Laurence Dollimore
MACARENA is packed with great little tapas bars and flamenco taverns.
Sprawling out from its iconic basilica, you’ll find anything from South American tapas fusion joints to decades-old sherry and wine bars.
Below we’ve rounded up the must-visits for 2021.
Maravilla Social Club
Tucked away on the narrow Calle Maravilla is one of the best tapas fusion restaurants in Sevilla.
The menu is influenced by South America, with dishes including Causa Limena, a typical Peruvian dish consisting of a potato-based salad, spinach and spicy mayonnaise. Other highlights include chicken and chilli croquettas and a seafood salad with pomegranate, pumpkin seeds, orange and seaweed. If you’re feeling like meat, opt for the pork shoulder with beetroot chips and chimichurri sauce.
It is also open for ‘slow breakfast’, where diners can order from the menu or invent their own brekkie. On offer is a selection of breads and jams from the nuns of the Santa Paula convent.
Bodega Soto
You could almost walk past and miss this humble tapas and sherry haunt.
Located on Calle San Luis, the charming Bodega Soto is stacked with barrels of the good stuff and offers a truly local experience – especially on the first Thursday of every month, when the religious brotherhood of the Macarena gather to sip on the Pedro Ximenez sherry from Montilla. The bodega has an impressive range of tipples, including an orange wine from El Condado in Huelva, a must try when in Sevilla. If you’re feeling peckish, its homemade seasoned potatoes are a local favourite, as are its sirloin montadito (mini sandwich) and its cured jamon iberico, pork and sausage, all brought from Huelva and Extremadura.
La Corona
This cozy gastrobar on Calle Relator, on the border with the Alameda neighbourhood, offers some of the best tapas around.
The innovative menu will satisfy any eater, including vegetarians, but its risotto falso is the dish you will certainly write home about. Its tapa de solomillo and bagel nordico are also delicious, while the friendly staff will make you feel right at home. A good selection of wines and interesting beers makes La Corona a must visit.
La Cantina (Calle Feria mercado)
On the border with nearby Alameda, this food market has been standing since the 18th century and has a good selection of restaurant stalls.
La Cantina is a hot favourite, selling mostly seafood tapas at reasonable prices. Think calamari, fresh prawns in garlic and lightly seared tuna. Be prepared to stand as it is always packed with locals.
La Madriguera de Mai
Anyone who has eaten here will have likely met the hostess Maria, whose family has been running the tapas and flamenco hotspot for decades.
Situated in Calle Arrayan, there are plenty of vegetarian options, the usual tapas suspects and standout dishes like ratatouille with egg and ‘mama’s’ homemade tortilla.
Prices are more than reasonable and the flamenco on Friday and Saturday nights guarantee an evening you’ll never forget.
El Rincon de Rosita
This local institution has been serving the Macarena neighbourhood for more than 30 years and is known for two things: stews and the freshest fish from the Huelva coast and port of Isla Cristina.
Situated on Calle Bequer, it is just a stone’s throw away from the iconic Macarena Basilica and dishes up fresh anchovies, sizzling prawns in garlic and shrimp tortillas daily.
It also impresses with homemade desserts, including cheesecake and carrot cake.
It’s strictly no frills but you can’t argue with the flavours.
The restaurant has now turned into a franchise after opening a second location in the centre of the city.
READ MORE:
- Sevilla: Guide to visiting Spain’s most romantic city
- Visit our travel guide section for more about Sevilla
