The Joys of Tapas: Eating Out in Seville

The Sevillian character is open and loves to be in the street and in the open air terraces. It´s not a surprise that the streets are more full with tapas bars than restaurants.

Contrary to the North of Spain, where the meals are heavier and the rations larger, in the South people eat less and lighter. Instead of eating a full meal, people often "snack" ("picar", which means to eat a few tapas or a ration). Furthermore, the rythm of life is more relaxed and eating is a daily social event not only reserved for the weekends.

Try discovering what and how Sevillians eat. If you miss the food from your part of the world or want to try different tastes, we will give you some clues on where to look.

Also remember that the eating schedules are different in Spain, lunch is between 14:00 and 15:00 (or even later) and dinner from 21:30 on.

Las Tapas

Sevilians go out for tapas at night, as an alternative to a seated dinner in a restaurant, or even at midday to substitute lunch. Tapas are small quantities of any type of typical Andalusian food and usually people have a tapa with each drink.

Sometimes people order a ration to share, and everyone can eat ("picar") from each others plates. As for drinking, people usually have a beer, most commonly a Cruzcampo.

This brand of beer, created in 1904 in Sevilla, has become the leading brand on the market in Spain. Another typical drink is "tinto de verano" which is red wine with orange, lemon, or clear soda (similar to Sprite) called "casera blanca" . Tapas can be an inexpensive way to eat (prices range from about 1.50 to 3 € and about 1€ for a drink), although it depends on how hungry you are and which bar you go to.

While eating tapas, ("el tapeo"), people sometimes eat sitting down, but often eat standing up at the bar or at a tall and small table. The list of tapas offered is generally written on a chalkboard, but in some places the waiters recite the long list of tapas offered (which makes it hard to remember them all!).

Here is a list of the most common tapas:

Pinchitos morunos: Typical andalusian dish, inherited from arabic cooking. It is made of pieces of chicken or pork flavored with a mix of spicy spices .

"Montaditos": Small pieces of toasted bread like a sandwich, filled with different things (like cured ham, sausage, anchovies, shrimp...)

Gazpacho: A typical Sevilian and Andaluz dish known for its excellence. It is usually eaten in the summertime and sirved as a starter plate. It is a cold soup made of tomato, cucumber, pepper, garlic, bread, olive oil, salt and vinegar. "Salmorejo" is the same but no water is added..

Pescado frito : Fried fish, whole or cut into pieces, battered in flour and deep fried: anchovies, pijotas, squid, puntillitas (very small squid) among other things. A good way to try them all is to order a "frito variado", which is a bit of everything.

Espinacas con garbanzos: Spinach with garbanzo beans, a traditional Sevilian dish. The condiments that give the spinach flavor are fried bread, garlic, cumin or bay leaves, with salt and crushed red pepper.

Menudo: Made of cow tripe. In the rest of Spain it´s called "callos". It is a spiced and hearty stew, sometimes quite hot, and contrary to its appearance, not too greasy. It can be stewed up with garbanzo beans, chorizo, blood sausage, etc.

Huevos a la flamenca: This dish is made of vegetables (tomato, red pepper, peas, green beans, onion and garlic), chacina (a mix of cured ham and sausage) and egg. It is prepared in a casserole clay dish in the oven.

Tortillitas de bacalao : This is made of dough with codfish (stripped and desalted), garlic, onion, and parsley mixed together and then battered and deep fried.

Ensaladilla: Potato salad with hard boiled egg, tuna, peas and mayonnaise.

Tapas bars in Seville

CENTRE

On the pedestrian streets near school there is a wide variety of tapas bars. Although they are often frequented by foreigners because of their location, the majority serve delicious tapas..

ALAMEDA

TRIANA

SANTA CRUZ

Spanish restaurants in Sevilla

International cuisine in Seville

If after having tried tapas and immersing yourself in the city´s culture you miss the tastes and dishes of other countries, here we offer you a list of the most popular restaurants with international food.

VEGETARIAN

MOROCCAN

ITALIAN

MEXICAN

HINDU

AMERICAN