Seville
Carmen Sevilla by Slim Aarons, 1957
Seville is the capital of southern Spain’s Andalusia region, famous for flamenco dancing, the ornate Alcázar castle complex, built during the Moorish Almohad dynasty, and the 18th-century Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza bullring. The Gothic Seville Cathedral is the site of Christopher Columbus’s tomb and a minaret-turned bell tower, the Giralda. Here is our guide to Seville, Spain.
STAY
HOTEL ALFONSO XIII An ornate 1929 hotel in the city center with a restaurant, tapas bar, and outdoor pool steps away from the Alcazar. C. San Fernando, 2, Casco Antiguo; marriott.com/en-us/hotels/svqlc-hotel-alfonso-xiii-a-luxury-collection-hotel-seville
HOTEL COLÓN GRAN MELIA The grand marble staircase and domed lobby are offset with modern guest rooms featuring Philippe Starck armchairs. We especially love the rooftop pool— a welcome respite from Seville’s heat. C. Canalejas, 1, Casco Antiguo; melia.com/en/hotels/spain/seville/colon-gran-melia
HOTEL MERCER Set in a restored 19th-century palace on a narrow cobblestone street with a rooftop terrace, plunge pool, bar, and restaurant. C. de Castelar, 26, Casco Antiguo; mercersevilla.com
DRINK | DINE
RESTAURANTE ORIZA A Basque restaurant near the Parque de María Luisa. For a casual bite, head to Bar España, which serves tapas. Calle San Fernando, 41; restauranteoriza.com
EL RINCONCILLO Seville’s most historic taberna housed in an old grocery store, open for 350 years— since 1670. C. Gerona, 40, Casco Antiguo; elrinconcillo.es
MERCADO LONJA DEL BARRANCO A gourmet marked housed in a 19th-century galvanized-iron building. Casco Antiguo, C. Arjona, s/n, Casco Antiguo; mercadodelbarranco.com
BODEGUITA ROMERO Famous for its award-winning pringá montaditos – a mixture of pork, chorizo and black pudding, served on bread as a paté. Other favorites include the melt-in-your-mouth carrillada (pig cheeks), grilled salt cod, and the house marinated potatoes, prepared daily by Pedro Romero himself. C. Harinas, 10, Casco Antiguo; bodeguitaromero.es
EL PINTÓN Housed inside the landmark Peyré building, a former textile warehouse, originally built in 1790 and refurbished in 1919 by regional architect Aníbal González. El Pintón is a tapas and cocktail bar designed by Cristina Domínguez Lucas and Fernando Hernández-Gil featuring a light-filled indoor courtyard with a Mediterranean menu. C. Francos, 42, Casco Antiguo; elpinton.com
MERCADO DE TRIANA A quaint indoor bazaar with many vendor stalls selling produce, meat & prepared meals, plus a museum in the historic Triana neighborhood. C. San Jorge, 6; mercadodetrianasevilla.com
EL DISPARANTE This unusual restaurant, located opposite the famous Alameda de Hércules, inside the small Corner House hotel, features two contemporary-style dining rooms plus a pleasant terrace. The seasonal menu is mainly based around local and Andalucian ingredients, although this is spiced up with the occasional influence from around the world (Asia, Mexico, USA etc). Some of the long-established dishes here have evolved from the owners’ past ventures, such as the popular “huevos estrellados” from the erstwhile El Gallinero de Sandra restaurant. Plaza Alameda de Hércules 11; somoseldisparate.com
ABANTAL This elegant restaurant, the name of which is the linguistic predecessor of the Spanish word for apron ("delantal"), is enthusiastically run by a team that brings its full expertise, emotion, soul and intrinsic personality to the cuisine. Head chef Julio Fernández Quintero oversees everything that goes on here with the clear objective of transferring traditional AndaluciÓn flavours to a more cutting-edge culinary approach, while maintaining the authenticity of local ingredients and produce and their seasonality. In the renovated dining room, the decor of which is more akin to that of a museum, choose between two tasting menus with different numbers of courses (one menu has nine, the other twelve) but both offering a wine-pairing option. For an even more intense and immersive dining experience, why not book the superb chef’s table in the kitchen, with seating for just ten guests. Alcalde José de la Bandera 7; abantalrestaurante.es
IVANTXU ESPACIO BISTRONÓMICO Behind the large glass-fronted façade, the focus here is unashamedly on top-quality ingredients in a location just a few metres from the river. Basque cuisine takes pride of place, centred on select meats from across Spain, Galician seafood, and fish from the auction in Conil. Virgen de la Victoria 5; ivantxu.com
TRADEVO CENTRO A modern, lively restaurant fronting one of the historic centre’s myriad small squares. The enticing display cabinet of different types of fresh fish, hake roe, prawns, squid etc (most of which is priced by weight) is a definite highlight here. The traditionally based cuisine with a contemporary touch is centred around ingredients sourced from the market and includes some superb daily specials. Many of the options on the menu can be ordered as half-portions. The tiramisú dessert is exquisite! Cuesta del Rosario 15; tradevo.es
BASQUE ENEKO Discover the contemporary Basque cuisine of award-winning chef Eneko Atxa, who has transported his creative cooking to Seville. Occupying the ground floor of the Radisson Collection Hotel, Magdalena Plaza Sevilla, this restaurant showcase the chef’s more conceptual style of cooking, which includes options for sharing and an array of grilled dishes (smoked Iberian pork, matured beef chop etc). Plaza de la Magdalena 1; enekoatxaseville.com
BALBUENA Y HUERTAS An attractive restaurant in the heart of the city’s Triana district, where it occupies a beautiful building in regional style that is nowadays the Cavalta Boutique Hotel, but with its own independent entrance and a name that pays tribute to the architect who designed it. The cuisine here provides an updated take on regional dishes that always showcase seasonal Andalucian ingredients and is highlighted via the à la carte (featuring half-plate options and a small selection of rice dishes with wild mushrooms or “carillera” with a whisky sauce) and a tasting menu entitled Alegría. San Jacinto 89, Seville; balbuenayhuertas.com
MANZIL This centrally located restaurant boasts an open kitchen and a striking decor featuring large images of animals and vegetables painted on the walls. The dining experience, which begins with appetisers at the counter in the kitchen before continuing at your table, reflects the full personality and passion of the chef (who has worked in several renowned restaurants and who has represented Spain at the prestigious Bocuse d´Or competition) for Andalucian cuisine. His cooking is highlighted on two extensive menus (Morada and Manzil) featuring an array of small plates, superb textures and impressive pairings. Alfonso XII 13; restaurantemanzil.com
LA BARRA DE CAŃABOTA An unusual tapas bar with a strong focus on fish and seafood that replicates the philosophy of its older sibling (Cañabota). Here, the dishes are somewhat simpler but based around the same principles and ingredients of the very highest quality. Slightly ironically, they also state that they adapt not just to the seasons but also to the luck of fishermen when out to sea! If you take a seat at the always busy bar counter, you can watch dishes being prepared in front of you. Orfila 5; canabota.es
CAÑABOTA It is possible to achieve excellence from apparent simplicity and Cañabota is a perfect example of this. This centrally located restaurant next to the Capilla de San Andrés (a chapel also known as the Hermandad de los Panaderos or Brotherhood of Bread-makers), has a gastro-bar ambience, with a fishmonger’s-style counter at the entrance and an open kitchen that enables guests to admire the grilling process at close quarters. Fish and seafood from Andalucia’s Atlantic coast are the mainstays on an à la carte which combines traditional and cutting-edge cooking, and a tasting menu that features even more elaborate dishes. We recommended booking in advance and allow yourself to be guided in your choices as the menu changes daily in line with the best fish and seafood available at market. Orfila 3, Seville; canabota.es
LEARTA Located in the heart of the city’s old quarter, just a few metres from the Plaza de la Gavidia, this restaurant exudes a passion for food, for craftsmanship and for what they describe here as “food for thought” and takes its from a word that refers to a meeting place for different Andalucian trades and skills. The focus of the young team at the helm is on a single tasting menu that showcases the flavours of Southern Spain as well as locally sourced ingredients and products (Iberian ham from Cumbres Mayores, white prawns from Isla Cristina, honey from Aznalcóllar etc). Padre Tarin 6; leartasevilla.com
TRIBECA Taking its name from the famous district in New York, Tribeca can now be considered a classic dining address in Seville after two decades in business. The owner-chef, whose primary concern is that his guests are completely satisfied with their experience, works particularly with fresh fish from the Gulf of Cádiz. Choose between the tasting menu and a traditional à la carte with a modern touch, on both of which you’ll find dishes such as clams with manzanilla sherry, Carabinero prawn tartare, and lobster and Iberian pancetta tortilla. Chaves Nogales 3; restaurantetribeca.com
AZ-ZAIT This restaurant, which takes its name from an Arabic word meaning "olive juice" (“aceite” is the Spanish word for “oil”), is constantly developing through its technical expertise and a strong conviction in all its dishes. It features two classic-style dining rooms in which to enjoy impeccable service, plus extra details such as its cheese and digestif trolleys (the latter is very extensive and unusual). Its concise à la carte of traditional and international dishes with modern touches is accompanied by three enticing tasting menus named after olive oil estates: Hacienda el Monje, El Lavadero and Cerro de los Olivos. We were pleasantly surprised and impressed by the superb taste and texture of the dish featuring slivers of foie gras with olive bread. Plaza de San Lorenzo 1; Restaurante.covermanager.com/az-zait
LALOLA DE JAVI ABASCAL Given its location in the 18C One Shot Palacio Conde de Torrejón hotel, this restaurant in Seville’s historic centre is easy to find. The restaurant, which has its own entrance to the side of the building and has its main dining room on an attractive covered patio, is run by a chef who prepares traditional cuisine with a contemporary touch. This is showcased on the à la carte and on an interesting tasting menu which is completely focused around Iberian pork (including the desserts!). Dishes you’ll find here include creamy rice with pig’s trotters and rice, “lagartito” of Iberian pork en papillote with cod, plus different types of game. Marco Sancho 1; lalolasevilla.es
SOBRETABLAS The culinary interest in this restaurant is on the up thanks to the fact that the young couple here (Camila Ferraro is in charge of the kitchen, with her partner acting as sommelier and running the front of house) met while working at the legendary El Celler de Can Roca. Order the delicious velouté of chickpeas and red prawns. This attractive restaurant takes its name from a specific stage of sherry production, after which the sherry-master decides if a wine should become a fino or oloroso. Colombia 7; sobretablasrestaurante.com
IKI With its menu of sashimi, tataki, gyozas, uromaki rolls etc, this small Japanese restaurant located just a few metres from the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán stadium is gaining an ever-increasing local fanbase. In its attractive dining room, embellished with designer details and a pleasant bar from where the chefs can be observed hard at work (their skill at slicing fish and preparing tempura is particularly impressive), enjoy traditionally inspired Japanese cuisine. Luis de Morales 2
ART | CULTURE | ACTIVITIES
REAL ALCÁZAR A Moorish palace complex featured in Game of Thrones that was originally built as a fort in 913. One of the oldest existing palaces still in use, it remains the best example of Mudejar architectural style in all of Spain. Casco Antiguo; alcazarsevilla.org
PLAZA DE ESPAÑA A square in the Parque de María Luisa, built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. It is a landmark example of Regionalism Architecture, mixing elements of the Baroque Revival, Renaissance Revival and Moorish Revival styles of Spanish architecture. Av. Isabel la Católica; andalucia.org
CATEDRAL DE SEVILLA The Seville Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, along with the adjoining Alcázar palace complex and the General Archive of the Indies. After its completion in the early 16th century, Seville Cathedral supplanted Hagia Sophia as the largest cathedral in the world, a title the Byzantine church had held for nearly a thousand years. Christopher Columbus is buried in the tomb. Av. de la Constitución, s/n, Casco Antiguo; catedraldesevilla.es
ARCHIVO DE INDIAS The Archivo General de Indias, housed in the ancient merchants' exchange of Seville, Spain, the Casa Lonja de Mercaderes, is the repository of extremely valuable archival documents illustrating the history of the Spanish Empire in the Americas and the Philippines. The 16th-century building houses over 80 million pages of documents. Av. de la Constitución, s/n, Casco Antiguo; cultura.gob.es
SEVILLE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS The Museum of Fine Arts of Seville or Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla contains Spanish works from the medieval period to the early 20th century, founded in 1839 in a building from 1594. Pl. del Museo, 9, Casco Antiguo; museosdeandalucia.es
MUSEO DEL BAILE FLAMENCO An 18th-century building turned museum detailing flamenco dancing history & culture, plus live shows. C. Manuel Rojas Marcos, 3, Casco Antiguo; tickets.museodelbaileflamenco.com
CAIXAFORUM Designed by architect Vázquez Consuegra on the Isla de la Cartuja, and home to two temporary contemporary art exhibitions as well as concerts, movies, discussions, conferences, a gift shop, and a restaurant. P.º del Prado, 36, Centro; caixaforum.org
PLAZA DE TOROS DE LA REAL MAESTRANZA DE CABALLERÍA DE SEVILLA The Plaza de toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla is a bullring and home of the annual Seville Fair bullfighting festival. P.º de Cristóbal Colón, 12, Casco Antiguo; visitaplazadetorosdesevilla.com
METROPOL The Metropol Parasol is a wooden structure located at La Encarnación square designed by German architect Jürgen Mayer. Pl. de la Encarnación, s/n, Casco Antiguo; setasdesevilla.com
WEEKEND TRIP
HACIENDA DE SAN RAFAEL Set amongst the olive trees in the beautiful countryside between Seville and Jerez and within easy reach of the Costa de la Luz. This traditional hacienda-style boutique hotel has three outside pools, two bars, and a Mediterranean restaurant set in the tranquil gardens. Massage and yoga can be arranged on request and a paddle-tennis court is also available.