On my jollies in good old York, I not only wanted to discover the museums, cathedrals and architecture, oh no! I wanted to discover good food! So imagine my delight when I stumbled upon (well actually got lost and found it) Lucia wine bar and grill hidden behind the cobbled streets of York’s city centre.
How do you find this place? Why, follow your senses of course! (Or just get baffled by Google maps like me!) Use your nose to follow the smell of fresh herbs and spices, let your eyes catch sight of mellow lighting and groups of people chatting joyously and allow your ears to be drawn to the alluring salsa music that was resonating all around. Yes, Lucia is a place that definitely tickled my senses, and here’s why it’ll tickle yours…
The experience
After my senses literally dragged me to this place, I could hardly not go in. Outside on the patio sat tables of happy, chattering people all seemingly with a cocktail in hand. What was a nice touch was not only were there outdoor heaters to keep everyone warm, but each chair had its own fleece blanket (which were amusingly decorated with animated sheep!) so diners could put it over their legs in case it got really could- genius!
However, we opted to go indoors which seemed equally as welcoming. Although busy, we didn’t feel ignored and we were served quite quickly.
The interior was welcoming and friendly, a place where you could go for drinks with friends and forget all of life’s troubles.
The food
Starter
I wasn’t ravenously hungry so only my companion had a starter which consisted of Cajun calamari rings with a lemon mayonnaise. As a man who likes to sample calamari in any restaurant he visits (if available), he says they measure up well. The rings were crispy, the squid tender and the whole dish had a subtle spice that delicately lingered in the mouth once the dish had finished. Sounds good to me!
Main
Now this is something worth writing about! My main consisted of Fillet of salmon served with roasted butternut squash, red onions, new potatoes and spinach leaves- and it was delicious! The salmon was succulent, the onions and butternut squash were sweet and the spinach mouth-watering. I seriously couldn’t praise this meal high enough.
My companion equally enjoyed his meal which was Pork belly & chorizo sausage served with mashed potato and whole grain mustard sauce. He told me that the pork belly was “well-cooked” and the chorizo sausage was “bursting with flavour”. He added that although he doesn’t usually like mustard, for some reason it just worked.
We were both so impressed with our meals that if we were ever to come back to York, Lucia bar and grill would be the first place we’ll come!
Drinks
I don’t usually drink alcohol at dinner, (don’t ask me why) so I opted for the super berry ‘Mocktail’ which was fresh, fruiting and refreshing. My companion chose their version of Sangria. Although not what he expected (Lucia’s sangria was way stronger than any sangria he had tasted), he said after a while he did become more accustomed to the taste and eventually found he enjoyed the sangria.
The verdict
We’re not sure we had the true taste of the Mediterranean but we sure did have the taste some damn fine food! The prices were reasonable and the service was great.
For a weeknight, the place was quite lively and the atmosphere was buzzing- we could only imagine what it’ll be like on a Saturday night! Overall it was a good night out- not really ideal for a romantic dinner but definitely great for a group of friends wanting to catch up over a nice meal and a few cocktails.
Details
Tel- 01904 731599
Address- 13 Swinegate Ct E, York, North Yorkshire YO1 8AJ
Email- york@luciawinebar.co.uk