Seville

LaBien Aparecida, Madrid, 1/21/18

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exterior
exterior

LaBien Aparecida opened  2 years in October 2016 and is a large place on several floors.  Our upstairs area had lower lighting with beige and gray tones with soft background music in both Spanish and English.  Tables are set with cloth runners and matching napkins.  The room is decorated with interesting wood frames that arch across the ceiling.  Service was efficient but slightly cold – maybe they did not speak much English, but then I didn’t see much interaction with any table other than from the woman who took your order.  At times the pacing seemed rushed, to the point that plates were taken as soon as you downed your last bite.   Continue reading →

Restaurante conTenedor, Seville, 1/20/18

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exterior

Restaurante conTenedor is a good sized place with only a chalkboard menu that is propped on a chair on top a mini-chair.   Bare wood tables are set with medium sized cloth napkins and a variety of chairs.  It is fairly bright with a really lively atmosphere and a good amount of art on the walls, exposed duct work and no musical background.  When the place filled the noise level was significant probably because there are few absorptive surfaces.  There is an old looking machine at the front that is used to print a business card for you, that declares it is a slow food restaurant.  Service was helpful, efficient and super friendly.   We shared a number of items that were well recommended by our fabulous server Mercedes, who also provided great translations of the menu.   Continue reading →

La Taberna Del Rey, Seville, 1/20/18

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exterior

La Taberna Del Rey was close to our hotel down one of the countless winding streets in Seville.  It is a really tiny place that had only been open 9 months but it belongs to a family with another place in town that has been around 9 years.  It was very neat with a few small tables and several stools at a counter.  They serve enough food to get a reasonable snack and have a huge array of beverages.  The owner was behind the counter and he couldn’t have been friendlier.   It is an incredibly cozy place with classical music in the background, low lights where all feel welcome.   Continue reading →

Espacio Eslava, Seville, 1/19/18

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exterior

Espacio Eslava is a two sided restaurant.  One side is tapas only and the other is a white tablecloth, reservations only restaurant offering tapas as well as appetizers and full plates.  It is small – only about 9 tables – with soft background music and friendly waiters, although they had limited command of English.  Tables are well spaced and service is nicely paced.  At the restaurant side you can order any of the tapas served next door in addition to your regular menu options.  The waiter heavily encouraged us to try the 3 highlighted tapas written up as part of the menu.   Continue reading →

La Azotea, Seville, 1/19/18

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exterior
exterior

La Azotea is a tiny place with about about 6 small tables and around a dozen stools at the bar.  It is mostly a tapas place with lots of fresh seafood  with really friendly staff.  One wall of the place is windows out to the street and the wall opposite has a window that looks into the kitchen.  They have a printed menu but most ordering seemed to be from the waiter involving what was fresh that day.  Seafood is sold by weight or by piece.  The set up is basic with paper napkins and no table cloth but the waiters happily changed out the plates with each course and often brought clean napkins and flatware.  There is some background music but the place filled in no time with customers even waiting to take our seats.   It was a totally fun experience to sit at the bar and watch the action as well as interact with the staff.   Continue reading →

Dos D Mayo, Seville, 1/19/18

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entry
entry

Dos D Mayo is a large tapas bar with plenty of both indoor (high top and regular height tables) and outdoor seating.  It is an old school kind of place, no waiters – you order at the counter and they will bring it out if it’s not too busy.  A beautiful tile floor and dispensers of paper napkins are the room set up.  Two sides of the interior are windows to the crowded streets outside.  It has a large menu and one also available in English with pictures.  We stopped for just a quick snack.  Maybe it was the un-inviting atmosphere that made the food here seem to have no soul. Continue reading →

En La Espero Te Esquina, Seville, 1/18/18

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exterior

En La Espero Te Esquina is a deceptively large place, but you wouldn’t guess it by the windows to the street.  It is on one of the little tangled streets we walked through and stopped in for a snack and a glass of wine.  It was pretty empty late in the evening but they do have a kitchen that cooks food to order and a fair selection of beverages.  The menu was on a chalkboard and included many options we saw at other places.  You placed your order at the counter and he brought it out to you.  The guy working there did not speak much English and less than friendly, but in his defense he seemed to do much better with those that spoke fluent Spanish.   Continue reading →

Abantal, Seville, 1/18/18

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building
building

Abantal is the only Michelin starred restaurant in Seville.  It is a mild contemporary design with lots of blond wood, double clothed large tables and nice linens.  Steel covers one wall and interesting light fixtures provide the place with plenty of light (maybe a tad too much except for photos).  Soft background music during part of the evening helped give a bit more room hum to the fairly casual crowd.  They offer 2 tasting menus (about 10 or 13 courses) with optional wine pairings.  We chose the longer tasting and the wine pairings.  The tables are widely spaced with only 10 tables filling a fairly large space.  Service is efficient and friendly with good English spoken.  The chef, Julio Fernández Quintero, did come out of the kitchen to visit with his guests.   Continue reading →

Mechela Restaurante, Seville, 1/18/18

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exterior

Mechela is a medium sized place with 6 counter seats in addition to the small bare wood tables.  Tables are set with paper mats and napkins and the plaster walls hold chalkboards with daily specials of wine and food.  There are also a few paintings and windows to the street along one wall.  The kitchen is in the back with a small window that serves as a pass through for food.  Service is pleasant, helpful and good English is spoken.  A number of the plates come in two sizes and even a small one can be suitable for sharing, which allows you to try lots of different things.  The food is trying for inventive but it seemed to me that too many things were repeated in terms of sauces and sides.  Overall it’s a good place but the repetitiveness made it feel a tad dull.   Continue reading →

Restaurante Jaylu, Seville, 1/17/18

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exterior
exterior

Jaylu is a fairly large, formal place.  With long draping table-clothes, white covered chairs, light walls, white curtains, soft music, a beautiful white and gray marble floor and moderate level of lighting the dining room is a contrast to the trays of fresh seafood and hanging hams around the bar where you enter.    They also have tables outside but it was a bit cool when we visited for outside eating even with the portable heaters.  The servers were quite friendly but their command of English was limited.  They offer a large menu that includes both Spanish and English.   Continue reading →

Alvaro Peregil – La Goleta, Seville, 1/17/18

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exterior

Alvaro Peregil – Tavern La Goleta, was started as a wine store by the great- grandfather of Alvaro, whose father was a flamenco singer.  It is a very small tavern with an old mahogany bar and several standing counters in and outside.  The popular beverage here is orange wine or Vinos de Manzanilla  from the little town of Huelva.  This drink was introduced by Alvaro’s uncle who owned the tavern for 60 years.  Now orange wine is sold in many taverns but this is the original.  They have a small selection of tapas and memories covering all the walls.  The folks working there are very friendly as are the other guests in the establishment.  Even if you don’t want to make a meal here do stop by and try this unique wine.  It is not orange or sweet but does have an unusual flavor that is fun to try.   The family owns some other places in town but this one opens every afternoon and stays open till 30 minutes after midnight.   Continue reading →

Bodeguita Romero, Seville, 1/17 & 20/18

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building
building

Bodeguita Romero has been in business over 70 years, moving into its present location in 1977.  It still feels very family run – old school – and swells with people during prime hours.  The interior section has small tables around the walls and a large bar counter with some stools and standing space.  We were lucky to get a table on one visit but then enjoyed a different perspective when we stood at the bar for our lunch.  There you really felt the bustle and got to see lots of different foods coming out of the small kitchen.  A nice sized patio out front provides additional tables but my preference would be to be inside, where there are lots of tile murals.   Continue reading →