Sevilla Restaurants

This is a quaint little place in a quiet plaza in the center of Sevilla. It is absolutely perfect for afternoon tapas. Take care not to go too early, the kitchen didn't fully open until about 20 minutes after our arrival (I'd say after noon should be ok). But also keep in mind this is a popular spot for locals and the outdoor patio fills up fast.

The service was great. The waiter was very patient as we took ages to order and I drank at least 5 drinks. They were quick and courteous. And the food was excellent. I think they had a menu in English but I definitely had to order in Spanish. I pretty much tried and loved the entire menu but here are my top choices:

Tapitas
- Roquefort Dulce con Moras (roquefort cheese with jam and mini toast)
- Huevos de Codorniz con Chorizo (fried quail egg on chorizo on toast)

Tabla
- Salmorejo (tomato cream sauce on bread) con Jamón

Just an fyi, they automatically provide a bread basket for the table which they will charge a small price for ONLY if you've eaten from it.

Tapas y montaditos ("montaitos") at its best. Sometimes, with just a "montaito" is enough.

Favorite Dish: The atmosphere is great, and, apart from the tables, there are like grandstands where people sit to enjoy the tapas and "cañas" (beers).

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It so happened that where I parked our rental car in a public parking garage was directly across the street from Plaza Cristo De Burgos. This is where one of Sevilla's most popular tapas bars is located - the Taberna Coloniales. I noticed it on my the short walk through the plaza as I made my way on foot back to our Hostel Atenas, which was located only a few minutes away.

With our stop to admire both Antequera and El Torcal Nature Park earlier in the day while driving over from Granada, by then it was about 3 PM on a Sunday afternoon, so I fetched the ladies from the hostel and we all returned to this outside seating area. Sue and I had glasses of wine as we wound down a bit from our drive and just enjoyed the busy atmosphere of this old tavern - we had successfully made it to Sevilla! However, we soon had to leave as the tavern began to close-up for a few hours in the lead-up to the evening's tapas sessions. We came back that evening for a meal but it was already so busy that we could not get in! We fixed that the next night when we arrived at about 9 PM and, after waiting a bit with the crowd inside the tavern, gradually secured ourselves some room at the bar as other patrons finished their meals.

Favorite Dish: The Tabernas Coloniales is quite cozy inside on a cool winter night with the hubbub of noise from its patrons crowding the bar area. Even while we were waiting for a spot or two to open up, the bartender looked after our drinks of wine and beer quite well and we struck up conversations with some of the people at the bar. As they left, they motioned for us to take their place so we finally bellied up to place our order of two good-sized tapas dishes (3rd photo). I really enjoyed the one consisting of cured pork, onions and fried potatoes! It was a really fun night out, but it was late for us because we had to be on the road for Cadiz in the morning. I could not believe that the entire bill (including 3 glasses of wine, a beer, mineral water, two tapas and a plate of olives) only came to 12 Euros! It was one of our favourite experiences in Sevilla and this restaurant consistently gets great reviews.

Very nice restaurant just South of the Cathedral. Excellent service and decor. They took great pride in their place and rightfully so. An excellent dining room (although I ate outside) and a room available for private parties.

Favorite Dish: I ordered the plate of pieces of various fish, fried to perfection. I am not a big fried fish fan, but they were done very well in a light batter

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It was past 1 PM by the time we had completed our 'river-walk' in Sevilla and my meagre breakfast fare was starting to seriously wear off by then. Immediately after crossing back into the main part of the downtown area via Puente de Isabel II, we spotted the enticing outdoor seating area of the Glassy Lounge restaurant situated along the riverbank and beneath a nice stand of orange trees. We were just about the only customers when we first sat down and it was not long before a young man emerged from the main building to see to our needs.

Favorite Dish: My first order of business was a cold glass of Cruzcampo beer - that really hit the spot as we soaked up the rays of sunshine. The ladies had glasses of white wine and orange juice while they checked out the menu. It did not take me long to decide on a Santa Fe chicken wrap which consisted of grilled chicken, cheddar, bacon, lettuce and tomato with blue cheese sauce in a tortilla wrap (E5.45). That seemed to sway the ladies as they opted for a shared spinach tortilla wrap with honeyed beef. We chatted away during the short time before our food arrived and, while glancing at Sue's sister's guide book for Sevilla, that was when I discovered that the main attractions including the Real Alcázar were closed because this was a Monday! Talk about good trip planning! Oh well, the food was great and only cost a total of 22 Euros, including my second cold beer.

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With our hostel not serving any meals, we did some exploring in the surrounding area and found the small Bar Manolo located only a few 'blocks' away in Plaza Alfalfa. There are quite a few restaurants situated in that area but the Manolo looked like a straightforward and simple spot for breakfast, and it seemed to be doing a thriving business. Although the establishment also has outside seating in this smallish plaza, it was a bit cool for that on those late December mornings, so we ordered inside at their bar and then ate standing up like most of the other patrons, at one of the counters beside the large windows.

Although we could not speak Spanish, the guys behind the bar seemed to be able to figure out what we wanted without any problems! One thing about eating inside is that you have to be prepared to breathe second-hand smoke since that is still a happening thing in Spain.

Favorite Dish: Both mornings we had the local standard of long toasted buns (split in half) with jam and butter to go with pomegranate green tea for the ladies while I went 'local' with their strong black coffee 'con leche' moderated with sugar and milk to one's particular taste. The meals went down well and only came to 5 Euros for the three of us.

This well known restaurant is right at the end of the Puente de Isabel II Bridge. The restaurant was founded in 1930 and their specialities are their fried fish dishes like dogfish, cuttlefish, hake and squid as well as fried eggs and anchovies. One of the more popular areas of the restaurant to dine is the terrace which overlooks the Guadalquivir River.

The El Giraldillo Restaurant serves tapas and specialities like Sevillian fritters, Iberian cold meals, grilled meals and homemade desserts. The restaurant gets its name from the weathervein on the top of Seville’s Cathedral tower – El Giraldillo. Just beware of a possible service charge if you choose to eat outside.