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I love to eat when I travel. Maybe it’s just my stomach talking, but I think there’s no better way to get immersed in a culture than to indulge in ALL OF THE FOOD. So, when Daniel and I went to Seville, that was exactly what we did. And, in the vein of that time I listed out everything I ate in Belgium, I thought I would do the same thing again. Think of it as a love letter to tapas. Or just a mini guide on what and where to eat in Seville. Either or.
Tapas, Tapas, and More Tapas
So… I’m pretty sure there is not a single restaurant in Seville that is not a tapas bar. That may sound like a bit of an exaggeration, but I’m really not kidding. Some days, when we were tired of standing and really just wanted a good, old-fashioned, sit down restaurant, we would do our best Yelp research and come up with absolutely nada (see, I am a Spanish master, I swear).
It is basically impossible to find a sit-down restaurant in Seville. But that turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it meant that we had to sample as many tapas as possible. #ohwell
All in all, I think we visited about 0.000001% of Seville’s tapas bars, so this is in no way an informed guide on where to eat in Seville or the best tapas in Seville, Spain. But hey, where we ate in Seville was pretty dang good.
Here were my three favorite tapas bars in Seville:
Los Coloniales
When we got into Seville, it was 1 in the afternoon and we were already STARVING. Let’s just say we hadn’t adjusted our eating schedules to Spain time quite yet (adjusting to the times of different cultures just seems to be something I’m bad at).
We didn’t have time to research before we both exploded in hanger.
So we went the old fashioned way and asked the woman at the front desk where we could grab a cheap and good lunch. And let me tell you, she delivered.
Of course, we didn’t think that when we walked up and saw a waiting list on a chalkboard. But we didn’t have the energy to try to find another place so we resigned ourselves to our fate. Then I realized that that list was just for the patio, and that we could go inside without a wait. God bless.
After avoiding one disaster, we ordered a few tapas to start us off before we were face to face with another one.
The Jamon Iberico was cut right off the leg and the Patatas Bravas were to. die. for. Seriously, if you order one thing at Los Coloniales, make it these tomato sauce covered potatoes.
After satiating a tiny bit of our hunger with some of the best tapas in Seville, Spain (so far), Daniel really just wanted a whole lot of food placed in front of him. So he ordered a racion of cod croquettes. The waiter said “you must be very hungry” (or something along those lines) and soon enough there was a HUGE plate of cod croquettes in front of us.
And so began my love affair with croquetas. And at less than €2.50/tapa, there was nothing to stop me.
What to eat at Los Coloniales: Patatas Bravas, Croqueta de Bacalao
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Bodega Santa Cruz Las Columnas
Bodega Santa Cruz Las Columnas is literally #3 for tapas bars in Seville on Yelp, so it’s not like we found a hidden gem here. But sometimes the popular tourist places really do live up to the hype. This was one of those places.
Because we suck at eating dinner later than 6 pm, we rolled up to Bodega Santa Cruz at 7pm, ready to enjoy our dinner with all the other old people and tourists.
This place is everything a traditional tapas bar is supposed to be. The menus are on chalkboards on the wall. They keep track of your tab in chalk on the bar. The waiters are gruff but clearly like you if you try to order in Spanish. They have some crazy banter behind the bar. Tapas are all €2.10 a piece. Seriously.
If you’re looking for a traditional tapas experience in Seville, Bodega Santa Cruz Las Columnas is the place for you.
Plus, a lot of their tapas come wrapped in a bread roll (called montaditos), which means that you can get full on fewer tapas. Daniel and I fed ourselves for less than €10 combined that night, including drinks. Score.
What to eat at Bodega Santa Cruz: Jamon Serrano, Palometa y Queso
Bar El Baratillo
We found ourselves at Bar El Baratillo after an amazing sunset on the Paseo Alcalde Marqués del Contadero our last day in Seville, and it really was the perfect tapas bar for us — and anyone else who loves themselves a little bit of classy kitsch.
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Located right behind Seville’s bullfighting ring, Bar El Baratillo has a row of bull’s heads hanging on the wall. But, like… classy bull’s heads.
They also just so happen to have delicious tapas. Including bulls’ meat. So, you know, you can eat bulls meat while bulls heads stare down at you. It’s not weird at all, I swear. Just delicious.
Oh, and there are actual tables and chairs. Like, lots of them. Once you’ve spent even a day eating in Spain, you’ll know how much of a blessing this is — especially after a long day of walking. Bar el Baratillo definitely has my vote for the best tapas bar in Seville.
What to eat at Bar El Baratillo: Cola de Toro, Rollito de Langostino y Bacon, Croquetas de Jamón
The Most Amazing Crepes of All Time
There were very few things in Seville that we ate outside of tapas, but one of those things were the most delicious crepes of all time.
Every day, we walked past a large cafe near our hotel, and every day that cafe was absolutely p a c k e d.
So on our last morning in Seville, we decided to see what all the hype was about and head to the cafe on the corner of Calle García de Vinuesa and Avenida de la Constitución. Like an idiot, I forgot to write down the name of the place, and of course it’s not on Google maps either, but I did some MAJOR sleuthing (we’re talking zooming in on a photo of the street like on CSI) to find this out for you: it’s called La Canasta, and you should go.
Once there, Daniel and I gorged ourselves on a Snickers crepe and a Strawberry crepe, respectively.
The healthiest breakfast of all time? Maybe not. But it was definitely the most delicious.
Those Street Churros tho
Also along the not-so-healthy line were the street churros we grabbed from a stand by the Seville Cathedral one evening after grabbing dinner at Bodega Santa Cruz.
These churros definitely weren’t your Disneyland churros. They were fat and fluffy and really only consisted of one, seven foot long churro that wrapped around itself like a snake or a really comfy cat.
We sat on the steps of the Seville Cathedral and dipped our churros in chocolate while watching the locals finally come out after a long day of hiding from tourists. The fresh December air was just cold enough for a light jacket, but warm enough that we weren’t bothered about being outside. Everything was perfect.
A Cheeky Ice Cream in Triana
Even in December, it’s warm enough to grab an ice cream cone and sit in a square to people watch — aka my favourite activity of all time.
This is exactly what we did while we were wandering around Triana.
We ordered two scoops of ice cream apiece like the glutinous Americans we are from a random ice cream stand tucked into the walls of a random square in Triana. We sat on a bench and watched everyone grabbing their early evening snacks to get them through until dinner (something we still have yet to master) at tapas bars dotted around the square.
One waiter angrily stalked over to the bench next to us to retrieve an out-of-bounds plate.
The world was alive and we had no plans on trying to change it.
Seriously, people watching is just the best.
And All of Those Unglamorous Groceries
We are, first and foremost, budget travelers. So while it’s fun to eat out every once and a while, we generally feed ourselves while traveling the same way we do at home — by going to the grocery store.
In this case, we bought our groceries from a Carrefour Express a three-minute walk from our hostel.
Sandwich ingredients, chips, Oreos (only €1/pack, as opposed to the £6 we pay at the most expensive Tesco in Scotland, so score), and the most delicious apples possibly of all time. Oh, and sh*tloads of granola bars to stash in my purse for when one of us got hangry.
Not exactly the most exciting food of all time, but it got us through our time in Seville with full stomachs — and full wallets, too.
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Where to eat in Seville — More Resources
You cannot go wrong with any of the places that I recommended when it comes to places to eat in Seville — especially the tapas bars.
But for more suggestions on what and where to eat in Seville, I highly suggest checking out Devour Seville’s website. They are far more eligible than I am to give tips on tapas bars in Seville and all of the other yummy things the city has to offer.
Tapas Tours in Seville
I also found myself returning time and time again to A Wandering Cassiedilla’s 3 Tapas Tour Routes to Eat Your Way Through Sevilla, where I found the recommendations for both Bodega Santa Cruz and Bar El Baratillo. If Daniel wasn’t so opposed to eating small amounts of food at a bunch of different places, I definitely would have followed her tapas tour routes literally every night we were in Seville.
Alternatively, if you’re more of a guided tour type of person, there are loads of guided tapas tours through Seville like this one.
Cooking Classes in Seville
Finally, one thing we considered doing in Seville that we didn’t end up booking was a cooking class. I seriously regret this, because the ones I was looking at seemed insanely good value (I’m talking like $30 for instruction and a 3-course meal). If you want to go home with some recipes to remember your time in Seville, definitely look into cooking classes!
Any more suggestions on where to eat in Seville? Let me know in the comments down below!
LOVE this! Wish I would have searched for it BEFORE our trip! I’m putting together our travel guide and am including a link back to your post! Good work girlfriend!
Thanks so much! Hopefully you still had great food in Seville though 🙂