It’s a city famed for its rich history, charming architecture and flamenco, but the best restaurants in Seville are deserving of their own spot on the bucket list. Few places in Spain can compete with Seville for old-school tapas bars — the kind with napkins strewn on the floor where waiters chalk your tab on the bar top, and cañas flow like the Guadalquivir river. Mastering the art of ordering at these very bars – usually by forcing your way through tightly packed clusters of loquacious Sevillanos and confidently barking “perdón” – is part and parcel of experiencing this charming city.

However, it would be lazy to pigeonhole Seville’s culinary scene as a one-trick pony. Beyond its fortress of spit-and-sawdust bars, which line its romantic cobbled streets, Spain’s fourth largest city boasts a swell of exceptional and varied dining hotspots, from sophisticated Michelin-starred fish restaurants and modernist tapas bars to homely Asian fusion spaces and boundary-breaking kitchens serving moderately priced, aesthetically lovely plates of food.

Get a mouthful of history with your lunch at this rustic tavern dating back to 1670. Said to be the oldest (and probably the most famous) bar in Seville, El Rinconcillo has bags of old-world charm – think ancient dusty wine bottles, Sherry barrel tables and timeworn signage – making it popular with tourists. It’s usually best to perch yourself at the curved wooden bar underneath long fingers of salchichón (Spanish sausages), which dangle from the rafters on pieces of string. Swill small frosty glasses of Cruzcampo while picking at small plates of jámon to get the whole Andalusian experience. Don’t forget to order the cumin-rich espinacas con garbanzos (spinach and chickpea stew) for a taste of Moorish-influenced local cuisine.

Website: El Rinconcillo
Address: Calle Gerona, 40, Casco Antiguo, 41003 Sevilla, Spain
Prices: £

Castizo promises authentic tapas served on ornate crockery in a stylish setting. This casual dining room celebrates contemporary Spanish cooking in central Seville’s El Arenal neighbourhood. Forgo national classics like bravas and croquetas in favour of regional fare like salmorejo (cold, garlicky tomato soup with egg and Iberian ham) or cazón en abado (fried dogfish). Order a fino sherry and sit back as a team of chefs work their magic in the open kitchen while you make your way through a hot pan of arroz castizo del dia (rice of the day).

Website: Castizo
Address: Calle Zaragoza, 6, Casco Antiguo, 41001 Sevilla, Spain
Prices: ££

Characterful and a pure classic in Seville, this restaurant in the historic Santa Cruz quarter is a family business that has been running for three generations. The seasonal menu focuses on local produce and champions the finest in Andalusian cuisine, from grilled foie with caramelised apple to creamy rice with bull’s tail. The fresh fish is pretty special, with dishes like cod and wild sea bass served with special touches like wasabi aioli or ceviche style with lime and jalapeños. Celebrities from Rosalia to the Red Hot Chilli Peppers have also been known to stop here for a bite.

Website: casarobles.es

Head to this local institution to sample typical Sevillano dishes, like solomillo al whisky (pork tenderloin in a whiskey sauce) and cola de toro (slow-cooked oxtail). Be sure to try the pringá, too, one of the city's most celebrated tapas — a small sandwich filled with stewed meats like pork, chicken, chorizo, and black pudding. Bodeguita Romero is close to the cathedral, so to experience Seville in its purest form, prop yourself up at a high table on the terrace and take in the aromas and sounds, from the sweet scent of frankincense drifting through the narrow streets to the rhythmic thrum of a flamenco guitar from nearby bars.

Website: Bodeguita Romero
Address: Calle Harinas, 10, Casco Antiguo, 41001 Sevilla, Spain
Prices: £

Chef Jesús León and sommelier Fátima Villanueva are at the forefront of an exciting new generation of Sevillano restaurateurs. Their small but mighty space in El Arenal has a hip, forward-looking feel, reflected in the creative food pairings, which are rooted in Andalusian ingredients. The close-knit team at Señor Cangrejo tends to keep things simple with a good-sized menu focused on local produce that changes daily to keep diners on their toes. One of the restaurant’s biggest hits so far was the chargrilled baby squid and chawanmushi (Japanese savoury custard) made with crab – the restaurant’s namesake.

Website: Señor Cangrejo
Address: Calle Harinas, 21, Casco Antiguo, 41001 Sevilla, Spain
Prices: ££

One of only two Michelin-starred restaurants in Seville, elegant fine dining room, Abantal, offers a broad yet refined take on Andalusian cuisine. Spearheaded by talented chef Julio Fernández Quintero, known for his original cooking style, the restaurant has been raising Seville’s culinary bar for years with an experimental approach to flavours, textures and presentation. The two tasting menus change regularly, however, standout dishes in the past have included a fragrant rabbit stew topped with crayfish and suckling pig in a sweet clove, cinnamon and nutmeg broth.

Website: Abantal
Address: Calle Alcalde José de la Bandera, 7, y 9, 41003 Sevilla, Spain
Prices: ££££

Located across the Puente de Isabel II bridge in the Triana neighbourhood, known for its ceramic-producing history and the colourful houses along Calle Betis, this sleekly designed restaurant comes with texture-rich interiors (wood, brick and leather) and a sun-dappled terrace overlooking the emerald-tinged Guadalquivir river. Featuring fish from Cádiz, meat from the mountains of Huelva and vegetables from Cordoba’s valleys, the De la O’s menu – which changes every week – honours the diversity of Andalusian produce. Expect good service and well-presented, unusual flavour combinations, from meatballs with choco (cuttlefish) to fish sausages with strawberry guacamole.

Website: De La O
Address: Paseo de Ntra. Sra. de la O, 29, 41010 Sevilla, Spain
Prices: ££

Cañabota is Seville’s only other Michelin-starred restaurant, located next to Plaza de la Encarnación or Las Setas, the city’s towering abstract wooden structure. The cuisine here pays homage to fishing traditions along the Andalusian coast. Notable dishes include fresh white prawn tartare crowned with caviar, aromatic fried grouper and grilled corvina with red peppers. Book a table or, better still, sit at the fishmonger-style counter to watch chefs bake, fry, stew, and chargrill an array of exciting ingredients in front of your eyes. Choose from the a la carte or exclusive tasting menu for special occasions. La Barra, a second space on the same street, has a more informal feel with equally impressive tapas and sharing plates.

Website: Cañabota
Address:  Calle José Gestoso, C. Orfila, 19 esquina, 41003 Sevilla, Spain
Prices: £££

Lalola de Javi Abascal takes some beating as dining rooms go — it's housed in the grandiose whitewashed internal courtyard of a former 16th-century palace turned four-star boutique hotel. The restaurant, inside One Shot Palacio, serves Iberian cuisine, but not as you know it. Chef Javier Abascal cut his teeth in kitchens in Seville but fell in love with pork and offal while living in the mountains of Huelva. Unsurprisingly, his exciting and affordable tasting menus (from around £54) feature plenty of Spanish-reared pork accompanied by unusual flavours, such as an Iberian burger with lavender bechamel. The quality is such that the restaurant received a Bib Gourmand for taste and value.

Website: Lalola de Javi Abascal
Address: Calle Marco Sancho, 1, Casco Antiguo, 41003 Sevilla, Spain
Prices: ££

Located near the beautiful Maria Luisa Park (home to Plaza de España), this Bib Gourmand-awarded restaurant is housed in a modern, plant-filled space and boasts a wine list of over 150 wines. Gifted chef Camila Ferraro serves her inventive takes on Andalusian classics like salmorejo (cold, thick tomato soup) made with figs and served with smoked eel, stewed chickpeas, and spinach served in a samosa, mackerel in a whiskey sauce and Ajo Blanco (a cold garlic and almond soup) served with tuna belly.

Website: Sobretablas
Address: Calle Colombia, 7, 41013 Sevilla, Spain
Prices: ££

After flying under the radar for a long time, this softly lit, unassuming restaurant, a short walk from Seville's best free Flamenco bar (La Carbonería), is finally getting the recognition it deserves. La Bartola serves a mixture of inventive Asian fusion dishes and traditional plates, though it's always best to explore its revolving specials menu. Depending on what's available, you might find a tapa of tataki, made with fresh bluefin tuna from Barbate, or a ración of solomillo Ibérico — succulent grilled pork. Always finish with the moreish tarta de queso con frutas del bosque (cheesecake with forest berries) or a glug of honey-sweet orange wine. Adam Turner

Website: La Bartola
Address: Calle San Luis, 50, Casco Antiguo, 41003 Sevilla, Spain
Prices: £

Boasting a menu that champions organic, hyperlocal, seasonal produce, this artsy slow-food restaurant, in the trendy Macarena neighbourhood, remains at the top of Seville’s dining scene after 18 years. Well-priced, with dishes from around £11, its innovative food — presented like edible modern art — continues to push culinary boundaries. Try the artisan beet tagliatelle with apple pepper cream, black olives, and seasonal mushrooms if in season. ConTenedor has an extensive wine list, too, that’s packed with local and regional vinos sure to make oenophiles swoon. Book in advance and look out for the restaurant’s iconic jazz and dinner nights. For an even more intimate experience, head to its new sister venue, T Espacio Gastronómico — a one-table fine dining restaurant for up to 18 people, led by chef Ignacio R. Llinares. Be ready for tasting menus made up of elevated Spanish cuisine from around £60. Adam Turner

Website: ConTenedor
Address: San Luis, 50, Casco Antiguo, 41003 Sevilla, Spain
Prices: ££

A Trianero will tell you you need a passport to enter Triana from Seville. It's a joke, of course, but it highlights the sense of distinction locals on the other side of the Guadalquivir River feel from Sevillanos. Still, this working-class area, known for seafaring and flamenco, is worth a wander over the bridge as it’s home to some of the best lesser-known places to eat in Seville. Las Golondrinas, on Calle Antillano Campos, is one of them. The lively, no-frills restaurant has everything you want from a traditional Andalusian tapas bar: blue-and-white azulejos tiles, grunting bartenders, and cheap, hearty small plates that fly out of the kitchen quicker than you can say "¡una caña, por favor!". This small, humble place is known for its champiñones — mushrooms topped with a herby green alioli — but the puntas de solomillo (grilled tenderloin), served on a bed of deep-fried, crispy chips, is equally memorable. Adam Turner

Website: Las Golondrinas
Address: Calle Antillano Campos, 26, 41010 Sevilla, Spain
Prices: £