I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with El Santo.
I’ve had some really fantastic food here. I’ve also had the complete opposite.
I love the tacos.
I hate the Chile Relleño.
I love the mango guacamole.
I hate the salsas.
I love the Eggs Benedict.
Regardless, you can always count on good service, the atmosphere here is nice, the Tequila selection is fantastic and there is something for everyone to eat, and drink, here.
As always, I like to try something I haven’t had here before, so I’m going to try the corn fritters.
Frituras de Maize
A more traditional doughy fritter than the modern, crispy, tempura style corn fritter you regularly see these days, the sweet corn flavor was complemented well by a spicy habanero apple jam.
Taco Flight
A mix and match choice of three tacos. Merilynn got two fish, one for me, and one pork. I don’t know how they expect you to pick that fish taco up and eat it. Look at the size of the thing. One surely cannot complain about portion size. The flavor is nothing to complain about either. Served on the very traditional two corn tortillas, the ling cod was beautifully fried and was garnished with an avocado lime crema and red cabbage. That’s a great fish taco.
Pan de Elote
One of my favorites, a good corn bread is just a thing of beauty. Too often dry and crumbly, this cornbread was moist and subtly sweet. I’ve had Eggs Benedict served on it here, and while I’m normally a traditionalist when it comes to Eggs Benny, El Santo’s take on it is fantastic, thanks to this corn bread. Bueno!
El Raspada
I learned something tonight. El Raspada is a shaved ice treat and this one is particularly good. Condesa Gin, elderflower liqueur, hibiscus tea, and lavender agave syrup come together to a yummy, adult slushee.
Margarita Guey
As near as I can figure this is a standard margarita, dude. That appears to be the literal translation. Any Tequileños want to correct me on that please do. As for the drink. It’s Tequila and lime, in other words, awesome.
El Santo, I want to love you, but you make it hard sometimes. The highs are genuinely high — that fish taco, that corn bread, that ridiculous grown-up slushee — and when things are clicking, this is a really fun place to eat. Just maybe skip the Chile Relleno and don’t ask me about the salsas. If you can live with the inconsistency, and I apparently can because I keep coming back, there’s enough good stuff happening here to make it worth your while. The service, the tequila, and the atmosphere never let you down. See you next time, El Santo. Probably.