Las Teresas, Seville
The dragon’s stomachache route from Lisbon to Spain was an intestinal nightmare. The bus heaved and whined until we were burped out at the central bus station of Seville and into an orange blossom night. My mood, still cursing at itself for taking public transportation, swooped up, stretched its legs and decided that all was well with the world. In this city, we were going to have some fun.
But first some tapas. Shawn Hennessey, expat from Canada and proprietor of Sevilla Tapas suggested we visit Levies and meet her the following morning. ”It’s a lively place and the food is good” she said. Indeed it was the perfect antidote after hours on the road. The bar was crowded and cheerful, spilling out onto the sidewalk where French, English and Spanish mingled together in the chilly spring air.
View from the cathedral
In Spain, I quickly learned, tapas is much more than a food but a way of life. The question is, how do you find an authentic tapas bar where tourist season lasts 365 days a year? For us it would have been impossible without Shawn Hennessey, food and travel writer who has made Seville her home for the last twenty years. Although soft spoken and relaxed, she had no trouble catching a table on a busy Sunday morning. Most importantly she knew her way around Seville where we would have been hopelessly lost.
At the end we didn’t do very much in Seville except tapas with a bit of Flamenco added for variation. That’s all I really wanted to do.
Virtual Tapas Tour:
Bodeguita Romero, popular for all ages. The tapas bars are busy Sunday morning after church service.
Tapas at Bodeguita Romero , anchovy, leek parcels, gazpacho and pringa
Tapas at Las Teresas, right is moorish influenced chickpeas with spinach
Learning about the city through a local is incomparable to even the best guidebooks. Shawn’s tapas tour steers clear of mediocre establishments while giving you the true flavor of the city, both the traditional and new.
Recommended Tapas bars
A good place for cakes
An excellent restaurant with great service. Come early because the tables fill up!
Update:
I am now selling photography on the Red Bubble, please visit my portfolio and browse through pictures from Israel and abroad. Proceeds will go to support this site.
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
You made me so hungry just looking at those pictures! Tapas is such a fun way to pass time. We went to 2 Tapas Bars in Tel-Aviv and had a great time.
Shabat-Shalom dear.
Great write-up, Sarah, and many thanks for the linkage and recommendation.
Azahar, My pleasure, I hope I can come back soon!
Sarah, these pictures are so alive! I love love love southern spain. My family spent a summer in Andalusia exploring our Judeo-Spanish roots and it was an unforgettable time. Your writing and photos reminded me that I would love to return someday.
I would love to explore the historical side of Spain next time I am there. I heard that Prof. Shlomo Sabar leads Judeo-Spanish tours in Andalusia, something that would interest me. On this trip we didn’t do very much except tapas and flamenco, a very fun combination.
Great pictures Sarah! I so envy you for being in Spain,my favourite country in the world since I was a little girl.
Thanks Yael! When did you visit Spain?
Last time in 2007,but about 20 times since the age of 8,when I first visited Spain.From Finland we had reasonable priced travel packages so went there usually on my Xmas holiday,with my son,when he was smaller.My childhood memories of Spain also prompted me to go and learn Spanish!
These photos are just beautiful, and remind me of the vacation month we spent in Spain when we lived in France. Tapas and flamenco were favorites of ours too, and so were the many versions of paella and the good quality, simply prepared fish.
Do you have any more details on the dishes you showed? Were there some that inspired you to prepare them at home?
How have you managed to publish 3 (3!) posts since our trip and I haven’t finished drafting my 1 (only 1) with the salmorejo recipe? Alas…You so well captured our vacation and looking at your pictures brings on lots of fun memories!
I love Seville, I’ve been there a couple of years ago for a week, what a vibrant city. I liked all Andalucia to be honest, and the food is delicious. Great photos, you really brought me back there!
Angela, I would love to go back to Andalucia and explore more of Seville and the surrounding area.
Fantastic food shots. Tapas crawls in southern Spain — one of my favorite activities!
Fantastic photographs! I’m salivating just looking at them. We most likely will be in Spain later this year and I can’t wait to make an extended stop in Seville.
Alas, I have never been to Spain, but it is on my list! Especially Seville…
The food looks delicious. I would love to go to Seville just to try the tapas!
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