Casa Pepe de la Judería

Casa Pepe has fed the Judería since 1928, from a 17th-century townhouse on Calle Romero, sixty metres from the Mezquita-Cathedral and built around three Cordoban courtyards planted with orange trees and geraniums. Juan Pedro Secadura runs the kitchen now. The cooking is straight Cordoban, and the restaurant is listed in the Michelin Guide. It has been a fixture on this street longer than most of its neighbours have existed.

Start with the salmorejo cordobés — the house version, thicker than gazpacho, topped with Iberico ham and chopped egg. The rabo de toro, oxtail braised in Montilla-Moriles wine, is the dish that defines Cordoban cooking; order it. The flamenquín de lomo, pork loin wrapped around cured ham, breaded and fried, is the regional standard done to dining-room finish, and the berenjenas con miel, fried aubergine with cane honey, is the Sephardic survivor every table should share.

The wine list is anchored in Montilla-Moriles and Jerez, where a Cordoban list belongs, with a few serious Ribera del Duero and Rioja reds for anyone who wants them. A chilled fino from a small Montilla bodega is the pairing that reveals the cooking. Expect around €35 to €50 a head for a full meal with wine; the average runs nearer €35, and a set menu starts lower.

The rooftop terrace, open April to October, looks over the tiled roofs of the Judería to the Mezquita's tower. It is the table to ask for, and the reason this is one of the better birthday rooms in Córdoba.

For a birthday where the setting has to carry the night, Casa Pepe's rooftop at sunset is the Cordoban answer. The flowered courtyards, the old townhouse, and the Mezquita's tower in silhouette do the work; the kitchen sends out food everyone at the table recognises and likes. Ask for a rooftop table in the western corner from April to October, tell the staff about the candle, and order the rabo de toro for the table.

Is Casa Pepe de la Judería worth it?
Yes, for traditional Cordoban cooking in a setting hard to beat. Casa Pepe has been on Calle Romero since 1928, sixty metres from the Mezquita, and is listed in the Michelin Guide. Juan Pedro Secadura cooks the classics straight: salmorejo, rabo de toro, flamenquín. It is not avant-garde, and that is the point.

What should I order at Casa Pepe de la Judería?
Order the salmorejo cordobés to start, then rabo de toro, the oxtail braised in Montilla-Moriles wine that defines the city's cooking. The flamenquín de lomo and the berenjenas con miel, fried aubergine with cane honey, are the other classics. Drink a fino from Montilla-Moriles with it; that is the pairing the kitchen is built around.

How much does Casa Pepe de la Judería cost?
Expect around €35 to €50 a head for a full meal with wine; the average runs near €35, and a set menu starts lower. It reads as mid-range for Córdoba, fair for the cooking and the setting. The rooftop and courtyard tables cost the same as the rest.

Where is Casa Pepe de la Judería and how do I book?
Casa Pepe is at Calle Romero 1, in the Judería, sixty metres from the Mezquita-Cathedral. Book three to five days ahead, and ask for a rooftop table from April to October for the Mezquita view. It is one of the better birthday rooms in Córdoba. See more restaurants in Córdoba.