Enjoy A Weekend in Seville

As far as getaway destinations go, Seville seems to be a somewhat an untapped goldmine. It’s far enough South that is a great option for soaking up some warm weather. Food and drink options are plentiful and cheap. And it’s an easy journey from London.

British Airways and EasyJet fly from Gatwick and RyanAir from Stansted. Once off the plane, the quaint city centre is just a 30 minute bus ride way.

Historic sights in the city are impressive and it’s certainly a place with charm. The enormous cathedral, the largest gothic cathedral in the world, stands imposingly in the historic centre drawing in the tourists. But, arguably, the real highlight for Seville is its food and wine.

Recent years have seen the rise in super trendy tapas here. The stodgy or oily plates often associated with the Spanish diet are beginning to look like a thing of the past. Look in the right places and you’ll find that much of the food is fresh, organic and embraces an eclectic selection of flavours. If you’re exploring the city, be sure to while away a few hours in some of the area’s best tapas bars.

Vineria San Telmo on Paseo Catalina de Ribera is generally acknowledged as one of the pioneers of the ‘gastro tapas’ trend. This small, down-to-earth restaurant offers some surprisingly creative twists on traditional dishes. Here, if you’re brave enough, the dish to try is ‘Crepe de Morcilla’ – ‘Morcilla de Burgos’, which is essentially pig’s blood sausage, made into a crepe with a sweet pepper sauce. The squid ink pasta also gets rave reviews.

Vegetarians will be surprised by the amount of options available around Seville. Sit out in the sunshine at Arte y Sabor on Alameda de Hercules and enjoy delicious tapas sized lentil salads, falafels, spinach croquettes and more. Vegetarian and vegan dishes are clearly marked on the menu. And it’s a great spot for watching the world go.

Maestro Marcelino is true to the original style of tapas bar – part bar, part shop. This little Abacería (meaning ‘little place of supplies’) is like an Aladdin’s Cave where you can try some of Spain’s most delicious delicacies. Places like this one became ingrained in the social culture of Seville in the 1950s where the owners of ingredients shops would cut up some cheese or pour some wine for passersby to stop and try. This shop was re-opened in the 1990s in honour Seville’s most famous abacería and locals who where around in the 60s still speak fondly of the shop’s namesake, Marcelino. Do as the locals do here and enjoy a glass of vermouth, a traditional aperitif in Seville, along with some light tapas. There’s a great selection of cured items try.

Sherry drinking is big in Andalusia (Did you know that sherry can only be made in Spain?)

and Las Teresas is a great spot to try glass of cool and crisp manzanilla sherry. Opened in 1870 and located in the historic quarter, its one of the oldest bars in Seville. Contrary to popular belief, sherry is not always sweet. The manzanilla sherry you can find here is not only the driest sherry but also the driest wine in the world.

Mamarracha may always have a queue, but the trendy restaurant inside is worth the wait. Tuck into the beetroot salad with goat cheese, strawberries and pistachios or the octopus

with bouchon potatoes and romescu. ‘Go large or go home’ is often the stance taken here and if there’s a group of you its well worth trying as much of menu as you can. There is much to enjoy.

There’s more to Seville than its food and wine, obviously. But, city exploration peppered with delicious pit stops – what could be better than that!

If you want to learn more about the culinary delights of the city, Devour Seville run a number of food tours take you to various key spots, eating and drinking along the way

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