How To Avoid Tourist Trap Restaurants

Tourist traps absolutely exist in Seville, but they’re usually easy to spot.

Be cautious of places with:

• Huge laminated photo menus

• Staff actively trying to pull you inside

• Paella available all day – locals only eat this dish a handful of times a year

• Menus translated into countless languages

• Empty dining rooms next to packed local bars

At the same time, don’t assume every busy restaurant is a tourist trap.

Some of Seville’s best tapas bars now attract visitors because they’re genuinely excellent. A queue outside somewhere like La Bartola or El Rinconcillo doesn’t automatically mean it’s bad.

The best approach is to look at who’s eating there. If you see Spanish being spoken at most tables and plates of traditional tapas coming out of the kitchen, you’re usually onto a winner.

The spots in this guide are places we’ve personally visited, as well as local recommendations – many of them multiple times over several trips to Seville.