A wine bar in the heart of the Judería
Plaza de Abades is the kind of square that doesn't appear on most tourist itineraries — quiet, pedestrian, shaded by orange trees. Taberna El Barón has occupied it long enough that the terrace chairs feel like part of the furniture. The bar sits in the Judería and is a short walk from the Mosque-Cathedral, but the clientele is mostly local. Neighbors drop in for a glass after work. Families occupy the outdoor tables on Sunday afternoons.
What's in the glass
The wine list reads like a tour of Spain's better appellations, though El Barón keeps its focus local. Montilla-Moriles finos arrive cold in proper tulip glasses, the amontillado has real nuttiness without being cloyingly sweet, and the pedro ximénez — if you can manage it after all that — is thick and dark and worth every sip. The house vermouth, poured straight from the tap, is what most regulars order to start. Ask for it with olives.
Tapas and the terrace
The food menu is intentionally short: artisan pâté, lomo en manteca (slow-cured pork loin), sheep's cheese. That is roughly it, and it is enough. A small library and free Wi-Fi suggest that lingering is encouraged. On warm days, grab a terrace table before 1 pm or after 9 pm — the square fills up fast. For a wider wine selection, Vinoteca Ordóñez in the Judería stocks over 100 labels with Mezquita views, and VinumPlay near the Roman Temple pours from 300 bottles by the glass.
