Choco

Kisko García did something Córdoba had never managed: in 2012 he won the city its first Michelin star, at a restaurant named for the dish that made him — choco, cuttlefish, sliced fine enough to read through. The star has been renewed every year since. García's argument has not changed in the telling: Córdoba grows everything a serious kitchen needs and has no reason to borrow a style from Madrid or San Sebastián.

The cooking is modern Andalusian rooted in its own larder. García builds from the Valle de los Pedroches and Villanueva de Córdoba, the Iberico-pig country north of the city, and from the Córdoba canon of salmorejo, slow-cooked pork and the bittersweet Montilla wines. The signature choco remains the dish to measure him by: cuttlefish handled with a delicacy that turns a humble fish into the argument for the whole room. You eat from one of two tasting menus, the shorter Barrio Antiguo or the longer Menú Kisko García — the latter seventeen passes at €150, or €215 with the wine pairing.

The wine list is the other reason to come, deep where it should be local: Montilla-Moriles (the overlooked inland cousin of Jerez, fortified from Pedro Ximénez grapes) and the new-wave reds of the Sierras de Málaga. The room on Calle Compositor Serrano Lucena is calm and neutral, tables set well apart, service precise and unhurried. Against Córdoba's three-star Noor it is the quieter and far cheaper way to eat seriously in this city — and the one locals book.

For a deal-close dinner in Córdoba where the message is ‘I know this city’, Choco is the correct call. The cooking holds a Michelin star, the wine list carries the Montilla-Moriles depth a local counterpart will notice, and the bill is less than half a meal at three-star Noor. Book three weeks out, and let the kitchen run the longer menu so the table can talk between courses.

Is Choco worth it?

Yes. Kisko García won Córdoba its first Michelin star in 2012 and has held it every year since, which in a city better known for its mosque than its modern cooking is no small thing. The Menú Kisko García is €150, or €215 with the wine pairing — serious money, but less than half what a three-star like Noor costs. Come for the namesake cuttlefish.

How do I book Choco, and what does it cost?

Reserve two to three weeks ahead; the room is small and fills. There are two tasting menus, the shorter Barrio Antiguo and the longer Menú Kisko García (€150, or €215 with wines), with limited à la carte. It sits at Calle Compositor Serrano Lucena 14, away from the tourist centre. More options are in our Córdoba dining guide.

Who is the chef at Choco?

Kisko García, the first chef to earn a Michelin star in Córdoba, in 2012. He cooks modern Andalusian built on local sourcing — the Iberico-pig country of the Valle de los Pedroches, the Montilla wines, the Córdoba classics — rather than importing a Madrid or Basque style. The restaurant is named for his signature choco, or cuttlefish.

What should I order at Choco?

Take a tasting menu — the choice is the shorter Barrio Antiguo or the full Menú Kisko García at €150. The namesake choco, cuttlefish sliced to a silky thinness, is the dish that defines the kitchen and the one to look for. Add the wine pairing (€215 total) for the Montilla-Moriles and Sierras de Málaga bottles you will not find easily elsewhere.

What is the dress code at Choco?

Smart. This is a one-star dining room, so a jacket or a smart dress fits, though it is not black tie. The mood is calm and contemporary rather than formal, with tables set well apart. Plan for a long meal: the tasting menus take their time, which suits a dinner where the conversation matters as much as the food.