5 of the very best places to eat tapas in Seville

19.11.2024 - 18:39 / lonelyplanet.com

Nov 19, 2024 • 6 min read

Andalucía is the home of tapas, one of Spain’s most famous cuisines. Tapas are essentially small plates of savory food. Originally, they were simple snacks served with drinks – a bowl of olives, perhaps, or a slice of tortilla – but over time, they have become increasingly elaborate. Historians have several theories about how tapas were invented, from King Alphonso XIII requiring food with his drinks because of an illness to placing a piece of bread and ham or a small plate of olives on top of a glass to keep out dirt and insects.

The word "tapa" means a lid or a cover, so it’s a plausible explanation. But, whichever one you believe, most people agree that it was in Andalucía where the idea was first conceived. As the capital of the southern region, Seville is still one of the best places in the country to experience this culinary tradition. From the classic to the highly imaginative, Seville is the tapas queen.

Having first opened way back in 1670, El Rinconcillo is the oldest bar in Seville and has been run by the De Rueda family since 1858. Today, it maintains its rustic charm with an antique wooden bar and ceiling, and colored ceramic tiles from the neighborhood of Triana lining the walls.

One of the bar’s stand-out dishes is espinacas con garbanzos (spinach with chickpeas), a classic Andalucian dish that was influenced by the Moors. It’s typically spiced with cumin, and sometimes pine nuts and raisins are also added, but the dish at El Rinconcillo goes above and beyond including coriander, ginger and cloves. It also uses a secret flavor from the bone of a leg of ham.

Make it happen: Open 1–5:30pm and 8pm–12:30am Mon, Wed and Fri–Sun; 1–5pm and 8pm–1am Thu. Reservations recommended.

Located near the Museo de Bellas Artes, this bullfighting-themed bar and restaurant is covered from wall to wall in old posters and memorabilia. It first opened in 1973 as Bar Donald Duck, but after Walt Disney threatened to sue for the name, it was changed to simply Restaurante Donald. The bar is now owned by Mariano García, who used to wait tables there.

Go for the award-winning Andalusian staple, ensaladilla rusa (Russian salad), which is a type of potato salad with added extras, including tuna, peas, carrots and pieces of hard-boiled egg and sometimes prawns, all smothered in mayonnaise. Ensaladilla rusa is served at almost every bar in the city and has become the litmus test for whether the other tapas dishes are good or not.

Make it happen: Open: noon–midnight daily.

Freiduría El Arrecife is a true temple to seafood. Fishing nets hanging from the walls, alongside nautical-themed lamps and porthole mirrors. Seafood is an important ingredient in Andalusian tapas and there is nothing more