When it is cold and bleak outside there is not much that improves my mood. What works wonders though is ‘sunshine food’ (food that I generally associate with endless days of summer) like tapas. So with this in mind I suggested a newly opened tapas bar/restaurant within walking distance from home (added benefit). Oh my, oh my, what a letdown.
I was finishing a phone call outside of Paco when I noticed the smell. And what a smell it was. While it could have been a delicious cooking aroma, it smelled mostly of grease. Outside, mind you (I really wonder how that will work in summer time when the apartments above the restaurant will have their windows open). Once inside I got a seat at the bar since everything else was either taken or reserved. Even tough it was right next to door the smell was overpowering. But as it happened once my friend (on my list for 2016, meet your old friends again!) arrived I had already gotten used to it and didn’t notice it anymore.
The wine list was extensive with mostly Spanish wines if I remember correctly but we ended up drinking ‘Spritzer’ which only tastes really good with ‘Grüner Veltliner‘. It was excellent which is the best I can say about Paco.
The restaurant is quite big, with an open grill/bar concept. Probably the reason why the grease smell was distributed evenly throughout the whole place. After diving right in and catching up on what had happened in the last six months we were finally ready to order. Big compliments here to the service, they had no problem with us just sitting there and sipping our drinks!
I went for the pimientos de padron and some huevos dish with morcilla, a breakfast dish and rather filling but since it was such a cold evening I needed it. As you can see on my picture I started right away on the peppers before photographing them. Probably because I was afraid that the few that were on my plate would run away before I had a chance to eat them. Really, this is such a tapas staple so when I saw the price and what I got for it I was gobsmacked.
pimientos de padron @Paco
The potato egg dished fared better in quantity but tastewise it lacked flavor. Rarely have I eaten something so boring and bland. No, that didn’t convince me!
Huevos rotos with black pudding and pimientos @Paco
My friend ordered the chicken with thyme and lemon which looked like mine tasted. I also got the impression from her that it was okay but far from something to write home about. Her face was doing more of the talking than the picture of the sallow chicken dish.
chicken leg, thyme and lemon @Paco
As much as I like the idea of a tapas bar in my neighborhood, this is a place that will not see me again. Even though I didn’t notice the smell anymore after a while, upon leaving we had to move again from the entrance to say goodby to each other. The stench was just killing me. Even more when I was home and had to leave all my clothes including coat and underwear on my balcony for the night to get rid of the odor. Overall, service was great, the Spritzer delicious but the food and the smell just too much. If you are looking for a good tapas bar head to ‘Der Fuchs und die Trauben‘. Yours, Pollybert
Paco Restaurant
1090 Wien, Nußdorferstraße 7
Tel: 0043 1 8903785
E-Mail: info@pacorestaurant.at
Tue-Sat: 11:00 – 01:00
https://www.pacorestaurant.at/
