Casa Mazal at Plaza Maimonides is located at the heart of the famous Jewish district in Cordoba. The restaurant is 2 minutes walk from the Cordoba Synagogue, main sights in Cordoba.
Casa Mazal means the “house of good fortune” . The restaurant opened thanks to the efforts and idea of Jesús Guerrero, who could not believe there were no Sephardic restaurants in Andalusia at the moment he thought of opening Casa Mazal. His idea was clear: Cordoba had such a profound Sephardic heritage that a restaurant had to be put in place to put it all together and review recipes and ingredients that were already used well before the Jewish were requested to leave Spain or to become Christians back in 1492.
The menu at Casa Mazal reflects this heritage and it can be described as a multicultural menu that translates into diverse and spicy gastronomy. We could describe it as savoury and sweet at the same time due to the use of spices, honey, sultans and other dried fruits. There are no pork dishes and you should expect eggplant, chick-peas, chicken recipes, couscous, hot bread, kosher wines, etc.
The restaurant is not overpriced but you can for sure find much cheaper options in Cordoba. The experience may not be the same thoguh
As Guerrero has described sometimes, they found recipes in what many grandmothers continue to cook in Cordoba. As a matter of fact, sephardic dishes play an important role in the South of Spain and are key to understand the overall picture of the Spanish diet. Yet, they did their research and they also worked in refining the formats and the recipes. The restaurant uses fresh ingredients, with vast use of vegetables for Spanish standards. A great challenge was shaping the team that could provide kosher menus.
When Casa Mazal first opened, it mainly received Jewish tourists that searched for a Sephardic restaurant in Cordoba. But their clientele evolved and half of the people that visit Casa Mazal are locals from Cordoba today.
Their success made them decide to open a second restaurant at the touristic Calleja de las Flores; Casa Mazal Calleja de las Flores. The menu is the same at both restaurants and can be described as Sephardic-Andalusian and its inspiration is clearly Sephardic culture.
The restaurant, despite its focus on preserving heritage and tradition, also tries to bring innovation into some dishes. As an example, a traditional orange and honey dessert is served with PX sweet wine. Simply delicious!
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If you do not feel like tapas in the Jewish district, yet the Sephardic menu at Casa Mazal may not suit your taste, we can recommend you two excellent places to eat in the Jewish district not far from Casa Mazal´s location. You will see that the styles and menus of both restaurants are very different from each other. More recommended restaurants in Cordoba can be found on this link.
Casa Rubio – Review Located near the Puerta de Almodóvar, in the old Jewish quarter of Córdoba, we find Casa Rubio, a house in the old estate of historian Jaén Morente. The restaurant is classic and elegant, with an impressive bar, and a rooftop terrace with amazing views of the
Taberna La Espumita in Cordoba – Review Close to the tower of Calahorra, in the center of Córdoba, we can find this small, unassuming, and delicious traditional tavern. Taverna la Espumita is as authentic as it gets: dimly lit, informal, wooden chairs, everything you would expect from a southern Spanish
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A dish is really local when, if asked about it in other regions, people can connect without a doubt the name of the dish with the province or city This is for sure the case of Cordoba, with some names always associated to Cordoba. Among them, salmorejo is probably the best know case. A tomato soup made with olive oil, bread and ham and boiled egg toppings. Simply delicious. Flamenquinos are also associated to Cordoba. These are battered pieces of ham (sometimes also pork) with cheese inside. The Rabo de toro or bull tail is normally served as a stew. Regañas is the local shape bread takes here: dry, crispy and perfect with tapas. Last but not least we should mention the local wines of the Montilla Moriles DOC
There is no precise rule as to how much to tip in Spain. Spaniards only tip if they consider the service to be good. A 5% is normally considered a good tip. Having said this, some local waiters know tourists tip more than local Spaniards do and may expect more from foreigners.
