If there's one restaurant in Seville that everyone who knows about food in Spain has heard of, it's Casa Robles. The Robles family opened their first bar and restaurant here in 1954. Over the decades, the traditional, discrete dining rooms—there are several of them—have hosted royalty, politicians, and film stars. It's formal, fine dining with impeccable service and generally excellent food to boot. The emphasis is on local ingredients and traditional cooking, featuring dishes that are often quite rich, such as pork fillet in an oak-aged sherry sauce, slow-roasted lamb shank, and poached salmon in orange sauce. But it's not cheap—locals might eat here for a special occasion or for an important business lunch, but more typically you'll find a well-heeled tourist at the table next to you.

If you do decide to splurge here, save room for the desserts. Lara Robles, one of the the current generation of the family overseeing their five eateries in the city, is a bit of a dessert aficionado, and they are really rather special. Last time I was there I had an exquisite chocolate stracciatella cake (a chocolate chip ice cream and sponge creation) with cherries soaked in a local liquor called Miura. If you'd rather make your euros go a little further, try one of their less-formal eateries in other locations. The more relaxed tapas bar in Calle Placentines is, in my opinion, better value for your money, and you can sample those amazing desserts with a coffee at Robles Laredo on Plaza San Francisco.