Eating in Seville is the best part of visiting the Spanish city. The iconic landmarks may be pretty and photogenic, but the food is beautiful and delicious.
Food in Spain begins and ends with jamón. Eating in Seville is no exception to the exquisiteness of Spanish ham, but there is more to food in the largest city in Andalusia.
As I often say, food and drink is an open window into another culture. The window into Seville is a tasty excursion not to be missed. The city has legendary tapas and traditional eats that, while not as well-known, will leave you hangry for more.
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Jamón
Eating in Spain always revolves around jamón. The famous Spanish ham is incredible. Eating in Seville means at some point – no, at many points – you will be enjoying and attempting to savor the complex flavors of jamón.
Sevillians, like people around Spain, will claim to have better ham than elsewhere. I’m not one to argue about it, and, even though I ate a tremendous amount of ham in Spain, I’m not an aficionado yet.
The gist of eating ham in Spain is that Ibérico is the good stuff. Ibérico is the free range, acorn-fed and especially well-treated fat, tasty pigs. It’s a tedious thing to raise one of these succulent swine. Serrano is the other stuff, the less expensive and cheaper ham.
For travelers unfamiliar with the world of jamón, my suggestion is to eat as much as possible. The best way to learn about Spanish ham is to try it. Eventually, the differences may come into focus. Most importantly, putting the complexities of jamón aside, it’s all damn fine, delectable perfection.
Eating Tapas in Seville
Eating in Seville means eating tapas. It’s a big part of life in Andalusia as a whole. In Seville, this local culinary culture is one of the primary attractions for tourists.
Much like eating tapas in Granada, Sevillians do tapas more than they simply eat tapas. Eating tapas in Seville is more than having a beer and a small plate of food. It is an event. Locals do tapas as a social outing with friends. They migrate from one spot to another, eating and drinking along the way.
Unlike in Granada, tapas in Seville are not free. Don’t let that dissuade you from taking part in the feeding. Sevillian tapas are great, and local specialties are on display.
The benefit of paying for tapas is that the portions generally seem to be more generous, and the food seems to be more complex (in a good way). Free tapas in Granada, which are perfectly delicious, are typically simple. In Seville, the tapas that cost are more presentable (which ultimately does not matter) and require more effort to make. Another benefit of paying for tapas is that you have control and can choose what to eat.
Eating tapas in Seville is still a great option for backpackers and budget travelers. Small plates are a few euros. Lunch or dinner with a couple of beers will cost less than 10 euros.
In my experience, paid tapas also means cheaper beer since there is no need to cover the cost of food in the price of drinks. More on drinking in Seville below.
Pringá
Have you ever taken a piece of bread to mop up the remaining savory sludge of a scrumptious stew? It’s the best, I-hope-no-one-is-looking kind of guilty pleasure, right? If that’s you, eating in Seville will be a delight.
Thank God for pringá. Of all the fantastic Spanish food, pringá is my favorite. It’s the epitome of traditional, opportunistic deliciousness created out of necessity. It’s an ugly food, and it doesn’t get a lot of respect. But what is pringá?
Pringá is a pork stew, sort of, that has been cooked down to what is basically a juicy, meaty pork mush. Like many famous foods, pringá originates from resourceful cooks not wanting to waste leftover food. Made from pork, pork bits, fat, leftover bread, spices and other foodstuffs lying around, pringá is typically an ingredient in or an addition to other dishes.
I was in Granada when I first read about pringá. Much to my displeasure, I couldn’t find it anywhere in the city.
When I got to Seville, I was eating with a local resident (though not originally from Seville) and asked where I could get pringá. She said it was everywhere. However, I wanted a bowl of this pork-whatever stuff. It sounded too good to miss. She texted a friend, asking where I might find a bowl of this elusive stewy mush. The friend responded, “at my grandma’s house lol.”
That was disappointing for me on a personally hangry note, but, at the same time, it was reassuring that this dish is one of those beloved, deeply local traditions that Grandma makes best. It must be good!
Where can tourists find pringá? Well, almost anywhere. Pringá may be hard to find, unaltered in a bowl, but it is available in plenty of other forms throughout Seville. Most commonly, pringá is served on little sandwiches called montaditos. They’re cheap, usually only a couple of euros. And, wow, it’s fantastic. Eating pringá is the driving force behind my next trip to Seville. I can’t get enough.
Eating Seafood in Seville
Seville is close to the sea. The Guadalquivir River that runs through the city flows directly into the sea. The Atlantic Ocean is 40 miles away, and the port city of Cadiz is only 60 miles away.
This proximity to the ocean has obvious benefits when it comes to eating in Seville – seafood! Seafood is an important part of the local cuisine. Markets have plenty of fresh fish on hand, as well as many other creatures of the sea.
Seafood in Seville is primarily fried. There are typical fried fish options like cod, shrimp and hake. Common Spanish fried seafood, such as boquerones (delicious fried anchovies), octopus and squid are also prevalent. Look for the words “pescaito frito” to find fried fish.
Dogfish, a small shark, is one of the most interesting Spanish seafood choices. The best way to describe fried dogfish is that it tastes a little sour and the texture is exactly what I imagined for shark. That’s not much to go off of, but dogfish in Seville has my approval. Cuttlefish, a strange-looking sea creature, is also a popular fried food in the area.
Historically, tuna has been a popular and important part of seafood in Andalusia. Today, it is controversial. Due to overfishing and increased demands, tuna populations have dwindled and regulations have increased. Tuna is still somewhat common on menus, but eating rare, prized species is less so.
For a great restaurant to jump in and get a taste of seafood in Seville, try La Isla. It is in the center of touristy Casco Antiguo, but don’t let that be a deterrent. The owners are friendly and it is popular with locals and tourists.
Local Specialties
The best eating in Seville includes sampling the many local specialties. The aforementioned pringá is, of course, a must-eat in Seville, but there several other local dishes worth a taste. These are some of my favorites:
Carrillada Ibérica
Carrillada Ibérica is another tasty Spanish specialty. It is well-known throughout Spain, but it is exceptional in Seville. Like pringá, carrillada originates as a traditional food where nothing was left to waste. Carrillada Ibérica is commonplace on menus today.
What is carrillada Ibérica? It is slow-cooked pork cheeks or, less frequently, beef cheeks. Eating pig cheeks might not sound like the most appetizing snack for many travelers, but that sort of closed-minded eating has no place in travel.
Carrillada Ibérica is sensational. It is tender, juicy and packed with flavor.
Espinacas con Garbanzos
Espinacas con garbanzos literally means “spinach with chickpeas.” Spinach and chickpeas might seem like an odd combination, but eating espinacas con Garbanzos in Seville is part of tasting the local specialties.
Spinach with chickpeas is a popular tapa in the city. Whole (or, occasionally, ground) chickpeas are stewed with spinach and, as usual in Spain, a heavy pour of olive oil. The finished product doesn’t look very pretty, but it tastes great. And eating a bowl of spinach makes up for all the beer and greasy pork, right?
Espinacas con garbanzos is served with bread or crackers and is a cheap, filling snack.
Salmorejo
Salmorejo is Spain’s lesser-known cold soup, the more popular being gazpacho. Unlike gazpacho, salmorejo has a distinct advantage – it’s actually good.
Salmorejo looks like a creamy tomato soup. It is absolutely dairy-free, though. Salmorejo is a puree of tomato and olive oil that is usually topped with bits of jamón and boiled egg. The key to a good salmorejo is the olive oil, and Spain has fantastic olive oil.
Salmorejo is originally from Cordoba, but it is popular in Seville. Restaurants across the city serve the popular soup, especially in warmer months.
Serranito – Backpacker Eats
For backpackers and budget travelers in Seville that want to eat cheap and local, Seville has the perfect solution. The serranito is a grilled or baked sandwich popular in the city.
Serranitos are typically small, simple sandwiches. Usually one of these sandwiches, on the most basic level, consists of bread and meat. Every restaurant is different, though, and some serranitos are larger or more dressed up than others.
In one instance, I had a montadito serranito that was huge. The sandwich had a couple slabs of meat, peppers, onions, an egg and cheese. With fries, it was 3.50 euros. Naturally, this was in a local bar far from Casco Antiguo and tourists.
In local bars and restaurants away from the tourist epicenter of Seville, money goes a lot further. A large sandwich, fries and two beers for about $7 USD is a great deal. Eating cheap in Seville is easy if you’re willing to walk a few minutes.
Sweet Eats in Seville
After eating all of the mouthwatering, savory food in Seville, finding a sweet treat to eat will be an easy task. For hungry travelers, Spain has it all. This city is no exception.
Churros
Churros are Spanish in origin, and these fried sticks of ecstasy differ around the country. In Andalusia, churros are fluffy and large. They’re doused in sugar and often eaten with coffee.
The most famous churreria in Seville is Bar El Comercio. This little bar is notable for its churros and vermouth and is located in the middle of the old city. It may be popular with tourists, and it may be in a tourist-clogged area, but this is a place that is worth a visit regardless. Locals still frequent the bar.
Ice Cream
Most of Spain gets pretty warm during the summer. Andalusia gets hot, really hot. As a large city, wandering the streets of Seville on a summer day will feel even hotter. There’s no better relief from the heat than ice cream!
Heladeria. Make a note of that word. It’s the Spanish word for ice cream shop, and there are plenty of places to find good ice cream in Seville. This is one instance when the touristy area of the city is better than others. There are more ice cream shops in Casco Antiguo than elsewhere in town.
The best ice cream in Seville is probably – I say probably because I could not sample them all – is Gelateria Artesana La Fiorentina. Don’t let the name fool you – it’s not gelato. It’s Sevillian ice cream. This shop is famous and is worthy of the attention it receives. The flavors are unique, well thought out and downright delicious.
Convent Cookies
A lot of convents in Spain have a need to make money to support themselves. As the world changes, these convents have found creative ways to raise money. In Seville, this means pastries!
Convento de Madre de Dios is a convent in Seville that makes tasty pastry-ish cookies. All you have to do is visit the convent. During certain hours of the day, you can buy a box of treats. This is one of the most unique experiences of eating in Seville.
When you go, don’t wander. It’s not a visitor center. The nuns are friendly and self sufficient, but this is still a religious place that’s not open to the public. Not only are these cookies a satisfying sweet delight, they support a local institution.
Bakeries
For a helping of delicious baked treats, there are tons of panaderias and pastelerias from which to choose. This is one of the beautiful things about Spain. Local bakeries and pastry shops are everywhere.
Unlike in the United States, local bake shops in Seville are cheap. A box full of sugary goodness will set you back a few euros. Fresh-baked bread is equally widespread and cheap.
Eating Local in Seville
Like many popular tourist cities, eating in Seville requires travelers to navigate through the droves of tourist restaurants. The streets in Casco Antiguo, the central neighborhood of Seville where most of the travel highlights are found, contain far too many of these tourist trap eateries.
There is good news. It is easy to determine which restaurants in Seville are tourist traps and which ones are local. There are a few obvious signs:
Look for Tables
Rows of tables are a clear indication of whether a restaurant in Seville is a tourist trap or a local spot. Spaniards, in general, stand at bars more than people do in other places. In the tapas-heavy homeland of Andalusia, standing bars are incredibly common. I don’t get it, but locals prefer to stand for lunch, tapas or drinks.
The restaurants in Casco Antiguo filled with tables spilling out into the street are not local places. These restaurants are appealing. Many have done a fantastic job of creating an alluring atmosphere that works with tourists. But that’s not the local way.
Sevillians don’t stand for every single meal, and most places have at least a table or two around. The restaurants with tons of tables are for tourists. It’s that simple. That’s where to go if you want to pay high prices for mediocre, non-local food. For travelers who would rather be eating local food in Seville, look for restaurants with lots of people standing around.
Tourist Trap Hours
Another easy way to determine if a restaurant in Seville is a tourist trap is by the hours of operation and when a place gets busy. Spaniards eat late lunch and dinner. And siestas are still a thing in Seville. Many local bars and eateries close shop for a few hours in the middle of the day.
Tourists, myself included, are often used to eating on a different schedule than Spaniards. Instead of eating lunch around noon, lunch in Spain is after 2 PM. And it’s often a long, drawn-out feast. Breakfast in Spain is small. Dinner is smaller than lunch.
Restaurants in Seville that are busy around noon are probably not local. Restaurants that do not close in the late afternoon or are busy at 6 PM are likely to be tourist traps.
The Food isn’t Local
Local restaurants are typically going to serve local food. Tourist traps, on the other hand, promote more popular and well-known dishes. Tourist restaurants in New Orleans, for instance, push gumbo year-round even though locals aren’t likely to add a bowl of thick, heavy soup to their Summer sweating.
In Seville, tourist restaurants promote Spanish foods with which tourists are more familiar. And countless travelers fall for the familiar words and pretty pictures on outdoor menus every day.
Paella is not from Seville. If you want to eat the best paella, you don’t go to Seville. If you want authentic Sevillian food, paella is not that food. Valencia is the place for paella in Spain.
Despite paella being Valencian in origin, it is one of the most well-known Spanish dishes and is advertised to tourists throughout the country. Don’t waste time eating paella in Seville.
Sangria is another trap that lures in tourists. In Spain, tourist restaurants flaunt pitchers of sangria as a way to attract thirsty travelers. I mean, a pitcher of ice-cold sangria is a tempting proposition on a warm Spanish day, but it’s a clear sign (often literally a sign) of a tourist trap.
Spaniards really do drink sangria. However, it’s not something they normally drink at restaurants. Sangria is more of a homemade concoction in Seville that is served for parties. Also, authentic sangria is generally prepared about a day before being served, and it is far more potent than the pitchers served to tourists.
Restaurants aren’t going to spend the time or money to make sangria properly and strong. Sangria is great, but it’s a clear sign that the restaurant is a tourist trap.
Drinking in Seville
Spaniards like to drink. From lunch time on, it seems like every activity is accompanied by an alcoholic beverage. Drinking in Seville is not a bunch of people getting trashed all day, though. The drinking is more sipping, and it is accompanied by food.
Part of eating in Seville is drinking. The regional wine is good, and some of it is world famous. The beer in town, on the other hand, varies greatly.
Big Beer in Seville
Beer in Seville has its limitations. Andalusia is known for wine, and that is apparent in the quality of beer in its largest city. Most of the cerveza available is forgettable, but there are a few bright spots of the craft beer scene emerging.
Cruzcampo is the most popular beer in Seville. The beer was first brewed locally, and today it is brewed and found across Spain. Unfortunately, Cruzcampo is now owned by the enormous, global beer-killer, Heineken.
Despite being owned by a wealthy company, Cruzcampo still sucks. It’s potable. On a warm day or when you need to wash down the tapas, it does the trick. But Cruzcampo is not very good at all.
In comparison to the other mass-producers in Spain, beers like Mahao, Estrella or Alhambra are all better than Cruzcampo.
Backpackers and budget travelers in Seville will likely be drinking Cruzcampo. It’s the cheapest beer around by far. It’s cheap at bars and restaurants and astonishingly cheap at supermarkets. I drink Cruzcampo in Seville because it’s cheap, readily available and somewhat local. However, I won’t complain if they’re pouring Mahao.
Craft Beer in Seville
As a bit of a beer snob – okay, I’m a full-on beer snob – it makes me happy to see craft beer emerging in Seville.
It’s amazing to me that a country like Spain, where people are so picky about wine, the same people are willing to drink absolutely crap beer without a second thought. That’s changing, though, and drinking craft beer in Seville is evidence.
There are several bars in Seville where thirsty travelers can drink quality beer. Most of these bars have more international options than Spanish options, but that is slowly changing for the better.
The three most notable places for drinking craft beer in Seville are:
- Maquila – the only local brewpub in Seville, Son Brewery
- Bier Kraft – enormous selection of beer
- Hops & Dreams – eight craft beers on tap
There are others, but these are the three I recommend. They are within walking distance of tourist highlights in Seville, about 10-20 minutes each, depending on whether or not you get lost on these tiny backstreets.
The drawback to craft beer is that it is usually expensive. Drinking in Seville is cheap, but drinking craft beer is not. In fact, a bottle of wine is cheaper than a pint in most of these places. Nevertheless, even as a backpacker, I budget for a decent sampling of local brews.
Even worse than the prices of craft beer are the hours these places keep. The damned siesta, I just can’t get behind the idea. I tried numerous times to visit these hubs of craft beer in Seville with little luck. Finally, after missing out on all three over a few days, I was able to get in for a few brews. Whatever you do, don’t rely on business hours posted online. These are not dependable. Go around lunch time or after dinner time.
Wine in Seville
I’ve said it so many times that I’m starting to think I need to change things, but I am not the most knowledgeable wine connoisseur. I try, and, believe me, I sample my fair share. I’ve even been on a few winery tours. When it comes down to it, though, I haven’t studied wine very much. I blame this on the expensive nature of “good” wine in the United States.
Fortunately for travelers in Spain, the country has fantastic wine. Even a wine novice like myself knows this much. And several regional Andalusian specialties are widely consumed in Seville.
Wines from across Spain are available and popular in Seville. The regional specialties are white wines from towns to the south. Jerez is a world-famous producer of sherry, and manzanilla is one of the driest wines in the world that is quite good.
Aside from the world famous wines in the area, drinking in Seville has a few more interesting options. Taberna Álvaro Peregil is a locally-famous bar a couple of blocks from the famous Cathedral. This shop is famous for its fruit-infused wines. Among these, the orange wine is the most popular, but the strawberry is fantastic.
Don’t let wine snobs and purists deter you from trying a uniquely Sevillian and authentic concoction. This tiny little hole-in-the-wall is missed by most travelers who are distracted by the flashy, photogenic tourist traps nearby. The lady who runs the shop is friendly to tourists – well, she was friendly to me, the only tourist there at the time – so don’t worry about any language barriers.
Tinto de Verano
“Tinto de Verano con limón, por favor.”
I said these words a lot in Seville. After personally discovering this Spanish favorite, I ended up having a few each day. Tinto de verano is not a Sevillian drink in origin, but I had my first here. For that reason, I am including it. It is Andalusian in origin and now popular throughout Spain.
This drink is about half red wine, half lemon soda. At first thought, it sounds odd. At first sip, you’re hooked.
For travelers visiting Seville in warmer months, skip the sangria and order a tinto de verano con limón. It’s cheaper, and it’s local.
Late Night Drinking in Seville
Spaniards are night owls. Drinking into the night is not uncommon in Seville. Personally, I love the little bodegas and tabernas for a late night snack with a few beers. These are all over the city. The best places are those tiny little bars with a handful of patrons. They’re easy to find, especially away from the Centro tourist area.
If Spanish tabernas, pubs and dive bars are too slow, there are plenty of places to find people partying at a more energetic pace. One Such area is along the east bank of the river in between the Plaza del Toros and the Puente del Cachorro (bridge). Maybe it’s the future old man in me talking, but this is the perfect area to go for terrible, deafening music and to pay far too much for drinks.
My Favorite Places in Seville
The following is a list of a few of the places I thoroughly enjoyed and personally recommend for drinking and eating in Seville:
- Cerveceria Emiliano
- Bar Mercedes
- Cafe Bar Jimmy’s
- Taberna la Plazuela
- Bodega Santa Cruz
- La Fresquita
- Bar Maquila
- La Bendita
- Guevara & Lynch
I ate/drank at all of these places at least once. Most of these I visited multiple times, but the joy of eating in Seville is exploring and finding hidden gems for yourself. Get lost and eat!
Eating in Seville is an adventure into some of the best food in Spain. Sevillians appreciate their tapas, and it’s a part of the city’s culinary world in which travelers must certainly partake. Staying true to Spanish culture, eating is always a part of drinking, too.
Seville has food for every budget. For all the other hangry backpackers out there, the city is certainly a budget friendly food destination. Before, after and in between touring the picturesque streets and marvelous historical sites of the city, take the time to get a thorough sampling of some of Spain’s best food. There’s no better way to experience the culture of Seville than by tasting it.
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