Tag Archives: bars

sherry week 2018

08 Monday Oct 2018

Posted by in events, sevilla, sherry

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The first day of Sherry Week (October 8 – 14) began and ended with, well, sherry. Went out for a pre-lunch manzanilla at Taberna Manolo Cateca and Manolo recommended that we try these two, chosen by Armando Guerra from two different sections of Bodegas Barbadillo, one with the windows open facing the cool east wind (Poniente), the other facing the hot dry west wind (Levante). My favourite was the Poniente, which tasted a bit fresher to me. But they were both lovely.

In the evening we stopped by the Premier Sherry Cocktail Bar for a sherry mixology masterclass. José prepared 4 cocktails, using different sherries, and also different techniques: Sobrebotas, Bloody Sherry, Silencio, Shegroni. And we got to taste them too! You can see the recipes below.


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the usual suspects

14 Saturday Jul 2018

Posted by in sevilla, tapas, tapas bars

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Most tapas bars open at 1 pm for lunch service, though some also open for breakfast, with a short break between tostadas and tapas. But Casa Morales is a bit different, opening each day at 12 o’clock. This is always my favourite time to go, usually for a quick beer and a tortilla, which I like to think of as “brunch”. 😉

It’s also an interesting time because there are a few groups of regulars that come in between 12-1.00 for a beer, a snack or two, and a chinwag. Meanwhile the bar staff are still setting up, the kitchen is doing final prep stuff, so it’s both active and quiet at the same time. These gentlemen are some of the 12-1.00 regulars and I love them. They can get quite boisterous at times, and I find myself wondering about their lives, what they are doing when they’re not here. The spell is broken a bit before 1 pm when the first round of tourists show up (still too early for Sevillanos to come out for lunch). By then it’s also time for me to move on and get on with my morning.

los gabrieles

12 Thursday Apr 2018

Posted by in sevilla, spain

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By the time I moved to Sevilla Los Gabrieles had already been abandoned, though I think the hostel next door (and above it) was still in operation. It has since closed too. Apparently it is inspected from time to time by the Urban Planning Department, and the paper ads plastered all over this gorgeous tilework are removed.

The original tiles date back to the 1930s and were made in Triana at Mensaque Rodríguez y Cía, which closed its doors for good in December 2006. As you can see, Los Gabrieles was also used as a gaming toom, late last century. What a shame that it is just left like this to deteriorate. I would LOVE to see this place restored and used. Any takers?

yo soy tu padre

09 Monday Apr 2018

Posted by in food & drink, sevilla, social media, spain, tapas, tapas bars, wine

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The other day someone got in touch with me by email. I didn’t know this person, but it turns out they come to Sevilla every spring and spend a month in Triana… and they often check my tapas bar info against their perceptions. Fair enough! This time they wanted to tell me about a new discovery of theirs, a new vermutería that just happens to be in my barrio. So of course I had to check it out.

It’s called Yo Soy Tu Padre (I Am Your Father) and the name stems from what Venezuela born owner Esteban’s grandfather always liked to say to his father, and also is in no small part a reflection of Esteban’s obsession with Star Wars. Below you can see a photo of Esteban’s grandfather, who also became the image for his logo. This is the third location and the newest. I am thrilled! Because not only does Esteban create all his vermouths from sherry wines, but they also do breakfast at this bar … with bagels! Did I mention it’s just down the street from my house? Will be breakfasting there soon, I think.

Meanwhile, how cool that someone I have never met went out of their way to put me in touch with this wonderful place. Thanks Sally!

family-run bars

27 Friday Oct 2017

Posted by in sevilla, tapas, tapas bars, work

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brothers and previous owners Antonio & Lupe

With over 3,000 tapas bars in Sevilla, and more than 300 listed and rated on my Sevilla Tapas website, you can imagine that keeping up with new openings and revisiting bars to update their reviews is a very time consuming (and expensive!) endeavour. Sometimes even years can pass between visits, as was the case when I stopped in at Bar Bistec the other day and I noticed that the last time I’d been there was in 2012.

At first I noticed that the place had been spruced up a bit, and that they had much younger staff than before. I recalled meeting the two brothers who owned the place on my previous visit but didn’t see them around, so I got talking to one of the young barmen and showed him my website on my phone, and as he was scrolling through the photos he said – “that’s my dad and my uncle!”.

Turns out that since my last visit there had been a “changing of the guard” and now the two sons of the two brothers are now running the show. So I got the boys to pose in the same place their fathers had posed five years previously, as you can see. They got such a kick out of it, and so did I. All part of loving my job. 

cousins and co-owners José Antonio & Lupe