Restaurants and Bars

Seville is a city with such a rich gastronomic culture that for each hour of the day there is a special dish to be sampled at a particular establishment. The serrano breakfast (toast with cured ham, olive oil and tomato) is a real tradition in the city, and referred to as "pan de pueblo." You can try it at Emperador Trajano. But the most characteristic Sevillian gastronomic feature is, of course, the tapa. Tapas are a series of small and varied portions of typical dishes, normally accompanied by a beer or local wine. Try starting off at Las Columnas; it could be the beginning of the day's gastronomic experience, around one in the afternoon. A dry sherry (vino fino) or grape juice (mosto), accompanied by a little cod omelette or Russian salad might be just the thing to whet your appetite. This establishment is a five minute walk from the heart of the historical quarter, where the visitor can sample tapas of bread and fried pork in La Andana, next to the Catedral, or any one of the exquisite tapas served at the bars of the El Arenal district, such as Bodegón Torre del Oro. You are highly recommended to try revuelto in one of its many varieties, as it is one of Seville's most traditional dishes. Salmorejo, gazpacho, 'pescaíto' frito, giblets, snails, potato salad, are evidence of the culinary richness of Hispalis city, to which faithful testimony is provided by El Copo. The Triana district, especially Betis y San Jacinto streets, have the most tapas bars, where outstanding fried fish can be eaten at Kiosko de las Flores, or pavías, one of the specialities of Casa Cuesta. Seville also has some very good restaurants: Egaña Oriza, Enrique Becerra, Casa Robles, and establishments specialising in international cuisine, like San Marco, where all types of Italian and Mediterranean dishes are offered in a lovely setting. Naturally, the large fast food chains have franchises al over Seville. Once you have eaten, there are endless bars and cafeterias where you can have good coffee, such as Habanilla, with a varied selection of desserts and cakes or the Horno del Duque. Also, the cafeterias Jamaica Coffee Shop and Bar España are places that, although different, are two of the most select and interesting. But, as far as sweets are concerned, it has to be the confections of the nuns, which can be purchased at Convento de San Leandro (specialists in yemas, made with sugar and egg yolk), or the Convento de Santa Paula located in the centre of Seville. The places recommended for lunch are also good for dinner, but you should be thinking about this by nightfall because the tapas bars in particular tend to close around midnight. For drinks, the city centre is full of pubs, discos and cafe terraces. Nevertheless, between the months of May and October, the best place to drink in Seville is the left bank of the Guadalquivir, which has many terraces at this time of the year. During the winter, the areas frequented by the hip are the plaza del Salvador, with venues like Alcaicería, or the neighbourhood of Alfalfa, where Sopa de Ganso is found, as well as places further away from the historical quarter, like Los Remedios or Viapol, areas with many pubs and cafe terraces like Flaherty and Aduana, that offer music and all kinds of drinks into the early hours of the morning.