Category Archives: Sanlucar de Barrameda

Foreño

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Foreño opened its doors in Sanlúcar’s Plaza del Cabildo about a year ago, and when I was in town for Manzanilla Day, I took the opportunity to pay a visit. It’s the latest addition to the Tribeca group (Tribeca and Cañabota in Sevilla) run by the brothers Eduardo and Jaime Guardiola, and specialises in fish and seafood (the name Foreño is the local name for the wind that blows in from the sea).

There’s a pleasant bar inside, with both low and tall tables, and what I think is the prettiest terrace in Plaza del Cablildo. Efficient and attentive service too.

The menu is mainly big plates, but with some tapas. We had croquettes (choco and jamón), a scorpion fish paté, sea bream, and “postre de yema Calbarro”, the signature egg yolk cream dessert at Tribeca. All delicious.

Plaza del Cabildo 6
Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Tel 956 960 185
€ € € €

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Food 8 | Wine 9 | Service 8 | Ambiance 8

cabracho (scorpion fish) paté

croquetas: chocos and jamón

a side of garlicky potatoes

sea bream a la plancha

postre de yema Calbarro

pretty terraza!

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Peña Bética de Carlos

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Peña Betica de Carlos was the top find of our last visit to Sanlúcar, which we only found thanks to a tip from bodega owner José Caireles. Out in the working class neighbourhood in the northeast of town it’s one of those honest, basic fried fish bars with simple, excellent no nonsense food. Stars of the show are the whole fried cuttlefish, but also acedias, pijotas, boquerones and other staples of the genre. And as you might expect in Sanlúcar there’s Manzanilla – served by the glass or in half bottles fresh from the cask.

It’s also a place for fans of the Real Bétis football team, which helps fuel the friendly neighbourhood atmosphere fostered by owner & chef Carlos Juez and his team of two, brothers Manuel and Carmelo (Carlos was impressed when I gave him a big MANQUEPIERDA! 😉 ). All the tables were reserved when we arrived shortly after 1.00 pm, and it seems like these are standing reservations for regulars. But we found a spot at the bar and that turned out to be the best place to be as there is no table service.

Peña Bética was great fun as well as having great food – some of the photos here are of dishes ordered by the couple next to us at the bar, which they insisted on sharing with us. I’m already looking forward to going back.

Callejon de Guia 24
Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Tel +34 645 020 929
€ €

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Food 9 | Wine 9 | Bar Service 9 | Ambiance 9

fresh tomato salad

whole fried cuttlefish – the house speciality

calamares

salmonetes

acedias (small sole)

owner & chef Carlos Juez

Manuel with a big plate of fritos variados

tapaculos

crispy hake

big prawns

“dessert”

brothers Carmelo & Manuel

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Puerta de la Victoria

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Updated August 2018

puerta victoria
This relatively new bar a minute’s walk from the main square was recommended to us by Juan Hidalgo during our visit to the bodega, and turned out to be the best food experience of our Sanlúcar break. The bar is traditionally styled with lots of wood, sherry casks and shelves full of glasses and bottles, but doesn’t go overboard with the “fake antique” look, and there’s a little terrace in the pedestrian street outside, which was very pleasant on a relatively mild summer’s day.

There’s a nicely balanced menu with tapas ranging from 2 – 3.5€ (with one exception – a splendid stuffed & fried choco al amontillado for 4.50€). And I dare say that the tortillitas de camarones are every bit as good as at the better-known Casa Balbino around the corner. I’d like to go back with more friends to try some of the raciones (larger plates). Very good wine list with lots of options by the glass.

Calle de la Victoria, 7
Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Tel 956 365 925
€ € €

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Food 7 | Wine 7 | Service 6 | Ambiance 6

puerta victoria (3)

puerta victoria jamon quesojamón Ibérico and Payoyo cheese

salpicón de mariscos

puerta victoria tortillitatortillita de camarones (prawn fritters)

puerta victoria tortillita arttortillita art

chocos fritos

puerta victoria (8)carrillada (Iberian pork cheek)

puerta victoria choco amontilladochoco frito al amontillado with jamón and fried egg

puerta victoria bar

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Updated August 2018

Casa Balbino

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Updated August 2018

Casa Balbino could lay a very reasonable claim to being the best known bar in the centre of Sanlúcar, its fame due in part to its prime location on the pretty main town square, its age, and its reputation of being the place that all visitors have to go to at least once. I’m not sure that it quite lives up to the hype, but its still a very typical bar in a prime location, with reliably good food. It’s been going strong since founder Balbino Izquierdo Aldea arrived in 1924 and joined the staff of a small ultramarinos (grocer/corner shop), became its proprietor, and extended the business by opening a bar in the adjoining property. More recently it has also extended into Plaza de Victoria with a separate location that shares the same kitchen.

The bar is actually quite large, half essentially stand-at-the-bar or at the small shelves along the walls, the other half with about eight or nine tall tables with seating. Decor is dozens of old framed photos, mainly of bullfighting or scenes of the old town. The signature dish is undoubtedly the tortillita de camarones (shrimp fritter), and the menu is heavily biased towards local fish and seafood. And yes, you probably should come here at least once while you’re in Sanlúcar. But check the seafood prices before ordering… those large prawns can end up costing about 4€ each. Also be aware that it’s all self-service and the place can get crazy busy, so you’ll have to be very proactive about getting your food and drink. But the barmen are very friendly and helpful and, if you give them a wave, they will come over to refill your sherry glass.

Plaza del Cabildo, 14
Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Tel 956 36 05 13
€ € €

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Food 6 | Wine 7 | Service 6 | Ambiance 6

balbino (15)
balbino self service
balbino tortillitastortillitas de camarones (prawn fritters)

tortillita perfection

balbino croquetascroquetas de merluza (hake)

balbino aubergineprawns wrapped in aubergine

presa Ibérica

balbino pincho morunopincho moruno (lamb kebab)

breaded cuttlefish

balbino langostinoslangoustinos – 4€ each!

balbino chistorraschistorras (spicy chorizos)

balbino gambas al ajillogambas al ajillo

pork meatballs in tomato sauce

balbino (16)

balbino (14)

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Updated August 2018

Taberna Der Guerrita

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Updated August 2018

Taberna Der Guerrita came highly recommended as one of *the* bars to check out in Sanlúcar. The bar is rather nice, pleasantly rustic without overdoing it, and with a local neighbourhood feel. The tapas menu is modest in size – be sure to have the mojama (air-dried tuna), some of the best I’ve had anywhere. And as you might imagine, there was a very good wine list with many good by-the-glass options at very reasonable prices.

Der Guerrita is well known for its “sacristy” (in the sherry world a section of a bodega used for special wines), a room/shop adjacent to the bar used for holding catas (wine tastings) hosted by owner Armando Guerra.

Calle San Salvador, 34
Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Tel 697 826 096
€ € €

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Food 5 | Wine 8 | Service 5 | Ambiance 7

guerrita bar

guerrita mojamamojama (air-dried tuna)

pan-fried butifarra

guerrita carne salsapork in sauce

guerrita champis jamonmushrooms filled with bacon

pincho moruno

gambas al ajillo

guerrita wine tasting

guerrita nook

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Updated August 2018

Bar Navarro

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navarro

Bar Navarro was recommended by many as an absolute must-go-to fried fish place with the best acedias (small sole) in the universe. Possibly such high praise contributed to a degree of disappointment by raising unrealistic expectations. The bar itself was a rather ordinary neighbourhood bar just outside the old town, and nothing wrong with that per se, but they could at least have cleared away the detritus of earlier meals from the next tables. Also, serving the manzanilla a plastic “jerry-can” might be quaint, but to me it just added to the can’t-be-bothered ambiance. There’s a bar section with a few tall tables along one side of the L-shaped space and a “dining” area in the other. It’s all self-service.

So we had to try the acedias, of course, and they were actually quite good, though not especially special. The chocos were tough and chewy – I would’ve sent them back but didn’t get the sense that the barman cared that much. We also had the tapaculos (a flat fish similar to sole), which were delicioius – I would definitely have again if I came back.  Authentic? Yes, I suppose so, whatever exactly that means. Not sure that’s quite enough though.

Menacho 28
Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Tel
€ €

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Food 5 | Wine 4 | Service 4 | Ambiance 4

navarro barthe bar

navarro acediasacedias (small sole)

navarro chocoschocos (cuttlefish)

navarro tapaculostapaculos (curiously translates as “butt plug”)

navarro dining room“dining” area

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