In the gastronomic forums of the big cities, distant flavors such as kimchi, tamarind, zaʿatar or aji amarillo have been tasted for years. An almost Martian thing in Seville, where now is when international restaurants with a good reception are beginning to be harvested.
It is not necessary to pay for expensive plane tickets to peek into other cuisines, ceremonial or street experiences that embody the essence of their terroir, honest rubric of all cuisines.
In Seville, a repertoire of restaurants that go around the world and are worth a stop is being gestated.
1. Japan in Kinu and Hiyoki
There are two great restaurants in Seville that masterfully officiate Japanese gastronomy.
Kinu establishes two ways to enjoy your experience: the omakase bar in which to entrust yourself to Itamae or its tasting menu, which puts technique and product at the center. From the appearance of the place and the service, the same sensation of travel is evident in its bites.
In Javier Lasso de la Vega, Hiyoki is another of the great Japanese houses in Seville. The teachings are revealed in their delicious nigiris and uramakis, also in their tempuras. By the way, it is located in the heart of the city’s gastronomic golden mile.
📍 c/ Miguel Mañara, 11
2. Lebanon: Beirutina and Fatouch
Seville is beginning to flirt with the Mediterranean flavors typical of North Africa with the proliferation of some successful restaurants in recent years.
In the case of Lebanon, Seville has two bastions.
On the one hand, Fatouch, which in Feria street serves a wide variety of starters (from hummus to labne), bowls, spiced potatoes and its much sought-after pitas.
On the other hand, Beirutina rises in the most commercial area of the city as a new reference dedicated to Lebanese breakfast and brunch.
📍 Beirutina (c/ Fernán Caballer0, 6) | Fatouch (c/ Feria, 33)
3. Palestine: Restaurant M4
In the purest style of street food business but without neglecting the details, the M4 gives us an experience of the most authentic in Correduría street.
Hamburgers, succulent sandwiches, wood-fired chicken and other recipes halfway between tradition and globalization, with Palestinian flavors that, of course, do not include pork or alcohol.
A solid project that bifurcates in two places: the street food experience or the one dedicated to firewood.
📍 c/ Correduría, 34
4. Venezuela: El Arepazo
El Arepazo combines a handful of virtues: the excuse to move beyond the center and discover the ins and outs of the neighborhoods outside the walls; cheap, hearty, great arepas (the pabellón, our favorite).
The specialties multiply in this restaurant in La Macarena -with a seductive terrace, by the way-. The diner can enjoy a superb cachapa, some tequeños, or the ribs stew they serve on Sundays.
📍 c/ Otoño, 1
5. Chinese restaurants: Chila
Chila, exempt to the norm of the myriad of Chinese restaurants that were established in Spain, adapting the flavors, ingredients and presentations to the national public far from representing the essence of the oriental country.
Thus, of the international restaurants that enrich Sevilla Chila stands out for its powerful dishes of flavor, heat and spices. It is based on the gastronomy of Hunan, a region crossed by the Xiang River, which is why its cuisine is also known as such.
The menu is built around some of its classics, such as Mao’s favorite bacon or Yuxiang-style Chinese eggplant with minced meat.
But don’t forget, however, some more surprising recipes, such as braised pig’s trotters in Chinese sauce or sautéed beef intestine with pickled radish.
Very interesting dishes that, fortunately, put the Sevillian palate to the test.
📍 c/ Trajano, 16
6. Al Medina (Morocco)
The long history of Al Medina (opened in 1998) definitely forge this restaurant as the Moroccan gastronomic reference in the city. In Jesus del Gran Poder gives us the opportunity to rub shoulders with the richness, flavors and spices of the neighboring country.
Couscous, tajines (served in separate containers) or its aromatic pastela, able to take us suddenly to the hectic Jemaa el-Fna in Marrakech.
The space, which emanates coppery tones, gives importance to vegetables, grilled or dried fruits, protagonists in their desserts, ideal to harmonize with their mint green tea.
📍 Jesús del Gran Poder, 91
7. Thirst for Mexico
When it comes to Mexican gastronomy in Seville -with the exception of the abundant and otherwise delicious Tex-Mex restaurants- Sed de México has no rivals.
Don’t be misled by its location. In one of the city’s tourist hotspots, in the heart of the Santa Cruz neighborhood, one embarks on a journey of pure Mexican roots.
The menu is not brief but succinctly condenses iconic dishes and other lesser-known ones that cross the national recipe book.
Sauces and stews rested for days, memorable Aztec dishes and drinks, also local, with which to enchilarse.
Sopes, nopales salad, its brutal enmolada or k’éek’en, among others, will bring a piece of Mexico to the center of Seville.
A feast of honest dishes that cover the geography of Mexico, from Ensenada and Baja California to Oaxaca.
📍 c/ Rodrigo Caro with Plaza de la Alianza, 9
8. Korean restaurants: Moon and Hans
There will be those who are surprised but the truth is that Korean cuisine is climbing positions as far as preferences of international restaurants in Seville is concerned.
Good account of this is the number of Korean restaurants are filling the streets of Seville with attractive preparations that nothing should envy the Chinese or Japanese recipes. Some of its main houses are:
- Moon, whose history also supports the quality of this space. Honest cuisine, simple decoration and an oriental essence without distractions, with food as the absolute protagonist.
The “suntufu” soup or “japche”, potato noodles with beef and vegetables, are some of its emblems.
- Another of the most popular Korean restaurants in Seville is located in the heart of the city: Alfonso XIII street. Ricardo Navarro and Han Youn Young run Han’s, home of soups, noodles, rice, gyozas or different proposals with kimchi.
📍 Avenida de Menéndez Pelayo, 8 | c/ Alfonso XII, 23
9. The best Italians in Seville
Italian restaurants sone come il prezzemolo. The expression (like the parsley in its gastronomy, it is everywhere) comes to the finger to the abundance of Italian places, in the light of the popularity that awakens this cuisine.
Seville does not escape the profusion of restaurants that raise the pizza and pasta appealing to the common diner.
However, there are few international restaurants in Seville that truly handle the local ingredients or the skill required by a master pizzaiolo.
There are three, in the opinion of me, who deserve to be on the podium of excellence:
- Alimentari, ambassador par excellence of Italy in Seville with the Falzarano brothers at the helm. Very light pizzas in stone oven and first class fresh pasta.
- The pizzas are the firm commitment of Uailló. It is the only thing that serves (Neapolitan style) and possibly are the best in the city. Natural ingredients, organic and from small producers; the possibility of taking their gluten-free pizzas (notification, at least 24 hours before) and excellent combinations.
- A more ambitious proposal is Ricca, the project promoted by the group La Bombonera in which the respect for the Italian product and a contemporary aspect of the most pleasant converge. The diner can indulge in its menu or its interesting omakase pizza bar (the first in Spain), a highly recommendable experience although somewhat expensive.
📍 c/ Bartolomé de Medina, 21 | c/ Dos de Mayo, 26 | c/ Niño perdido, 1
10. Peru: La Salá + Lima Street Food
In the search for international restaurants in Seville one cannot help but think of Peruvian cuisine, the standard bearer of such emblematic dishes as ceviche. There are two branches of the Andean country in Seville that the avid diner should not miss.
- Chaufas rice dishes, tiraditos, some nikkei proposals, stews, aji de gallina. Peruvian gastronomy that you can also taste in tapas format with local products and local beers. You are late to visit La Salá.
- Another of the great Peruvian hallmarks is Lima Street Food, which is an appetizing apology for street cuisine. A casual space that respects the roots and configures a menu with refreshing ceviches and tiraditos, anticuchos, causas and even some nikkei snacks. The desserts, also Andean, close this festival that includes its own cocktail bar.
📍 c/ José Velázquez Sánchez, local 9 | c/ Sinaí, 29