Pacífico

Unless you’re a college freshman, I wouldn’t go here. Food was salty. greasy but otherwise tasteless. The staff was friendly but service was slow. The only thing good here was how the menu read but you cant eat a menu.

We stopped for a quick bite just after the Peabody museum. The tapas we had were just great. Gambas al ajillo, ropa vieja y arepa, oyster mofongo. They have afull bar. Dervice was great also. Totally recommend it.

Food and drinks at this restaurant are great. Also, the bartenders and wait staff are very pleasant. The only negative thing about this place is the rude and unfriendly hostess. She is not welcoming at all and acts as though you are inconveniencing her just by being there.

This place is just okay. Good for a night out or when you don’t have reservations elsewhere and find yourself in New Haven. But not for a great culinary or dining experience. Here’s why: The food is pretty uneven. The yucca fries, for example, are perfect. They are crispy and flavorful with a fun sauce. They are presented attractively in a cone shaped container like traditional french fries. But the short rib empanadas tasted a bit odd. The «Pacific Grilled Parrilada,» with shrimp, chicken, and beef was not bad but a bit over-​cooked, and over-​priced. The drinks are fine, and the guacamole adequate (a bit under seasoned if you get the plain, rather than the spicy). But don’t hold your breath to get refills on either chips or guacamole. The Crispy Whole Mediterranean Sea Bass dish is uneven, with some of the elements, the fish, being well-​cooked, but other elements being less successful, such as the wilted salad with quinoa on top of the fish. Ask for the salad on the side. The bread served on the table was stale. Bleh.
But the service here is also undesirable. Our waitress was so lackadaisical as to be almost funny. She only came to life to correct whatever pronunciation we made of the dishes – which are listed in Spanish. This was absolutely ludicrous as my husband is a native Spanish speaker! She is the one who needed to be corrected. But that was not the worst part. The worst part was that she kept condescending to us as though she were talking to dim-​witted children. Then, at the end of the meal when I was seeking a slight modification to the dessert I chose – adding ice cream to a chocolate cake – she made a BIG deal about it costing $ 2.00 extra. First of all, this is tacky for a nicer restaurant. Just friggin’ throw in the minuscule scoop of ice cream. (That is all that they gave us even when we paid for it). For our having spent close to $ 150.00 for our meal, I think they could comp us a teaspoon of ice cream. But the waitress leaned down and really contorted her face to let us know about the «two dollars extra,» we just wanted to shake her. And this was AFTER she had to traipse off to the kitchen to first SEE if the chef could accommodate adding a dollop of ice cream to a chocolate cake. Seriously? This should be a no-​brainer. Not an awful meal, but I would not return unless someone else was paying.

The idea of Pacifico is better in theory than in practice.
While I love the idea of the a Latin American restaurant downtown and the menu sounds great, Pacifico has let me down time after time.
The food is just mediocre flavor wise and the quality varies wildly based on the day. I’ve had the ropa vieja here a few times with inconsistent preparation of the meat (tough, dry, salty, or flavorless).
The service is dismal. Servers leave you waiting, forget to bring your order, or get your order wrong all together. What really took the cake for me was when I left my card at the bar after a Salsa Friday (they have salsa dancing on Friday nights, their only saving grace), when I went back to pick it up they couldn’t provide me with a receipt for the one $ 10 drink I ordered. No big deal. Right? Wrong! Apparently the bartender felt he did such a excellent job on the ONE drink I ordered that he gave himself 100% tip. Really people?! That’s called credit card fraud. Lost all respect for them after that. I cringe whenever someone mentions going to Pacifico. You’ve been warned.

I am writing to share a disappointing experience I had at Pacifico a few nights ago (⁵⁄₄). This was my third visit to the restaurant and I have always been extremely happy with the food and service. Therefore, I decided to take my mother there as part of an early Mother’s Day gift that included a Jersey Boys show at the Sheubert.
I arrived at about 5:40 for dinner with my reservations and informed my waitress we would be going to a show at 7:30. We were told we would have ample time but apparently the kitchen was very «backed up» according to our server. This caused us to be late to the show. I have been to this restaurant on multiple occasions and never experienced slow service like this.
Finally, when our entrees arrived (paella & skirt steak) they lacked the normal flavor and attention to details I have come to expect from Pacifico. I was very disappointed with this experience and wanted to bring this experience to your attention.

REALLT GOOD GUACAMOLE. The duck quesadillas are pretty good too. Just don’t get the paella – it’s too watery.
It has two floors, so it can accommodate a large group, but it gets packed especially during the weekends, so it’s safe to make a reservation in advance.
The bar scene is pretty vibrant so it caters well to younger population.
Overall, not bad!

My wife and I came here for a nice bite to eat before heading to a show at the Shubert this past Saturday evening around 6:15, and it was disappointing.
Pacifico just isn’t what it used to be.
We sat at the end of the bar, which was only about half filled with patrons. I ordered a martini, dry with a twist and it was so heavy on the vermouth it tasted like a strange glass of terrible wine. A dry martini means one thing in any bar. Except here apparently. To add to the insult of a poor drink at $ 11? An up-​charge of $ 1.50. Utterly confounding.
We ordered three tapas and only one was good. Thankfully it came last, as we were close to cancelling after the drink and first two tapas. The skirt steak flatbread was delicious. Good tender steak, well seasoned and sliced, on a warm flatbread with arugula and bleu cheese.
The first tapa? The calamari arrived at our table in under four minutes, yet it was cold. How is this possible? It was rubbery and had the uniform, crisp-​less breading that suggests frozen food. It came out so quickly, we figure it was already under a heat lamp or we got another table’s reject. Unacceptable.
The yucca fries? My wife has now renamed them yuck-​a fries. Call something «fries» and one would reasonably expect fries. But at Pacifico? No, no, no. What arrived was a dish that appeared to be a soup crock half filled with a tomato-​based broth in which were sitting about five very thick (and not uniformly sized) slabs of yucca. Not a whisper of crispness. How can a fry (or something at least called a fry) be crispy in a liquid? The composition and name each defy logic.
The bartender was pleasant and asked if I’d like another martini but my wife and I were both pretty sour on the experience. And I certainly wasn’t ordering another glass of vermouth.
On top of this all, not once, not twice, but three times a waitress came to pick up drinks at the service station right next to me, and she was exceedingly nasty to the bartender. Rude tone, rude comments, argumentative. She had two French braids in case her boss is reading.
It’s unfortunate that for such a poor experience we spent $ 50 and only got a story for our troubles. We won’t return to Pacifico again, which is a shame because it used to be a top spot for us for the last few years.
We went to a nearby pub to get fries afterward.

The food was pretty good, some very good, some average. The service was not very good.

I cannot say I have eaten tapas that are worse than at Pacifico. While, the food was edible, it was not good. They are also not friendly for children at all. I found the experience to be very suboptimal and will not be returning there.

Pacifico New Haven is one of my favorite Spanish restaurants! Me and my girls dined there last Saturday night and as usual, we were not disappointed. I ordered one of the specials: steak fajitas and it was marvelous! I washed it down with red Chilean wine. One of my gfs had the Carmelized salmon with kale, another had the lobster ravioli and the last one had the shrimp paella. They were drinking the legendary mohitos– Delish! Our waiter Mark was very attentive, funny and fab and we had the window seat in the front of the restaurant so I was super happy! Downtown New Haven was hopping last Saturday night so we were lucky to get into such a happening place! Highly recommended!

I went to Pacifico with a few friends for a birthday celebration last night. It was a major disappointment. It was off to a good start and our waitress was friendly enough. The drinks were good (we all ordered the house margarita). However, it went down hill when the appetizer arrived. We ordered guacamole and, per the menu suggestion, requested it to be spicy. We got the larger size– as there were four of us. There was not one ingredient in the guac that had a hint of spice– not even jalapeño. The portion of chips was ridiculous, filing only a tiny bowl. This is also where our waitress became extremely difficult to find. We finally asked for more chips from the girl refilling water (who was far more attentive than our waitress). Eventually we placed our dinner order and the waiting game began. 55 minutes later is when our waitress finally came back to our table. We all had empty drinks for most of this time. She told us the food was almost up and we voiced that we were getting concerned she had forgotten about us and she said «I’m not in the kitchen I don’t know what’s taking so long tonight.» This perhaps annoyed me further due to the fact she hadn’t bothered to check on us for so long. She could have completely diffused the situation by coming over to check on us, bring more drinks, or offered an apology or explanation of any sort. But that didn’t happen and can’t be blamed on the kitchen, as it is clearly not their job to come talk to us. Once our dinners arrived things didn’t get better. My salmon wasn’t very warm, the chicken and rice my friend had was pretty bland and a steak was served without a steak knife. The waitress was, once more, nowhere to be found. My friend ate his $ 30 steak with a butter knife. We couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Definitely won’t be going back there for dinner.

I visited Pacifico on a Tuesday evening around 8pm. We were quickly seated at a spacious table in the candlelit restaurant. After some deliberation, we settled on the Alitas de Puerco en Tocino, Quesadilla de Pato, and Empanadas de Platano. All three orders were prepared very well, with full and well-​balanced flavours. The staff were sufficiently attentive and the setting was conducive to conversation.
Recommendations:
–I’d recommend all three items, although the Quesadilla de Pato was probably my favourite.
Verdict:
Would return.

Quesadilla de Pato (aka duck) is melt in your mouth delicious. Tender and flavorful duck sandwiched between two crispy tortilla shells. Sprinkled with corn salsa and a dash of love. Do yourself a favor and TRY THIS. The Paella Polormino was tasty too.
Overall a night filled with yummy food and merriment. Will be back to try their sweet lunch deals, brunch prix fixe menu, and happy hour drinks!
A note about the service: not sure what y’all on here are going on about with the rude service.
We made a reservation for 8 PM on a Friday night, and they seated us right away even though A. It was 15 minutes before the reservation and B. The rest of the party hadn’t arrived yet. Service was wonderful, our waitress checked on us throughout the night, water was constantly filled, and and our entrees came out in a timely manner.

The paella is signature! The duck quesadilla melts in your mouth! They nail it every time we go!

Delicious latin american food in New Haven close to the Yale campus and the bar is good for grabbing a drink with friends. Festive vibe, particularly downstairs near the bar area. Extensive menu. They used to have an amazing lobster quesadilla, but it’s been replaced with a decent duck quesadilla. The «Churrasco a la Parrilla» (grilled skirt steak with stir-​fried rice) is large but thick and juicy and is accompanied by a wonderful sweet sauce. The bread and tomato sauce/​oil is really good (and, at least in the past, was available for sale). The restaurant is good for a group outing — they have plenty of space upstairs.

Best piece of salmon of my life without a doubt. Friendly staff too. The only way I can imagine these guys getting poor reviews is if it goes downhill when busy? We were there on a slow sunday night…

Tapas were great
that would have gotten them a 5
but …dinners were too salty — all of us left food
The sausage in the paella was not edible
so dinner got a 2
average is is 3 because time was poor (wait staff seemed
fine kitchen slow)
would not rush back

Officially done with Pacifico. I’ve lived in New Haven and have been going for years, but last night was the final straw, after it getting progressively worse each time we’ve gone.
Some highlights: Awful service, surly hostess, dirty silverware, 45 minutes after putting in a drink order and still no drinks (we cancelled it), no steak knife for steak, tinier portions each time i go…
***Went on Friday night, and although they were a little busy, it took 15 minutes for anyone to come to the table. OK, no problem. So we tried to make it a little easier for the server by putting in our entire order (including drinks). We got our drinks 15 minutes later, and then the server disappeared. Appetizer came, 3 tiny pieces of pork wrapped in bacon (tiny portion given the price), but the taste wasn’t bad.
Finally waiter came back, and we put in another drink order. Waited 20 minutes, still no drinks. Asked again. Then we got our entrees from the runner… still no drinks. Got steak and asked the runner for a steak knife to cut it, never came back. Asked another person working there who was clearing tables for a steak knife. Nope, nothing. At this point I have a steak sitting there that I’m now trying to cut into with a butter knife. Was getting up to find a knife myself and ran into our server to ask him for a steak knife. Brought one back and it was filthy… not water spots… but legitimate bits of dried food stuck on it, very noticeable. Server didn’t even notice though and I would have said something, but they never came back.
45 minutes after the drink order, still no drinks. by now we’re done with dinner (entries were actually good, but smaller portions). Got up to find the server and asked him to cancel the drinks and bring the check… And that was our night. But hey at least we were able to eat, while the table behind us who was there before we walked in, just got bread when we left. They and every table around us were complaining about the service, and i can’t say I blame them.
I’ve been there when it’s been much busier, so i don’t get it. This has all the hallmarks of a place that bleeding cash and about to go out of business. Manager either needs to hire more staff, or train his people better.
It’s sad b/​c I’ve had so many meals here… New Year’s Eve, first dates, brunches, etc. but I can’t do it anymore. I’m pretty laid back, but the combination of everything I described above, as well as it getting worse each time we go, is no longer unacceptable.

I would have rated it a 5 if it wasn’t for the rude azz non smiling hostess. She kills the experience walking in the place. Management please replace her or have her attitude adjusted. As for the food no complaints every thing we order was delicious «the paella and the guacamole are to die for. A big shout to Mark our waiter. He rocked !!
If you are a serious foodie visit Pacifico.

Horrible service and food is mediocre. The manager who was in a black suit was very rude. He clearly was des ruminant towards kids, as he hated the fact that my friend had a little kid with her. The clams and mussels tasted like the bathroom. Will not go there again and will make sure my friends don’t either. Pricey for no reason.

I came here with a party of 10 for a friend’s birthday. Our reservations were for 8:30 and we arrived at 8:20. We told the hostess and she said «your reservation isn’t until 8:30. your table will be ready at 8:30.» She was NOT friendly and shouldn’t be a hostess. 8:30 came and we asked if our table was ready and she rudely said «no» so we asked if she could let us know when it is and she rolled her eyes. She finally told us to follow her at 8:50 and brought us to TWO separate booths — one that seats 4 and the other seats 5. We asked if she could push the two tables together and she said «you can do it if you want.» We were so shocked! We told her to get someone to do it for us — it’s not our responsibility to make tables! So she angrily pushed one table to the other (almost tipping over the empty glasses) and we told her it’d make more sense to push the other one since the booth cannot move and the chairs can (apparently she didn’t understand that concept). She finally got one of the waiters to do it for us. Thank god we didn’t see her again that night.
Our waiter was very friendly on the other hand, which is why I couldn’t just give this place one star. He seemed a little nervous about hosting a party of 10 but he was great — explained the menu, our drinks came quickly and wasn’t rude like the hostess.
The food was bland but the mojitos were excellent. I’d never come here again unless it was just for drinks. They need to find another hostess — she ruined our entire evening.

Their hostess needs a serious attitude check. Checked in with my party of 10, did not know my friends had also done so and she had such an attitude as if I was the problem. Once this rude hostess showed us to our table, we noticed it was 2 separate tables (a booth and a table)! I had asked to have them moved together if possible and she had the nerve to tell me to do it myself!!! It is not my responsibility to accommodate for my guests but the restaurants so I had her ask someone to do it. You’d think they’d move the table over the booth but no. When we told the hostess this is unacceptable she was so rude and push the tables together herself knocking over some glasses.
I don’t think I’d go back after dealing with this. Our waiter was awesome and the food was delicious but the overall experience was not so great.

A group of friends and I went for lunch. The restaurant was quite empty, but it took nearly 45 minutes for our mains to arrive. Our burgers were not cooked as requested, and extremely flavorless. Our bacon burgers each also came with literally only one tiny piece of bacon. It was pitiful. Our menu also included sorbet, and the «bowls» (glorified shot glasses) were so small, I’ve had bigger samples at ice cream parlors.
1 star. Would avoid at all cost.

The rating is on their service. Very very slow while seated outside with one waiter.
Food came out before the drinks! Bar service was worse. Good music on Friday night and really good empanadas and yucca fries. Unfortunately, I won’t be spending my money at a place that doesn’t value customer service.

I came here with a group of co-​workers after researching happy hours in New Haven. Our source said that Pacifico boasted free tapas as part of their happy hour. However, when we asked the waiter, he looked at us like we all had three heads. Maybe it was this innocuous inquiry that soured all the service we got at Pacifico (but seriously was it really our fault that no one bothered to change this?!) but we were definitely less than charmed by the waitstaff. This made me really dislike the place altogether.
We ended up staying for the full happy hour anyway (4−7pm), in spite of the lack of free tapas and crappy service. Thankfully, the drinks were good and strong. I ordered the passionfruit and strawberry guava mojitos, both of which were delicious and strong. The passionfruit was more tart and tangy, while the strawberry guava was more sweet. Both were very distinct from one another, yet balanced each other out well. The chips and guacamole were decent, but my favorite app of the evening was the tomato shrimp ceviche. Although I was expecting a more traditional ceviche with more emphasis on the flavors of citrus and raw fish, I was actually pleased by Pacifico’s take, which reminded me a little bit of a deconstructed shrimp cocktail. The plantain chips provided were both decorative and delicious.
All in all, I don’t think I’d want to come back to Pacifico because they seemed pissed off at my group the whole time, despite the fact that we were being very polite and giving them fantastic business. There’s definitely more welcoming places to get our happy hour fix in New Haven.

My wife and I celebrated an anniversary in New Haven last weekend and this restaurant was a great part of it.
The atmosphere was very nice. Te bar was beautiful! Very good selection of drinks and are well known apparently for there Mojitos and Margaritas. Since my wife and I do not like Mojitos we had Margaritas, which were awesome!
For dinner we had a Fried Calamari app followed by a Paella for me and a Churrasco a la Parilla for her. We both really enjoyed our meals and were most happy with the portions. Hers was just enough. We did not want to be too full since we hoped to dance later. Although I enjoyed the option to add a side of Lobster to my dish, I probably wouldn’t do it again since it became messy cracking the claw. I have no problem cracking lobsters but I was not dressed to do that on that night.

My entrée was mind blowing. Lobster ravioli dancing (yes dancing) in Chardonnay honey sauce with sautéed shrimp and scallops. My only complaint… more ravioli please.
Omg an amazing luscious coconut pineapple flan. When it comes to flan I’m hard to impress, it’s my specialty to bake for the holidays. Pacifico did a superb job on a Latino classic.
Host and waiting staff friendly. Atmosphere trendy and mystique.