Ricca Pizzería – an innovative Italian culinary experience in Seville, featuring Spain’s first ‘Omakase’ pizza bar

Andalucia’s vibrant and alluring capital is emerging as a contemporary gastronomic destination – a city where you can expect so much more than tapas. The new Ricca Pizzería Seville restaurant is amongst the trailblazers of this new culture of culinary storytelling, offering authentic, handcrafted Italian pizzas, as well as a unique omakase-style tasting experience at the purpose-built bar.

Recently opened in Seville’s riverside El Arenal neighbourhood, Ricca Pizzería is a sophisticated, yet relaxed restaurant that brings together the feelgood vibes of Italian food, with the creative ingenuity of Spain’s contemporary dining scene, writes Andrew Forbes (The Luxury Editor).

Creative culinary ingenuity

Omakase is a Japanese concept, where guests enjoy a tasting menu, devised by the chef – the word is said to mean ‘I leave it up to you’ – you let the chef take the lead, suggesting and creating dishes based on your preferences, dietary restrictions and the best seasonal ingredients. It’s a gastronomic approach that has inspired two culinary entrepreneurs, Lorenzo and Víctor, from Florence and Seville respectively who created Seville’s first Japanese restaurant with omakase bar, the acclaimed Kinu Restaurant Sevilla.

Now the gastronomic duo, through their business La Bombonera, have extended the omakase experience to Italian cuisine with the opening of Ricca Pizzería Sevilla.

Omakase Pizza Bar

At first, the idea sounds unorthodox, but in execution, it is absolutely thrilling, a genuine feast for all the senses.

As soon as you enter you are embraced by cool, contemporary, pared-back design. Ricca Pizzería feels fresh, modern and exciting yet the details each take strong design cues from Italy, with elegant hardwood, ceramic tiles and of course authentic Italian pizza ovens. The team are so welcoming and above all passionate about this new project.

Seville has moved beyond tapas, and for visitors looking to enjoy vibrant, sociable and memorable dining, the exclusive Ricca Pizzería omakase bar offers 8 lucky guests something quite extraordinary.

Sitting at the omakase bar the evening begins with a refreshing spritz, and a chance to greet your fellow diners. The team is hugely enthusiastic, and the chefs swiftly demonstrate their commitment to perfecting the art of pizza-making. The menu foregoes pasta options but offers a tantalizing array of handmade starters (Prima della Pizza), including freshly prepared courgette with cheese, baked before your eyes in the pizza oven, and Almadraba tuna tartar with truffle.

Tasting Experience

Then comes the pizzas. The beauty of a tasting experience is that one can savour a slice of multiple pizzas, each refined and elegant. This new omakase-style pizza bar, certainly elevates pizza to a gastronomic experience and the chefs are storytellers, sharing their anecdotes and passion for their creations asx they knead dough, add the toppings and dextrously carry the pizzas to the oven on long pizza oven paddles.

The restaurant has a strong commitment to authenticity, following the notion of ‘La Pizza è Italiana,’ using only ingredients imported from Italy to create traditional pizzas that are baked in ovens made by Valoriani, from Figline Valdarno, in Florence.

In addition to the omakase bar, the restaurant offers guests the opportunity to enjoy pizzas with friends and family, that are based upon the Neapolitan and Roman styles.

During our evening the chefs were explaining how they have honed their recipes and cooking techniques to not only delicious pizzas, but also ones that are light and digestible. Each pizza was surprisingly light and layered with flavours.

The experience is undoubtedly sociable and engaging, as well as entertaining as the chefs prepare each pizza before our eyes, sharing their passion for the art of pizza-making and offering insights into the creative process behind each dish.

To complement the exquisite pizzas, Ricca offers an impressive selection of Italian wines and bubbles for pairing at the pizza-tasting bar.

Ricca Pizzería, Sevilla is a new, immersive experience that not only celebrates the essence of Italian culinary tradition but elevates it with a contemporary, innovative approach that creates an extraordinary evening.