Almansa, or to give it its full name, Almansa Pasión & Brasas, was first established in Gines, just outside Sevilla, in the 90s by the family of the same name. Then in 2015 Javier Almansa opened in the centre of Sevilla, first in calle Zaragoza, and later moving to larger premises a stone’s throw away in calle Albareda, where you will find a modernist-chic interior with comfortable seating and a small terrace on the pedestrianised street.

Product here is number one. Meats are meticulously sourced and then aged on the premises. Almasa does almost everything “a la brasa”, over an oak charcoal grill, from beef, pork and lamb to fish and seafood, and including vegetables. Service is professional and friendly and there’s an impressive wine list of over 130 regional, national and international options.

Hard to pick a favourite dish because everything is always delicious and beautifully presented here. I’m not usually a fan of foie but this grilled one with apple and PX sauce won me over. The lamb chops are gorgeous and the lamb offal selection (kidney, liver, sweetbreads, brain) as a starter is to die for. The grilled octopus is super tender, as is the monkfish. Warning: go with a hearty appetite or bring a few friends to share. It truly is a meat-lover’s heaven, with everything from Ibérico pork to regional Retinta and national Gallego beef to Wagyu and Black Angus.

Bread/Service Charge: 1€ PER PERSON (includes aperitivo)

Albareda 13
Tel  955 648 718
Open 13.30 – 17.30 / 20.30 – 23.30 Monday – Saturday
13.30 – 16.30 Sunday
€ € € €

Food 9 | Wine 9 | Service 8 | Ambiance 8

bread, olives, aperitivo

chistorras de Arbizu

Imperial anchovies over fresh tomato

tender beef croquetas

grilled morcilla de burgos with quail egg

grilled duck foie with apple purée and PX sauce
char-grilled lamb offal: liver, kidney, sweetbreads, brain (fried)

char-grilled Raza Churra lamb chops from Castilla y León

garlicky char-grilled monkfish

fried piparras

char-grilled octopus with truffle parmentier and grilled veg

grilled presa Ibérica

char-grilled retinta beef, aged 35 days

lemon sorbet

owner and chef Javier Almansa

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La Mar de Fresquita, at one end of the main shopping area, is in many ways a typical Sevillano bar, with a bar area at the front and some tables with seating at the back, pleasant enough, but a bit lacking in atmosphere. It does, however, have a reputation for some of the best seafood in town, and the menu and showcases certainly look interesting. There’s also an impressive list of cavas, champagne and Galician wines.

Our short visit, with only a couple of tapas, wasn’t really enough to make a fair judgement of the food, but the bar service was friendly enough (though we did have the impression that we were being given the “guiri treatment”) and, once the place fills up, the ambiance does improve. Both seafood and charcuterie orders can also be prepared for takeaway. Will be back…

Bread/Service Charge: 0€

San Eloy 42
Tel 955 725 532
Open 12.00 – 16.00 / 20.30 – midnight Tuesday – Saturday
Sunday 12.00 – 16.00
€ € € €

Food 7 | Wine 8 | Service 6 | Ambiance 6

camarones

cheese

prawn and alioli montadito

prawns from Huelva

pringá montadito

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UPDATE: Although no longer with us, I leave this review of Sahumo here as a hommage to one of the loveliest food experiences – and one of the loveliest chefs – I have come across in Sevilla. Hoping that chef Dario will be back with us again.

Sahumo is the first person singular of the Spanish verb sahumar – to scent with smoke. You notice this lovely light smoky fragrance as you walk into the first dining area, which then opens onto a second, and then a third that faces the open kitchen which houses the wood-burning grill. After starting off as a restaurant in 2015, followed by a brief sojourn into the world of tapas, classically trained chef Dario Dominguez has returned to his culinary roots.

These days Sahumo now offers large plates for sharing and, although the menu isn’t extensive, it does cover a lot of bases. There are cold and hot starters, rice dishes, a couple of fish main courses and then… MEAT. Several fabulous meat options including Ibérico pork, duck breast and Galician beef. I have to say I am both charmed and impressed by Sahumo. Excellent service and wine list too. Check it out.

Zaragoza 18
Tel 609 11 52 22
Open 13.30 – 16.30 / 20.30 – 11.30 Tuesday – Saturday
€ € € €

Food 9 | Wine 9 | Service 9 | Ambiance 9

steak tartare

char-grilled scallop with bouillabaisse sauce

smoked Lanzarote salmon, butter, red onion, capers, egg

fried free range eggs with chips and caviar

seabass and avocado tartare

seasonal wild mushrooms with free range eggs, grated idiazabal

char-grilled octopus with truffle parmentier

whole chargrilled squid

presa Ibérica a la brasa

carrillada a la naranja with mortar mashed potatoes

char-grilled beef tenderloin with Cafe de Paris herb butter

entrecôte de Vaca Gallega de “Txoguitxu”,
Sanlúcar fried potatoes, padrón peppers

grilled duck breast

a KILO of Galician beef chuletón, grilled over wood-burning BBQ

crêpes suzette

owner & chef Dario, Ana and Manuel

Walter

gorgeous floor tiles

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Updated December 2018

A farily modern, yet also very typical, fish and seafood restaurant out in Los Bermejales. It’s a big, light, clean-looking space with a long bar and spacious dining area, and an ample sidewalk terrace. Inside, some typical freiduria style ceramic tile pictures of fishing boats and the like help get the ambiance just right. It was comfortably busy when we were there on midday on a Tuesday, and was totally heaving with family groups on a Sunday lunchtime. It’s mostly self-service, so you leave your order at the bar and wait for your name to be called to pick it up. When it’s not busy the waiters bring the food to your table.

House specialities are the big plates of fried fish (we loved the boquerones al limón), but there is also a selection of meat and seafood tapas, as well as an arroz del día (rice of the day). The octopus a la parrilla (bbq) was fabulous, as was the grilled squid, though they seem to go a bit crazy with the sauces – there were no fewer than four on the squid tapa! And the coquinas are – so far – the very best I’ve ever had. Wine list is a bit limited but the beer is super cold.

Bread/Service Charge: 0€

Avda de Alemania 7
Los Bermejales, Sevilla
Tel 954 61 05 43
Open 12.00 – 16.30 / 20.00 – midnight
Cervecería Huracán Website
€ € €

Food 8 | Wine 6 | Service 7 | Ambiance 6

padrón peppers

garlicky coquinas

jamón Ibérico de Bellota

the jamón comes with this fab toasted olive oil bread

seafood ensaladilla

bbq’d octopus with mojo picón

tender pulpo a la feira

grilled whole chipirones (beaks & all) with “alioli” and “mayo”

battered cod – pavía de bacalao

boquerones al limón – fresh anchovies

rice of the day with lobster and other seafood

prawns and percebes on display

fresh fish display

more fish on display!

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Updated December 2014