About eight years ago when Sevilla tapas bars like Vineria San Telmo and Eslava started giving us their innovative takes on traditional tapas it was a refreshing change being able to find something a bit different and, in the case of the Vineria, a decent selection of wines by the glass at reasonable prices. At the time paying slightly more for a special dish felt well worth it and it was always a treat going back to see what else new they’d come up with.
Fast forward to 2012 and everywhere you look these days in Sevilla there are hip new “gastrobars”, trendy mini-burger joints and gourmet food & wine shops opening up almost weekly, all trying to out-coolio each other in an attempt to be noticed. Unfortunately the majority of these new places are not only more style than substance, but they are often either just copycat versions of each other, or pale imitations of better, more established gourmet-style tapas bars. Yet they act (and charge!) as if they are the next Ferran Adrià, just for whipping up a bit of foamed something-or-other. Snore.
Which brings me to my next question. How and when did the 5€ tapa become acceptable and, dare I say, almost the norm? It’s not that I’m against change – quite the contrary – but this hopping on the gourmet tapas bandwagon to make a quick buck is eroding the whole concept of tapas and how they came to be in the first place. If things keep going this way I’m afraid we’ll end up with a false new version of tapas that both locals and visitors will tire of very quickly. It will especially disillusion visitors who have so far not had any experience of Spain and Spanish food. Of course even the most expensive gastrobar here will still be cheaper than almost anywhere in London, but that’s not really saying much. And anyhow, who wants to come to Sevilla and eat tapas that have been created to taste like, well, a poor relation of international haute cuisine, in bars with lamps made out of coathangers and where your cutlery is brought to you in Hello Kitty pencil cases? And worse yet, with staff who often don’t know a damn thing about the food or wine and have presumably been hired for their cool or cute factor.
Happily there are still plenty of fabulous “de siempre” places that continue to do very well by doing what they do best, which is serving up top notch traditional tapas in charming surroundings with staff who know absolutely everything about the food and wine – and who also know how to smile! And I especially appreciate newly-opened places that offer new and delicious takes on Spanish cuisine without adding Gastrobar Prices, do not charge for bread (wtf? factor it in guys) and don’t have the heinous 1-2€ per person “cover charge” (for what??).
If you want to sample the best of gourmet tapas and don’t mind paying gourmet prices then try La Azotea or Albarama. I especially love the personal attention you get at La Azotea and the price/value ratio is right on par. In both of these places every penny spent is well worth it.
If you want to try a new up-and-comer then you will love La Brunilda. Amazing value for excellent tapas. Lovely twists on the traditional in a gorgeous setting and with very personal and friendly service.
Or you can re-visit those “granddaddies” of the whole new tapas scene here in Sevilla – Vineria San Telmo and Eslava. Both have quite different styles, and both work so well. You will eat and drink to your heart’s content without breaking the budget and will taste some very unexpected delights.
For me personally the most important thing about a great tapas experience is that I feel welcome, that the staff are well-informed and pleasant, and that the food is fabulous. But the most important thing of all is that the place has a heart. I return again and again to the places that I know are well-loved by their owners, where you can feel their personality and their affection, where you know that they honestly care about what they do and about their customers. That’s not something you can fake.
Hi Shawn
I think you really spotted something here. It’s a really good point. I for one don’t want to spend 5 euros on a tapa, no!
But I’m wondering is this a move down market rather than a move up market? So it’s the places that were previously serving full blown menus now opting to sell tapas instead because people just won’t pay 20 euros for a single dish anymore? I’m thinking of Gastromium as a great example – previously it had menus for something like 60, 80 and 90 euros and it sold a few tapas on the terrace outside. Now it’s 100% gastro tapas. So are the trendy new places serving a different crowd? The gang that used to do the full blown menus but aren’t up to spending that kind of cash now?
J
PS: There was at least one other example of this tapasification 😉 that came to mind but it’s late and I can’t remember it now!
Gastromium is an exception, though their tapas were always expensive (and still are). For the most part I am talking about new gastrobars that have opened up over the past couple of years. Other bars/restaurants that have “down-sized” their dining space in favour of selling more tapas – for example, Enrique Becerra and Casa Robles – have not put up the prices of their tapas. They just saw the trend of people spending less and they wisely expanded their tapas area.
Are the trendy new places serving the people who used to do full meals and now want a less expensive option? I wondered about that too, but in a lot of these places the clientelle is quite young (25-35). I doubt they were out having formal meals before this whole gastro-thing exploded.
My main concern is that not that long ago it seemed a lot to spend 4€ on a tapa, but that price bar keeps being raised without the quality being raised to match it.
The weekly specials at La Azotea often run to 6€ for a tapa (their regular tapas menu prices are 3.50 – 4.50) but these are exceptional dishes, such as super-fresh almadraba tuna tartare or kobe beef. They are also very generous portions. But the other day I tried a 6€ tapa at new gastrobar Taberna Poncio, which was huevos rotos with potatoes and chorizo. No comparison. The dish was quite tasty but there is no way that a small portion of potatoes and eggs is worth 6€. And adding insult to injury we were charged 1.50 per person (!) for bread.
I can name at least ten gastrobars that have opened in the past year that appear to be at least superficially “original” but in fact are just rehashing menus from other gourmet tapas bars, and some don’t even cook their own food. There is also a growing trend for these places to buy pre-prepared “quinta gama” products that get reheated and plated at 5€ a pop.
Don’t get me wrong. I love being able to have a choice when I feel like something other than traditional tapas, and I also don’t mind paying extra for it. But this new explosion of gastrobars on the scene is mostly a corporate-driven phenomenon that is beginning to change the whole concept of tapas, and not for the better.
€6 for a tapas! That is insane – I get La Az’s almadraba tuna, but otherwise I don’t understand why people would pay that. Your point about a general across-the-board trend for cookie-cutter generic “nouvelle tapas” is an alarming one. Yes, I agree, it will be very bad news if Seville gets a reputation as the city of poncy, over-priced tapas, but I think unusual flavour combos and snazzy presentation are here to stay. It’s just a shame that so many places are jumping on the bandwagon and sullying the genuine quality innovators. There is room for them plus the trad bars – something to suit all tastes.
Yes, I agree that there is room for both gastrobars and traditional ones. My main concern is that the recent flood of over-priced mediocre gastrobars will start to give tapas a bad name.
I am pretty split on this one. Although a fan of the original tapas , I can also see the appeal of gastro tapas. In our recent trip to Malaga, it was the gastro tapas that promoters of the region were keen to take us to … yes they were quite amazing but not the good old tapas as we know them.
I think that ofering the two tyes of tapas tours, as you do, means that you can keep more or less everybody happy.
If there is no limit to your budget then you should try the original and the gastro … 🙂
I really enjoy “mixing it up” on my tapas tours, and so do my clients. Luckily there are a few good places doing gourmet-style modern tapas without “gourmet prices” so they usually get to try a bit of the old and the new.
La mediocridad es (en todos los ámbitos) uno de los mayores males de nuestro tiempo. El quererse aprovechar (en todos los ámbitos) es uno de nuestros mayores males de todos los tiempos. Creo que en muchos casos en algunos nuevos establecimientos se unen ambos males.
A penas conozco en este momento la realidad tapera sevillana, pero espero que las cosas caigan por su propio peso (para el beneficio de todos, residentes y visitantes, porque mal que nos pese vivimos de eso).
Hay demasiados bares nuevos como estos que no tienen corazón. Todos financiado por las empresas para hacer dinero y beneficiarse de los turistas. Todos pierden.
I disagree with these opinions. I think gastrobars (most of them) are a good option rather than classical restaurants and classical tapas bar in Seville.
I think innovation must be present in all business, gastronomy included. Innovation is present in gastrobars, usually managed by young chefs that bet for introduce innovation in traditional andalusian gastronomy.
Of course gastrobars must have a well-informed staff and have a good price/value ratio. But this is not exclusive for gastrobars. In fact, there are all kind of gastrobars, but there are a lot of gastrobars like La Cocina del Doctor X or Barajas 20, that have a fantastic price/value ratio.
Hola Antonio and welcome! My point is that the majority of these new gastrobars aren’t innovative, they are just copying what the real innovators are doing. I agree that La Cocina del Doctor X is fresh and interesting, and has a reasonable price/value ratio, but I think Barajas 20 overcharges for what you get, although the food there is very good.
Plus almost all gastrobars charge for “bread & service”, which immediately brings down the value for money spent ratio.