Sevilla Eats: Taberna Álvaro Peregil's Montaditos (Little Sandwiches) and Vino de Naranja
Living in Valencia, I sometimes bemoan the lack of quick eats or street food. That is, besides sitting down in a restaurant and eating a proper lunch, dinner, or even almuerzo (mid-morning meal, that might be a hearty sandwich with tortilla), the options for a quick snack tend to be bakery items that have been sitting out in the display case since the morning (or even the day before, in some cases). (That’s why I love going to Tian Tian Da Rou Bao for a hot meat-filled bun every now and then!)
In contrast, one of my favorite aspects of Sevilla is that casual snacks like their famous pringá are freshly made to order, and can be eaten standing up as a quick break in the day. Pringá is a sandwich made with a little crusty bun, and filled with shredded meat and bits of chorizo and morcilla (blood sausage). On our first day in Sevilla, we took a walk around the historic center, and stopped by Taberna Álvaro Peregil for just this pringá, just steps from the Cathedral.
Is it me, or do Sevillanas look particularly well-dressed and elegant at all times?
I believe there are actually two parts to the eatery: one side is more of a sit-down joint, while the part we went to was a tiny bar-type setup where you order at the counter and take your beverage or plate somewhere else to munch on. You can see it’s quite crowded on a Saturday!
This tiny ledge just about spans the right side of the cozy space - directly the the right, is the edge of a wooden door…
…which leads to the “bathroom.” The sign says “Don’t Run in the Bathroom Hallways.” It’s a joke, because when you open the door, you’re standing just inches away from a ceramic wall that functions as a urinal! That’s why the sign also indicates that it’s a men’s bathroom.
While waiting for our pringá, we snacked on some chicharrones de Cádiz, which are unlike the fried “chicharrones” one might be used to seeing. The Cádiz-style ones are like a cold cut, tangy with lemon and quite refreshing despite the fat. This version wasn’t quite as sublime as the thinly sliced version I ate at Casa Manteca in Cádiz itself, but were still quite good. We all got a glass of the vino de naranja, a wine from Andalucía. It’s a type of white wine, but has a dark brown color because the grapes are sun-dried. And then the wine is flavored with macerated orange peel. It’s sweet and refreshing - a delicious combination! The vino de naranja is one of the specialties of this bar.
Then our pringá came out, and we moved to an outside table.
The version here was hot and crunchy with a good sear from the griddle, and the interior had well-distinguished pockets of pork, morcilla, and chorizo. Very satisfying.
We actually went back on a weekday, for a snack before visiting the Alcazar. Perhaps since it was a weekday, and/or everyone was at the Feria, it was much less crowded. You can see the door to the sit-down part on the left.
We once again ordered the pringá, but this time I also wanted to try the “especial de lomo,” or pork loin special. This was a layer of jamón, a thin slice of griddled pork loin, and a smear of a tangy red sauce. Also delicious!
Taberna Álvaro Peregil is a cute little place with scrumptious little sandwiches and refreshing vino de naranja, making the perfect place for a quick snack just 2 minutes from La Giralda, the bell tower of the Sevilla Cathedral.
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Taberna Álvaro Peregil (La Goleta)
Calle Mateos Gago, 20
41004 Sevilla
Spain
