Understanding Seville’s Tapas Culture

One of the things that makes Seville special is that eating out is often a social activity rather than simply sitting down for lunch or dinner. Locals regularly meet friends for a drink and a couple of tapas before moving somewhere else.

Instead of booking one restaurant and ordering everything there, consider building your own mini tapas crawl. Order 2-3 dishes, enjoy a beer, vermouth or glass of wine, then move on to the next place.

You’ll notice many locals standing at the bar rather than waiting for a table. In fact, service is often quicker at the bar and it can be easier to order another drink or tapa.

You’ll also see two common portion sizes:

• Tapa = smaller portion
• Ración = larger sharing plate

Ordering a few tapas between two people allows you to try far more dishes during your trip.

Some of our favourite food memories in Seville have come from wandering between bars rather than following a strict restaurant plan.