A Seville Tapas Crawl with a Food Lover Tour

Seville is one of the best places to eat tapas in Spain. You’ll find tapas bars lining every street and hidden in every courtyard. It is truly the cuisine of Sevillanos. But it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the choices available. (My “shortlist” of tapas restaurants was 16. You don’t want to know how many was on the longlist). Which is why a guided tapas tour is a fab idea.

If you’re a frequent Brummie Home and Abroad reader you’ll know that a food tour has become our favourite way to experience a new city. Eating, drinking and seeing the sights – all at the same time! We’ve previously taken food tours in Rome and in Bari. Read on to find out more about our experience of a Seville tapas crawl with a Food Lover Tour.

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We took this 3 hour Seville Tapas Crawl on the second night of our three day stay in the city. I booked through Get Your Guide, which is our go-to site to book tickets and tours, and we also used the site to book our Royal Alcazar tickets and Flamenco show.

Our Tour

We meet our guide Steph at Plaza Padre Jerónimo de Córdoba in the Santa Catalina barrio of Seville. It’s about a 15 minute walk from our hotel and we loosely follow the path we had taken the night before when looking for Las Setas de Sevilla. Santa Catalina is a little off the tourist path, with an authentic feel about the neighbourhood. But it’s home to some of Seville’s best hidden gems – and not so hidden gems – when it comes to tapas.

Quitapesares

Our first stop is a wonderfully traditional family-run bar, painted in faded yellow with photographs of founder and flamenco singer Pepe Peregil adorning every wall. Quitapesares literally means “take your cares away”. And as the vina de naranja – orange wine – is liberally poured, we settle down to introduce ourselves to each other. Our tour companions are Australian and American couples, visiting Seville as part of a longer European trip; three netball companions from Kent on a girl’s weekend away, and a solo traveller from the Philippines but living in London.

Our first tapa are served. There’s espinacas con garbanzos – spinach with chickpeas and cumin, salmorejo (cold tomato soup – the Andalusian version of gazpacho), and montadito de pringá (pulled pork buns, often stuffed with leftover stew). I am not a fan of the spinach. In fact, it becomes something of a running joke throughout the evening as I failed to disguise my disgust at the taste, even out of politeness. Everyone else in the group seemed to enjoy it though.

Steph tells us that the best way to tell if someone is a tourist will be if they attempt to eat an orange straight from one of Seville’s famous orange trees. They are in fact, incredibly bitter. But the peel is used to flavour a sweet fortified wine, giving a very distinctive taste to this popular drink. It’s actually more like a sherry or a port than traditional wine, so perfect as an aperitif and a great accompaniment to a sharp cheese.

Casa Tarin

Casa Tarin is a purveyor of Iberian produce and gourmet wines. Here we have the opportunity to taste local cured meats, cheese and mojama – salt-cured tuna, thinly sliced and drizzled with olive oil. These are all washed down with a smooth glass of vermouth. Whilst I’m only used to supping vermouth as an ingredient in a negroni, it’s very popular served as an aperitif in Seville.

Steph explains the importance of pork in the Spanish diet, the different cuts and the different kinds of pig. Particularly prevalent in the Sevilliano cuisine is Iberian pork, from acorn-fed pigs raised in wonderfully idyllic pastures.

Maravilla Social Club

If social clubs conjure up visions of bingo and lounge singers, Maravilla Social Club is a little unexpected. It’s a hipster neighbourhood bar with an ambitious blend of Andalucian and Mediterranean dishes. The interior is industrial chic, all exposed wiring and corrugated iron. There are famous album covers dotted around the walls, with a little Sevilliano twist. This is also one of the few stops on the tour that has a bathroom.

We’re all best of friends by now so we all gather around the large table and get to know each other a little better over tinto de verano (red wine and lemonade) or Cruzcampo (the local beer), croquetas (homemade croquettes), carillada (slow-cooked pork cheeks in a rich red wine sauce) – and yes, more espinacas con garbanzos. I politely decline the spinach.

Bar Casa Vizcaino

From Santa Caterina we make our way to the barrio Feria, and to the beloved institution that is Casa Vizcaino. It’s a standing-room only joint, so Steph leaves us outside on Plaza de Monte Sión whilst she disappears inside for our next tapa. No arty decor or industrial chic here, Casa Vizcaino is a typical neighbourhood dive bar (or the Spanish equivalent). On the drinks menu is Cruzcampo or vermouth, poured straight from the barrel. Steph delivers our dish, an open faced sandwich (montadito) – topped with a thin slice of charcuterie that I didn’t catch the name of.

Gigante Bar

No food tour can be complete without dessert, and Steph has a special place – and a special dessert – in mind. Alamedas de Hercules is familiar to us; our aimless wandering the previous night had ended in drinks at Lola por Dios Alameda. But at the other end of 480m long boulevard is Gigante Bar. It’s a coffee house, cocktail bar, craft beer bar and a haven of delectable desserts. To celebrate a successful evening a bottle of bubbly is cracked open and the most decadent slice of tarta la Abuela is served. This no-bake “Grandma’s Cake” is layered with biscuit, custard, cream and chocolate ganache. It’s a gorgeous slice of chocolatey heaven, yet not too rich. The perfect ending to a wonderful evening touring Seville’s tapas scene.

Reflecting on our Seville Tapas Crawl

The best thing about a guided tour is that there’s no need to decipher a menu, or to work out the etiquette re ordering. It’s nice to let someone else take the reins, particularly if a tapas bar is busy or crowded. Exploring Santa Caterina and Feria meant we were off the tourist path a little, and mingling with the locals. The included drinks matched the tapa perfectly, from the orange wine at our first stop to the glass of bubbly to accompany dessert.

Steph was also the perfect host. On some tours, the guide has sat slightly apart from the group, but Steph was one of the gang from the start. She was excellent at starting conversations and asking questions, and happy to share information about her own life as an ex-pat in Seville. This was a Seville tapas crawl and therefore food-focused rather than about sight-seeing or history, but Steph interspersed the evening with plenty of fascinating fun facts about the city. On the following day we even received an email with lots more food recommendations.

Have I convinced you to take a Seville Tapas Crawl? You can book your tour online here! Food Lover Tour groups operate in other cities in Spain, as well as Portugal, France, Italy & Türkiye. I’m definitely going to be looking into booking a tour with them for our upcoming Lisbon city break! You can find out more about Food Lover Tours here.

Where to eat tapas in Seville

Whether you’re looking for a sit-down meal and intend to work your way through the menu, or just have a small plate or two to accompany a drink, tapas is everywhere you turn. Of course, some of the tapas bars are aimed at tourists, in particular those right by the main attractions. This doesn’t mean the food isn’t tasty, but they will tend to be a little more expensive and the ingredients a little less high quality. But there are some excellent and very friendly tapas bars frequented by locals if you just know where to look.

There are plenty of tapas options around Alameda de Hércules, and it’s a popular area with locals. This was where our Seville tapas crawl finished at Gigante. If you’re staying in Barrio Santa Cruz you’ll be spoiled for choice. There are plenty of tapas bars on Calle Mateos Gago – the pedestrianised thoroughfare leading to the cathedral – or any of the narrow lanes leading off it. Across the river, Triana is known for its tapas and flamenco bars and has its own identity independent of Seville. But in all honesty, you won’t walk far in Seville without discovering a tempting tapas bar.

Some of the recommendations that made our shortlist include: Bar Alfalfa, Duo Tapas, El Pasaje, El Rinconcillo, Bodega Santa Cruz and La Azotea.

Where we ate tapas in Seville

La Bartola

This highly recommended tapas bar was just a few steps from our hotel on Calle San José. This was our first meal in Seville, and it didn’t disappoint. In fact, it was a meal that was difficult to top. It’s busy but we manage to nab the last two seats at a counter in the window. We can look out at all those people behind us waiting for a table. High quality ingredients, a small but inventive menu and wonderful staff meant a top notch first experience of tapas in Seville. I’m surprised we didn’t end up frequenting La Bartola more considering its proximity to our hotel.

Las Teresas

This is a wonderfully atmospheric tapas bar in the heart of the Barrio Santa Cruz. Jamón dangles from the ceiling above the bar and traditional photographs and memorabilia line the walls. It was always full of locals when we passed, and the outside tables in the narrow pedestrianised street always busy. On our final night, we found a table in the Las Teresas annex, opposite the main bar. Sadly I was unwell, so I watched Mr Fletche bravely scoff down 5 small plates, ordered in the hope that I could be tempted to eat. Instead, I nursed a glass of red wine, taking the occasional sip to be polite. But Mr Fletche gave the food a big thumbs-up.

Mercado Lonja del Barranco

Less a tapas bar and more a gourmet food hall, Mercado Lonja del Barranco is a foodie’s dream. With a gorgeous riverside location and terrace, this converted seafood market – designed by none other than Gustave Eiffel – is open from noon until 1am everyday so is perfect for lesiurely grazing and drinking. We enjoyed the vibe so much that we returned two lunchtimes on the trot. There’s tacos, fresh fruit cups, oysters, sushi, ice cream… a veritable smorgasbord of food. In fact, there’s probably a counter offering Smörgåsbord. As usual, our eyes turn towards the cold cuts at La Charcuteria del Barranco. To accompany our charcuterie board, we share a cone of chicharrónes. – crispy pork belly fried with salt, pepper and paprika. Yes, these are pork scratchings – the ultimate beer snack and perfect washed down with a refreshing Cruzcampo.

Tapas Etiquette

If you’re like Joey, and you don’t like sharing food, you might find tapas culture a little strange. Yet it comes naturally in Spain. It is so much more than the food; it is a social experience. It’s the norm to share one or two small plates rather, and then maybe to move on elsewhere. Pick an area of Seville and bounce between bars, grazing on a plate of croquetas here, or a montadito de pringá there. Et voilà – your own Seville tapas crawl!

We found that four or five different tapas dishes would generally be enough for us. Often items such as carrillada or pork loin would be accompanied by a small portion of chips or bread to mop up any sauce. The average price of each tapas was around €3. And with a small beer costing around €2 it is easy to eat on a budget in Seville. Many places do charge extra for water or bread (sometimes small packets of bread sticks called picos) so watch out for these hidden costs if you’re watching your euros.

Locals eat late in Seville, 9 or 10pm is quite typical. But you won’t be frowned upon if you arrive earlier. In fact, if you want to eat in a particular popular bar – and you’re not able to make a reservation – it’s best to arrive early evening. Most restaurants in the popular tourist areas serve throughout the afternoon, although others observe a siesta period mid-afternoon, particularly during the hot summer months. Lunch time is typically between 2pm and 4pm.

A crisp cold beer is the perfect accompaniment to tapas, a glass of orange wine or tinto de verano. Ordering sangria will immediately mark you out as a tourist.

Looking for a hotel in Seville? Click here to check availability and dates! We stayed at the four-star Hotel Fernando III on Calle San José. It’s a short walk from Seville Cathedral, La Giralda and the Real Alcazar, and just steps away from La Bartola!

If you’re visiting Seville, I’d highly recommend taking a Seville Tapas Crawl with Food Lover Tours. Wear comfy shoes, remain open to new tastes and flavours and bring a hearty appetite! Just keep the espinacas con garbanzos away from me.

Have I inspired you to book a Seville Tapas Crawl?

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