While it may not compare to Spain’s larger cities like Madrid or Barcelona, the specialty coffee scene in Seville has been growing and changing rapidly in the past couple of years; in fact, nearly all of the cafes included in the 2018 edition of this guide are now closed, and almost all of the coffee shops in this refreshed version are no more than five years old. Powered by local roasters like Alquimista, Ineffable, and El Hombre Pez, coffee-lovers have plenty of unique origins and roasts to sample. The only trouble? Finding a cafe with ample seating.
Seville, the capital of Spain’s southern region of Andalusia, maintains a population of approximately 700,000 people. Its claim to fame is the Cathedral, Alcázar, and Archivo de Indias, a complex of historic monuments in the city center grouped together into one UNESCO world heritage site that dates back to the 10th century. The city’s infamous summer weather with triple-digit temperatures demands a mid-day siesta to escape the heat—so be sure to check the hours of each cafe before visiting, and consider enjoying an iced beverage!
Parcería Cafe
First on the guide is Parcería Cafe, located in Seville’s hip-hopping Feria neighborhood in the northern part of the city center which hosts a large flea market every Thursday morning. Tucked away in an alley off of the main road, the cafe’s beautiful modern interior invites you to sit and stay a while, enjoying an expertly-prepared beverage from one of the shop’s capable baristas. Be warned, however: the cafe is a laptop-free zone.
Parcería boasts the most diverse selection of roasts of the cafes on this guide. Their main coffees come from the standard selections of local roaster Alquimista Coffee Lab, located in Mairena del Aljarafe, a small town southwest of the city center. Alongside Alquimista’s standard offerings, Parcería sells three exclusive origins that are prepared and roasted by Alquimista for purchase only at Parcería: Kenya Embu, Nicaragua Ojo de Agua, and Colombia San Jose. If that’s not enough options for you, the cafe also offers a changing selection of guest roasters for sale that rotates about every three weeks. Each coffee is expertly prepared by Parcería’s knowledgeable team of baristas.
Besides specialty coffee, Parcería offers a full kitchen that is open 8:30am—6:30pm during the week, with brunch options like waffles and yogurt, sandwiches, and desserts to enjoy.
Purita—De Vuelta al Origen
Down the road from the Palacio de las Dueñas, a 15th-century palace with an art museum and beautiful gardens, you can find another cafe on this list: Purita—De vuelta al Origen. This cafe offers its customers a spacious, cozy, and relaxed atmosphere with plenty of cushioned chairs to kick back and relax after a day of sightseeing. And, the cafe is pet-friendly!
Purita has been open for five years, the joint project of barista Pepe Betteta and her spouse, artist Felipe Rull. The shop’s name means “Back to the Origin,” so you can expect high-quality single-origin espressos and drip coffees from their baristas. They offer coffees roasted by Alquimista as well as some prepared by El Hombre Pez, Tostadero de Café, a one-man storefront roasting operation only a 10-minute walk away from Purita in the Museo neighborhood of the city.
Besides their coffee offerings, Purita boasts a full menu of breakfast and lunch dishes like yogurt bowls, brioche sandwiches, and in the evenings, handcrafted cocktails—including an Espresso Martini made with their specialty coffee. Drop in to enjoy their space, drink a delicious coffee, and appreciate one of the rotating art exhibitions on their walls, created by local Sevillian artists.
Virgen Coffee
If you’re looking for a quick caffeine fix after visiting Las Setas, Seville’s massive mushroom-shaped wooden structure completed in 2011, drop in to Virgen Coffee, a takeaway stand located in the Plaza de la Encarnacion. Operated by its owner Pedro Sierra Pradas since April of 2015, Virgen is one of few coffee shops in Seville that roasts, brews, and sells their own in-house beans.
Virgen’s bright yellow color scheme makes it easily recognizable when strolling through the plaza—and their yellow bags of coffee can add a splash of color for a home barista setup. Unfortunately seating at the cafe is minimal, so beverages are better enjoyed on the go.
Hispalis
Craving the freshest coffee you can find in Seville? Just around the corner from Purita you can visit Hispalis, a corner shop with modest seating and excellent coffee. The store, run by Reinaldo Ponce, is only two years old but has quickly established itself as a high-quality specialty option in Seville. Like Sierra Pradas at Virgen, Ponce prepares his roasts in-house; in fact, the roaster is tucked away in the corner of the shop for coffee nerds to check out while they sip on one of the store’s several origin offerings. Besides a house blend and a decaf, Ponce offers coffees from India, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru, alongside limited edition origins.
Bench seating and decor that reminds customers that Ponce will “give decaf to people who are rude to me” make for a welcoming and sincere vibe, more hospitable than the minimalist—and sometimes severe—third-wave aesthetic that other cafes on this list curate. And, despite the threats, Ponce is more than happy to guide the uncertain customer towards a high-quality beverage that will satisfy their craving and tempt them to purchase some of his house roasted beans for home.
MUY Coffee
If you keep heading north on Calle Amor de Dios from Hispalis Coffee you’ll eventually hit the Alameda de Hercules, a large park and plaza surrounded by bars and restaurants. This hip area is the heart of nightlife in Seville with locals sipping on beer and cocktails in spacious outdoor seating. During the daylight hours, however, you can check out MUY Coffee, a small storefront just a couple of blocks east of the Alameda on Calle Correduría offering specialty coffee in a compact space. The shop, opened in 2022, is a family project run by the three Gil Burger brothers.
Thanks to a personal relationship between the brothers and their roaster, MUY exclusively serves roasts prepared by Ineffable Coffee Roasters, a local label based in the neighboring town of Dos Hermanas. If you find the coffee to your liking, MUY sells Ineffable’s beans in-store for customers to take home. The cafe also prepares sandwiches and overnight oats in house, and offers natural and organic baked goods purchased from a local baker. Though the seating is modest, if you can snag a spot then it’s easy to enjoy Seville’s pleasant weather through the store’s large open doors and windows while sipping on a specialty latte or batch brew.
Utopía Cafe
Hidden on one of Seville’s winding alleyways in its Old Quarter, just a couple of steps away from the city’s Museo de Bellas Artes on Calle Fernan Caballero is another takeaway-only specialty coffee shop called Utopía Cafe. The store is operated by Pepe Ramos and has been serving coffee since February 2019.
Utopía reinforces Alquimista’s wholesale dominance in Seville, offering their own exclusive Utopia blend from the Seville-based roaster. Alongside their traditional drinks, Ramos prepares a Chai Matcha latte, a unique offering amongst its competition, as well as a wide range of iced drinks—perfect for beating the heat of Seville’s intense summer months. Although there’s no seats in the store, you can’t go wrong grabbing an iced coffee or latte to sip on while you wander Seville’s boutiques, enjoy a churro, and admire the city’s beautiful architecture.
Selva
Any tour of Seville must include the neighborhood of Triana, a young hip barrio on the western side of the Guadalquivir River with plenty of restaurants and cafes lined along its pedestrianized Calle San Jacinto. Just around the corner from the 200-year-old Mercado de Triana is Selva Coffee, a small shop serving specialty coffee.
Selva is this list’s youngest cafe, as proprietor Ella Hadley started the business in September 2023. Like the Gil Burger Brothers, she’s serving the Dos Hermanas-based roaster Ineffable for their house espresso and drip coffees. Alongside the beverages, the shop offers homemade sweet loaves and pastries—all plant-based and vegan. Hadley is passionate about sustainable and healthy alternatives, but she recognizes the necessity of offering cow’s milk, the only animal-based product offered in the shop, for coffee beverages. Alongside the standard cafe fare, Selva also offers a rotating menu of creative special beverages like their Golden Cappuccino, a turmeric milk cappuccino.
Hadley has also begun a series of cupping sessions for aficionados to sample unique roasts and origins. The sessions are led by staff barista Jose Quiles, a winner of the Andalusia AeroPress Championship. So far, the shop has hosted two cuppings with coffees from Ineffable, and Hadley is hoping to make them a regular event.
Samuel Hoag is a freelance journalist based in Cleveland. Read more Samuel Hoag for Sprudge.
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Samuel Hoag
May 28, 2024
