I discovered this place after the gas bottle in our flat ran out one day – right in time for lunch. ‘Go to El Rincón del Búho, you can get a menú del día there for €3.50!’ read a text from my flatmate. And off I toddled. It took me about three goes to find it, as it looks like flats from the outside and you have to go up a corridor to reach it.
Advertised as an ‘artistic and socio-cultural project’, the venue has a small bar and performance space. It offers music events (including flamenco), art exhibitions, children’s theatre and storytelling workshops. Cheap snacks (€1 for a homemade empanada or slice of pizza) and bottled beers are on sale when events are on. The €3.50 deal is available from 2pm till 4pm on Thursdays and Fridays, with vegetarians catered for well.

rincondelbuhosevilla.blogspot.com.es/
Calle Parras, 31, 41002, Seville, Spain
bit.ly/13xEm7l

*Eloise is our Been there local for Seville. You can read her bio here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/seville-local-eloise-horsfield and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/EloiseHorsfield You can also catch her on Twitter at @EloiseHorsefield

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A lovely wine bar. Not being much of a connoisseur of wines, I can only say that there is an extensive list. For me the food is by far the most important! There is a vast choice of dishes and the menu interestingly (for this neck of the woods) indicates vegetarian options (the online one doesn't really do it justice). My favourite dish was marinated tuna on a bed of seaweed, with wasabi dressing. Tapas are a little more expensive than in bog-standard bars, but are quite generous portions. Some patience needed with waiters when bar is busy. I am eager to return to try more of their delicious food.

www.vineriasantelmo.com/
Paseo de Catalina de Ribera, 4 41004 Seville, Spain
+34 954 41 06 00
Google map: bit.ly/JrgVoY

* BecomingSevillana is our Been there local for Seville. You can read her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/seville-local-kim.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/BecomingSevillana.jsp
She also has her own blog: becomingsevillana.blogspot.com/

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Fed up of Cruzcampo (not many people out of Seville are actually that fond of it) then this is the best place to visit. It has an extensive menu of beers, ales, bitters, stouts from all over the world (hence the name). And to ensure that the Morte Subite (€2.95) doesn't take such effect there are also several tapas to choose from, including German sausage and sauerkraut.

www.cerveceriainternacional.com/
C/ GAMAZO, 3 41001 Seville, Spain
+34 954 211 717
Google map: bit.ly/A8l76q

* BecomingSevillana is our Been there local for Seville. You can read her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/seville-local-kim.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/BecomingSevillana.jsp
She also has her own blog: becomingsevillana.blogspot.com/

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A minimalist wine-bar style establishment in Utrera, a small town some 30 minutes away from Seville. A good range of hot and cold gastro-tapas. A little more expensive than most places, but definitely worth the few cents more. All dishes come beautifully and innovatively presented. Being a drab winter day, I asked for the 'pucherito expreso' (€3.90), and what a spectacle! Puchero is a broth made of various meat-types. It is normally served as a broth with rice or chickpeas and the meat is served as a side, all mushed together and eaten with bread, called 'pringá' (or pringada). My pucherito expresso was served to me from a tiny cafetiere. The waitress poured it for me into a bowl, garnished with a quail egg, and the pringá was in the bottom half of the instrument.

www.besanatapas.com/
C/ Niño Perdido, 1 41710 Utrera
+34 955 86 38 04
Google map: bit.ly/xujL5Z

* BecomingSevillana is our Been there local for Seville. You can read her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/seville-local-kim.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/BecomingSevillana.jsp
She also has her own blog: becomingsevillana.blogspot.com/

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Local tapas bar in the Alfalfa neighbourhood.
Good relaxed vibe, with people spilling out into the street when it gets packed (which it easily can given the small size).

C/ Candilejo, 1 41004 Seville, Spain
+34 954 222 344
Google map: bit.ly/mZLXAV

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This traditional stand up tapas bar is located on Plaza Alfalfa. Above the door is a colourful tiled arch depicting a beach scene.
A very popular place with both locals and visitors alike and it quickly fills up as soon as the door opens. Offers superb value for money & allows you to try traditional Andalusian-style tapas at great prices.
A novel tapa for me was the Iberian pork liver, served cold in an olive oil marinade. The tortilla portions were massive. Staff friendly and attentive.
There are tables at the back, but most opt to stand while eating tapas and watching the football on the TV and the activity on the street outside.

Calle Alfalfa, 4 41004 Seville, Spain
Google map: bit.ly/pdCHCA
Opens: noon - 4pm & 8pm - midnight daily.

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Bodega Santa Cruz (aka Las Columnas) is a great find, just around the corner from the Giralda.
An authentic tapas bar where the good humoured bar staff chalk up your tab on the bar counter.
Food while cheap is good, and we ended up frequenting this place a few times during our stay in Seville.
Some seats outside.

C/Rodrigo Caro 1 (very near cathedral)
Open 7am - midnight daily.
Google map: bit.ly/q4Nee4

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An absolute gem. One of the oldest tapas bars in Seville, with a bar on the site since the late 17th century. Popular with tourists and locals alike.
Dark wood panels with seating at a minimum but great food and a great atmosphere.
You stand at the bar and order and your tab is chalked on the bar counter to keep track.
Food really good quality and not that expensive. The espinacas con garbanzos (spinach with chickpeas is particularly to be recommended.
You can book a seat at the back for the dinner menu but we much preferred the tapas menu at the bar, so much so that we returned a number of times during our stay in Seville.
While we were there there we encountered an elderly gentleman named Valentino who writes poetry on napkins and hands to people in the bar. If you do see him, buy him a glass of beer for his trouble.
We first heard about this place on Rick Stein's TV programme 'Spain'.

www.elrinconcillo.es/en/home.html
C/ Gerona 40 near Plaza Ponce de Leon
+34 954 22 31 83
Open until late every day
Google map: bit.ly/o0Hn7B


See bar featured at the start of this Youtube video on Rick Stein's Spain:.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fuiDcJyXfE&feature=related

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Literally meaning vegetable garden in Spanish, La Huerta, offers just that. Lots of veggie tapas - you can even find croquetas (croquettes) free of ham (choice of cauliflower or pesto). Tapas prices ranging between €2-3. Three tapas and 4 drinks (2 people) was about €20. Great summertime dining as plenty of outdoor seating and near other tapas bars (including the infamous Rinconcillo) if you wished to make a little tour of it.

Plaza Terceros 9, Seville, Spain
+34 655 270 079
Google map: bit.ly/ovIJK5

* BecomingSevillana is our Been there local for Seville. You can read her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/seville-local-kim.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/BecomingSevillana.jsp
She also has her own blog: becomingsevillana.blogspot.com/

Barrio: La Encarnación

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A lovely bar/restaurant nestled in the Triana barrio. It offers a wide selection of international-influenced tapas, and a well-balanced variety of meat/fish/vegetable dishes. Friendly and attentive waiter service. Fancy food but relaxed atmosphere - a little pricey, but good quality (3 tapas and 2 drinks €28). Try the star dish "Arroz meloso con magret" - Risotto-style rice with duck.

www.puratasca.com
Numancia, 5, Triana 41010
+34954330680

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This bar doesn't have the best location, perched on the corner of a busy road, but it is perfect for a quick bite and beer. It offers cheap, cold beer and a selection of fish-based montaditos at €1.50. Thick, white bread filled with your choice of filling: melva (frigate mackerel), achoas (achoivies), mejillones (mussels), caballa (Atlantic mackerel), or queso en aceite (cheese in oil).

Cardenal Ilundain s/n (corner of Manuel Suirot)
Bing map: binged.it/obLg2c

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Boreas could be considered a “gastro” tapas restaurant, serving traditional tapas with quality ingredients and a modern, international twist. It has a relaxed atmosphere, and a specials board that changes regularly, with plenty of choice for vegetarians and pescatarians. Tapas are a little pricier than your bog-standard bar but the quality is definitely there.

Make a table reservation to avoid disappointment

Alameda de Hercules, 61, Sevilla, 41002
+34 954 916334
www.boreassevilla.com/
La Alameda is considered the more indie part of the city, where many bars and restaurants have sprouted after a recent renovation. It is a short stroll away from the city centre, but is a hive for food and entertainment.
Google map: bit.ly/mm1TIV

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A local bar squished between two blocks of flats. Don't go if you have tired feet or are looking forward to a good sit down, as there are no seats! Saying that the place was packed, and all of the white, plastic garden tables were taken up. There is not much on the menu, but the pajarito (roasted quail) and filete (pork bap) are both yum. Dare to try the spicy sauce too!

Avenida Santa Cecilia, 2, Triana, 41010 Sevilla
+34 954 08 66 94
Google map: bit.ly/fXIXVR

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It is a bar that a friend recommended to me. It's nothing fancy and you can either sit at the bar or in one of two rooms with tables. We ordered four tapas (carriada, espinacas con garbanzos, pisto con huevo, and champinon a la plancha) with five drinks and it only came to 15 euros. Great home-made Spanish food.

C/ Herbolarios, 17 41004 Seville, Spain
+34 954 215 177
Google map: bit.ly/g3boVW

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Blanco Cerrillo is one of the oldest bars in Seville. Very simple and no fuss. It is perfect for eating fried fish tapas, and the adobo is loved by the locals. It gets very packed and the tables outside (and any convenient space to place a tapa and beer) are usually occupied. Once inside though, you can normally holler your order and then inch your way to the bar. It is equipped with a team of three or four older waiters who are constantly shouting out the orders to the kitchen crew "'obo", "eroneeeeh" (boquerones). Something that I loved here before the smoking ban was that one of them had a little ciggy nooky-hole and would serve you and go back for a crafty drag every once in a while - now he swigs from a Cruzcampo botellín instead (a small bottle of Cruzcampo). Tapas are well-priced at only €1.50 a pop.

Calle Doctor Jimenez Diaz, 16, 41008 Seville, Spain
+34 954351008
Google map:bit.ly/yD8Ow2

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A cosy tapas bar locally known as Peregil by Sevillanos, named after the owner, local showman and singer. It is tiny although you can have a sit down meal in the restaurant next door. It is known for its orange wine (vino de naranja) and has a wide range of tapas and manzanillas. It is a quirky little place with a tiny W.C. which has a sign saying, "No running in the toilet corridors". On the wall there is a bird cage with a stuffed canary, and another sign reading "Está mu cayoa" (He's very quiet!) and ironically another which prohibits singing in the bar, (Prohibido el cante).
Their montadito de pringá (small roll with meaty mixture) is also considered to be rather tasty.
To find out more about Seville in general, visit my blog:

Mateos Gago, 20 (just outside Barrio
de Santa Cruz)
becomingsevillana.blogspot.com/2010/11/tapas-2.html
+34954 218 966
Google map: bit.ly/ehXyLx

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A beautiful restaurant/tapas bar. This place invites you in, with its windows wide open and you hear the chitter-chatter as you approach. Peering in you can see the jamón hanging above the bar and an extensive collection of wines in the racks. This bar, dating back to 1670, has a traditional decor with promotional alcoholic beverage tiles, kegs and little trinkets (my faves were bottles shaped like the torre de oro -gold tower). We had started to get quite hungry here and picked a handful of options from the menu: a typical Seville dish espinacas con garbanzos (chickpeas and spinach), bacalao a la riojana (cod with Rioja-style sauce), carriallada en salsa (pig cheek) and solomillo ibérico (Iberian pork fillet).

C/ Gerona 40 y Alhóndiga 2, 41003
+34 954 223 183
www.elrinconcillo.es/en/home.html
Google map: bit.ly/hthvUc

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Avoid the touristy tapas bars near Giralda. Poor service and greasy food and ice cold red wine.
Try the tapas where you see lots of the local people and you are sure of finding excellent food and wine.
Two we found were fantastic, one the other side of the Cathedral on Calle Santo Tomas near the Archivo de Indias. And the other called Cinco Jotas, Calle Castelar in the Arenal district.
Both serving delicious tapas, look and see what the locals are eating and drinking and point to the waiter, you can't go wrong.

Cinco Jotas, Calle Castelar 1, 41001, Sevilla
+34 954 210 763
www.mesoncincojotas.com/index_english.htm

Google map: tinyurl.com/y8zpl23

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When the Euro was introduced to Spain this was generally seen as an excuse by most bars and restaurants to bump up the prices ...

Not here.

Not only is Eslava one of the cheapest places for tapas (still only about €1.80 as opposed to €3.00 for most places now), it is also one of the best. And boy does it get crowded because of it! But that is part of the charm.

And if this wasn't good enough, the staff are consistently, friendly, attentive, knowledgeable and professional. It works like a machine. Remember, Seville and customer service do not always go together.

There are a few tables but you cannot book. Just turn up, say how many you are, then wait with a glass of beer or wine. Alternatively, eat at the bar.

There is a restaurant, but it's the same food in bigger portions.

The tapas are interesting, and well prepared. My personal favourite is Pork Loin with dill sauce "Lomo con salsa eneldo".

As many a Sevillano waiter discovered when I lived there, I have high standards.

But Bar Eslava is divine.

Every time.

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I was in Seville in Andalucía and took a walking and bike tour with a company called Really Discover. For €20-25 a person you not only get to know about the history and culture of the city, but they use the time with you to recommend the great, cheap tapas bars; flamenco shows which don't cost an arm and a leg and are more authentic; monuments that have free entry at certain times, etc etc... A really good investment.

www.reallydiscover.com/

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