Seville; tapas, sangria & bull fighting

Jan 26

Jan 26 Seville; tapas, sangria & bull fighting

Birthday lunch at Abantal, a Michelin star restaurant.

Seville is in the south of Spain and often overshadowed by the popular cities of Madrid and Barcelona. We have been half a dozen of times over the years as Oma & Opa live only 2 hrs, by car. Every time we have enjoyed exploring this city. In 2006, the first time Jason & I came to Seville, we were living in London and came for a long weekend during Semana Santa. I remember sitting on a narrow sidewalk of a cobble stone street and enjoying a delicious sangria and some tapas. Watching them meticulously cut the jamon iberico and savoring delicious manchego cheese and olives. The first tastes of Spain! We were hooked!

More recently, in the fall of 2021, Jason & I left the kids with Oma & Opa and headed to Seville to celebrate his birthday over a 2 night stay! Besides enjoying the slow pace stroll on the cobbled streets, we also enjoyed the following adult oriented activities:

Dinner at Abantal: one of the few Michelin star restaurant in town. This was AMAZING. Very creative, original, delicious and filling! Service was impeccable and the wine paring is a must!
Flamenco show at La Casa del Flamenco! Fascinating show with very typical music and dance from Spain! Get there early as the best seats are next to the stage and they get filled up easy. Nearby, in the Santa Cruz neighborhood, are several bars for a quick tapa and drink before the show. Also many cute stores to explore.
Dinner and tapas in El Rinconcillo: It is one of the oldest restaurants in town and offers an amazing atmosphere and delicious food & drinks. The service is a bit stiff, but once you are seated it is efficient. There seems to be an option between the tapa menu and dinner menu, depending where you are seated. We had waited for 45 mins and were happy to get seated, and although we ‘only’ got the tapas menu, it had some great options! Great price for delicious and authentic tapas. There is a waiting line but I believe you can make reservations.
Mercado de Triana: nice market where you can buy fresh produce but also have some tapas and a drink. It’s just on the other side of the river.
Bar Juan Carlos: We LOVED this place and really wanted to go for a second time. Besides the exquisite variety of beers on tap, they offer many other bottled options, and to pair the amazing beers, they have an amazing selection of cheeses! Service is friendly and impeccable. It does get buys with locals and there is limited seating (in and outside)
Plaza de Espana: A great place to take a nice stroll in the park and explore this historical monument. It is an active public building but you can walk around and admire the architecture!

Bull fight at Plaza de toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballeria de Sevilla: unfortunately we were one week too early as the season normally starts in late September. This is a bullring dating to 1761 and still in use. There is also a museum and a tour available.
There is so much to see in this beautiful city. From the interesting history to the fun entertainment options. And a food scene not to miss, with many options from refined dining to the authentic tapa bars.