Flamenco: A Quick Guide

One of the main attractions at Café Sevilla is our authentic Spanish Flamenco show, which started at our original San Diego location more than 20 years ago in a bare downstairs room with one light bulb, and has since grown into a spectacular dinner show that draws crowds every weekend at all three locations.


Widely praised as the most authentic, consistently high-quality Flamenco presentation in Southern California, Sevilla’s show is performed by talented and experienced artists who have all trained extensively in Spain, the home of Flamenco. Experiencing our dinner show is the closest thing to sitting in a real Spanish tablao that you will find on this side of the Atlantic.If you’ve never seen a Flamenco performance, you might be curious or confused about what you are about to see before you decide to make a reservation. Here’s some basic info to get you started:


Flamenco has been part of the Spanish heart and culture for more than 500 years. It is the passionate, sometimes melancholy music of the gypsies of Andalusia, heavily influenced by the Moors of North Africa who ruled Spain for more than 800 years.


Gathered around a campfire for the night with their guitars, drums and castañets, gypsies would spontaneously break into a juerga, an impromptu outburst of guitarra (guitar playing), cante (song) and baile (dance), rhythmically snapping their fingers (pitos), clapping (palmas), and stamping their feet (zapateados). Over the years this evolved into a dance form with its own songs and traditions, including the women’s costumes of long, flared skirts and fringed shawls that accentuate every twirl.


The relationship between dancer and guitarist makes flamenco a unique dance form. Contrary to most dance forms, it is the guitarist who follows the dancer’s prompts. Duende, the baring of one’s soul in all its frank emotion, is another crucial element of Flamenco. Passion, longing, and a deep pride are the feelings most frequently expressed through these dances and songs.


A real Flamenco performance is an unforgettable experience. We hope you’ll come see our talented artists soon. For details of the Flamenco show at each location, and to make a reservation, please visit our website. ¡Olé!

El Día de los Enamorados

It’s February, and you know what that means… El Día de los Enamorados.
Valentine’s Day!

Romance, love, and passion are in the air, and every year couples flock to Café Sevilla to celebrate together in a beautiful setting, with delicious food and the live music and dancing of our passionate Flamenco artists performed in an intimate setting.

Chef Cesar Castillo has planned a delectable four-course prix-fixe Valentine’s Day menu this year that begins with a duet of portobello mushroom ravioli and sea scallops, served with a Romesco almond sauce and a verjus chive emulsion. The appetizer is followed by a Mediterranean salad with poached black mission fig, goat cheese canapé and Sherry tapenade vinaigrette. There is a choice of two entrées: Cupid's Duet, a beef tenderloin with Port reduction truffle sauce paired with jumbo shrimp with blood orange saffron beurre blanc; or our house specialty, Paella San Valentín: saffron rice casserole with mussels, clams, 
calamari, shrimp, scallops, roasted chicken, and chorizo sausage, topped with a broiled coldwater lobster tail. Finally, your Valentine’s Day meal concludes with a special heart-shaped cupidón cake for two, with strawberry mousse and chocolate ganache.


Are you hungry yet? The only thing that could make this meal even better is pairing it with the romantic live music of Flamenco and Rumba guitarists, or the passionate performance of our live Flamenco show. Most of the gypsy songs at the heart of Flamenco performances are about love – love lost, love found, unrequited love and broken hearts. You don’t need to understand the words to feel the artists communicate their passion through their expert and heartfelt singing, guitar playing, or dancing. It is a wonderfully romantic way to spend time with your lover.

In San Diego, our amazing cuadro will perform the Flamenco Dinner Show at 5pm and 7:30 on Valentine’ Day. In Riverside, you can choose between Flamenco shows in the tapas bar (5:30pm and 8:30pm), main dining room (4:30pm and 7pm) and nightclub (1pm) or our exciting Tango, Gaucho and Salsa show in the nightclub (4:30pm and 7pm). At our Long Beach location, the Flamenco show is offered at 1pm, 4:30pm and 7pm in the nightclub. Please visit our website for all the details and prices, and make your reservation today for your most romantic dinner of the year.

Despite Recession, Café Sevilla CEO Says Gaslamp Quarter is Still the Place to Be for Restaurants

Eric Van Den Haute, the CEO of Sevilla, Inc., says that despite the recession, San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter is “still a thriving area” and the best location for businesses like his aiming for local clientele as well as out-of-town visitors.

Café Sevilla, one of the Gaslamp Quarter’s oldest and most successful establishments, just celebrated its 22nd year at 555 Fourth Avenue. Its two other locations, in Riverside’s Historic Downtown and on Pine Avenue in Long Beach, are also doing well despite hard times for the industry.

“With about 150 restaurants, the Gaslamp Quarter is the most eclectic area for food destinations, and 90 percent are still run by independent operators,” noted Van Den Haute. “Independents offer a unique dining experience to guests in a choice location, and we find that is still our visitors’ expectation. They come to the Gaslamp knowing they will find a large number of options they can’t find anywhere else.”

Van Den Haute says that this variety of choices is a draw for both locals and also out-of-town visitors who often come to the Gaslamp via the nearby Convention Center: “Why eat at a national chain you can find back home, when instead you can eat at a popular San Diego restaurant and make your visit more memorable?”

As for Café Sevilla itself, the tapas bar/restaurant/nightclub is weathering the recession well, thanks to a major overhaul of the menu and prices. “We have felt the recession, business is down, but I always see these cycles as ultimately positive, because they give you the opportunity to re-evaluate every part of your business and make changes for the better,” Van den Haute says. “In the end, the guests are the one who benefit from it, because pricing is normalized, and quality comes through.”

A Lobster Bisque to Beat the Cold

When the weather is chilly, what could be better than a rich, filling bowl of soup? Naomi Wise, the San Diego Reader's well-respected dining writer, has done a fantastic job creating a long list of the best soups offered at restaurants all around San Diego. We're honored to be included for our delicious, rich Lobster Bisque, which is served topped with a baked puff-pastry crown and garnished with a dash of sherry right at the table. if you're feeling a little chilly - or just hungry - come in and enjoy some today. (Our Lobster Bisque is available at all Sevilla locations.)

For Naomi's roundup of great soups, click here.

Celebrating Noche Vieja

It’s time for the biggest celebration of the year: New Year’s Eve. Generally speaking, in Europe, New Year’s Eve is the occasion for bigger parties and celebrations than Christmas, which is a more religious and solemn observance. On New Year’s Eve, or Noche Vieja, the Spanish, like other Europeans, plan elaborate dinners with all their favorite delicacies and rivers of wine and sparkling wine (cava) to ring in the new year. It’s a time to gather with friends and family, and after dinner, to go dancing at end of year cotillones, or parties.

On New Year’s Eve we both reflect on the year that has passed and look forward to the new year about to begin. It’s a conclusion and a new beginning, and gathering together with others to celebrate those first steps into the future renews our friendships and our ties to the community.

At Sevilla we look forward to continuing these traditions with a special New Year’s Eve menu created by Executive Chef Cesar Castillo. You can see the complete menu at our web site: www.cafesevilla.com. Chef Cesar makes use of the freshest ingredients to give a unique Spanish twist to a selection of mouthwatering dishes. Our list of Spanish wines is the perfect accompaniment. With the live guitar music and the option of seeing our famous Flamenco show before partying until the midnight celebration, it really does feel like you’re celebrating in Spain. The only question is, do you choose our signature Paella, topped with a broiled lobster tail, or instead go for the Mar Y Tierra duet of tenderloin filet and sautéed marinated shrimp? Either way, be sure to leave room for dessert. ¡Feliz año nuevo!

Examiner.com Reviews our Brunch

Check out this nice review of our brunch on Examiner.com! If you like Bloody Marys, you should try our gazpacho version.

Why We Love Tapas

It seems every food culture has its version of a pleasant, leisurely meal eaten as a group, consisting of an assortment of small plates with just a few bites of many different dishes. The Koreans have banchan; in the Middle East they serve mezzeh. In Spain, tapas are a tradition that began in the Middle Ages and has remained so popular that lately the term itself it has spread around the world. It is not unusual to see a restaurant offering “Italian tapas” or to see a version of tapas listed on a Japanese menu. But tapas are, and can only be, Spanish.

In fact, the popularity of Spanish tapas-style eating predicted the current move in the best restaurants away from large entrée-style portions. This reflects diners’ desires for both healthier and more affordable portion sizes. In many establishments entrées have been eliminated altogether. Many sophisticated diners can’t remember the last time they were served a large portion of a single dish; they wouldn’t remember what to do with it. The idea of so much plate real estate taken up by a 16-oz. steak or a gallon of pasta has become a bit off-putting. You eat, and eat, and eat, and it’s still there.

With tapas, on the other hand, nearly every other bite offers a new and exciting taste sensation. You don’t get bored, and although combining several tapas makes for a healthy meal, you feel less stuffed. You’re able to slow down and enjoy the space between the dishes as much as the dishes themselves. There’s no need to put your head down and work away at your plate – there’s not that much on it. But just when you’re ready for it, another small plate appears with something new to try.

As you can guess, at Sevilla, we love tapas. They are our pán y mantequilla. We love them hot; we love them cold. We love them in slices, piled on a little plate, or hanging on a skewer. When you sit down to order a few of these little plates, you can already feel yourself relaxing.

Here are some of our favorites you should try the next time you come in:

Dates stuffed with Cabrales blue cheese, wrapped in bacon with an apple cider vinegar glaze

Grilled shrimp brocheta with citrus

Green mussels escabeche, marinated in olive oil and lemon, with fresh Serrano pepper salsa

Black paella, made with bomba rice and seafood, topped with a dollop of our homemade alioli sauce

House tortilla Española: egg, potato, and onion tart with sun-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic, and goat cheese

Imported Jamon Ibérico, the famous pata negra cured ham from the mountain villages of Spain