Noor, Paco Morales

On March 17, 2016, Paco Morales ‘raised the curtain’ on NOOR Restaurant with several goals in mind. One was to build a gastro-cultural project that, service by service, reinterpreted and paid homage to a crucial era in Spanish history: the Andalusian period. Another was to turn his native Córdoba into a must-visit destination for seasoned gastronomes, curious gourmets, and lovers of fine dining. All with maximum excellence as an omnipresent motto.

In less than four years, he has more than achieved them. This is almost unanimously endorsed by both his customers and culinary critics. “He has managed to create a cuisine, something very few can do. A unique, personal line, different from anything known, in which he combines avant-garde and tradition in equal measure,” says Carlos Maribona, food journalist for the ABC newspaper. His are “contemporary recipes that demonstrate his talent for combining flavor, creativity, and aesthetics. In his very personal work, he is both rigorous and transgressive,” asserts José Carlos Capel, food critic for El País. Michelin Guide inspectors agree: in just over three years, they have awarded the establishment two stars, recognizing its “journey to historic Al-Andalus through 21st-century gastronomic concepts.”