If you’re a foodie fanatic seeking out a delectable food tour in Seville, look no further than the Tastes, Tapas & Traditions tour run by Devour Seville. I recently came back from enjoying this tasty and tantalizing tour and I’m here to tell you that you won’t regret it!
The Tastes, Tapas & Traditions of Seville Food Tour allows gastronomy lovers to work their way through three historic Seville neighborhoods in search of the best local delicacies and dishes that you may not otherwise discover if traveling solo. Throughout the four-hour experience, you will visit markets, bars, pastry shops, restaurants, and even a convent in order to devour special dishes from this stunning city.
Seville is a melting pot of a city with a history of Romans, Muslims, Jews and Christians all having lived here over the last few centuries. This cultural concoction has led to an incredible food scene for which Seville is now so famous.
Each tour is slightly different depending on the time of year and the traditional produce available but I will run you through the food tour that I took so that you can get a taste of what the experience may hold.
We began our food tour with a trip to a local market, Mercado de la Encarnación. Located in the basement of the Metropol Parasol (the world’s largest wooden structure and a tourist attraction in its own right), Mercado de la Encarnación is a modern market yet it is the place to try quintessentially Spanish treats such as a classic café con leche and divine acorn-fed Iberian ham! You could spend hours wandering the halls of the market picking up fresh produce and foodie gifts, but thankfully our tour guide was on hand to shepherd us towards the next stop, Bar El Comercio.
Mercado de la Encarnación began to whet our appetites but now it was time for a Spanish breakfast of hot churros con chocolate courtesy of the team at Bar El Comercio. This hearty portion of golden fried churros served up with rich hot chocolate sauce will have your mouth watering in an instant and you’ll have to resist ordering more so you have room for everything else to follow on the food tour!
The next stop on our tour was rather unconventional and is somewhere you probably wouldn’t stumble upon when looking for a mid-morning snack. However, the Convento Santa María de Jesus is known to create some of the best sweet treats in the city. Known colloquially as ‘Nun’s Cookies’, the ‘dulces artesanos San Pancracio‘ are small almond doughnuts/biscuits that are crafted with love by the nuns at the Convento Santa María de Jesus.
Seven of the twenty nuns residing at the convent work all week to create these biscuits and are happy to provide them for customers in the know who come and ring on the doorbell to receive their box of sugared snacks. The nuns produce a variety of different flavored cookies, with some recipes only coming out for festivals such as Christmas and Easter.
After this surprising elevenses snack, we moved on to something savory in the form of Montaditos, mini sandwiches a bit like bruschetta. We were able to try two different varieties of Montadito, one with chorizo and Roquefort cheese and the other with ‘ carne mechada‘, shredded beef. Both of these Montaditos were absolutely delicious and I would happily go here for lunch and try a whole host of different versions!
En route to stop five on our fantastic food tour, our guide pointed out a number of Seville’s top sights, so we felt like we were getting two-in-one both sight-seeing and foodie treats! Our fifth meal of the day was to be at Freiduría La Isla, a fried food shop that is something of an institution in Seville. Here we dined on fried vinegar and cumin-marinated dogfish (also known as a sand shark) and paired it with a light glass of Spanish Manzanilla (chamomile) sherry.
The family-run tapas bar El Atun was our penultimate stop and this is where we could try a selection of dishes between us, getting a real authentic taste of Sevillano cuisine. While we were certainly filling up by the point, the food was just too good that I couldn’t help but try everything! As the name suggests, tuna is their specialty so I recommend trying this and the Andalusian gazpacho is also delicious.
Last but by no means least was Heladeria La Fiorentina for a spot of ice cream or sorbet to round off the trip. This excellent ice cream shop offers a wonderful mix of flavors including some unique choices like orange blossom, Palmera chocolate (chocolate and puff pastry) and lime and basil.
By now I’m sure your stomach is rumbling and you’re longing to enjoy a Spanish food tour with the team at Devour Seville. If you’re anything like me and love trying local food when you travel, then I highly recommend this Tastes, Tapas & Traditions tour.
Planning a trip to Andalucia? You might want to check my posts:
2 days in Seville
One day in Seville
Best day trips from Seville
Things to do in Seville in October
A 10-day road trip in Andalucia
Best Places to visit in Andalucia
Things to do in Ronda
Things to do in Cordoba
One day in Cordoba
The White villages of Andalucia
2 days in Granada.