Where London meets Mexico: Tacos, tortillas & a whole lotta tequila
By Natasha Dowie
As you walk up to Santo Remedio, you already get the sense that this place is something special. Homed in an old London building and opposite a renovated Fire Brigade station, this place has a feel for making what’s old, new. With a seventeen-dish menu and small, intimate interiors you might question how much potential this place has. But with its charming, quirky decorations, hospitality that feels like you are chatting to a friend and a wealth of tequila and mezcal cocktails, this place certainly lives up to the hype.
What made my experience even more special was its inclusivity toward customers with allergies. As someone with coeliac disease (unable to eat gluten), and a brother with a nut allergy, allergens are high on our priority list in my family Santo Remedio did not let us down.
Opened three years ago, Santo Remedio is where London meets Mexico. With specialty ingredients sourced from Mexico and traditional cooking techniques, this place has an authentic feel; even the walls are covered with artwork by Mexican artisans. Couple Edson and Natalie (the restaurant’s co-owners) run a business which treats their staff like family and cherishes their customers. Individuality is their motto, and they welcome positive, energetic people who are always up for a chat; on my visit my mum must have asked our waiter at least a hundred questions! But that is what makes Santo Remedio so special. During our meal, I was given a masterclass in tequila by our incredible waiter, as well as a detailed history of the restaurant — I could have talked to him for hours! Here’s a few quick-fire questions from our conversation:
“What tequila is the easiest to drink, without the burn tequila is known so well for?” “I recommend Casamigos Reposado, it is the smoothest tequila and the easiest to drink”
“What is your most popular tequila?” “The most popular tequila is undoubtedly Don Juilo 1942; it has a huge, and quite dedicated, fanbase”
“And finally what is your favourite dish on the menu?” “It has to be the Sashimi Grade Tuna Tostadas” (and it’s fair to say my parents agreed!)
But the highlight of the menu for me had to be its wealth of allergen free options. With only three dishes containing gluten, and one containing nuts the options are unlimited. Our waiter knew the allergens inside out, and just in case they had an allergen table to hand! From chunky beer battered tacos to cheesy, hibiscus enchiladas, you can even ‘make your own’ freshly cooked dishes with lamb shank and chilli, or garlic sea bass.
On the drink front, they do almost every type of Margarita you could ask for — a tequila lover’s heaven. From peach margaritas, to mezcal and hibiscus ones, they even do their own spin on a Spanish Sangria. My personal favourite had to be the ‘Bees Knees’ margarita, dripping with honey and tasting quite literally like a dewy spring morning. There is always a cocktail of the day and the restaurant sports beautiful tequila and mezcal lockers throughout.
This place is both perfect for a night out and a cosy evening in, it even lets you bring a little bit of Mexico home with you with its recipe book ‘Ciudad de Mexíco’. But it does not stop there, with their very own deli selling products like tortillas, totopos and hibiscus to deliver or pickup, Santo Remedio brings the very best of Mexican food to Londoners. The restaurant even does a bottomless brunch with a wealth of delicious food and free flowing margaritas. For independent restaurants the pandemic has been particularly tough, but Santo Remedio has constantly evolved and adapted its services to stay fresh and accessible when the worst happens.
Santo Remedio is a bustling and delicious taste of Mexico in SE1 that everyone should visit. But until then, our waiter let us in on a little secret…Santo Remedio is coming to Shoreditch in September! Santo Remedio Taqueria will be a love letter to the buzzing taquerias of Mexico, with a few special dishes but the same Mexican warmth and, of course, fun!
Find Santo Remedio and other authentic restaurants in SE1 on my Bimble — https://bimble.com/lists/5308335272230912
If you have a story you’d like to share about a great little place or other bimbling experiences, get in touch with us at hello@bimble.com.
