On my many visits for work to Perth in Scotland I always eat in Pacos restaurant, I like the choice they have on their menu.
--------------The Location and history--------------
The location of the restaurant is located on Mill Street in Perth, directly opposite the new Perth concert hall, this must have been a real bonus for the owner when the development was announced. Mill Street is slightly away from the main part of Perth town centre, although a five minute walk will see you getting to bars such as the Foundry and Sportsters.
The restaurant was first opened in 1990 and is quite well known with the Perth locals, people in my office always recommend it when ever I visit for work. They will take reservations for a table and these can be made on 01738 622290. They also have a web site where you can look at the menu, www.pacos.co.uk.
The restaurant is a predominately an American restaurant which also offers Italian and Mexican food on the menu. The décor consists of wood panelling and lots of memorabilia from days gone by, it reminds me of TGI Fridays, with lots of useless tat hanging around, but it is quite interesting to look at. The restaurant is very large and spacious, there are no places where you can get some privacy, so not ideal for an imitate meal, but that is part of the appeal as it has a buzzing atmosphere when there are a few people in. If the restaurant is not busy and you are on your own it can seem quite intimidating, but you get used to that eating on your own.
At the front of the restaurant is the impressive bar area, the whole bar is made of wood panelling and looks very impressive, although it is not of the TGI Fridays ilk where you can have a drink as there is not really enough room, it is just for the waiting staff to organise themselves and prepare drinks.
There is a private dining room upstairs, this can be hired for a special occasions such as a birthday or another celebration. The private hire room is more intimate than the main restaurant and has a lower ceiling so is more intimate than the main restaurant, and has it's own bar area. I am not sure if you have to pay to use the room or as long as you have enough people coming they let you have it for free.
--------------The Food--------------
The food as stated is American with Italian and Mexican on the menu. The menu is quite extensive and often very difficult to make a decision on due to the amount of choice. The restaurant offers three menus offering breakfast, lunch and an evening menu.
DRINKS
The bar doesn't have any draught beers but has a good choice of bottled beers ranging from £2.20 for a 275ml Tennents larger to £3.20 for my favourite tipple a 500ml Furstenberg lager from Germany. They also have a large range of soft drinks and spirits, so there is plenty of choice for the non drinker. As for Wine the list of wine available is quite large although I would say that it is not particularly cheap with the lowest on the menu costing £3.60 for 175ml of Robert Skatti Chardonnay.
BREAKFAST AND LUNCH
I have only ever eaten at the restaurant in the evenings so never tried their breakfast or lunch menu but I will give a brief overview of them below.
The breakfasts that Pacos offer are the standard things you would expect, you're good old style fry up starting at £3.45 for 2 rashers, 2 eggs and toast. Then there is the more continental breakfast with Croissants and pastries anywhere between £0.95 and £1.75. The one that tempts me though is the Big Breakfast which comes with 2 rashers of bacon, 2 eggs, 2 sausages, black pudding, mushrooms, tomato and toast, all for the princely sum of £6.95. The hours that they serve the breakfast over are from 0930 to 1130, which during the week I would expect is too late for most people.
The lunch menu is a simple menu, with lighter options such as sandwiches, wraps, salads, jackets and Panini's. The prices range from £3.43 for an egg mayonnaise sandwich, £4.75 for a chicken Caesar wrap, and £4.45 for a cheese jacket. From the lunch menu I think I would choose the Beef Fajita wrap, which is described as finely sliced beef, onions, peppers & salsa picante and is priced at £4.95
STARTERS
There is quite a choice of starters available on the menu such as Garlicky Fried Mushrooms £4.45, Loaded Potato Skins £4.65, Baked Brie £4.85 and lots more in total a choice of 14 starters, now you can see why it may take a while to choose. My usual favourites from the menu are the chicken wings, mushrooms and the loaded potato skins. With the chicken wings you get ten wings that have been marinated in a barbeque sauce and then deep fried, I have to say they are very nice. Of the other starters I have tried I have never come across a bad one yet they have all be of good quality although I would question the value for money of some in particular the potato skins.
MAINS
The menu has a good selection of main courses 37 that I could count this ranges from any kind of steak you can imagine, burgers, pizza, pasta to Mexican. The steaks start from £13.95 for an 8oz Sirloin, all steaks are accompanied by tomatoes, mushrooms, onion rings and French fries, baked potato or creamy mash, sauces are available as an extra from £1.45. Pizzas start from £6.95 for a base cheese and tomato, the toppings can be added from £0.40. From the other options you can have steak Fajitas for £10.95 or Lasagne for £8.95.
My favourite from the menu is of course the steak, why not when your company is paying the bill. I have had the T-Bone which is a 16oz, I always have my steaks cooked medium and to me the mark of a good restaurant is one that can cook a steak correctly, trust me there are plenty out there that cant. Thankfully Pacos is a restaurant that can cook steak well, the steaks and the accompanying food come served on a skillet so they come still sizzling and stay hot through the duration of your meal, although they still tend to carry on cooking on the skillet. I have also had from the main courses the burgers and these are really nice as they are hand made not pre-packaged, so as a result are really tasty.
--------------Service--------------
When I have eaten at Pacos I have always found the service to be very attentive and considerate, I have never had to wait long for my food and my drink is monitored so I never appear to have an empty bottle. I must admit I have only ever been during the week when it is quite so I would not know what the restaurant is like on a busy weekend.
--------------My Verdict--------------
Pacos offers such a choice on the menu there is going to be something to please everybody, no matter what their taste, beware it may take a long time for your table to decide what they all wan due to the amount of choice. The price of the restaurant is acceptable although I feel some of the meals are a little pricey for what they are but it is certainly not extortionate on the whole. The service is good and attentive with the waiting staff being very polite.
If you are visiting the Perth in Scotland I would recommend that you pay a visit to Pacos, and see if you can make a choice from their vast menu in less than five.
