"Sixto Tovar's San Lorenzo institution, open since 1988 and home to the prize-winning slow-cooked egg on boletus sponge that reset Seville's tapas bar."
Espacio Eslava sits at Calle Eslava 3 in the San Lorenzo quarter of Seville, beside the church square and away from the tourist crush. It anchors part of our Seville coverage and our Spanish guide as the city's most influential modern tapas bar.
Sixto Tovar opened it in 1988, and it has since become one of San Lorenzo's defining tables. The kitchen made its name with a single tapa that reshaped how Seville cooks small plates.
The cooking is creative Andalusian, built on a daily-changing list of tapas and larger raciones. The signature is the slow-cooked egg yolk on a boletus mushroom sponge cake with caramelised wine, a dish that took a top prize at Seville's tapas competition in 2010 and is still the most-ordered plate.
Close behind are honey-glazed slow-cooked pork ribs and a crisp squid 'cigar'. Prices stay modest for the quality — this is serious cooking at bar prices.
The bar at the front is for standing and quick tapas; a small dining room and a few outdoor tables on the square handle sit-down meals. It is busy and Sevillano in feel, with a brisk, friendly service.
It does not take bookings for the bar, and the square fills fast at peak times. Arrive early for lunch or dinner, or expect a wait.
Eslava suits a standout solo stop on a tapas crawl, a relaxed first date or a casual business lunch. For other Seville tables, compare La Azotea, La Brunilda and Cañabota.
Not for diners after a quiet, formal dinner, a reservation or table service at the bar — it is a busy, walk-in tapas bar where the wait is part of it.
Creative Andalusian tapas in Seville's San Lorenzo quarter, founded by Sixto Tovar in 1988. The signature is a slow-cooked egg on boletus sponge with caramelised wine, which won a top prize at Seville's tapas competition in 2010, alongside honey-glazed pork ribs and a squid cigar.
At Calle Eslava 3 in the San Lorenzo quarter of Seville, beside the church square, away from the main tourist areas.
Sixto Tovar, who opened it in 1988 and built its reputation on the prize-winning boletus egg tapa.
The bar runs on walk-ins and does not take bookings, though the small dining room may. Arrive early at peak times or expect a wait.
The slow-cooked egg on boletus sponge is the must-order, with the honey-glazed pork ribs and the squid cigar close behind.
The bar is walk-in only and busy — arrive early or expect a wait. Find Eslava at Calle Eslava 3 in San Lorenzo.
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Espacio Eslava anchors part of our Seville guide — Sixto Tovar's San Lorenzo tapas bar, open since 1988 and home of the prize-winning slow-cooked egg on boletus sponge.
See the Seville guide →