SoCo Tavern
Nachos served in a can.
“Everybody does traditional nachos. So we want to do something different.”
New Haven style pizza on the South Coast.
“You don't have to drive to New Haven. You come right here to Fair Haven and get the best New Haven pizza around.”
And finger licking fried chicken.
“When you have this dish, it's almost like taking a trip down south just that real great comfort food.”
With dish after dish of delicious comfort food, it's no wonder people are loco for Soco.
Set in this big industrial space in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, Soco Tavern has a vibe that welcomes you, the second you step foot in the door.
“Our regulars, we treat like family. New customers, we treat like regulars like they're at home in a place that you can come to time and time again. It's like a second home.”
Industry veteran Mario Ribeiro knows a thing or two about restaurants. So he created a space that caters to any night out.
“Each room's a little different, so we have our main bar room, which is a smaller room, more comfortable, cozy area. Then we have our big main dining room, which has the open kitchen. And then we have our garage, which is a really cool vibe. There's seven or eight garage doors that go up, open air seating, a great bar, huge bar, lots of room. It’s just a unique place. There's nothing like it around.”
Of course, what really brings people in is the food. And at SOCO, comfort classics come with a twist like the Trash Can Nachos.
“It's nachos in a can with black bean and corn relish, shredded cheddar cheese, house made queso and our cumin sour cream. We pick up the can. All the ingredients we put into it, distributes throughout the entire dish. It really catches every chip and it's quite a presentation. It's fantastic.”
There are Pork Bao Buns stuffed with slowly braised pork shoulder, diced cucumber, picked red onions and what they call “yum yum sauce”.
And for some local flavor, Portuguese Spring Rolls.
“We have a huge Portuguese community here. So there are spring rolls stuffed with Portuguese trades, potatoes, spinach. We serve it with a chili sauce and some sweet ginger. If you haven't had Portuguese Chouriço , it is absolutely unbelievable. It's got a flavor that really it's not like any other sausage. It’s like traveling to Portugal.”
But for Mario- there’s only one way to kick off your meal at Soco.
“So the Bloody Mary oyster shooters are what everyone should have when they first start here at so go walk in and order the Bloody Mary oyster shooters.
Each shooter has an oyster on the bottom, and then we add some vodka. If you like Bloody Mary's, if you like oysters, you can't go wrong.”
Big flavor in the form of New Haven style pizza is coming out of the Mara Forni oven affectionately known as ‘Big Daddy’.
“People walk in, they look at the oven like, oh, it's the big daddy. Let me try something from the Big Daddy.”
The Holy Hot Honey is a fan favorite, topped with cup-and-char pepperoni.
And for seafood lovers, there’s “The Necker”, their version of clam pizza — made with fresh Fairhaven seafood.
“We call it the Necker, because we use fresh little neck clams that we shuck right before putting on the pizza. Of course, we add bacon to it, with our cheese, the oregano. Absolutely delicious.”
That fresh local seafood is also offered on the Fisherman’s Platter, loaded up with fried haddock, scallops, shrimp and clams.
“We are about a five minute drive from the biggest fishing port in the country. So when you have seafood on the menu, it has to be fresh. It's a huge portion of fresh seafood. Can't beat our seafood platter.”
There are comfort food faves like Mac and Cheese with cavatappi pasta smothered in a creamy cheddar and provolone sauce…
Or for some south in your mouth, try the Fried Chicken and Biscuits.
“You get the crispy buttermilk brined chicken breast. We have our house made biscuits. We serve the garlic mashed potatoes, and, of course, the sausage gravy, which really takes it to the next level.”
Burger lovers will want to smash Soco’s smash burger- cooked perfectly on the flattop for added texture.
“You're getting the meat flavor, but you're also getting that layer of crispiness with the cheese and the sauce, the lettuce, the pickles, the bread, it's really just a mouthful of incredible flavors that come together so well.”
But if you ask Mario, he’ll tell you to try the so-called “Beef the Odds”.
“We take the short rib, we braise it overnight in our pizza oven, horseradish aioli, gruyere cheese, peppers, onions, mushrooms and on a griddled onion roll. You can't beat it.”
And when it’s time for dessert, Soco brings the nostalgia of summer camp with the S’mores Bread Pudding.
“With a s'mores bread pudding has chocolate chips and a brioche bread, graham crackers, toasted marshmallow fluff and a chocolate sauce, it is absolutely awesome.”
And from starters to s’mores, the food AND the mood will make you feel oh SO good at SoCo Tavern.
“When you're serving this type of food, you know, it's comfort food, and you want to make sure everybody's feeling comfortable and really feel like a place that they can come back time and time and feel like they're at home.”
