Pacos Restaurant & lounge — Restaurant in South Boston

I will start my honest review by stating that I am very familiarized by the Spanish and Cuban Cuisine. I moved from San Francisco about 12yrs ago & still go because of various cuisines & cultures of foods. The food was very authentic, delicious, & it reminded me of my time spent in Spain for a month back in the 80's as an International exchange student. The quality was on point! Having also my share of Cuban food, the only complaint I have is that the croquettes where NOT authentic. I went to this Restaurant 3 times already and on different occasions. I went on their first week of opening, on a not so busy night & a weekend you would expect to be busy! One downside is on the servers themselves. The are kind, good customer service but so young and lack that customer service interaction that would make a regular come back to. Every time I asked for something or tried to interact with them they seemed deathly scared! You would ask them questions and they didn't seem to know much of the culture behind a dish. If they didn't speak the Spanish language I could tell they had a difficult time even remembering the dishes. So they had to constantly look at the menu to see what I was pointing at. Each time I came I ordered something different and I am pleased to say that I did try ALL the tapas and 3 of their main dishes and two of their desserts. I have come with my partner the first time, with my kids and partner the second time, and again just my partner and I the 3rd time. The presentation of the food is great but the plates are big in size not allowing sufficient room on a table for two. The atmosphere was nicely decorated but in my opinion is lacking lighting. I would also love it if some very soft in volume music true to the culture of the restaurant were playing in the background. Now why my low review? The portions to the prices. I couldn't believe each time we received the check. I also ordered many of their side dishes and for me to pay $3.50 for 2 plantains is ridiculous. They were the size of a half dollar. Although delicious in taste they are not worth the price. The same with their sweet fried bananas. More disappointing were the croquettes, which were a quarter of the size they are meant to be and did not taste anything like the authentic Cuban croquettes. I tried all their flavors too. Except the mushroom. I also ordered the Ribeye & couldn't believe the price for just the steak. Side dishes are extra. DO NOT Order the manchengo cheese. You pay $13 for like 6 thinly sliced triangles of cheese, literally 5 grapes and I forgot the other fruit. The same small portion for their stuffed peppers and like I mentioned, EVERY tapas was way too small that it kind of was offensive for the price they ask. The ribeye in my personal opinion was one of the BEST ribeye's in town! Another suggestion if you want families to visit, please consider maybe 2 items actual KIDS would enjoy. There are no options for kids. I am just mostly disappointed that EVERY Tapas I ordered was a quarter of the size it should be, especially for the price of what they are asking. Their Paella was another amazing dish, but be prepared to give an arm and a leg. I am hoping and praying the owners read my review and take that into consideration of lowering their prices AND giving WAY more portions of food. Here in SoBo we have seen our share of restaurants closing. Remember that you are in SoBo, country folks live here and as much as we appreciate you bringing something different to the area, unfortunately it would be something that we would only go to once in a blue moon because paying over $150 for two people is insane and I was still hungry after. To leave on a positive note, the desserts have been one of the tastiest desserts we had. They have the most delicious cheesecake that is the best I 've had. Just once again, if they were to sell it for $2 less then it's current price, then it would be worth it. I really hope this review is taken as an eye opening, honest, trying to help our small businesses...

My first time here the day after it opened and I had the pleasure of speaking with the owner, Paco, and getting a tour along with his future ideas. I love his ambition and the restaurant is beautiful. Now, my opniom about service and food. My waitress lied to me about not having an option of a frozen margaritas but served two other women frozen margaritas. Very disappointed. I dislike feeling like it was a race thing but, superficially, that is what it seemed like. She offered to make me one after she turned the blender on and noticed I was watching her. I declined with a smile. The drink tasted like puree and pepper. She knows nothing about wine either. The menu changes weekly. Reservations are required. The stuffed mussles were good but missing a good sauce. The pico de gallo was very acidic. The chicken with butter sauce smelled rancid and was undercooked. The rice and beans were fine. I will give this place another try in some time. They are new but clearly need some assistance now. I would love to see this business thrive so go visit and share...

Absolutely phenomenal experience! From the moment we walked in, the service was top-notch. Our server was incredibly knowledgeable and made excellent recommendations for both food and drinks. We had two Palomas and a margarita—each one was perfectly balanced and refreshing.

For appetizers, we went with the mixed fish and shrimp, which was so fresh and flavorful. For our mains, I had the club sandwich, and my man had the steak sandwich—both were absolutely mouthwatering! Every bite was packed with flavor, and we left feeling more than satisfied.

Highly recommend this spot for anyone looking for great food, amazing drinks, and exceptional service. We’ll...