Visiting El Rinconcillo – The Oldest Tapas Bar In Spain

As you probably already understood from the title of this article, El Rinconcillo is the oldest tapas bar in Spain, or at least that’s what they say. El Rinconcillo opened in 1670 and they offer a taste of traditional cuisine.

About tapas…

If you are familiar with the concept of Tapas, you know that “tapa” is a small starter that traditionally was served with a drink for free. Nowadays, except in Granada where tapas are still free, you usually have to pay for them. 

Seville has a big tapas culture. There are tons of bars that offer great tapas. Cold beer plus a few small plates of different tapas equals full and happy. Plus, instead of just one main dish you get to try a lot of different ones, so – experience! 

El Rinconcillo

El Rinconcillo is surely one of the places you must visit, especially if you are fond of tapas and history. Can you imagine how many people, or generations were eating at this taverna? More than three hundred years and the place is still open, it must say something about the quality. 

The restaurant is located in the old town of Seville. It’s a three story building (they expanded over the time) that you will easily notice, since they are always busy and have long lines outside the entrance. 

The first floor is where they serve tapas, everything else is a sitting area, where you can order mains. The first floor has a huge wooden bar, Moorish like tiles on the walls, and an enormous display of different alcohol they serve (although the most popular alcohol is still beer). Cruzcampo is the most popular beer in Seville, but if you’re not a lover of beer you can try some very good vermouths or a nice dry Manzanilla sherry (my go-to)!

To have a full meal at El Rinconcillo you can make a reservation to avoid waiting in a long line (click here to make an online reservation). To have tapas – the concept is: first come – first served. Try to get there right when they open so you don’t have to wait potentially hours to get in.

Tapas At El Rinconcillo

You need to know that the restaurant offers different sizes and prices of tapas. Since it was 4 of us, we sometimes ordered big sharing plates instead of a few small one person portions. Here are some of my favorite tapas at El Rinconcillo:

Arroz Negro Con Chipi (sharing portion) – €13

Black rice with cuttlefish and prawns

Tapa Arroz Chacinero (for one) – €2.70

Spanish yellow rice

Almejas de Carril (sharing portion) – €15

Clams from Carril 

Chorizo Iberico Cular (sharing portion) – €6.50

Plate of thinly sliced Spanish chorizo

Croquetas Caseras (sharing portion) – €7.50

Croquettes with cheese

Tapa Pavia de Bacalao (for one) – €2.50

Fried cod

Tapa de Carrilada Ibe (for one) – €2.80

Pig cheeks cooked in sauce

Tapa Espinacas con garbanzos (for one) – €2.50

Stewed spinach and chickpeas

½ Queso Puro de Ove (sharing portion) – €6.50 (pure sheep cheese)

Half order of manchego cheese

Key Information:

Hours: from Monday to Thursday: from 1 PM to 5 PM, reopens from 7:30 PM to 12 AM; from Friday to Sunday: from 1 PM to 6 PM, reopens from 7:30 PM to 12:30 AM

Location: C. Gerona, 40, 41003 Sevilla, Spain

Official website: https://www.elrinconcillo.es/

Visiting El Rinconcillo – The Oldest Tapas Bar In Spain