Formerly Scarlett cafe, Vascos is a well-decorated and atmospheric tapas and pintxo bar located in Hull's old town, just outside of Princes Quay.
It's cozy, humbly lit, and full of warmth and color, with a beautiful shade of red and streamlined furnishing dominating its decor.
The tapas-style menu is perfect for a speedy bite before (or after) a film, but diners and drinkers can also happily lounge for hours.
The kitchen is open, and you can watch your meals being prepared.
They have an outdoor seating area which is great for socialising.
The dishes are simple and traditional, the spicing unpretentious and straightforward but the ingredients are treated so beautifully that the whole of each dish is far greater than the sum of its parts. You can feast on an aromatic wealth of mouthwatering tapas for hours.
The chef is warm and approachable, and has, on numerous occasions, explained to customers what the dishes are. A sample of the menu is always on display in a refridgerated unit.
The new waitress that was there recently (I suspect this was her first day as she couldn't find anything) left alot to be desired in the customer services department - yelling at the chef (whom I suspect is the owner) in front of customers and not being very pleasent or positively descriptive when customers asked about the menu - but hopefully this will improve or the wait staff will change. Previous visits were not so disappointing.
They have a beautiful coffee machine that does amazing cappuccinos, expressos and the rest, all for a reasonable price.
The lagers on offer were of a great variety. The wine list left something to be desired, but the house wine seemed to go down well with my friend - who knows a thing or two about reds.
The menu is extensive - from Tapas and Pintxo (Pintxo is a small slice of bread upon which an ingredient or mixture of ingredients is put and held there using a stick) to homemade pizzas made with the freshest ingredients.
Everything I have had has been incredibly savory and showed the restraint of Spanish cuisine - it has tons of flavor without hitting you over the head with spices.
I have tried numerous dishes there, and for the tapas I found the meatballs the best dish.
The olives served are proper Spanish olives, and none of that tinned stuff some places give you.
I had a pizza there recently that was one the freshest thin crust pizzas I have ever had.
They even have a breakfast menu, and cater to vegetarians.
Despite living nearby, I have yet to experience Vascos for drinking on an evening, but I suspect that the atmosphere is lively (there is a small stage) and the drinks are flowing. read more