In this post I’ll talking about where to stay in Cordoba and, of course, where to eat. The places I recommend you will make you enjoy this Andalusian city at its best!
Where to stay in Cordoba?
Cordoba is not a big city but I think it is a perfect sized city to visit by walking. There are many things to do in Cordoba city centre. For this reason, I’d recommend a hotel near by the city centre. CLICK HERE to find out all the hotel.
If you’d like to treat yourself or if you have a particular occasion to celebrate, then you can’t miss the Hotel Hospes Palacio del Bailio. It is a 5 star hotel not far away from the main must-visit places of Cordoba.
The hotel is a perfect combination between art, culture, excellent cuisine and most of all elegance. The Hotel Palacio del Bailio was built between the 16th and 18th century. In the year 1982 it was listed as one of the monuments of the city.
As you can see from the photo above, the huge breakfast room of the hotel lays on a glass pavement. A few meters underneath it, you can marvel at some old ruins of an old Roman domus. You can also go and visit them, just ask at the reception. The basement room where the ruins are is kept humidified by a special machine which ensures that the characteristics of the air are the best in order to preserve this ancient gem.
But it’s not everything! The Hotel Palacio del Bailio has many open air gardens full of orange trees which makes the palace even more beautiful and perfume the air with a really pleasant scent. It comes as no surprise that the hotel has been included amongst the first 8 hotels in Spain with the best perfume.
The hotel also has a huge patio with an open air swimming pool and in the basement you can find a SPA where to relax yourselves in one of those gorgeous swimming pools heated up at different temperatures.
And, why not, you can even treat yourself to a relaxing massage! I guess the term “swimming pool” might even be too reductive as they are incredibly suggestive and romantic to be called just pools. Have a look at the photo I posted and you’ll understand what I am saying.
The hotel rooms are huge, even bigger than my flat. A big slice of cake will be waiting for you on the table once entered. And what about the bathroom size? Almost as big as other normal hotel rooms I’ve been into – what else could we want?
It’s obviously not a low-cost hotel, but it is the best choice in town if you can afford it. The Palacio del Bailo is by far the best option to go for if you have something special to celebrate, something that will definitely contribute to make your experience in Cordoba unforgettable.
Where to eat in Cordoba?
I bet all of you were waiting for this part of the article: food time!
Where to taste the best and most delicious Spanish cuisine in Cordoba? Follow my suggestions and you won’t be disappointed – I grant that! But first, I wanted to remind you that Cordoba has a great tradition regarding wines, so the advice is to discover the city through a wine tour.
So, where to go? The name of the restaurant is Taberna La Montillana, not far away from Plaza de Las Tendillas.
I tried a menu that was already prepared by the chef of the Taberna. It included 6/7 different dishes all accompanied by a specific local wine. Needless to say, the taste of the food made me feel like being in heaven. Right portions in terms of quantity and flavours impossible to describe. Savour them in first person, that’s the only way you’ll understand what I mean!
Each dish and its wine are carefully explained by the waiter who also gives some recommendations on how to best savor the food. For example, the “Rabo de Toro” (you can see a photo below) has to be chewed and gulped down in a particular manner and with a specific red wine.
I didn’t know that Cordoba that produced strong wines. The grape used for the wines is called Pedro Ximenez and the strength is given by the fact that is left to dry under the scorching sun. The strength of the white wine, just to let you know, never goes under 15 degrees. For the “Rabo de Toro” dish, I was given a 21-degrees wine, almost like what you would have after a few pints of beers on a really good night out!
Even though I drank quite a few glasses of strong different wines, I have to admit that the next morning I felt fresh and energized as if nothing had happened the night before. I guess that’s because of the high quality of the wines I was served.
Wine and food in Cordoba are paired not based upon the tipe of food you’re eating (being fish, meat or cheese), but rather on the length and kind of cooking method used.
The first course was the well known Spanish Salmorejo and the less famous Mazamorra, typical dish in Cordoba.
The tradition wants the Mazamorra to have more ancient origins than the Salmorejo. Both of them are cold creamy soups. The first one is made with tomatoes, the second with almonds. I have to be honest: I can never get bored of the Salmorejo — what a delicious dish! And as for the Mazamorra…the same! I guess I could go with tons of it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Unbelievably good! Don’t forget to try both of them when visiting Cordoba.
Another dish you can try at the Montillana restaurant are the Berenjenas, being fried aubergines topped off with honey or licorice sauce. Delicious! They’re a side dish, just like french fries. The waiter told us that it’s really common to serve them to kids because they’re so irresistible and delicious.
I was also served other dishes, but because of the wine that at that point started to kick in, I forgot to write them down. I still remember though the Jamon croquettes accompanied by alioli sauce and the unforgettable “Rabo de Toro”.
The “rabo de toro” is the tail of the toro bull (you can find the photo above this post). I could even compare it with the Italian “ossobuco” (sliced veal shank), but a bit more jellyish. The waiter said not to worry and forget good manners, so I laid my fork and knife and grabbed the “rabo” with my bare hands to suck the marrow bone. Traditions must be respected, don’t they?!
I’d definitely put the Taberna La Montillana amongst the best restaurants in which I’ve eaten when travelling around Spain. In terms of wine, it wins hands down – I could not resist and bought a couple of bottles from the restaurant to bring back home.
The Taberna la Montillana is in Calle San Álvaro, 5, 14001 Córdoba.
On tripadvisor the rating is 4.5 stars and we couldn’t agree more. On their website you can also find their menu and prices. As you can see for yourselves, the costs are average and pretty affordable considered the quality of the food you will be served.
If you happen to find yourself in the centre of Cordoba, I highly recommend you to go and eat at the Taverna La Montillana. You won’t easily forget the experience.
If instead you’re quite rushed and you’d like to eat outdoor enjoying the Spanish weather, let me suggest a tiny special place which is perfect for lunch breaks.
Not far from the city centre, easily reachable by walking, you can go and eat at the Mercado Victoria.
The mercado Victoria is an enclosed market full of different stalls that different kinds of food which are prepared with the best Spanish products. If you’d like to stop and linger for a bit, you can go to the restaurant beside the market which has many open-air tables.
The must-visit Mercado Victoria is in Paseo de la Victoria, s/n, 14004 Córdoba. The ranking on Tripadvisor for the Mercado is 4,5 stars as well.
If you follow the suggestions I’ve given you in this post, I promise you’ll enjoy Cordoba at its best. As for the hotel accommodation, the choice is up to you, based on what you’re willing to spend. And as for what concernes the two restaurants I recommented, well…seriously, do not miss them!