MAMARRACHA: THIS MODERN TAPAS RESTAURANT IN SEVILLE IS ONE THAT YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS
The Cost -$38
The Atmosphere –A lively restaurant in a very cool space, often packed full of thirty-somethings, Mamarracha has a super fun atmosphere and vibe. It’s got a very modern, urban feel to it with a live wall and sleek furniture. A perfect restaurant for dates, an outing with friends, or a special occasion, the restaurant does tapas in its own, funky-chic way. Reservations are available and recommended.
Seville boasts some pretty amazing attractions with the gothic Seville Cathedral, the beautiful La Giralda bell tower, the incredible Real Alcázar palace, and the awe-inspiring Plaza de España topping most lists. But in addition to amazing history and culture, Seville also offers a pretty incredible food scene with many restaurants serving up traditional tapas and Andalucian specialties. One restaurant that is putting a modern twist on the traditional tapas meal is Mamarracha, which opened in 2014 right in the heart of the city.
The Order – Roasted Artichokes, Eggplant with Miso, Torta de Inés Rosales, and Iberian Pork with Tomato and Melted Cheese.
The Phenomenal – The Iberian Pork with Tomato and Melted Cheese wasn’t a dish that immediately jumped out at me, but it was highly recommended by the waiter. When it got to the table and I took my first bite, my mind was blown. How did they get the grilled pork to be so unbelievably juicy and flavorful? Part of the answer may lie in the fact that the restaurant uses quebracho charcoal, special wood charcoal that is made from the quebracho tree, to grill its food. The results are spectacular and the pork with the mozzarella cheese and cherry tomatoes ended up being one of the best pork dishes I’ve ever had.
The Fantastic – Arranged beautifully in the shape of a flower, the Roasted Artichoke was a really wonderful addition to this meal. The romesco sauce was very nicely done and the artichoke was cooked well but the best part was probably that the restaurant takes the work out of eating the artichoke by removing the inedible parts of the leaves and leaving you with artichoke meat that you can pop right into your mouth. An excellent dish that I would order every single time and an amazing value at just over $4.
The Great – The Eggplant with Miso was cooked very well and was coated with honey and a nice yogurt sauce with some bonito flakes. On the side of the plate was some powdered chili which allowed you to make the dish as spicy as you wanted it to be. The combination of the sweet, salty, crunchy, and spicy was great and the eggplant added to the dish rather than just being a vessel for the other ingredients and sauces.
The Torta de Inés Rosales dish at Mamarracha was a true learning experience as it introduced me to a local company in Seville that has been making its famous sweet crackers by hand for more than 100 years. Inés Rosales, the founder of the company called Inés Rosales, started selling these “tortas” out of the kitchen of her home in 1910 using a recipe that has been passed down for generations. Today, the company is well known all throughout Spain and the tortas are commonly eaten by children all over Andalucia. Mamarracha takes one of Inés Rosales’s famous tortas and places a tuna that has been stewed in onions on top, creating a kind of open-faced cracker sandwich. It is truly the use of the torta that makes this dish special with the sugar creating a flavor combination with the stewed tuna that is unique and fun.
The Verdict – Overall, the meal at Mamarracha was one of my favorite meals during my time in Spain, both because of the amazing vibe of the restaurant and because of the quality, creativity, and sophistication infused into the restaurant’s tapas. While it is certainly important to visit some traditional tapas bars if you are traveling through the city, Mamarracha should absolutely be on your list of eateries to visit if you are going to spend any time in Seville.