15 Best Restaurants in Cordoba, Andalusia

Bodegas Campos

$$ | San Pedro Fodor's choice

A block east of the Plaza del Potro, this traditional old bodega with high-quality service is the epitome of all that's great about Andalusian cuisine. The dining rooms are in barrel-heavy rustic rooms and leafy traditional patios (take a look at some of the signed barrels—you may recognize a name or two, such as the former U.K. prime minister Tony Blair). Magnificent vintage flamenco posters decorate the walls. Regional dishes include solomillo del Valle de los Pedroches dos salsas y patatas a lo pobre (local pork with two sauces—green and sherry—and creamy potatoes) and pâté de perdiz (partridge pâté) with Pedro Ximénez wine. Vegetables come from the restaurant's own market garden, and it makes its own Montilla. There's also an excellent tapas bar (from €3.50).

El Choco

$$$$ | Centro Fodor's choice

The city's most exciting restaurant, which has renewed its Michelin star annually since 2012, El Choco has renowned chef Kisko Garcia at the helm whipping up innovative dishes based on his 10 Commandments to preserve good cooking. One of them is that taste always comes first, and that plays out well during a meal at this minimalist restaurant with charcoal-colored walls, glossy parquet floors, and dishes offering new sensations and amazing presentations. You start dinner in the entrance lounge and then move into the kitchen to watch a dish being prepared before you go to your table. Two tasting menus are available (from €110), with plenty of tasty creative surprises. Allow three hours for your meal. Take a cab; El Choco is outside the city center to the east and not easy to find.

Calle del Compositor Serrano Lucena 14, Córdoba, Andalusia, 14003, Spain
957-264863
Known For
  • creative Andalusian cooking
  • good-value Michelin-star tasting menu
  • innovative presentation
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.–Wed. and Aug. No dinner Sun.

noor

$$$$ | Centro Fodor's choice

One of the few two Michelin-starred venues in Andalusia, noor offers Andalusí cuisine in three tasting menus that explore the ingredients used before the discovery of the New World as well as the fusion of the New World ingredients into Spanish cooking. Local chef Paco Morales and team create in the open kitchen while diners sit at very modern tables under a dramatic Arabian nights' ceiling. On arrival, guests wash their hands in orange water and sit for a tasting menu (from €95; wine pairing available). If you go for the full tasting menu, allow 3½ hours for your meal!

Calle Pablo Ruiz Picasso 8, Córdoba, Andalusia, Spain
957-964055
Known For
  • creative authentic cuisine
  • destination dining
  • Arabian nights ambience
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.–Tues. and Jul. and Aug.

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Amaltea

$ | Centro

Satisfying vegetarians, vegans, and their meat-eating friends, this organic restaurant includes some meat and fish on the menu. There's a healthy mix of Mexican, Asian, Spanish, and Italian-influenced dishes, including salmon steamed in banana leaves, ras el hanout lamb wok, and couscous. The interior is warm and inviting, and diners are treated to a soothing musical backdrop of jazz, blues, and chill-out music.

Calle Ronda de Isasa 10, Córdoba, Andalusia, 14001, Spain
657-757598
Known For
  • vegetarian food
  • inviting interior with relaxed vibe
  • organic options
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun. Closed Sun. in summer

Bar Santos

$ | Judería

This very small, quintessentially Spanish bar, with no seats and numerous photos of matadors and flamenco dancers, seems out of place surrounded by the tourist shops and overshadowed by the Mezquita, but its appearance—and its prices—are part of its charm. Tapas (from €2.50) such as albóndigas en salsa de almendras (meatballs in almond sauce) and bocadillos (sandwiches that are literally "little mouthfuls") are excellent in quality and value, while the tortilla de patata (potato omelet) is renowned and celebrated both for its taste and its heroic thickness. When it's busy, drinks and food are served on plastic and you often have to eat outside on the street.

Calle Magistral González Francés 3, Córdoba, Andalusia, 41003, Spain
957-488975
Known For
  • tortilla de patata
  • inexpensive tapas
  • being busy
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted

Casa Mazal

$$ | Judería

In the heart of the Judería, this pretty little restaurant serves a modern interpretation of Sephardic cuisinewith organic dishes that are more exotic than the usual Andalusian fareand a kosher menu. The many vegetarian options include gazpacho with mango and artichoke hearts in saffron sauce; and the siniya (trout baked in vine leaves with pomegranate and mint) is delicious. Try a bottle of kosher wine, and for dessert consider the rose or violet ice cream. The romantic atmosphere is compounded by two violinists playing Sephardic music on the patio on weekends.

Calle Tomás Conde 3, Córdoba, Andalusia, 14004, Spain
685-882666
Known For
  • traditional Sephardic cuisine
  • romantic ambience
  • vegetarian dishes
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed.

Casa Pepe de la Judería

$$$ | Judería

Geared toward a tourist clientele, this place is always packed, noisy, and fun, and there is live Spanish guitar music on the roof terrace most summer nights. Antiques and some wonderful old oil paintings fill this three-floor labyrinth of rooms just around the corner from the mosque, near the Judería. A full selection of tapas and house specialties includes cochinillo (crispy suckling pig) and the solidly traditional rabo de toro. The croquetas de jamón are reputedly the best in town. Bookings are only taken through the website.

Calle Romero 1, Córdoba, Andalusia, 14003, Spain
957-200744
Known For
  • traditional Andalusian food
  • croquetas de jamón
  • live music on the roof terrace in summer
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential and via the website only

Cosmopolitan Food

$

The lively Juda Levi Plaza, surrounded by a maze of narrow streets and squares, lies at the heart of the Judería and makes a great spot for indulging in a little people-watching and a well-earned break. Sit outside here with a drink or, better still, an ice cream, sandwich, or snack.

El Churrasco

$$ | Judería

The name suggests grilled meat, but this restaurant in the heart of the Judería serves much more. In the colorful bar try tapas (from €3.50) such as the berenjenas crujientes con salmorejo (crispy fried eggplant slices with thick gazpacho), while in the restaurant opt for the supremely fresh grilled fish or the steak, which is the best in town, particularly the namesake churrasco ibérico (grilled Iberian pork, served here in a spicy tomato-based sauce). There's alfresco dining on the inner patio or upper-floor terrace when it's warm outside—also the season to try another specialty: gazpacho blanco de piñones con manzanas y pasas (a white gazpacho made with pine nuts, apple, and raisins). Save some room for the leche frita con helado de canela (creamy dessert with cinnamon ice cream).

Calle Romero 16, Córdoba, Andalusia, 14003, Spain
957-290819
Known For
  • grilled meat
  • tapas
  • alfresco dining
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Aug.

El Rincón de Carmen

$ | Judería

With the sights of the Judería on the doorstep, this is a good central spot for a quick bite in a typical Córdoba patio setting that's particularly pretty at night. Tapas and sharing plates make up the menu where star turns come from the magret de pato (duck breast) and saquitos de bacalao con salsa dulce de pimientos (cod pastries with sweet pepper sauce).

La Regadera

$$ | Judería

It feels as if you could be outside at this bright venue on the river whose fresh interior comes with miniature wall gardens—there's even an herb garden in the middle. Local produce takes center stage on the short menu, where you'll find a mix of traditional and modern dishes including house specials such as wild sea bass ceviche, suckling pig, and cream of lemon. The wine list is good and the by-the-glass selection runs particularly long. Service from the young staff comes with a smile.

La Tinaja

$$ | Centro
On the river to the east of the city, this bodega-bar has kept its original 18th-century-house layout, which means that you can eat in different rooms as well as outside on the pleasant terrace. The food is traditional, with an emphasis on local produce and Córdoba staples such as mazamorra con atún rojo ahumado (traditional almond soup with smoked tuna) and flamenquín as well as oxtail and salmorejo. Locals flock here for the homemade foie gras and char-grilled meat, which you can enjoy with a glass of Montilla.

Salón de Té

$ | Judería

A few blocks from the Mezquita, this place is a beautiful spot for tea, with a courtyard, side rooms filled with cushions, and a shop selling Moroccan clothing. It's open daily noon–10 pm.

Calle del Buen Pastor 13, Córdoba, Andalusia, 14003, Spain
957-487984

Taberna de San Miguel

$ | Centro

Just a few minutes' walk from the Plaza de las Tendillas and opposite the lovely San Miguel Church, this popular tapas spot—also known as the Casa el Pisto (Ratatouille House)—was established in 1880. You can choose to squeeze in at the bar and dine on tapas (from €3) or spread out a little more on the patio decked with ceramics and bullfighting memorabilia, where half and full portions are served. Legendary toreador Manolete is particularly revered here. The menu is one long list of typical local dishes, so expect to find oxtail, salmorejo, flamenquín (bacon-wrapped pork loin that's breaded and fried), and, of course, pisto (ratatouille), plus the daily special stew.

Pl. de San Miguel 1, Córdoba, Andalusia, 14002, Spain
957-470166
Known For
  • tapas, including pisto
  • historic ambience
  • patio with bullfighting memorabilia
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.

Taberna La Viuda

$ | Judería

Slightly off the beaten tourist trail and with a lively local vibe, this tavern-style venue specializes in traditional local cuisine such as salmorejo, flamenquín, and oxtail, but you'll also find creative touches on the menu in the form of tuna marinated in ginger and scrambled eggs with smoked fish and trout roe. Most dishes are available as tapas and half or full plates, and all can be paired with local wines. Expect a warm welcome from the owners and their staff.

Calle de San Basilio 52, Córdoba, Andalusia, Spain
957-296905
Known For
  • traditional local food
  • warm welcome
  • wine pairings