Tapas in Seville

San Sebastian might have become the darling of international foodies with its buzzing Basque pintxo culture, but Andalusia and it’s great capital of Seville are the original home of the tapas cuisine that now spans the globe. I can certainly remember that awkward phase of “British tapas”, “Thai tapas” and “modern tapas” before restaurants thankfully settled on the term “small plates” and left the Spanish to it.

So what’s it like spending a long weekend eating your way around Seville?

Well, it’s cheap for one thing. We stuck religiously to tapas bars, never ate in a traditional restaurant, and pretty much managed £30 each per evening for more than enough delicious food

and a few drinks. It’s also fun, as you can have a drink and share two tapas in one bar, then wander on to another; seldom more than five minutes walk and every one different, and with their own house specialities. Important tip: in most places we found it necessary to actively attract someone’s attention if we wanted to order or to pay. This was so common that I don’t think we were getting bad service, I think it’s just how it works in the tapas bars. Certainly service was friendly once we got it.

Aaaaaanyway… let me tell you about some of the tapas bars we liked, that you might want to look up if you visit, and some of the typical dishes I now love. I’ve picked these places out because they were all so insanely close to the main tourist attractions of old-town Seville, so there’s no questing into distant neighbourhoods needed.

Casa Ramon is right in the touristy Santa Cruz area of winding lanes near the Alcazar, but it was absolutely top-notch delicious. Salmorejo is the local gazpacho; similar ingredients but thickened with breadcrumbs to a creamier texture. Bocadito de pringá is a tiny sandwich spread with softly cooked-down meats; morcilla, chorizo, pork maybe, whatever they have.

Barra de Inchausti was perhaps our favourite, a bright seafood place just 2 minutes walk from the cathedral but tucked down a little road most would miss. Their tortilla de camarones is a crispy fritter full of tiny shrimps, I could munch through a dozen of them. Papas aliñás are a simple and useful starter, a sort of soft vinegary potato salad with a little dried tuna on top.

Bar Zubaran was great, we went twice, and again it’s just a minute from the Setas in the very centre of the city, but tucked in a little courtyard you’d walk past without noticing. Busy, modern, but the tapas were all classic and excellent. Shout-out here to the solomillo; pieces of pork cooked in a spiffy whiskey sauce, served perfectly with chips. And even better, the simple espinacho con garbanzos; garlicky spinach and chickpeas, which sounds austere but when done well is absolutely luscious to gobble down with wine.

Barra de Cañabota is more up-market, being a tapas bar attached to a Michelin star restaurant. But it’s still cracking prices for the most delicious seafood. I have never, ever had such wonderful salt bacalao before, served as simple, firm, warm strips on a sliver of toast with the gentlest of saltiness remaining.

La Campana isn’t a tapas bar, it’s a cake shop with a long bar attached so you can stop for coffee and a cake. And you should. It’s been here since 1885 and there’s nothing like a sticky-sweet torrija and a cortado to set you up for the day.

If you want to read more about Seville (it’s not just food!) then my travel blog of the trip is on Polar Steps – a pretty lovely app for recording the highlights of your travels, dead easy to use. I very heartily recommend a long weekend break to Seville, it’s a stunning city, warm except in the dead of winter, full of colour but most of all full of TAPAS.