A new Portuguese-inspired restaurant is about to open in York.
Tasca Frango will open on Colliergate tomorrow (Wednesday). It is the sister restaurant of street food venture Frango Eduardo and serves up Portuguese-inspired cuisine, specialising in piri piri chicken.
YorkMix spoke to Tasca Frango co-director Ted Hustler, to find out more about the opening.
Frango Eduardo, owned by Ted, his partner Emma Hargreaves and her father Steve Hargreaves, first delighted customers at Spark:York before moving into Supersonic Cafe on the Stonebow.
Unfortunately, after about a year of operating at Supersonic they were given their notice.
They received the keys for their new premises on King’s Square at 28 Colliergate in June. The building was previously home to popular cafe Chloes of York, which traded there for ten years.
After a complete refurbishment of the building, they are ready to open their rebranded sister restaurant Tasca Frango.
“This is what we’ve been after – a space you can call yours and make it look how you want and feel like you want,” said Ted.
The refurbishment includes a brand new kitchen, electrical work, new carpeting and new lighting. The process has taken around two months.
A ‘tasca’ is a casual Portuguese eatery.
“We’re aiming for the smart side of casual which is accessible for everyone,” said Ted. “We’ve kept it quite concise in terms of the menu.
“There’s the staple stuff we’ve done from inception, and we’ve added seafood on there now as well as nibbles and light bites.
“The idea is you can come in and share some plates, you can have a bit of everything with a glass of wine or beer without being too formal.”
The restaurant will be open for coffee and pastries in the morning, and have a lunch and dinner menu. In the near future they are also looking to launch a Sunday lunch menu.
“We’d do a piri piri roast – which I think would go well.”
Tasca Frango will run alongside Frango Eduardo, which will stay a more mobile brand. Frango Eduardo is currently serving up delicious grub at Thor’s Tipi at the Principal Hotel, York.
“We’re looking at a takeaway unit,” said Ted. “So Frango Eduardo will be the takeaway, the street food, barbecues, events – that sort of thing.”
There will be approximately 45 covers inside Tasca Frango, and the company have applied for a pavement license which would add an extra 15 covers.
The new restaurant has created 14 jobs, both full and part time.
Initially, Tasca Frango will be open Tuesday to Saturday, with a view to also opening on Sundays. It will open 7am till late, as they are licensed until midnight.
“I do think we’re in a better location now,” said Ted. “Everyone seems excited – I’m keen to get the doors open now.
“We’ve taken a 10 year lease, so hopefully we’re here for the duration!”
Keep up to date with Tasca Frango via their Facebook page – their website is coming soon.
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