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Scott’s is a popular Mill Road restaurant that likes to dip its toes in a bit of everything. I have previously covered their bottomless brunches, deep-pan Detroit style pizzas, and sourdough pizza, with all reviews resulting in almost unanimous praise for their quality (I think it is about time I bought shares in Scott’s 🤣).

Tonight, for the first time, I was invited by Scott himself, to try their ‘Taco Tuesday’ event, held every 4-6 week at the restaurant. I was very excited by this, as I love a good taco and there aren’t many locations you can buy them in Cambridge. Judging by their track record, I was optimistic that they were going to be well executed

Scott’s All Day was absolutely bustling for a Tuesday night. People were chatting, laughing, and enjoying good times. The restaurant was dimly lit, with fairy lights hung across with large windows looking out onto the ever interesting Mill Road.

Ceviche

I decided to put my trust into Scott (the man behind the name) who recommended I try a few starters from their menu.

His first recommendation was an exquisite dish called ceviche, which is made from sea bream sourced from Cornwall. It is marinated in spicy lime and then served with mango, avocado, onion & coriander.

As a man who isn’t big on fish or avocado, I was surprised that this turned out to be my favourite dish of the evening. It offered a vibrant and tangy flavour that was full of so much life and energy. There was a punchy aftertaste and a bold freshness to everything that it came with. Miraculously I also learnt that it was a healthy dish, so something that I can recommend to anyone who feels like going out for dinner and dieting are mutually exclusive.

This is a dish that has it all!

Padron Peppers

The padron peppers are a perfect side dish and added some colour to the table. The peppers are fire roasted and garnished with chilli flake smoked salt.

For anyone who reads this blog frequently, you will already know that I love anything spicy. The padron peppers weren’t overpoweringly hot but had a spicy glow that slowly built up over time while still not strong enough to overwhelm the average person. The peppers themselves were clearly very fresh and the fire roasted cooking process gave them a nice softness while still having a delicate crunch on the bite.

Chicken Wings

The chicken wings come in three choices, the ‘buffalo and blue cheese’, the ‘sticky Korean’, and the ‘spicy mango habanero’. Scott recommended that I try the spicy mango, something I wouldn’t have picked for myself, but I am so glad I tried it because it turned out to be absolutely delicious.

As with the sea bream, the chicken also had a sweet tangy flavour that I could feel dancing on the inside of my cheeks. It came with a very generous portion of sauce that gave it an almost curry-like texture. The chicken fell off the bone with ease and was my sister’s highlight of the evening.

Taco time!

And finally, the centrepiece to the menu, and the entire reason why I visited this evening…the tacos! The dish is £11 for three, each served in a different style.

• Pork Carnitas – white onion, coriander, salsa verde

• Chicken Tinga – lettuce, mexican cheese, salsa verde

• Pork Pibil – pickled onion

They are served as authentic small wraps, rather than the crunchy shell tacos that many of us may be used to eating at home or in chain restaurants. Each one has its own distinctive personality with a different colour. Together, they were beautifully presented.

I was particularly fond of the pork pibil that came with a bright pink garnish of pickled onion. The pork was so soft and tender, with the succulence really shining through when bit into. My sister liked the chicken tinga and said it had a wonderfully aromatic sauce.

Detroit Style Pizza

Now, I have written about Scott’s deep-pan Detroit style pizzas in the past, but I’ll never tire of talking about it because it is one of the best pizzas (in my opinion) in Cambridge.

The pizza comes out served on a grill with a rectangle base. The pizza is several inches deep with a wonderfully spongy base that makes the entire pizza collapse and crisp up when you bite into it, while also making the pizza not feel too heavy or bloating.

The pizza is lightly covered in what I think was a honey glaze. This added a very welcome sweetness and an extra dimension to the flavour to something often overwhelmingly savoury. The pepperoni is sourced from the Mill Road butcher, a shop that you could literally see from across the road while eating – a reassuring testament to Scott’s commitment to supporting the local Mill Road economy. The results speak for themselves with a pepperoni that was so thick with a rich meaty flavour that jumped off the pizza. 

All the ingredients were premium, you could tell just by the taste. A lot of Detroit style deep pan pizzas are often quite trashy (in all the right ways) but this one felt cleaner and almost gourmet, well, as far as a pizza can be.

Dessert

We finished the evening with cookie dough that was bought out on an adorable (but very hot!) pan, served alongside a generous dollop of vanilla ice cream. As with everything else this evening, it was presented in an interesting way.

The cookie dough was a little dry. This could be credited to the fact it is left cooking in the pan while being brought out. This didn’t spoil the dish, as once it is added with the accompanying ice cream, it all came together to make a soft creamy dessert with crispy cookie dough that just made the bite a combination of complimenting textures.

The restaurant that has it all

This is my fourth review of Scott’s and once again my experience here has left me feeling full and satisfied. Normally, when a restaurant has such a diverse menu, it can spread itself a little too thinly and therefore the quality can suffer somewhat – but not here!

Everything from the food’s presentation, to the warm friendly service, the lively atmosphere, and the wide variety of exciting and interesting foods, makes Scott’s a place of cater for anyone and gives you a reason to come back time and time again.

If you haven’t been yet then what are you waiting for?