I will be traveling solo to Granada and Cordoba later this month. I’m not looking for anything fancy, but would love to find comfortable spots with great food. Perfectly happy making meals out of tapas, but not limited to that. I don’t eat any pork, and very little red meat. Any price points, but I don’t want anywhere that feels stuffy. I will be staying very near Pl. Nueva in Granada, and near Mosque-Cathedral in Cordoba. Thanks in advance for any tips you can give me.
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@LulusMom1
For Granada
comfortable, non-fancy, non-stuffy seafood spots in Granada, I recommend any of the 4 highly popular branches of Los Diamantes, which features seafood in many guises. The closest one to your lodging will be quite close at Plaza Nueva 13. It’s also one of the largest with long opening hours.
Although it’s known for its fried fish, not all the menu options are fried.
For Córdoba,
the many popular, some century-old, hugely atmospheric taverns will serve meat, such as the classic Cordoban dish of oxtail stew (rabo de toro) and churrasco (grilled beef), and flamenquin but…
they will also have other Cordoban specialties on their menu such as the cold soups–gazpacho, salmorejo (but often topped with slivers of Iberian ham—ask them to omit it), mazamorra (with sweet pear and almonds), ajoblanco (a white gazpacho made with almonds rather than tomatoes)—
and there’s eggplant fried in cane honey (berenjenas con miel), artichokes now in season (alcachofas a la montillana), pisto (the Spanish version of ratatouille),
One atmospheric tavern right near the Mosque-Cathedral is Casa Pepe de la Judería, where you’ll you should find several non beef, non pork options, as it’s very popular with visitors, who choose to stay in the ancient Jewish quarter, la Juderia, near the Mosque-Cathedral. Either tapas at the bar or sit-down dining upstairs. Their menu is translated into English, with a section of salads and vegetable items. You should find plenty here that works around your limitations, as it’s very tourist friendly.
On the river walk, the Ronda de Isasa, there are two-- the more creative Regadera and the very veggie friendly Amaltea
In the modern section (a short walk), there’s Taberna San Miguel Casa el Pisto on the Plaza de San Miguel, a hugely atmospheric, highly popular taberna. Here’s you’ll find some seafood items on the menu, such as the fried boquerones, and a some non-meat items at the bar. But because it’s a local’s favorite, you’ll need to be at the door before it opens at 1 for lunch or at 8 for dinner to grab a bar space or reserve a table ahead of time.
Or if you’re up for Sephardic cuisine, in the Jewish quarter, you have Casa Mazal, bookable on The Fork.
https://casamazal.es
For a single diner in Córdoba, I suggest taking a stroll through the food court Mercado de la Victoria, where you´ll have many international options at the various stands.
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I just wanna say you are an incredible source for food recommendations in Spain! We are so very lucky to have you around 
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Wow! Thanks so much, linguafood. That’s very kind. This is my very favorite Internet forum!
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Particularly if you are not a pork or red meat eater, I recommend Bar FM for excellent seafood in Granada. It’s a tapas bar feel but prices are higher (still great value for the quality vs outside Spain) as the seafood quality is exceptional. You will need to book in advance. Doesn’t have any kind of a stuffy feel but you may get (very simply prepared) stuffy restaurant quality dishes.
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Thank you so much for all this amazing information!
Sounds perfect, thank you.
I sincerely hope you will take the opportunity to visit the Alhambra? Imho it’s one of the highlights in Europe. They also have a very nice outdoors restaurant inside the complex.
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@LulusMom1
I would have recommended immediately Bar FM in Granada but for two reasons:
1.it’s outside the “tourist zone”, not close to Plaza Nueva, but yet within a taxi ride
2. and prices are indeed higher, as one pays for the superb quality of the seafood, the very best that can be found from the piers of Motril. It’s gastronomic although casual.
That said, It’s a seafood lovers’ pilgrimage site! Michelin and Repsol guide recommended.
The menu here:
“Consultar precio” means the price of an item is depending on the market price of that menu item on that particular day.
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Yes! Already have my ticket. Very excited about that.
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Booked at barFM! Thanks to both of you for the suggestion.
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Happy dining!
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As a solo diner, make sure you ask for half portions of everything (most things they will be able to do) and avoid getting a fish unless it is a half portion of smaller fish like a baby red mullet. I have really enjoyed their shellfish (make sure and get the “grooved” clams) and quisiquillas in particular.
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Also I highly recommend sitting at a tapas bar in the Albaicin district overlooking the Alhambra at sunset. I don’t think the dishes are that great at any of the places (although maybe Maribel has a good rec) but watching light and color of the Alhambra change as the sun fades in the background is magical. If you book dinner at bar FM for 8:30 or 9 you can do this and then take a taxi and arrive in time for dinner.
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Regarding a tapas bar on or around the Mirador de San Nicolás, the square and view point in the Albaicín where visitors and locals alike go to admire the sun setting over the Alhambra (which indeed is magical)… the dishes at any bar are nothing to write home about.
Bar Kiki does have an outdoor terrace on the Plaza de San Nicolás and serves vegetarian tapas dishes. However…it closes at 5 pm and it’s closed Wednesdays
We’ve had drinks in late February on the outdoor terrace at the Huerto de Juan Ranas below the square. The food there is nothing special but it does have those full frontal views of the Alhambra at sunset. And one can reserve a table for one online. Choose “terraza 1a línea”.
https://www.elhuertodejuanranas.com/la-terraza-juanranas
Sunset in Granada at the end of the month will be around 7 pm
You can reach the Plaza de San Nicolás in the Albaicín via the minibus lines 31 that departs from the Plaza Nueva.
The bus fare is €1.40
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You should indeed try Sephardic cuisine. As Maribel already pointed out, Casa Mazal in Cordoba. When else are you going to try it if not here? Obvs, no pork on the menu.
Bodega Campos in Cordoba has a taberna in front and a finer dining room in back. Taberna food is what you are looking for.
Dining in Spain is late. The Albaicin will look boarded up at the normal American dinner time.
In the Albaicin in Granada, after you take in the view from Mirador San Nicolas, you should stroll over to the wonderfully cute Placeta San Miguel Bajo and eat at Meson El Yunque. Just a block or so away from the mirador is El Ladrillo Dos which I recommend. These are inexpensive places. And if you order a drink, they will bring you a tapa (like anywhere else in Granada).
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Perfect! Thank you so much - even including how to get there and the time of the sunset!
Is there anything in particular I should look for, that you recommend? Either at Bodega Campos or El Ladrillo Dos?
I’m trying to reserve at Huerto de Juan Ranas, and they aren’t giving me any options after 5:15. Am I doing something wrong?
I think you should peruse the menu in English at Bodegas Campos to make sure that there are plenty of dishes that are non-meat and non-pork that would appeal. We have dined casually in the Taberna of Bodegas Campos on fried eggplant with cane honey (berenjenas con miel) and the white gazpacho (ajoblanco) made with almonds.
Because the Córdoba province is Iberian ham producing, having its on DOP Iberian ham from Los Pedroches, Iberian ham and other charcuterie (chorizo, salchichón) are used extensively in restaurant dishes (that salmorejo topped with bits of ham, etc)…
whereas Granada is much closer to the coast, under an hour, and more restaurants there will feature seafood straight from the piers of Motril, like the local chain Los Diamantes, the seafood houses (marisquerías) like Cunini and Oliver (where Bourdain filmed at the bar) and the fabulous Bar FM (which for seafood lovers from all over has cult status).
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