El Tabanco (Hotel Alcázar de la Reina)

The house

El Tabanco is the restaurant of the Hotel Alcázar de la Reina, in the old town of Carmona, near the Puerta de Córdoba. It has been in the house for more than 25 years and presents itself as Andalusian cooking that mixes tradition with contemporary technique, using regional produce.

It has three spaces: the more formal restaurant dining room; an open-air terrace that the house describes as a quiet corner right in the centre, with tapas, dishes and an extensive wine list; and the Taberna Flamenca, the informal part for tapas and a glass of wine, decorated with flamenco and bullfighting touches. Upstairs, the hotel has a cocktail terrace with views of the plain.

What to order

The restaurant menu is published with prices. It starts with grocer's-shop appetisers, such as Iberian ham (€24) or Payoyo goat's cheese from Cádiz with toasts and homemade jam (€18), and seasonal cold starters: tomato with spring onion and extra virgin olive oil (€14), Córdoba salmorejo with ham (€9.50) or charcoal-roasted peppers with almadraba tuna belly (€16).

Among the hot dishes, the house highlights its ham croquettes, "very homemade and very creamy" (€12.50), and Iberian pork cheeks stewed in Pedro Ximénez (€17.50). The fish comes from the Huelva fish market, such as chargrilled hake (€18.50) or gratinated cod with alioli (€19); among the meats there is chargrilled Iberian pluma (€19.50), Segureño lamb chops (€23) and dry-aged beef chuletón for two (€68). For dessert, creamy Payoyo cheesecake (€6.50) or brioche torrija with ice cream (€7).

If you are just passing through, the Taberna is the quick way to try the cooking through tapas and raciones; it has its own menu, which the website links separately.

Opening hours and booking

Neither the hotel nor the restaurant's website publishes the opening hours or closing day. Book on El Tabanco's website, by WhatsApp on 605 010 156, by phone on 954 196 200 or at [email protected], and confirm the time before going, especially on a Sunday evening.

What to combine it with

It is a few minutes' walk from the Puerta de Córdoba and the Priory Church of Santa María, so it fits well at the end of a stroll round the old town. If you arrive from Seville on the bus, you can eat here and head back in the afternoon.