Az-Zait restaurante — Restaurant in Seville

This place is super underrated. Not your typical Sevillano experience but if you’re here for a while and got your fill of the classic tapas, I highly recommend a visit here. It’s a lite version of the fancy gastronomy dishes, with a much more comfortable flavor profile, and less than 1/5 of the price.

Let me get one subpar thing out of the way though, for the foreigners. I came with a reservation right at the opening of the restaurant and I know in southern Spain it’s likely that they are prepping for full open as they actually open. But while I was sitting there people were dusting and spraying and mopping, which is great to see that they clean like that!! But I was just holding my wine glass close to avoid getting the dust in my drink. So perhaps come 15-20 minutes after opening!

Ordered the degustation menu (8 courses)

Course 0 was the gel of gin and tonic with a lemon juice squeezer. Very unique! Along with it was served a seed bread and a laundry line?? of a type of dried meat.

Course 1: ajo blanco malagueño (cold almond soup) that was poured over a bowl with red wine sorbet, citrus fruit, a mango ‘ravioli’ (you would have had similar popping boba like things from other gastronomy restaurants!) and those crackling pop candy things from childhood. You can feel and taste and hear it while you eat! Super cool and delicious. The recommendation is that you do not mix it around to try to taste it all separately.

Course 2: ravioli de gamba. Served in a stone bowl with lid. It’s a mushroom ravioli but the wrapping itself is a shrimp! The sauce was hoison-y for a lack of better adjectives. A bit salty for my taste, so go easy on the sauce, but rich!

Course 3: Rabo del toro sandwich served in a stone rack. Comes with a little tube of Mayo and mustard (didn’t taste much of the mustard) for you to squeeze into your sandwich. The carb part is very flaky like a pastry sheet. Yuum.

Course 4: boletus mushroom and foie gras risotto. They bring the truffle cart and shave it on top for you. Didn’t get a whole lot of the truffle aroma but the mushroom and foie gras were already strong and rich enough!

Course 5: Hake (fish) with smoky eggplant hummus. Served in what looks like a stone honeydew melon. You get this fish and you’re like ok cool, and you take a piece and get some of the smoky eggplant underneath and you’re like OHH. It’s good. It’s fresh.

Course 6: at this point I was quite full. But the next course was a roasted foie gras medallion with caramelized apple. Wowow. So rich, so decadent, soo fatty. The apple was just perfect for the foie gras.

Course 7: you get either the cheese cart or a lemon sorbet and I chose the sorbet because the previous course was so heavy. Came in an egg shape thing with flakes of freeze dried flowers, I think? They were crunchy and sweet! Perfect texture variance for the sorbet.

Course 8: dessert. A potted mint plant, but in banana pudding, banana ice cream, and cookie crumble. I’ve seen similar things frequently so this was less exciting. Along with it was Az-zaits take on a ferrero rocher, served with chocolate covered granola in a literal rock. Not sure what the rock does but it was cool.

I also ordered still water (2.5 euro charge) and a glass of orange wine (for the super reasonable price (American here) of 4-6 euros per cup) which you can pick from an iPad app that explains the wines for you. Also the bread from course zero is 1 euro!...

We visited the Michelin Guide award-winning restaurant “Az Zait” in Seville and experienced their 6-course tasting menu. Overall, the experience was both positive and thought-provoking. Naturally, the restaurant’s prestigious award raised my expectations quite a bit. The space itself is elegant, and the staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming. The presentation of the dishes was visually stunning; each plate arrived looking like a work of art. However, the seating at the entrance felt somewhat less refined compared to the more central part of the restaurant, which offered a much better ambiance. The meal lasted about 2 hours and 30 minutes, but the sequence of dishes felt rather heavy.

The Huevo a baja temperatura, crema de patata y pulpo a la parrilla (Egg at low temperature, potato cream and grilled octopus) was one of the standout dishes. The egg, slow-cooked at a low temperature, had a perfectly silky and runny texture that was delightful. Paired with the creamy richness of the potato and the grilled octopus’ slightly charred flavor, it created an excellent combination. The different textures came together beautifully, but like the rest of the menu, it leaned on the heavier side.

However, the 2 porciones de queso a elegir o sorbete (2 portions of cheese or sorbet), specifically the lemon sorbet, was the true palate cleanser. After such rich dishes, the refreshing, light, and zesty sorbet felt like a breath of fresh air. The sharp acidity of the lemon cleared the palate and balanced the menu beautifully. It was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the evening.

For dessert, the Sopa de chocolate blanco, helado de yogur y amaretto (White chocolate soup, yoghurt ice-cream and amaretto) was served. The richness of the white chocolate soup paired nicely with the slightly tangy yogurt ice cream, creating a balanced contrast. The amaretto added a lovely almond note to the dish. Still, the dessert, like much of the menu, was quite indulgent and heavy.

In general, while the flavors were excellent and the presentation was impeccable, the tasting menu felt overly rich and dense. I would have appreciated a bit more explanation about the dishes and techniques, as that could have elevated the overall experience. “Az Zait” certainly lives up to its Michelin status, but a lighter touch in the menu would have made for an even more...

Fabulous Dinner At Az-Zait Restaurant, Seville

Our friends found this restaurant in the Michelin Guide as it has been awarded a Bib Gourmand for many years. Bib Gourmand is not quite a Michelin Star, but is a recognition of high quality food at a reasonable price.

We couldn’t praise this family-run (chef father, his wife running front-of-house, and their two sons waiters)restaurant enough. We chose their Menú "Cerro de los Olivos" 7 courses (actually about 10 in all) priced at €50! The wines were also very reasonable at about €30 per bottle. For this price we got creative, superb food served impeccably. The 7 courses were very varied, each with its own unique presentation and all equally delicious. The unhurried but very well paced service took about 2.5 hours. We all thoroughly enjoyed our marvellous meal.

We had:

Amuse bouche of lentil soup, served with bread and their own olive oil and black olive tapenade

Bombón de foie envuelto en cobre Duck foie gras terrine

Another amuse bouche of beef gel with a peach / mango (?) flavoured "yolk"

Ravioli de gambas relleno con morcilla a la miel Prawn ravioli and black pudding with honey

Ajoblanco malagueño con granizado de tinto Ajoblanco, cold soup with almond and red wine granita

Salteado de tallarines de calamar de potera Jig squid stir-fry with red pepper sauce

Presa ibérica con migas Iberian pork "presa" with migas (scrambled bread)

2 porciones de queso a elegir o sorbete cheese or sorbet

Maceta (tocinillo de cielo, helado de plátano y "tierra" de chocolate) Flower Pot (egg yolk pudding, banana ice-cream and chocolate "Soil")

Petits fours

One of the best meals we've had for a while. Excellent!

(Also posted to my food blog on Instagram...