Tapas Restaurants Around Seville

Ok, all throughout Spain there are tapas (small appetizers) bars in every city each full its own unique and delicious tapas. Seville happens to be full of them and I loved every minute. The Triana section of Seville, the night time hotspot, is loaded full with tapas bars. But some of the best can be found on the small, intertwining streets that run through Seville like as series of veins. Here, the best deals and biggest varieties can be found with the tables full of locals, unlike the touristy restaurants scattered about near the sights. One place was so good but for the life of me, I don't know what one of the items was. But that is how it should be; exploration is the only to know if you like it.

Quick Tips:

Most tapas bars and restaurants area decently priced, but if you run across one that is charging more than 3 Euros a dish, grab your stuff and move on. Tapas are meant to be cheap and delicious, not a rip off. Ask your hotel or hostel where they would suggest eating and definitely consulting the Lonely Planet because their tips are dead on..

Best Way To Get Around:

I know that Seville has a very decently running bus system, and a train that runs through the center of town, but I didn't take either. Walking around and finding those small little streets with nothing but a few apartment buildings and one or tapas bars was the best experience. If you need to though, cabs aren't very bad here and the cab drivers love to dish out info about their city and will steer you in the right direction.

After a dropping our stuff off at the hostel and a quick shower, my girlfriend and I were in desperate need of food (we had been traveling for 16 hours with missed flights and trains). The guy at our hostel suggested the Triana area for some good tapas and drinks, so off we were.

All along Calle de Betis, there were tapas restaurants and bars every couple of feet between Isabelle II Bridge and the Plaza de Cuba. One of the first that we found was T de Triana. It was attractive to us because the tables were outside along Calle de Betis and allowed us to witness the going-ons the street had to offer.

This being our first experience with Seville’s amazing food and drinks, we went straight for the tapas menu and a couple of Sangria’s. The Sangria’s were the perfect addition to the warm summertime night air and the crazy ambiance of Calle de Betis. After a short viewing and sipping session, our waiter brought over our small selection of tapas.

We torn through our potatoes, veal, and chicken dishes and our bread (which we thought was complimentary but learned later that is cost one euro) so fast that before we knew it, our stomachs were full and the Sangria glass were empty. After a Sangria refill, we asked for our check so we could head over the bridge to walk along the other side of the river on Paseo de Cristobal Colon. Unfortunately, we forgot that we were in Spain where the service is slower than in New York, so we had to wait a while until our check came. But when it arrived, it only totaled to about 15 euros for the both of us. Not a bad deal.

Now finding this little hole in the wall was a complete accident, but it was the kind of accident that I wish I could make over and over. This place was amazing. After getting lost on some of the tight, twisting vein-like side streets of Seville, we emerged onto a plaza where there were two restaurants that seemed to be fighting for the very little open space for the tables.

We choose the Las Escobas because of the deal that they were boasting on the sign out; five tapas for 8.50 euros. Not a bad deal and since we had been walking around in what seemed to be circles, lunch sounded like best idea. We parked ourselves, ordered two Sangria’s and the tapas special (not even knowing what the deal was comprised of) and sat back to recharge. While waiting, we found out that this place is the oldest tavern in Seville, so that made the experience all that more interesting.

Our Sangria arrived faster than I can say Sangria and, I must say, it was an amazing drink. The waitress could have used a little tweak on her customer service but that happens and who cares, we were in Seville. Within a couple of minutes, our tapas special arrived and we realized that we had no idea what was on the plate. We asked the waitress what was that, but her response was that this plate was the tapas special. So we said screw it and devoured the plate. One of the items was this weird red sauce with bacon bits and sliced chicken in it. To this day, I have no idea what it was, but OH MY GOD! We both tore it until we were literally scraping the bottom of the dish. The rest of the dishes were potatoes, two small fried scallion and shrimp pancakes, paella and this terrible dessert covered with Sambuca. I wouldn’t recommend that part, but the dish was amazing.

After gorging ourselves, and another Sangria, our check arrived with a total that shocked us both; 18 euros. Not bad for a lunch in Seville. We were even doubly surprised to see that that included the tips. So we promptly paid and set off, with a slight buzz, to explore the sights and sounds of Seville.

After getting turned away at a Flamenco bar because it was sold out, we, again, got lost on the side streets of Seville and came across a little tapas bar that was screaming to us. The reason it was screaming was because the bar next door had flamenco music being played by the patrons and the music was flowing endlessly out into the street and Dona Lina’s was right next door, so why not, right?

After a day of Sangria, my night needed to filled with some Spanish beer, so we ordered up a couple of Cruz Campos form our non English speaking waiter and proceeded to peruse the menu. Unfortunately for us (since we can’t really understand Spanish) there was no English menu, so we shot from the hip with some extreme guesses. I think what we got was some chicken croquette things, potatoes, a Spanish omelet, and some kind of dipping sauce that was OK.

The best part of this place was the atmosphere though. It was extremely quaint and quiet and a great place to spend the evening talking over a bottle wine, as most of the patrons were doing. The main wall near the door was a giant shelf filled some of Spain’s greatest wines while the bar promoted the beer and the homemade Sangria. Our neighbors in Dona Lina’s was this nice old Spanish couple who were content sipping their wine and just staring at each other as the flamenco music from next door trailed in and out with the wind. It was a nice sight to see and they smiled at us and cheered us to the evening. I love the Spanish, they really love life and everyone in it.

Anyway, after our delicious meal, the waiter dropped the check that only amounted to a mere 15 euros. Again, not a bad deal. In Spain, tapas bars and restaurants are the only way to go because you get a lot for such a cheap amount. And if you are like me (an American) a cheap meal with the euro being so high, is a good deal. Enjoy!

After trying one tapas bar, not too far away from here, we decided to come back to try Casa Placido. When we were here earlier, there were large crowds waiting for an open table at Casa Placido, so it seemed like a good place to hit up.

We weren't particularly hungry, but a nice snack sounded like a great idea, so we went with a couple of assorted tapas. We ordered the potatoes, a weird corn dish (cold corn with a vinagrette sauce of some kind), a phenomenal chicken dish and this strange steak dish. I don't really know what most of it was, but that is half of the fun, isn't it?

The one thing that I found great here was the sangria. Their stuff wasn't too sweet or too strong tasting, but when I left, I had a nice buzz going. While we were there, we split those tapas and each had 2 glasses of sangria and the total came out to 21 euros (including the bread). It was such a great deal.

I noticed, however, that most people there weren't ordering tapas, but full meals. Most tables were littered with fish or steak plates and each table had their own bottle of wine. This seemed like the place that the locals of Seville went to and they didn't appreciate two Americans discovering their little spot. But, again, the place was great and the service, for European standards, was quite fast. I think, however, the speed had something to do with us being outsiders. Don't let this dissuade you, because the food is great. Enjoy!