Where to eat near the Mosque-Cathedral: ten must-visit restaurants
The area around the Mosque-Cathedral offers a rich and varied choice of restaurants where you can sample some of Córdoba’s finest cooking.
The Mosque-Cathedral stands in the historic centre of Córdoba as a symbol of the city. It is an essential stop on any visit. To round off your trip, the area around the monument offers a wonderful opportunity to taste some of the city’s traditional dishes and finest cooking. Here are some of the best bars and restaurants to complete this magical walk.
Bar Santos
Right beside the Mosque-Cathedral, another city icon lives on. Córdoba’s most famous Spanish omelette is at Bar Santos, a much-loved, popular spot at Magistral González Francés, 3, where eating a wedge of its enormous tortillas is almost compulsory. Enjoy it with a good tapa of salmorejo or ensaladilla and a drink as you rest outside the Mosque.
El Churrasco
Its name says it all. El Churrasco has made a Mudéjar house at Calle Romero, 6 the setting for some outstanding grilled meats. Since opening in 1970, its kitchen has been a reference point in the city. Today it prepares a wide range of dishes, from traditional favourites to recipes from further afield. You can move from Córdoba-style cocido with its pringá to sautéed shiitake and porcini mushrooms, from oxtail stew to duck breast, or from fried marinated anchovies to red tuna tataki on salmorejo crumbs. Among all this variety, do not miss the Córdoba-style churrasco: Iberian pork fillet grilled over holm oak charcoal.
El Abanico
One of Córdoba’s prettiest and most photographed corners is right on its doorstep. At Velázquez Bosco, 7, beside Calleja de las Flores, Taberna El Abanico complements the charm of its unique surroundings with a welcoming space full of flamenco character. As the team describe it, this is a young, dynamic tavern offering a good range of traditional dishes with a special touch. Start with toast topped with salmorejo and Iberian ham, follow with oxtail croquettes or Moorish-style vegetable pisto with hard-boiled egg and Parmesan, and finish with Córdoba’s traditional pastry and vanilla ice cream.
Inside Taberna El Abanico. El Abanico
Taberna El Nº10
Taberna El Nº10 is set amid the charm of the Jewish Quarter. At Calle Romero, 10, it makes an ideal stop to enjoy delicious, time-honoured recipes using local produce. How about ensaladilla rusa with garlic prawns? Or crispy fried pig’s ear with paprika mayonnaise, or grilled acorn-fed Iberian pork fillet with amontillado sauce?
Qurtubah
On this journey through the Islamic world, among the Arab heritage found in Córdoba’s architectural beauty, food also plays a vibrant part in surprising visitors. A good example is Qurtubah restaurant, where you can discover the culinary richness of the diverse Arab world. Hummus, shawarma, sambusa, falafel and tagine are just some of the dishes prepared in its kitchen. The restaurant is also a beautiful space with Arab-inspired décor.
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Patio Romano
There is no better slogan than “Food beside the Mosque”, and Patio Romano knows it. To its privileged location at Calle Deanes, 11, this restaurant adds character, heart and ingenuity, as the team themselves put it. It serves excellent recipes made with local produce, including a selection of Iberian cured meats from Valle de los Pedroches, almond mazamorra with smoked sardine and green apple, and an unexpected bacon-and-cheese flamenquín with piquillo pepper sauce.
Taberna Rafaé
Deanes is undoubtedly one of Córdoba’s most popular streets, thanks to its location in the Jewish Quarter, its many restaurants and shops, and the people who fill it every day. A family tavern opened at number 2 in 1977 and still retains all its original character. Rafaé and its food are inseparable from this street. A highlight is the roast sea bass, which won the first Córdoba Gastronómica Innovation Award. Oxtail is another speciality: both the Córdoba-style oxtail rice and the traditional stew have received awards from the Cofradía Gastronómica del Rabo de Toro Cordobés.
Casa Palacio Bandolero
Beside the Mosque-Cathedral at Calle Torrijos, 6, Casa Palacio Bandolero welcomes diners into an iconic setting of spacious courtyards and dining rooms. Enjoy traditional dishes, high-quality meats — such as acorn-fed Iberian pork raised in Los Pedroches or Galician beef — and classic desserts such as leche frita. From the extensive menu, do not miss the salmorejo with ham and delicious quail eggs that give it a special touch.
Courtyard at Casa Palacio Bandolero restaurant. Casa Palacio Bandolero
Pollos Asados El Gallo de Oro
Who has not fancied a roast chicken now and then? This family Sunday favourite can also be found just a short walk from the Mosque-Cathedral. But El Gallo de Oro, at Plaza de Abades, 6, offers much more than chicken. Its rotisseries turn out remarkable suckling pigs, legs of pork, quails, rabbits and turkeys. Chicken is also available stuffed. For a quick bite, choose one of the sandwiches or a burger.
La Tranquera
Born from a meeting of cultures, this restaurant beside the Mosque, at Cardenal González, 53, brings together Argentine Creole food and Spanish tradition to create an interesting cuisine. At this Argentine restaurant, you can enjoy a good choripán with salmorejo, share Argentine empanadas or a serrano ham flamenquín, tuck into charcoal-grilled Córdoba-style churrasco or Argentine young beef rib-eye, and finish with an irresistible dulce de leche pancake.