Pelayo Bar de Tapas: Bullfighting Bodega in Seville

On my second trip to Seville, I found myself sitting at the Pelayo Bar de Tapas once again, so I thought this certainly begs for a review on my blog!

If you haven’t heard about this place before, I don’t blame you – it’s not exactly easy to find. Not just that but it’s also fairly popular, so I only managed to get a table by calling in and getting a very early dinner seating.

In this article I will cover everything you need to know about the restaurant, and whether it’s worth a visit or not!

The Location

The tapas bar is located very close to Seville Cathedral, on Placetines Street, which is a very important location in the city known as the meeting place for Italian merchants in the 15th century. The restaurant itself is located in an old merchant house, but not much of its history is reflected in the interiors.

There are just a couple of other bars on that street, so if you’re passing you can’t miss it.

The Bodega Part of the Restaurant

The entrance to the restaurant is through a tiny ‘terrace’ – literally a couple of tables outside, from where you’re led directly to the ‘bodega’ room.

Even from outside of the restaurant, you’re drawn to the warm atmosphere inside and beautiful decor that pays tribute to bullfighting history.

There are of course bull heads hanging over you as you enjoy your meal, nostalgic black and white photography on the walls, and a very cosy mostly wooden interior which makes you feel very homely while you dine here.

The Backroom

In the back room, you will find a more avant-garde mix of different art pieces that pay tribute to different neighbourhoods of New York (not sure why?), featuring also some local Spanish artists.

There is a display cabinet with local wines and beautiful moody lighting throughout.

These two rooms are connected with a small corridor where you will see the kitchen framed by a vertical garden.

The Food

And of course, we can’t miss the main bit – the food!

A little disclaimer before we start – as I don’t eat meat I find dining in most Spanish restaurants a huge struggle, so this place scored lots of points for actually offering meat-free options. For those who come to Seville for the local meat feast and to taste the different varieties of Jamon, you will find lots of options on their menu!

Here is a little review of the food we have ordered, followed by the pictures below:

Falafel with hummus – nice taste but very dry, hummus tasted freshly made
Grilled chicken with salsa – got compliments from our guests, apparently the best chicken on our trip
Grilled salmon – this was obviously cooked from frozen and had zero taste and a very rubbery texture, it was very overcooked
Grilled chicken strips – nice texture and flavor, served with a generous amount of fries
Tuna salad – very generous portion and tasted very fresh
Grilled goat cheese – also scored top points in the flavour category
A couple of desserts – these were probably bought in-store and not homemade, there wasn’t anything special about them, just a lot of sugar and so sweet I couldn’t finish mine. That’s a shame because they could have offered something more authentic Spanish instead
Orange Wine – we tried this second time and this dessert wine is a must-taste when in Seville! It’s very sweet so have it instead of a dessert!

My Verdict

If you’re going for an atmosphere, then this place is a good match, however, the food is a bit of hit and miss. They clearly deliver on some dishes, while completely missing the point on others. If you’re going for the meaty option, it’s probably a safer bet than the alternatives I have picked, but I have no guarantees!

If I had to choose whether to visit again myself, I would give this place a miss as there are other options that offer not just beautiful surroundings to enjoy your meal, but also better quality food (like the Universal People’s Bar I have also visited twice on this trip!).