The 15 best tapas bars and restaurants in Seville

In Seville, you can hop from one traditional tiled tapas bar to the next, trying out small plates of baby clams with artichokes, or wafer-thin slices of jamon iberico. Alternatively, you can slide into a chic velvet booth and dine on crab tacos and tuna ceviche. Instead of sangria, an over-priced tourist cliché, order like a local and go for tinto de verano (red wine with soda water) – or else sample the sherry selection, available in most restaurants. Be aware that you often pay more at an outside table.

Read on for our expert's mouth-watering suggestions, while here are guides devoted to Seville's best hotels, bars, things to see and do, things to see and do for free, plus how to spend a weekend in Seville. If planning a longer trip, discover our ultimate itinerary in Andalucia here.

Las Teresas

This is still one of Seville’s most authentic bars, with walls covered in Semana Santa (Holy Week) and Feria posters, and hams hanging from the ceiling. Yes, it’s a visitors’ favourite, but has lost none of its uncompromising charm. Stand at the bar, order a tapa of cheese with a glass of chilled Tio Pepe sherry, and you’ll feel like a local. Be sure to watch the jamon being finely sliced behind the bar – the master carvers are highly skilled. Eat inside to get the full experience (you can’t order tapas at outside tables, only big plates), ideally at the corner table by the door.

Contact: lasteresas.es
Prices: £
Reservations: Walk-ins only

La Azotea

With three establishments – a restaurant in San Lorenzo (Calle Conde de Barajas), and tapas bars in Santa Cruz (calle Mateos Gago), and opposite the San Lorenzo locale – La Azotea blazed the trail for the new gastro-tapas scene 15 years ago, offering excellent menus and is always packed.  Décor is simple, with the focus on the food – four or five daily specials such as oven-baked rice with rockfish and seafood; menu staples include filo parcels with cheese, leeks and prawns. Local winery Colonias de Galeon makes a balanced, fruity red, Pinchaperas, worth trying. The Santa Cruz branch is open all day from breakfast to dinner.

Contact: laazoteasevilla.com
Prices: ££
Reservations: Essential

Palo Cortao

A modern, stylish space near Las Setas, with an open kitchen and six outside tables on a pedestrianised street – this sherry specialist joint offers an impressive choice of vinos de Jerez and some seriously tasty tapas. The welcoming atmosphere is thanks to the friendly owners – Angel is in the kitchen, Ana is front of house and a sherry expert. Daily specials (usually around 10) might include ajoblanco (chilled almond soup) with mango and salmon tartare or rice with lobster; be surprised by the house speciality: tuna tomato. Don't miss the en rama sherries – unfiltered versions, with a stronger taste; not for everyone, but definitely to be tried once: Lustau’s 3 En Rama Jerez is rounded and intense.

Contact: palo-cortao.com
Prices: £
Reservations: Recommended

Balbuena y Huertas

Housed in a beautiful, tile-enrobed 1920s building, recently restored as the five-star Cavalta Boutique hotel, and for whose  Sevillano architect it is named, this Triana restaurant opened in 2023 to great fanfare. Choose from four tasting menus – one vegetarian, unusually – of between seven and ten skilfully presented courses. The “regionalist” dishes – Andalucian with a contemporary edge –  change seasonally; think grilled aubergine, salmon and kefir, or venison with cheese and lavender. Décor is elegantly modern, with marble tables and velvet seating. Cocktails are made at your table, a fun touch, and service is excellent.

Contact: balbuneayhuertas.com/
Prices: £££
Reservations: recommended

Seis

This sophisticated restaurant on central Plaza Nueva has a lush, jungly feel – the ground-floor bar is under a massive tree canopy, and plants hang from the ceiling. Food is confidently global – chicken gyozas, prawn tacos or Iberian ham croquettes. The downstairs area with sexy curved booths is buzzy, while upstairs is quieter. Service from the young wait staff is impressively knowledgeable and attentive.

Contact: tuhogarfueradecasa.com
Prices: ££
Reservations: Essential

Casa Moreno

From the outside this looks like a typical abaceria (grocery), with its wood-framed display window packed with jars of chickpeas and artichokes. But inside, tucked away at the back, you’ll find a small bar that feels very hidden, with walls plastered in scores of handwritten notes. The menu consists largely of delicious montaditos (small sandwiches) – cabrales (blue cheese) or caña de lomo (pork loin) served on waxed paper. With no tables, and not much space, the lively atmosphere is ideal for a pre-dinner snack and glass of Cruzcampo beer, Seville’s own brew.

Contact: 00 34 954 228 315
Prices: ££
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 8am-3.30pm; Mon-Fri, 7pm-10.30pm
Reservations: Walk-ins only

Taberna Zurbarán

In a central yet quiet (pedestrianised) square lined with orange trees, a few steps from the Setas, this new “tavern” nails the traditional with a dash of minimalism vibe – wooden bar; high tables with stool-seats; chic, plain walls dotted with colourful Virgin images; tiled exterior. Dishes are hit and miss, but the tortilla, spicy lamb pincho moruno, and enormous juicy sardines are spot on. In spring, when the orange blossom is out, the large terrace is a heavenly spot for a fino.

Contact: Taberna Zurbaran
Prices: £
Reservations: Walk-ins only

Eslava

One of Seville’s most popular eating spots, Eslava on Plaza San Lorenzo has a tapas space with long bar and tables at the back, and a more formal restaurant next door. It’s usually packed, so squeeze your way in and nab a spot at the bar, or sit outside at a tall table with stools. You’ll want to taste award-winning, finger-licking honey pork ribs, and boletus mushroom cake topped with a poached egg and caramelized wine reduction; the more adventurous might try "Becquer’s cigar”, a filo roll filled with squid in its ink, seaweed and bechamel. Venture north to Extremadura for rich red wines from high-tech Habla winery.

Contact: espacioeslava.com
Prices: ££
Reservations: There are two areas, one with reserved tables and one for walk-ins.

Zelai

Another pioneer in Seville’s gastrobar scene, dating from 2008, Zelai lies on a quiet side street behind Plaza Nueva. Sit at the bar or at tables in the light and airy front section, and feast on prawn carpaccio or pork cheeks with rosemary parmentier. Andalucian wine gets better and better: try Possible Syrah, a monovarietal from a friends’ collective in nearby Huelva.

Contact: restaurantezelai.com
Prices: ££

Mamarracha

This slick joint, steps from the cathedral, is a favourite with groups of friends; the industrial chic vibe – with its vertical garden and concrete walls – appeals to the more forward-thinking sectors of Seville society.  The speciality here is charcoal-grilled meat (presa ibérica, or shoulder of acorn-fed Iberian pork flank) but there’s plenty for fish lovers such as grilled scallops with pipirrana (gazpacho in salad form) and mint, while lucky vegetarians get miso-honey glazed aubergine. A short but select sherry list includes aromatic, feisty Nave Trinidad Manzanilla En Rama, while Soplagaitas is a young, fruity white from Colonias de Galeon winery, north of Seville.

Contact: mamamarracha.es
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended

Cañabota

Seville ended a long dry patch without new Michelin stars in December 2021, when fish speciality restaurant Cañabota won a well-deserved gong. Located close to the main shopping area, the small, tiled space focuses on the freshest Andalucian seafood, mostly grilled – pick yours from the Insta-worth display (think grouper, squid and prawns); be aware that daily specials are priced by weight, which can confuse. Alternatively, try one of the tasting menus, which change daily according to the market. Sit at the bar and watch the chefs in action, at a high table, or outside on the terrace. If it’s full, try the excellent sister tapas bar next door.

Contact: canabota.es
Prices: £££
Reservations: Essential

ConTenedor

In the boho area of Macarena, this slow food place uses 0km (ie local), seasonal, organic ingredients. The duck with rice is justly famous, and the salads are creative which is unusual for Seville. There’s an impressive selection of Andalucian wines – try Sanchez Perez Palomino-Pedro Ximenez, an intense organic white from Vejer de la Frontera. The restaurant’s feel is artsy but low-key and unpretentious, with mismatched furniture and the co-owner’s paintings on the walls. There is live music on Tuesday nights. Be aware that this is restaurant, not a tapas bar, so all dishes are main course-sized.

Contact: restaurantecontenedor.com
Prices: ££
Reservations: Essential

Condendê

Inside the boho-hip Macarena district’s buzzy Feria food market, with its cobbled floors and albero yellow archways, is this stall specialising in bread and dough-based delicacies. You sit on a high stool and nibble on tasty morsels spanning the globe, from gyosas and samosas to focaccia. Vegetarians are very well catered for, with Brazilian cheese dough balls, Venezuelan aubergine arepas, and focaccia with Sicilian caponata. The daring may brave the spicy chicken tacos with pico de gallo and pickled jalapeños. Wash down your tasty pastries with organic Kombucha-T, locally made fermented tea flavoured with natural orange.

Contact: facebook.com/condende
Prices: £

Barra Baja

This small place on a hidden-yet-central street punches well above its weight – sit at the black granite bar and watch chefs Patri Moliner and Rafa Liñan prep, sauté, and plate your dishes. Recommended are the charcoal-grilled little gem lettuce with payoyo sauce and retinto beef steak tartare. Heed sommelier Ana’s  suggestions, such as Desnudo – a superb, fresh Palomino.

Contact: Barra Baja
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended

Alfareria 21

Housed in a converted factory (the exterior gives clues) in Triana’s ceramics neighbourhood, this place is worth a visit just for the maze of pretty patios, adorned with a crazy, colourful hotchpotch of pieces. Head to the rooftop on a warm evening – not for the view, but for the animated Andalucian alfresco ambience. Standouts are the cod, honey and lemon fritters and deboned chicken wings with kimchee – served on eye-catching tableware, naturally.

Contact: facebook.com/alfarera21Triana
Prices: ££