn’t matter as we discovered that Seville has several shops selling cones of cheese (or jamon) in case you get a cheese attack. Marvellous!
El Rinconcillo
El Rinconcillo is the oldest restaurant in Seville, operating since 1670 and one of the places claiming to have invented tapas. You can book a table in advance or take your chances and turn up. When we arrived just before opening time at 8.00pm, there were already groups of people waiting for the doors to open, so we were glad to have booked a table.
It was a lovely restaurant with white tablecloths, tiles on the walls and ham legs hanging up around the bar. Very authentic. If you haven’t booked a table then you can find any open spot at the bar, where they will write your bill on the bar in front of you.
We were looked after by a fabulous waiter who pitched his service just right and helped with all our questions about sherries to accompany the delicious food. Predictably we ordered more ham, croquetas and cheese, but also enjoyed the turbot with vegetables, slow cooked pork cheeks and baked beans with prawns. Delicious!
Casa Morales
Casa Morales is in a great location around the corner from the Cathedral when you’re sightseeing. It is a beautiful wooden bar covered with tiles and an old bar which was rammed to the rafters with fellow tapas hunters.
It took us a while to work out the system for getting a table as it says ‘no reservations’ and yet some of the tables were reserved! We waited patiently for a table but then the waiter gave it to someone else. We made ourselves known to the bar staff and they appeared to put us in their ‘mental queue’. Eventually they gave us a stand-up table on the pavement outside.
This time, as well as our usuals, we enjoyed padron peppers, tripe, Bacalao (salt cod stewed in tomato sauce), and Espinacas con garbanzos (chickpea stew)!
Bar Estrella
We popped into Bar Estrella after a performance at the nearby Flamenco Museum but the room we sat in was quiet and so it lacked a bit of atmosphere – perhaps because we were there early, before most of the Spanish diners arrived. This time our favourite dish was the prawns in garlic (Gambas al Ajillo), patatas bravas (fried potato wedges), along with a tuna salad.
El Mercader de Triana
The El Mercader de Triana tapas bar in the Triana neighbourhood was one of my favourites. We were lucky enough to get one of only 3 sit-down tables inside (tall stools) and were welcomed by Victor, a particularly hospital host.
The food was all delicious and more modern tapas offerings such as, prawn tacos, beef ribs, steak with chimichurri, chicken teriyaki, octopus, and foie gras. All washed down with a few sherries – Manzanillo (dry), Pedro Ximanez (sweet) and something in-between.
Los Golindrinos
Just around the corner from El Mercader de Triana was Los Golindrinos so we popped in to sample the recommended Pintas de Solomilo (grilled pork loin). Unfortunately, we forgot to ask for the radishes which are supposed to be delicious, possibly because we became fixated with the funny toilet in the corner of the room – it was a tiny room (more of an alcove) with a big window so you could see right in, luckily at head and shoulders level!
In summary, we found the Triana neighbourhood great for a Tapas trail as there were so many lovely bars near each other. We went to more bars than are listed above but these were the notable ones.
Off the Seville Tapas Trail
So where can you eat if you want time off the Seville tapas trail? Unsurprisingly, there are plenty of great options in Seville for more formal sit down restaurants. You will be spoilt for choice!
Dinner at Sobretablas
As the tapas places had all been informal, we wanted to go out for one more formal meal during our time in Seville and so booked a dinner at Sobretablas in the El Porvenir area, quite cool residential area.
The restaurant had more of a Scandi vibe than Spanish, with white walls and lots of green plants – very different to the old wooden tapas bars we’ve been frequenting in the city. There were some real food highlights – chicken samosas and deer carpaccio – but we all agreed that we had preferred our tapas meals, perhaps because we were travelling with friends and tapas is a very social experience.
So, writing this blog has made me thoroughly hungry so the Seville tapas must have been very good!
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