Paco Tapas

Not content with raising his Michelin-starred Casamia to new levels, Peter Sanchez-Iglesias has added two casual eateries to his pitch in Bristol’s regenerated General Hospital building – the Pi Shop majors in pizzas, while Paco is all about tapas. With legs of jamón ready to carve, Padrón peppers roasting over the wood fire and sherries straight from the barrel, this is something of a return to the Sanchez family’s home roots and it’s done with real style. The result is a genuine slice of Andalusia down by the Bristol waterside, complete with barrels, patterned tiles, seats by the counter and a fiery Spanish-style grill dominating the open kitchen. The brown-paper menu’s short, but bang on the money: ‘para picar’ nibbles give way to cured meats, croquetas, stews and vegetables, plus various items cooked over the aforementioned grill (whole mackerel, octopus, giant prawns from the Canaries, Duroc pork ribs, stuffed quail with sobrasada and dates). Apart from sherry, drinkers have a terrific choice of Spanish regional wines as well as the now-mandatory giant G&Ts.  

Owned by Casamia chef Peter Sanchez-Inglesias, Paco Tapas is a Bristol restaurant serving traditional Spanish tapas in a cool, dimly lit setting. With a menu that changes every day, Paco endeavours to use the finest quality ingredients and to treat them all with the upmost quality to create dishes packed full of flavour. This means that while every meal at Paco Tapas will be completely different, you will always be guaranteed to try some pretty special dishes.

Based just on the edge of Bathurst Basin, you would be forgiven for thinking that the restaurants was just a bar from the outside, with large barrels covered by umbrellas providing space to enjoy a few drinks outside. However, once you head inside, it’s clear that this restaurant means business as amazing smells waft out from the open kitchen. The decor is simple yet stylish; black tiles cover the walls, with the odd piece of modern art on show and there are a mixture of counter seats and high tables.

The ever-changing menu begins with snacks such as manzanilla olives, manchego with honey, and fried almonds. However the main event is obviously the tapas dishes, designed to be shared by the whole table. These vary from meat dishes including jamón croquettes, pork ribs cooked over coals, and lamb rump, to seafood options such as scallops and lardo, and octopus from the Canary Islands. Expect vegetarian options such as Roscoff onion, patatas bravas, and purple sprouting broccoli. Puddings might include chocolate mousse with toast and olive oil, and a crema Catalana.

This is all accompanied by a fantastic range of Spanish wines, as well as sherries available by both the glass and bottle. On top of this Paco Tapas has decent list of cocktails on offer which go perfectly with the rich dishes on the menu.