10 Best Local Restaurants in Seville

You'll find El Rinconcillo, a restaurant with 4 centuries of history and a veritable institution in the city's tapas scene, right in the centre of Seville. The restaurant has been serving the people of Seville since 1670, making it the oldest in the city. Enjoy its popular Andalusian tapas that have been rescued from dusty old recipe books.

Among the most typical are the espinacas con garbanzos (spinach with chickpeas), the pavías de bacalao (battered salt cod) and the boquerones (anchovies). Also recommendable are the superbly cut cured ham, the queso curado con cabello de ángel (the cured cheese with angel hair) and the tortilla de jamón (cured ham omelette). As soon as you walk in, you will feel as if you are travelling back in time. Visitors from around the world marvel at the old wooden ceiling beams and the hanging cured hams.

The name of Seville's Antigua Abacería de San Lorenzo restaurant comes from the Spanish word for grocery – abacería – the shop that used to stand here. It maintains all the charm from its former incarnation, making it a 'must-visit' establishment. The food on offer is 100 percent traditional, with stews the star of the show – every day there is a different one.

The other dishes on the menu also vary depending on the season. If you are lucky, your visit might coincide with the potaje de habichuelas (bean stew) or the asadura con papas chafadas (offal with mashed potatoes) tapa. As a curious detail, the restaurant has 9 different ways of preparing eggs, so choose whichever you like the best. If you have any doubt, go for the 'Lo que diga Ramón' ('Whatever Ramón Says') menu.

The Taberna del Alabardero is in a 19th-century manor house in Calle Zaragoza, located close to the city centre. With over 40 years behind it, this is one of the city's leading restaurants and is a boutique hotel with just 7 rooms and the home of the prestigious Escuela Superior de Hostelería de Sevilla catering college.

The menu is an excellent combination of Andalusian tradition and a search for new, groundbreaking ideas, making this a restaurant of the highest category. It should be said that the restaurant is not suitable for all budgets. However, you could always try the lunchtime Menu of the Day, which is more affordable, and enjoy the same views of La Giralda. Many of Seville's best hotels are in this part of town.

Eslava is one of Seville's most traditional restaurants. In the heart of the San Lorenzo neighbourhood, it invites you in to have tapas at the bar or pass through into the restaurant's dining room. Eslava is characterised by the lively hubbub that typifies the south of Spain – this is a place where you can enjoy an authentic Andalusian experience.

The ingredients used in the dishes are all local. The vegetables, for example, come from the proprietors' own market garden. The fish served here also has an excellent reputation. Deserving special mention is the sepia y algas con bechamel y tinta de calamar (cuttlefish and seaweed with béchamel and squid ink). Among the meat dishes, the costillas a la miel (honeyed pork ribs) is a house speciality. The desserts should also be highlighted – especially the tarta de chocolate con naranja (chocolate and orange gateau) and the helado de queso viejo (cured cheese ice cream). You'll love them.

La Azotea is a modern tavern that deserves its place near the top of Seville's gourmet agenda. It offers quality tapas with excellent service. This place has it all. Among the house specialities are the coquinas con alcachofas (wedge clams with artichokes), the revuelto de ortiguillas (scrambled egg with sea anemone) and the mero (grouper fish). Also deserving mention are the fideos negros con chipirones (black noodles with baby squid and squid ink) and the carrillera de cerdo ibérico (slow-cooked Iberian pork cheeks).

Depending on how hungry you are, you can order full or half portions. Don't forget to leave room for dessert – the chocolate coulant is outstanding. Azotea has 4 restaurants in Seville – if 1 is fully booked, you're bound to find a table at 1 of the other 3. However, to be on the safe side, you can always reserve a table in the Azotea that is closest to your hotel.

Casa Manolo León, in the heart of the San Lorenzo neighbourhood, is a restaurant in an old nobleman's house that is ideal for a fantastic evening spent right in the centre of Seville. The restaurant has an open-air Andalusian patio and a lush garden on the first floor.

The cuisine is traditional Andalusian with a modern touch. The tapas and snack menu is extensive and varied, with an emphasis on the concept of sharing. It also offers a tasting menu with 4 dishes and a dessert. The decor is bright and folksy with paintings of gypsy women, earthenware basins and colourful tablecloths. The atmosphere is informal and features 4 dining areas, each with its own ambience, as well as an area with high tables and stools at the entrance. The restaurant has free parking.

In the Santa Cruz neighbourhood is Las Teresas, another of the fine traditional restaurants for which Seville is well known. It opened for business in 1870 as a grocery store and wine shipper. The restaurant offers traditional cuisine of the highest quality.

Las Teresas is famous for its cured ham from free-grazing, acorn-fed Iberian pigs, the sheep's cheese and the cold meat selections, as well as the espinacas con garbanzos (spinach with chickpeas) and the bacalao con tomate (salt cod with tomato). Its extensive menu covers most of the Andalusian culinary tradition, from stews and fried and salted fish to gazpachos, dressings and sangrias. This is an excellent option if you want to enjoy tapas in the centre of Seville.

El Rincón de la Rosita is in the very heart of Seville, right next to the cathedral and La Giralda. This is a place to enjoy the good things of life with the finest flavours. Everything prepared in its kitchen is simply delicious. Among the people of Seville, it is considered to be one of the best restaurants in the city.

Stews are its great speciality, although it is also famous for the fresh fish caught off the Huelva coast and landed at the port of Isla Cristina. We recommend you try the pastel de berenjenas con cabrillas (aubergine with snails), the fideos con almejas (noodles with clams) or the lentejas con chorizo (lentils with chorizo). For dessert, you can't beat the albóndigas de chocolate (chocolate balls) or the tarta de queso (cheesecake). El Rincón de la Rosita offers excellent value for money, and the portions are very generous. Rosita is one of those hostesses who makes sure that nobody who eats there leaves hungry.

Ispal is a restaurant specialising in slow cooking that is 100 percent Andalusian. The menu invites you to take a culinary journey through Andalusia, with all the dishes prepared from local produce. The restaurant is renowned for reinterpreting traditional classics with dishes characterised by the use of high-quality produce, the balancing of flavours and the contrasting of textures.

Ispal is an expert in combining tradition and innovation. Even the desserts are prepared from local ingredients and original recipes from the region. Try sweets as timeless as tocino de cielo (caramel topped candied egg yolk) and torrijas (French toast with syrup and cinnamon) or fruit and cheese from local producers. If you are looking for an authentically local gourmet experience, this is the place for you. The restaurant is near Plaza de España, in an area with numerous hotels.

Abantal is the only restaurant in Seville with a Michelin star and offers signature cuisine inspired by the most traditional of Andalusian cooking with a commitment to gourmet eating at the highest level. Head to Calle Alcalde José de la Bandera to find the restaurant. The head chef, Julio Fernández, has created a tasting menu with classic local ingredients and great creativity, where the guiding principle is flavour.

Among its dishes are artistic creations such as the crema de ajo con espuma de setas y huevo (cream of garlic with wild mushroom and egg foam), the bluefin tuna cheeks with sautéed tomato and sweet pepper jelly or the royal con foie (royal with foie gras). The wine list is impeccable, in keeping with the sensorial and gastronomic experience on offer here. You will never forget your visit to Abantal, nor will your palate.