El Santo

Food is pretty good, it’s a little bit pricey for what you get though. Definitely try the beef cheek tacos if you go. We come here to see the live band that plays every Friday night at 9. If it wasn’t for the band we probably wouldn’t go.

This place is full of exquisite surprises! Here in New West on a rainy day to cat sit and read books while watching the rain hit the glass pane. Hubby rubbed his tummy and off we were in search of something hot and warm to satisfy our need for comfort and a tasty bite.
We just happened across El Santo and holy molé, it is amazing. Well heeled like a beautiful restaurant one could expect in downtown Vancouver, and with a wonderful spin on modern Mexican cuisine, that is done tastefully in both senses of the word. The cochinita pibil torta blew my mind, the chorizo take on the scotch egg was flaky and perfectly executed, the beef cheek and the tinga was to die for… and finally a true horchata with real almond milk and none of that knock off orgeat syrup… i can’t believe how good this place is!!! Its stunning aroma and taste brought me out of my Unilocal coma to write again.
They have a beautifully curated selection of mezcals and tequilas and a thoughtful cocktail selection that is intriguing and yet not based on what hipster bs is happening now in the bar scene. Next time I’m getting the 20^th century cocktail… a mezcal, gin, killer, chocolate liquor, and lemon combo that I’m hoping is reminiscent of a smoky mole.
I think we have a new best Latin place in town. Worth the trip!

Went there with my family and unfortunately it was pretty disappointing. We shared several items and found that they all lacked flavor big time, I was surprised, I expected much more for the price.
I don’t think I would go back, the Mexican place up the hill has much better food for a much more reasonable price.

Great service! Maybe too great (literally all the staff came to check up on us)…but seriously-​we never once had to ask for water or drinks.
Ceviche was tasty but on the watery side.
Guac trio was amazing!
Both come with house made tortilla chips and they are super tasty even on their own.
The meat on the tacos (we had El Pastor and Cachete) was on the dry side.
Our favorite was the TRIO DE ELOTES. They are amazing mini corn husks and you can eat the whole thing. The seasoning is amazing.
We finished off with the churros which came with an amazing tres leches dip.
Definitely will be back to try the rest of the menu!

My family and I have a great time in this restaurant. I chose a delicious fish taco with green salsa. But the best part was the dessert, churros!!!

Beautifully decorated, great lighting for ambiance. Local beer on tap, and every food item was fresh and delicious. Started with the chips and dip, so good! Shared some tacos, the fish was light and fresh, the beef was really tender and juicy. Ordered way to much and left full satiated and with leftovers :) I’ll be a new regular for certain.

Went here for dinner with my girlfriends. For starters, we had the three guacamole, three salsa, queso fundido, tijuana salad and the El santo huevo. All the aforementioned dishes were really good! I especially enjoyed the guacamole and the salad.
We all decided to have tacos as well. I had the cachete, while the others had the fish, pollo, and el pastor. I personally did not enjoy my tacos at all. The others did not enjoy their tacos either, with the exception of the two that ordered the fish tacos. If you decide to order tacos, sounds like the fish tacos might be your best bet.
For dessert we all shared the churros and that was delicious!
The atmosphere is great, but service a bit spotty. We had to follow up on some of our orders, sometimes twice and we were always told that it’s on the way (translation: I forgot you ordered that).
Not sure if I will be back, but if I do go back, will definitely skip the tacos and just stick to the appies.

Absolutely LOVED this place. Food was delicious. Our favourites were the salsa and guac trio. We also tried the fish, lamb and egg. There house made sangria isn’t great. Nevertheless, our server, Casey was fantastic! She took care of us well. We will be back to try more.

My (young adult) daughter and I have started going out regularly on Thursdays and she frequently chooses El Santo as the venue. We love the salsa trio, the soup, tacos of all sorts, and all the various treats we’ve enjoyed here. Most of the food is not too spicy, which suits me fine — just flavourful and nicely cooked/​textured.
There are tables in the back that I find too noisy, but we take a seat at the bar if only the back tables are available and the bartenders are so lovely that it adds another dimension of enjoyment to the evening. The overall ambience is upscale, contemporary, and attractive. I’m not in love with the live music, but that is just personal preference. The washrooms are clean, as is everything else the eye can see.
I congratulate the owners and thank them for choosing New West as their location!

Called and made a reservation and the girl on the phone sounded… disinterested? or maybe just lacking a bit of basic intelligence, I’m not sure… but something felt a bit off about the conversation. We get there, and we have probably the worst table in the entire place, and the servers were not that attentive. Not rude, just not really caring. I guess when your business is really busy you can do things like that?
The food was good. Not amazing, but it has me wanting to go back there on a less busy night so that I can get a table that doesn’t look or feel like it came from a garden gnomes doll house. If I’m eating alone, no problems, but eating with someone else, getting drinks and food and still needing space to move around the objects… not possible.

Okay, I had high hopes for this place… I love Mexican food, I really do. And I’m down to try the fast food joints (eg: Chipotle), the grimier places (Taqueria Tropical) and the hipster style joints (Tacofino). Basically, I’m not picky! But El Santo’s «contemporary» twist on Mexican left much to be desired.
The 3 of us were sat quickly, and all ordered horchatas. Now, for $ 6, I would expect a bigger drink and something that tasted like horchata, but I was disappointed. Not enough cinnamon flavour, and too much «rice milk.» But unfortunately, the disappointment didn’t stop there.
I had the pescado (fish) tacos, my one friend had Pollo Frito (chicken) tacos and my boyfriend had the cachete (pork) tacos. And our table split the Pescado a la Veracruzana (which was a full fish with salsa and side of green rice). We also added the tuna tataki with guacamole, which is featured on their seasonal menu.
The tuna tataki was not worth $ 16.00 — I was picturing it more like ceveche, but we ended up getting a mound of guacamole (which was quite good), a small bowl of chips, and 3 pieces of tuna tataki. Not mind blowing.
All the tacos were very… meh. The one thing they had in common? Lack of flavour! There were 2 tacos per order, and while they were quite decent in size, there was barely any flavour to it, even with the salsa that was given.
Finally, the shareable entrée, the fish. The presentation was great — a huge baked, cooked fish on top of red salsa and a side of green rice. But… the entrée was unfortunately, bland as well. The fish was cooked nicely all the way through, but the sauce reminded me of crushed tomatoes, and again, there was no flavour.
As for the service? Our waitress was attentive and was always quick with the refill of water. And although we were seated at the back of the restaurant, she still remembered to check up on us.
Overall, I was disappointed with the food. While the ingredients were all FRESH, it definitely wasn’t Mexican. With Mexican food, I was expecting possibly remnants of chili, a bit of heat dancing on my taste buds, maybe some cheese, medley onions, tomatoes and cilantro… Was that too much to ask at this place? Sigh.

I really wanted to love this place since it’s right in my neighbourhood and New West doesn’t have very many trendy upscale sort of places. Unfortunately, I was not able to fall in love after my experience here.
For starters, the atmosphere: As mentioned above, the place is classy and well-​decorated with a sort of urban chic feel. The interior is quite nice. We were positioned at a small table at the back although there were several empty larger tables and a couple of empty booths that would have been preferable. There was live music when I went. However, it did not seem like the typical sort of music that one might hear on vacation in a resort in Mexico.
Secondly, the food: We ordered the Rajas con Crema, Queso fundido and the cornbread. My biggest disappointment is that they would not allow any substitutions or changes to items on the menu, which is unusual for an upscale place. We attempted to order the Carnitas de pato with chicken instead of duck, or to add chicken to the Rajas to make it a bit more substantial but both requests were denied. The Rajas con Crema were alright. These are basically make-​your-​own tortillas accompanied by a cream sauce with veggies to fill them with. There was too much cream and not enough vegetables or substance in the cream except for a thin smattering of vegetables in the middle. It mostly was like eating a runny cream sauce in a tortilla. Could have been better if they allowed us to add something like chicken to soak up some of that cream, or if they put more veggies into it. It also could have used some more spice and flavour for Mexican food as it tasted more like a cream sauce that would be put onto pasta. The Queso Fundido was good, but definitely only get it as a sharing item, as it gets boring to just eat pure cheese after a few bites. Would also be better if it came with something other than soft tortillas as these are hard to use to scoop up the thick cheese. Would be better with chips or something fried. The cornbread was definitely the most enjoyable and outstanding part of the meal. Full of flavour, and brilliant crumbly texture. The accompanying jalapeño sauce was also quite good.
Third, the service: Not too bad but it did take a while to get our orders taken. Once taken, the food arrived quickly. The service was friendly, and they were able to answer our questions about the menu.
Fourth, the value: Given the price tag and the quality of the food, as well as portion size, I’m not sure that it is great value for the money. However, I did not get to try any of the main dinner entrees since they would not make the substitution so I can’t speak to those.
In all, I would return to give it one more try and see if I enjoy some of the main dinner items more than I enjoyed the sharing plates. However, so far, I don’t see anything that would make me want to add this to my favourites list or to become a regular customer. The atmosphere is nice though, so I may come back just for drinks and have food somewhere else.

Stopped by for lunch and ordered the cachete tacos and a Horchata. All I can say is I was expecting better… much better… there are two tacos to an order and I must say they give you a very generous portion of meat but the meat was not very flavourful. I always like to taste the taco itself before adding the salsa and in this case it was very uneventful. Even with that salsa it was average at best. The meat was very tender but man did it lack flavour. You would think 12 hour braised meat would have flavour and at least some spice…
The size of the Horchata was surprisingly small for a $ 6 drink. The Mexican downtown on Granville street (best Mexican I’ve had in Vancouver hands down) only charges $ 2 for a horchata twice the size and it has better flavour. They add cardamom to the Horchata here which is over powering and there isn’t enough cinnamon flavour, very disappointing…
Overall a lunch for one person was $ 16…not worth the price and I was quite disappointment with the lack of flavour. When I think of Mexican I think of hearty food packed with flavour and spice… the opposite of what I had today.
I should also mention the service was quite slow… only one other table at the time I was dining and three servers working but all seemed to be more interested in chatting and drying cups than taking orders.
Won’t be coming back this way for Mexican food, I’m going to stick to downtown.

We ordered the Trio Guacamole to share. It was a generous portion of chips and three different kinds of guacamole. Although it was a LOT of avocados, we couldn’t really tell the three flavours apart.
I had the Pescado (fish tacos) for entrée. Again, it’s well portioned. Two tacos stuffed with battered Ling cod with fresh herb and vegetables. It was so stuffed that I could barely pick it up! It came with a jalapeño (and lime?) dressing that you can spoon onto the tacos. Good flavour and very refreshing!

Yes! I’m stoked to write this review because I knew this place was going to be great but my first 2 experiences were nothing to brag about (for reasons need not be mentioned) but this time… I was seated at the bar, in great company, friendly bar staff as well. I ordered a spicy caesar that did not disappoint. It was tangy with the perfect amount of natural spice. My appetizer was a small bowl of the Sopa Azteca which has so many different textures with the avocado to top it off it was scrumptious. I had the tinga de pollo tacos. It comes with 4 corn tortillas and don’t let the dish presentation fool you, it’s a very filling portion of food. I do enjoy this place, the atmosphere is buzzing, happy people and it’s very clean. Perfect date spot. Or afterwork drinks. Give it a try, plus those churros… those churros I tell you… magnifico!

Met a friend here for Happy Hour. We each had the special sangria. $ 6 for a good sized glass of red or white. I had never tasted white sangria before and it was perfect for a gorgeous summer weather type of day.
I ordered the fish tacos. OMG! Hands down the most delicious fish tacos I have ever tasted. Two of them for $ 9. The tacos were heaping high, so high in fact that must be the reason why they serve each one on two tortillas so that you can take the bottom tortilla and wrap it over top the heaping taco. Really they could have been a meal unto themselves, they were that big.
Not realizing how large the tacos were, we shared two items off the happy hour specials: The El Santo Huevo which is a soft boiled egg, cut in half, each half nestled in a bed of chorizo sausage. My friend initially wasn’t keen on trying the egg but when it was set on the table we were both impressed with the presentation and she happily ate it. It was scrumptious, the sausage not over-​the-​top spicy.
We shared the trio of salsas. The chips are homemade exactly like you get them in Mexico. The salsas were allegedly mild, medium and spicy but even the spicy wasn’t at all spicy for me (and I don’t really like spice) Each salsa had a distinct colour and texture.
This is not your typical home cooking style of Mexican food. It’s definitely much more upscale as is the entire establishment.
Our bill, for 4 sangria, the tacos, egg and salsa and chips was $ 46.
The patio was built today, not quite finished yet but when it is it’ll be a nice addition to what is a very trendy eatery on Columbia St. in New West. El Santo, I think, will be a game changer for New West and is absolutely bringing the Yaletown vibe to Columbia St.
It’s actually a much larger restaurant than it appears when you walk past. Upon entering you look at the bar which has about a dozen or so chairs. Tables, chairs and beautifully upholstered booths. You can see into the kitchen from certain parts of the restaurant. There was plenty of staff on hand. I might add, I presume it was the owner who met me at the door… excellent customer contact from him! He later stopped by the table, while I was waiting for my friend, and explained in great detail his suggestions for ordering.
We left at about 7:00 PM and the place was pretty much full. Here’s hoping the food and service stays up to today’s standard. If it does, I predict a nice long life for El Santo in New West.

Came here on Saturday night for a dinner out with a good friend. She had made reservations which were clearly needed since they were turning people away! Unfortunately, there was a mix up with the reservations and some confusion but the manager/​owner was kind enough to offer us the first round of drinks on him. Once that was all figured out, we promptly ordered a variety of share plates — the trio of guacamole, the fish tacos, the cauliflower tacos and the skillet cornbread. After the first few bites, we were both in love with the food and were already planning a trip back.
El Santo is by far the best Mexican food I’ve had in Vancouver. To top it off, the restaurant itself is beautiful with modern décor and the service is out of this world. The staff were very attentive at all times and very friendly. I have already recommended this place to everyone I know and can’t wait to go back with my husband!

The best margarita I’ve had outside of Mexico.
My husband and I decided to try this place last week. The décor is beautiful and like other have mentions, it’s similar to something you would find in downtown Vancouver. There was live music playing when we went which added to the ambience but wasn’t too loud. (I’m generally not a big fan of live music in restaurants.)
We shared a few plates — the peppers padron, the guacamole trio and the enchiladas. Everything was beautifully displayed and delicious, especially the guacamoles. Apart from the margaritas, we tried the paloma which we also really enjoyed. We split the tres leches cake for dessert, which was also presented beautifully and was light and moist.
The staff were all very friendly and our service was great. We’ll definitely be back to try some of the other dishes and of course for another one of those margaritas.

For the size of New Westminster, we now have an abundance of «Mexican» restaurants. Want an authentic taqueria? Hit up Playa Del Tropical. Want Cali-​Mex? Hit up Chronic. What somewhere in between, Originales (new) is apparently quite good, if lacking in service (they’ll get it right, it’s just new!).
And then came El Santo.
If I didn’t know better, I’d think I was somewhere downtown. The décor and ambiance is big city. The service, was big city (everyone worked together to keep the tables and food moving). The menu? Big city. And yet here we were in little olé’ New West! In case it wasn’t clear, the aforementioned «big city» rant was a more of a rave! We don’t have a lot of big city in little New West
Here’s my debrief on food:
The trio of salsas was fairly outstanding. We all wanted to live in a world where the pico ge gallo and some chips followed us around. They were not stingy on the chips and when they saw us all fighting over the dregs of the salsa, another one was delivered (much appreciated!) Their chips are hot and fresh and maybe even made on site.
We had the chicharrone guacamole and were not as wowed. While the chicharrone itself (pork rinds!) was delicious, I think the other guac options might offer more gusto. As it was, it was a more pure form of the guacamole, with just mashed avocado… I’m potentially spoiled by my at home version. Still, can’t go wrong with guac… just needed some salt?
The chilaqueles were also very, very tasty, but we wanted a little more heat there too, and a splash of salt.
Tostaditas were the outstanding dish of the night (rockfish) because they were incredible.
Two orders of tacos: El Pastor and the Shredded Chicken (last one on the menu, brain fart on the name) were both tasty, but we all fell in love with the chicken. The pickles added a fresh oomph.
The one thing we felt was missing from it all was some heat. Granted, we’ve got pretty well-​versed palates and one mans mild is another mans hot, but we really wanted at least one or two super spiced toppings. We also agreed that much of it needed just a pinch of salt to bring out the awesome (and very fresh) flavours.
Cocktails were fantastic, with the paloma being as good as when I make them at home… Mom had a Roja… something… that came with their signature Mexican Hot Chocolate Marshmallow that was very tasty (she even had two!).
Dessert churros? Wars have been fought over less than who gets the last churro at this place. Just have them… the leche makes it over the top. I’m not even a dessert person and I’m drooling thinking about them as I type.
TLDR:
Service, ambiance/​décor, menu selections, cocktails, all outstanding.
Putting it over the top would be getting the seasoning spot on, adding some heat, and training the staff on which salsa is which (so we know what to order when we want all three to be what we think is the pico!)
We will be back and this is certainly a welcomed restaurant in New West — just expect to pay big city for the big city experience.

My fiancé and I attended El Santo tonight with low to moderate expectations.. .we are total foodies but also often dissapointed with poor service and food in new resturants. That was not the case tonight.
We had the best tacos I have had anywhere. Slow cooked beef cheeks… with gorgeous home made tortillas. Outstanding. We followed this with the Mexican version of a scotch egg (gorgeous). After a couple of Margueritas we were getting full but then the lamb dish arrived… a huge serving of gorgeous slow cooked lamb with a glaze and a parsnip slaw… with the best cornbread I have ever had. Unbelievable.
To top it off our server was a gem… attentive and knowledgeable. The resturant is intimate yet designed to also give you some space. It’s super stylish and has the feel of a modern gorgeous space.
As a local… who has long complained about the lack of great restaurants here… .this place is a blessing for new west. I’m excited to bring my non new west friends here to show it off !!