L'Oca Giuliva — Restaurant in Seville

L'Oca Giuliva is okay. Yes just okay. Actually it is a TTT restaurant (tourist trap type) trying to disguise itself as an authentic Italian. We should have known better as the location screamed "come on in to a charmingly decorated restaurant and pay outrageous prices for a pretend authentic Italian meal".

Oh well, our fault. We were short of time as we were catching our train for a five hour journey. Obviously planning on a satisfying meal for lunch.

Service was just that. Service. No big smiles welcoming us in. No friendly greeting. No explanation of the menu. No suggestions. Though the interior had only three tables occupied and one table occupied outdoors, we definitely did not feel like we were treated as guests who would be spending 60€ for lunch (food only, no beer or wine).

Not that the food was real bad but so many things were lacking to make it even good. First off, they plop a small paper sack of two hard as a rock bread rolls in frint of you. No explanation. Drop and go. Yep, remember its not free. This practice sucks and should be illegal. You will pay 3,80€ to gnaw on stale bread while hoping you don't break a tooth or make the roof of your mouth raw. I know, it was our choice to go ahead and eat it, but since we had decided to have only one meal today, we were very hungry by 13:30h. I had no idea it would cost 3,80€. At most this day old should cost 1,50€, no actually it should be free!

You are also served a few black olives (strange as in Italy I have only been served green).

Olive oil, wine vinegar and salt & pepper was on the table. Good thing for the oil since soaking the stale bread in the oil helped us swallow. But...wine vinegar? At an Italian restaurant?? Where is the balsamic? Strange.

Our starter was the Caprese Salad. In my attached photo, I actually 'dressed it up' on my own with oil, vinegar, salt & pepper. Oh my. Look at this. For 15,90€ we got a PLAIN sliced not ripe flavorless tomato and a round of simple mozzarella cheese with a decortive teeny sprig of basil. How pathetic! What would this cost you at the local Consum grocery?? Possibly 1,20€ for two tomatoes (though this was most likely only one and a half tomatoes) and 3,50€ for a ball of mozzarella. Not even quality Burrata cheese!! No flavor. No basil. No herbs. No pesto. No balsalmic reduction. No SOMETHING to enhance the empty flavor. And the price. Oh my.

For our mains, we both chose off the 'fresh pasta' menu. Again this is PASTA and each dish was quite pricey. Mine was the Tagliatelle Tartufo. Not even FRESH mushrooms. Really. Canned mushy 'shrooms were stirred into my pasta with maybe a bit of truffle oil to pretend to taste like truffles. No shaved truffles. No truffle flakes. No offer of Parmigiano cheese - which is always offered on a pasta dish. No one came by to offer cheese. No twirling spoon. How is this an ITALIAN restaurant??? And the price? For a fist size portion...16,50€. YIKES!

Husband ordered the Ravioli Pecorino Pere. At least it was flavorful with the butter and thyme sauce. But the pear stuffing was very limited. These were the flatest - or least filled ravioli we have ever seen. An easy way to stretch their costs but still offer the dish. This cost, crazy at 16,90€

Bottom line, this is more like a VERY overpriced fast food Italian. They are definitely not using Nonna's old original recipes.

L'Oca Giuliva is here in the tourist trap area of Seville to do just that. TRAP you into paying absolute crazy high prices then having the nerve upon checkout with the credit card reader to ask for a tip to be added to your tab. Come on. This is Spain. Tipping culture doesn't work like that. It is not a requirement!!! We leave a few Euros IF we feel service/food/experience was exceptional. Our experience was none of these.

(And I do know this as I am a permanent resident of Spain since 2018. Please don't TRAP your guests like this. Simply stop!)

Our visit was Thursday 16 January...

A whirlwind family lunch in Seville found its surprising and delectable haven at L'Oca Giuliva. When it comes to conjuring up the magic of authentic Italian cuisine, L'Oca Giuliva takes the trophy! It's a slice of Italy nestled amidst the flamenco-fueled allure of Seville, and trust me, it's an experience that will have you saying "delizioso!"

Tucked away in a charming alley, it was our final stop after a frantic search for a place that could tickle the fussy palates of our family. Each step inside this cozy restaurant felt like a warm embrace from the old Italian nonna we never had.

Now, let’s talk about the real star of our visit - the pizza. In one word, it was heavenly. From the light, crispy crust that sang a song of the perfect bake, to the rich, tangy tomato sauce that was a love letter from the ripest of Italian tomatoes, every bite was an explosion of flavors. The generous helping of the freshest mozzarella draped over the pizza like a soft blanket, and the basil, oh the basil! It was like a sprinkle of Italy right there on our table.

Equally commendable was the pesto that had our kids practically licking their plates. Rich, creamy, and exquisitely flavored, it was a ballet of basil, garlic, and parmesan that had us all enchanted. Who knew a hurried lunch could feel like an Italian grandmother had spent the entire day in the kitchen, lovingly preparing a meal for her brood?

The staff at L'Oca Giuliva were the cherries on top of this delightful dining experience. Always wearing warm smiles, they whizzed around like well-choreographed dancers, ensuring that our fast lunch felt relaxed, and our glasses were always brimming.

Despite our rushed schedule, they made us feel like the guests of honor at an Italian family gathering. Their charm and efficiency were outmatched only by their knowledge of the menu, and their recommendations were spot-on. The quick service was an added bonus - our food arrived in no time, piping hot and smelling like a dream, giving us ample time to savor it and still meet our driver.

As for the prices, they were as appealing as the food. Excellent value for authentic Italian food, so good that you'd be forgiven for thinking you'd been teleported to a quaint trattoria in Naples.

Here's an amusing anecdote from our gastronomical adventure. While searching for a restaurant that would satisfy our varied family tastes, we turned down a flamenco dancer’s suggestion, ignored a matador's recommendation, and bypassed several restaurants with tantalizing aromas wafting from them. We were looking for the elusive perfect meal, and our culinary quest led us straight to L'Oca Giuliva. The matador must have thought we were crazy, but when we finally bit into that divine pizza, we knew we’d made the right choice!

In a nutshell, L'Oca Giuliva is an Italian symphony playing in the heart of Seville. Its beautiful melodies come in the form of delicious pizzas and lip-smacking pesto, and its rhythm echoes in the swift, friendly service. So, the next time you're in Seville and find yourself craving a taste of Italy, you know where to go. Just follow the intoxicating aroma of baking pizza and let L'Oca Giuliva charm you with its culinary magic. I assure you, it'll be an act you'll want...

Was really looking forward to a nice meal with my wife on our last night in Seville. The restaurant was highly recommended on many reviews so felt it would be a nice place to spend our last evening. After being seated we had to wait 10 minutes for a waiter to bring over a menu. We both ordered a simple pasta dish and some bread for the table. Another 40 minutes passed by and there was no sign of our food. In this time, the table beside us (who were seated at the same time as us) had received their orders, finished their food and paid the bill. I called the attention of the waitress who had taken our order, when she came to the table she asked if we'd like to order food. I informed her that she had taken our order 40 mins previously. She said she'd check with the kitchen. She came back and told us that the chef said it would be 10 more minutes, that the kitchen was busy and that was the reason for the delay. This was clearly a lie, our order was obviously lost because by this time tables who were seated long after us had received their food. We then waited another 20 mins for our food to arrive, which it didn't. We decided to leave money on the table for our drinks and bread and walked out. Unfortunately, lost orders do sometimes happen, if the waitress had admitted their mistake and apologized it would have been frustrating but understandable. To be told lies and left waiting 1 hour 10 mins without food...