One of Lakeland’s most eagerly anticipated dining and drinking spaces is set to open on June 1.
Nineteen61 owner Marcos Fernandez gave LkldNow a sneak peek at the building’s new rooftop establishment, Bar Vasco, with commanding views of downtown and Munn Park.
What’s new: Bar Vasco is a Latin-flavored tapas, pintxos and craft cocktail lounge with a menu, kitchen and bar separate from its award-winning downstairs sister, Nineteen61.
Construction work on the space was almost complete on Tuesday. Fernandez completely remodeled the rooftop eatery and bar. What had been a hard-hat zone in February is now a tropical oasis.
The concept: Bar Vasco is Lakeland’s second rooftop bar, joining Bonnet Springs Park. Patrons can choose between air-conditioned indoor or fan-cooled patio seating, with tropical foliage throughout. Garage-style doors can also be opened during cooler months for a full open-air experience.
Fernandez said he and business partner Emerson Bamaca, Nineteen61’s beverage director, traveled the world to find unique food and cocktail options for customers.
“We’re gonna work on keeping the prices affordable so Lakeland, all of Lakeland, can come and enjoy,” Fernandez said. “None of the foods from downstairs is gonna be up here, so the quality will be there, the same quality, the same consistency.”
On the menu: Bar Vasco will offer both tapas, which are small hot or cold Latin dishes, and pintxos, food on a stick served on bread. Prices will range from $6 to $18 for food items, with fresh oysters the most expensive item. Drinks from Bamaca’s extensively researched and tested cocktail book will run $14 to $25. The priciest cocktail is the Luxury Old Fashioned, using Blanton’s Kentucky Bourbon from a single barrel Fernandez and Bamaca bought for Bar Vasco.
Hours: Bar Vasco will be open seven days a week and will offer evening hours when it opens June 1. It will also be available to rent for parties and events.
The back story: Nineteen61 opened its current location in July 2019, with a Tampa Tribune food critic once saying the chef’s Cuban-inspired offerings left them “starry-eyed.”
The name: Vasco is a term for a boy from the Basque region of Spain. Their concept is a young man, traveling the world, eating and drinking.
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