A Traditional Tapas Tour of Downtown Seville

Today, booking a tapas tour has become one of the most popular tourist attraction in Sevilla. As local notice the endless crowd of tourist walking in lines around town, each group following a guide who leads them from one bar to another while holding a flag on a stick.

When I see this happening, I can´t help but wince a little because this is so far removed from what going on a tapas tour truly means to us locals.

In my opinion there are three critical conditions that must be present to make up the essence of a true and authentic tapas tour:

Warm friendships and a natural sense of community. Many people plan tapas tour with a group of friends, but it should be as comfortable for a person head out on their own, as making friends along the way is part of the experience. I recently went out on a tapas tour with two of my friends around 12:30 pm and by the end of our afternoon (five hours later!) we had added two new people to our group!
Programmed spontaneity. While it’s wise to head out on your tour with a rough plan of where you want to go, be prepared for plans to change as the day moves forward. As you meet new people along the way, your plans may change; so be prepared for open-ended activities. After all, after a couple glasses of wine, anything is possible
Mixing tradition with innovation. The best part about the culinary offerings in Seville is the fusion of new and traditional tapas that are available for local diners. Make sure to sample the traditional dishes along with newer remixes of recipes.

In preparation for this article, I had to do some research, so I went out with a couple of girlfriends on a traditional tapas tour of downtown Seville. I’ve gathered a list of our top three tapas bars and highlighted our favorite tapas at each of them.

BAR LAS TERESAS

- Address: Calle Santa Teresa nº2.

- Website: lasteresas.es/

Our favorite tapas here:

- Espinacas con garbanzos (Spinach with chickpeas cooked with cumin and smoked paprika)

- Carrillera en salsa con patatas (Iberian pork cheeks with a thick and flavorful gravy alongside fried potatoes)

- Honorable mentions: bacalao con tomate, ensaladilla, Iberian ham and Iberian sausage.

BAR EL RINCONCILLO.

- Address: Calle Gerona nº40

- Our favorite tapas here:
  - - Ensaladilla (potato salad with mayonnaise)
  - - Croquetas de jamón (Iberian ham croquettes, but honestly any type of croquettes are great here)

- Honorable mentions: Espinacas con garbanzos is also a must here. As is the fried fish, like “boquerones fritos”.

BAR LOS CLAVELES. (just in front of El Rinconcillo)

- Address: Plaza de los Terceros nº15

- Website: Tripadvisor

- Our favorite tapas here:
  - - Pisto con huevo (Pisto is the Spanish version of ratatouille. So, this would be a ratatouille with fried quail egg. If you want a vegan version, you can order it without the quail egg)
  - - Flamenquín with carrot and red pepper salad. (Flamenquin is a roll of cheese, ham and pork loin fried in extra virgin olive oil)

- Honorable mentions: Definitely try the grilled squid if you are a seafood lover. Also, the assortment of “montaditos” (small warm sandwiches) is great here. We’ll typically order several and cut them into smaller pieces so we can sample a bite of each.

Some additional tips for those on tapas tour in Seville:

Do as the locals do and make sure to order a plate of olives along with your drink of choice as you wait for your tapas to arrive at the table.

If you drink alcohol, make sure to sample toe Rioja or Ribera del Duero wines. My friends and I love sherry wines, so we will order different types of sherry to pair with our tapas.

For delicious wine and cheese pairings, I highly recommend you try Casa Tarin, in front of El Rinconcillo and Los Claveles. This particular area is what I call the perfect gastronomy triangle and is formed by: El Rinconcillo, Casa Tarin and Los Claveles. Some consider this neighborhood as a sort of Bermudas triangle, because you know when and how you got into it, but it’s very hard to get out of!

Click in the following video to follow me on my tapas tour!