Welcome to Seville! Home of flamenco, backdrop of Game of Thrones... and surprise vegan paradise? We were absolutely astounded by the quality of the plant-based food that we found in this stunning Andalusian city, it exceeded our expectations by miles!
Beyond eating, there is so much to do and see in Seville. Our highlights include the stunning Plaza de España, and of course the famous Royal Alcazar. Many tourists visiting the city enjoy a flamenco performance (and, though we didn't go to a flamenco show here, we heard on the grapevine that it is possible to find one that includes a vegan meal!) Families may like to check out Isla Magica theme park, while the Guadalquivir river also hosts riverboat tours, including the solar-powered eco cruise that we tried.
Seville is not without its controversies though: the city's bullfighting ring is still operational once a week. This is an unfortunate and unpleasant part of the city's culture that I found particularly uncomfortable - though we never witnessed any activity, the bullfighting ring is central to the city, so we walked past it many times while we were there. I hope that the significant vegan culture within the city, and increasing global awareness of animal cruelty, will ultimately lead to this space being repurposed and the practice being ended; in the meantime, it is just something to be aware of while you're visiting. But I wouldn't let it put you off: Seville has so much to offer, and the more footfall in the city's vegan establishments, the better, right?
Eating Vegan in Seville
“Seville is a tower full of fine archers... Under the arch of the sky, across the clear plain, she shoots the constant arrow of her river.” – Federico Garcia Lorca
And you will have so many places, so many different cuisines, to choose from. Andalusia is the birthplace of some incredible tapas that can be regularly found to be accidentally vegan (including espinacas con garbanzos and salmorejo, to name just two!) But it's not just tapas here! We found so many incredible vegan eateries in Seville, from humble cafes to flashy restaurants - this is a surprisingly good place to visit as a vegan! Read on, then watch the video at the end of this blog, for more information on our top places to eat vegan in Seville.
1st: Vegan Rock
C. Rockero Silvio, 41011 Sevilla, Spain
First of all, this place is super cool. This rock themed tapas bar is situated a little outside of the tourist areas, but it is 100% worth the walk to get there. The friendly welcome from the owner, the excellent, classic music, the atmosphere, and the incredible food all come together here to make for an incomparable plant-based tapas experience.
We tried a range of different tapas dishes here. In true tapas style, each thing came out as soon as it was ready, which allowed us to work through tasting them methodically, and ensured nothing got cold too - bonus! Starting with the cooked potatoes with garlic sauce (€3.50 - approximately £3.01 or $3.85). What wowed us first was the garlic sauce, which was really tasty! The potatoes were soft and served with an oily drizzle - a little greasy but all the better for it! I loved that there were a few peppers sprinkled in there, there was so much flavour. But that garlic sauce really takes the crown as the best part of this dish!
Next up was their Spanish omelette with Cubanelle peppers. Now, Spanish omelette (tortilla Española) was one of the top things that we wanted to try in Seville (you can read all about our mission to try it right here!) Like the garlic potatoes, the tortilla at Vegan Rock also cost €3.50 per portion, which we thought was really reasonable for this hearty tapas dish. And oh my goodness. This was exactly the tortilla we'd hoped for. The fork floated through smoothly; it was soft and light, nowhere near as dense as you might expect! The peppers added some extra flavour, and it was really well seasoned, with a little pepper on top. This dish was amazing: the perfect vegan Spanish omelette and exactly what we wanted this to be. Honestly, dishes like this one are why we do this!
Following on from the high bar set by the tortilla, we tried two of Vegan Rock's Montaditos (mini sandwiches), which were served to us with some crisps. The No-Spicy Chorizo Montaditos (€3 - approx. £2.59 or $3.30) had a really authentic chorizo flavour; texture wise it was closer than any vegan chorizo I’ve tried before! It had that stretchy, slightly chewy texture of chorizo but was still a bit softer than real chorizo. I’ve really missed chorizo but this has lit up my tastebuds in a way that they haven’t been lit up since I stopped eating meat!
We also tried the Piripi Montaditos, which was on the specials board on the day we visited. This one, being a bit more complex, was a little more expensive at €4 (approx. £3.45 or $4.40). Both sandwiches were epic but this one was super special. They were really generous with the vegan cheese, with two thick melty slices. Served in a small crunchy bread roll, the bacon was slightly soft and really delicious, with juicy tomatoes. The mayo, too, was thick and delicious.
We really rated Vegan Rock, and thought their prices were really reasonable. These really were the flavours that we remember from our trip to Seville, and we've recommended this place so much in the few weeks since we visited. So check them out - and in particular keep an eye on their specials board to see if the Piripi, or some other really tasty specials, are on the menu when you visit.
2nd: Veganitessen
Mercado del Arenal (Entrada, C. Pastor y Landero, s/n, 41001 Sevilla, Spain
If you've been following our blogs or videos, you'll recognise Veganitessen as the place that we headed to in order to try Vegan Spanish Omelette (Tortilla Española).
This place is well known for its tortilla, as well as its baked goods, and its easy to see why. For €3.50 (approximately £3.01 or $3.85) for a classic slice, or €4.75 (approx. £4.09 or $5.22) with toppings, you can get your hands on a chunky slice of vegan Spanish omelette, with a salad garnish on the side.
The classic tortilla is pretty dense and potatoey, but with a surprising amount of flavour. It was great on its own, and provided an excellent foundation for the topped varieties too. There are around ten different options on the menu; of these we tried the Spicy, and the Gourmet. The Spicy was topped with a flavoursome slice of melty vegan cheese, some spicy sauce, and some soft vegan chorizo. The gourmet had a different kind of vegan cheese melted on top, as well as some really tasty plant-based bacon and mayo. And wow! We were really impressed with both of these flavour combinations, which added an innovative, plant-based touch to the classic Spanish omelette flavours.
This is a great little independent place within an undercover market area, a great place for a bite to eat while you escape some of that famous Seville heat! As well as the tortillas that we tried, Veganitessen have a really mouthwatering daily selection of baked goods, and some meals like burgers and pizzas too. It's really centrally located, a great place to grab brunch or lunch at really reasonable prices while you're in the city.
3rd: La Vegana
C. Salado, 11, Local 17, 41010 Sevilla, Spain
I'm not going to lie: of all of the places we visited, La Vegana was the one that I was super excited about ahead of the trip. I was checkin out their instagram every day, getting ready for the sweet treats we'd try once we were there!
La Vegana is a small bakery, located a little out of the centre. They are clearly popular providers of vegan cakes for weddings and events, and it's easy to see why! They have a thriving cafe too, serving cakes, drinks, and small lunch bites like sandwiches... but you'll be unsurprised to know that it was all about the cakes for us!!
We arrived quite late in the afternoon, when there wasn't too much left in their cake cabinet - this was a blessing in disguise for us, as it didn't take us too long to make our choices. I can't imagine how hard it must be to choose if you arrive early in the day!
I picked the Ferrero Rocher Cupcake, which cost €4 (approx. £3.45 or $4.40). This striking-looking cupcake (does it resemble a certain emoji to you, too?) was absolutely delicious, probably one of the best vegan cupcakes I've ever eaten! And it tasted just like a Ferrero Rocher! The chocolate is set around a big swirly tower of delicious sweet vegan cream frosting, while the chocolate cake base was tasty with little chocolate chips and crunchy hazelnut bits. The flavours worked really well together: it was sweet, but the nutty base helped make sure it wasn't too sweet... just wow!
Also costing €4 was the carrot cake cupcake that Mike devoured. The cake itself was really moist and tasty, but it was the icing that really made this cake exceptional. Although quite sweet, the frosting was a perfect complement to the more savoury carrot cake taste - Mike said that this was probably one of the best carrot cakes he has had in his life. Long story short, we both heartily recommend La Vegana for lunch, or a sweet afternoon snack!
4th: La Lupe Cocina Actual Mexicana
Alameda de Hércules, 56, 41002 Sevilla, Spain
We headed to La Lupe for something a little different one evening, excited for the vibrancy of proper Mexican-style tacos. This Mexican kitchen is the only place on this list that isn't completely vegan; they have a full vegan taco menu that runs alongside their regular menu. So if you are visiting Seville with some omnivore friends, La Lupe could be a good shout for a dinner that pleases all diets.
We were impressed by the number of vegan tacos on the menu, so we picked the Taco Mix Lupe Vegano. This platter, which cost €15.60 (approx. £13.44 or $17.17) included a selection of five tacos from their vegan menu. This made for a very fun pick'n'mix, with a huge variety of colours, textures, and flavours. It was all very photogenic and instagrammable!
It was, however, a pretty messy eating experience as they're all served overlapped, well filled, and you absolutely have to eat these with your hands! They looked fantastic but many of them tasted a little tangy, and with all the sauces and toppings they were pretty wet too. We were really impressed by the vegan meat that they used for the tacos though, it was really convincing, and the variety of flavours was really exciting.
Each taco has the option of being upgraded to a tortilla for a supplement, so we also ordered the Norteño Vegano Quesadilla. This cost €8.50 (approx. ££7.32 or $9.36). This quesadilla was not entirely as you’d expect: it came with a small sprinkling of vegan cheese melted on the bottom and then was just the normal tacos, rather than being pressed with another tortilla as a lid. And the flavour of the tacos was pretty overpowering so you couldn’t taste the vegan cheese anyway! For the extra price, when it is still basically a soft taco, we’d recommend just going for the taco itself, not upgrading it to a quesadilla!
While this was a fun experience, it was super messy: I could smell the tacos on my hands for the next 24 hours despite multiple washes. I'm a bit picky with smells, but if you don't mind that, then don't let that put you off! We love that they have so many vegan options here, with well-textured vegan meat alternatives, but in terms of flavour and quantity we didn't think that these were great value for money. However, if soft tacos are your jam, and you don't mind a bit of mess and a slightly higher price, La Lupe might be exactly what you're looking for! The restaurant is located in a foodie area with great atmosphere, so could be worth visiting for a fun evening out.
Where is your favourite place to get plant-based food in Seville? Are there any new places or old favourites that we've missed? Leave us a comment to let us know (and others who might be visiting too!)
Recommendations
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Where should I stay?
After our trip to Barcelona, we were relieved to discover that accommodation is much more affordable in Andalusia! Seville is full of quaint hotels with great reputations, at reasonable prices. One of these is the family-run Hotel Goya, which offers private, en-suite accommodation in a traditional Andalusian building, only metres from the cathedral and Alcazar! For even more affordability, there are lots of great hostels in Seville. New Samay Hostel is really highly rated across the board, and are particularly known for their modern facilities, excellent staff, location, and cleanliness. A great place to make friends!
Tours & Experiences
While you're in Andalusia, you absolutely have to go to a flamenco show! This traditional art form came from the villages of the region, and is particularly famous here both for its history and its quality! This flamenco show gets consistently high ratings, is choreographed by legendary flamenco dancer Cristina Hoyos, and is set in the Flamenco Dance Museum, so is definitely one of the best and most authentic performances to see.
There's so much to see and do in Seville though, so if flamenco isn't for you, why not check out some of the top-rated Viator tours displayed in the widget on the left!
Please note that the tours displayed on the left are automatically selected for their popularity by Viator, not chosen or recommended by us. Please check whether any food or drink based tours are suitable for your dietary requirements, and any animal-based experiences are ethical, before booking!
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