Best Restaurants & Bars in La Macarena Seville 2026
Real Seville, zero tourists - the cheapest tapas and most authentic bars in the city
Updated weekly
About La Macarena
La Macarena takes its name from the Basilica de la Esperanza Macarena, home to Seville's most beloved Virgin statue. During Semana Santa (Holy Week), the Macarena procession is the most emotional moment of the entire festival - grown men weep openly in the streets.
The neighbourhood is defined by the surviving Moorish walls (Murallas Almohades), built in the 12th century. Inside these walls, Macarena has remained stubbornly working-class while the rest of central Seville gentrifies. Market traders, artisans, and multigenerational families still define the area.
The food scene is honest and unreconstructed. These are bars where the owner knows every customer by name, where the tapas menu hasn't changed in decades, and where a full evening out costs less than a single course in Santa Cruz. This is Seville at its most authentic.
Holding the Line
Macarena remains one of Seville's least gentrified central neighbourhoods. Tourist apartments are creeping in from the Alameda side, but the core neighbourhood retains its working-class character. Prices reflect this - it's the cheapest place to eat well in central Seville.
Semana Santa & Market Life
Macarena's fame comes from Semana Santa - the neighbourhood's cofradias (brotherhoods) produce some of the most spectacular processions. The Feria de la Calle Feria (Thursday street market) is centuries old and still thriving.
How to Get There
From Seville city centre:
- Walking:15-20 mins north from Cathedral along Calle Feria
- Bus:C5 circular, stop Resolana or Macarena
- From Alameda:5 mins walk north
TUSSAM Ticket Info
Rechargeable card at kiosks. Walking via Calle Feria is recommended - great street.
Local tip: Walk up Calle Feria from the Alameda - it's one of Seville's oldest and most interesting streets, lined with antique shops and traditional bars. Thursday morning has the famous Feria street market.
La Macarena Venue Map
The La Macarena Hot List
Week of 22 February 2026
This Week
Hola, amigos! Welcome back to the Macarena Hot List, your definitive guide to the best eats and beats in Seville's hippest 'hood! And what a week it's been! Holding firm at the top for the fourth week running, it's Restaurante La Cochera del Abuelo! The Andalusian restaurant's delicious dishes are clearly hitting the spot. But the competition is fierce!
Moving up into second place this week, La Madriguera de Mai is bringing the heat! This live music bar is clearly the place to be! Ojalá is making a massive leap, skyrocketing eight places to land at number four! That Wine and tapas is a real winner. Bar antojo also sees a huge jump, climbing eight spots! Looks like everyone's getting their fix of fantastic food.
Lola por Dios Alameda is charging up the list, a brand new peak position for this tapas bar! Also, Quilombo Tapas is making moves, and Al-Medina is climbing the charts, bringing those Moroccan flavours to Macarena.
That's your Macarena Hot List for this week, folks! Will Restaurante La Cochera del Abuelo hold on to the top spot? Will we see another massive climber next week? Tune in next week to find out!
Rankings updated weekly based on composite scoring methodology · Only positive movements shown — every venue here is winning
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La Macarena FAQs
La Macarena is Seville's working-class neighbourhood north of the historic centre. Named after the Basilica de la Macarena (home of Seville's most venerated Virgin statue), it's a sprawling area of traditional markets, neighbourhood bars, and Moorish walls. Tourists rarely venture here - which is exactly why the food is so good and so cheap.
Absolutely. La Macarena has the cheapest and most authentic tapas in Seville. Many bars still serve a free tapa with your drink. The quality is high because these places survive on local regulars, not tourist footfall. If you want to eat where Sevillanos actually eat, come to Macarena.
Significantly cheaper than the centre. Expect 1.50-3 per tapa, 1-1.50 for a cana (small beer), and some bars still give you a free tapa with every drink. A full evening of tapas and drinks can cost 12-18 per person.
Walk 15-20 minutes north from the Cathedral along Calle Feria (one of Seville's oldest streets). Or take the C5 bus. The Moorish walls at Puerta de la Macarena mark the northern boundary. The Alameda de Hercules sits on its southern edge.
La Macarena is a family neighbourhood - it's very safe during the day and evening. Some streets are quieter at night than the centre, but the main thoroughfares and bar areas are busy and well-lit. Use normal common sense as you would anywhere.
Still have questions? The best answers come from locals at the venue.
Rankings recalculated weekly from live Google review data. Our Hot Score weighs review velocity, recency, rating trend, and baseline rating — no editorial picks, no paid placements. In Macarena, we especially weight local authenticity - venues that serve the neighbourhood, not tourists.