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Brick arches and vaults of the 12th-century Arab baths, with the tables laid at San Marco Santa Cruz restaurant

12th century · Santa Cruz quarter

A restaurant inside 12th-century Arab baths

Horseshoe arches, columns and a vault with star-shaped openings. Nine centuries of history on Calle Mesón del Moro and, since 1991, our home.

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A house nine centuries old

San Marco Santa Cruz occupies Mudéjar-style Arab baths from the 12th century on Calle Mesón del Moro. Their horseshoe arches, columns and brick walls are still here, and so is the vault with its madawis, the star-shaped openings of the old baths.

Today those stars glow above the tables. Where there was once steam, there is fresh pasta, pizza and a guitar that plays every night.

Close-up of the star-shaped openings in the brick vault of the Arab baths

From bathhouse to restaurant

  1. 12th century

    The baths

    Mudéjar-style Arab baths. Muslims purified themselves here before prayer at the great mosque, where the Cathedral stands today. The star-shaped openings in the vault, the madawis, date from then.

  2. Catholic Monarchs

    The inn

    The baths became an inn for the Mudéjar merchants passing through Seville. That is why the street is called Mesón del Moro, the Moor's Inn.

  3. The Church

    The lodging house

    The building passed to the Church and remained a lodging house, with guests and animals under the same roof.

  4. Stables

    Horses and carriages

    Later it became stables for horses and a carriage store. The millstones on the façade, which protected the walls, date from that time.

  5. 1991

    San Marco

    San Marco Santa Cruz opens, the fourth restaurant of the San Marco family. Since then, the vault has been a dining room.

The full story of the Arab baths
The restaurant's entrance hall with stone steps, candles, a wrought-iron grille and a carved wooden ceiling

What you see as you come in

The entrance hall
Stone steps, candles, a wrought-iron grille and a carved wooden ceiling. Once you cross it, the street stays outside.
The vault and its stars
The heart of the old baths: horseshoe arches, columns and the madawis lit above the tables.
The millstones
On the façade. They protected the walls when the building was a stable for horses and a carriage store.
The rooms
Palomar, Almorí, Giralda and the central patio: each room has its own atmosphere, from Mudéjar to French style.

And at the table, Italy

The cooking is Italian and homemade: fresh pasta, pizza with San Marzano tomatoes, meat, fish and desserts made in the house, plus a six-course tasting menu for €46 (€66 with wine pairing).

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What has been said about this house

“…San Marco restaurant, a refurbished Muslim bathhouse that makes you feel as if you’re dining in a sultan’s chambers.”
Los Angeles Times

Ferran Adrià worked in our kitchens. Madonna, Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Slash and Camilo José Cela have eaten here, and many more. Today we hold 4.5 out of 5 from more than 5,700 Google reviews.

Millstones set into the façade on Calle Mesón del Moro, in the Santa Cruz quarter

Follow the story

The building is only part of it. All around, the Santa Cruz quarter holds nine centuries of Seville: the old Jewish quarter, the Giralda and the Royal Alcázar, all a short walk away.

Questions

Are these real Arab baths?

Yes. The building was Mudéjar-style Arab baths in the 12th century. It keeps its horseshoe arches, its columns and the vault with its star-shaped openings.

Can you still bathe there?

No. Since 1991 it has been San Marco Santa Cruz restaurant: you eat in what were once the bathing rooms.

How long has San Marco been here?

Since 1991. It is the fourth restaurant of the San Marco family.

Why is the street called Mesón del Moro?

Because under the Catholic Monarchs the baths became an inn (mesón) for the Mudéjar merchants passing through Seville.

What kind of food do you serve?

Italian: fresh pasta, pizza, risotto, meat, fish and homemade desserts, plus a six-course tasting menu (€46, or €66 with wine pairing).

Is there live music?

Yes. A guitarist plays live every night.

How do I book?

Online on our booking page, in under a minute.

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