El Santo

Bustling, noisy and pretty, the negatives I had are in part my fault. Cilantro is a very polarizing herb, and unfortunately I am unlucky enough to have the gene where is tastes like metallic soap. Unfortunately it's very popular in Mexican food, and I get used to skipping out in things like the salsa, where they batch make it with it inside.

El Santo has cilantro in the meat marinades, so your options are either a nacho and cheese plate or one of the fish dishes. Unfortunately the nacho plate is poorly constructed - the crisp chips are too solid and thick, without an easy crunch and the cheese is not a sauce/dip, just a solid chunk of baked cheese. They suggested the addition of a braised beef that didn't have cilantro (?) which was wildly over salted.

To their credit they took it off my bill, but the textures on this dish are all wrong.

The cornbread and jalepeno jam is pleasant, and my dining companions seemed delighted with theirs.

Unfortunately the noisy atmosphere makes it hard to hear staff explain dishes and there were little service oopsies, like missing that a double order had been made of the corn bread - it was brought out and removed before it was placed on the table as one waiter told the other no. Similarly, the cilantro in everything problem was communicated as if I was a silly enough to try to eat Mexican with a chili allergy.

And there's also the usual tip inflation - the default starts at 18%, but cost of living is what it is. I won't stiff staff over my gamble, but I definitely don't see giving them a second shot.

All that being said, they would be a great place for a celiac's. The can't accomodate cilantro tasters, but pretty much everyday is flagged as safe in that way.

The food is amazing here, even though it took a bit long to come, the staff definitely goes above and beyond to make sure everyone is happy.

Canceled food that was ordered for take out after about an hour of waiting. Horrible experience.

Have been here 3 times now.

There are a few good dishes but overall not the best value. For what it is, it’s expensive. The cocktails are probably the best part of the place.

The service was lackluster everytime, slow and unattentive.

Atmosphere is good, nothing stand out.

I’d recommend it maybe once for a date but wouldn’t say it’s worthy to frequent often.

This place was amazing. Great service by the manager Tracy! She was so knowledgeable about the drinks and the food was beyond delicious. 100% would recommend and visit again!

Good lord is this an excuse for a pretentious, bougie, and fake "Mexican" restaurant. Waited 35 minutes for drinks (beer at that, not even something you have to mix) and paid a ridiculous amount for 2 "tacos" if you can call them that. How people can justify spending this kind of dough at a place like this boggles my mind, truly. The Ceviche is enough to feed to a child and still leave them hungry, mostly lacking flavour, and the Queso Fundido has similar issues. Most people in our party needed to order 2-3 items off the menu and not a single person left satisfied.

A special experience. Highly recommend it. Be open to fusion food. Try the brussel sprout tacos and flank steak!

Visited El Santo last night with a friend from out of town. We asked our lovely server to choose our journey. She didn’t disappoint.

The food was amazing. Everything was great and cooked to perfection. The brussel sprouts, bison and rock fish were the highlight. I am not a big fish eater but the rock fish was outstanding.

Thanks for a lovely evening.

Cheers

Tony

Promising start with the trio of salsas, but everything went downhill after that. The brussel sprout tacos are by far the worst tacos I have ever eaten. I don’t think they can qualify as tacos. A bite of a taco should be a wonderful explosion of flavours in your mouth -this was literally a mountain of brussel sprouts served with barely any sauce on two small tortilla shells. While the brussel sprouts were cooked well, I would have just ordered the appy of that in lieu of thinking I was getting innovative and different tacos. They should seriously pull them from their menu, it’s a horrible dish.

What was even more frustrating was that our waitress left us hanging for so long. I wanted to express to her my frustration in lieu of writing a review but she avoided us! Didn’t ask if we wanted more drinks or anything. Just kept walking past us and serving everyone else around us.

What a horrible experience in such a beautiful restaurant. Will not be back.

Very disappointed, the ceviche and lemonade is made with artificial lime, the tacos are not good and general O taste

I say without exaggeration that this is one of the best restaurants I've eaten at. A beautiful aesthetic, kind wait staff that go above and beyond, an interesting and thoughtful drink menu, and delicious food. Order the brussels sprouts and bask in the glory.

Amazing restaurant. Impeccable taste and service. Price is great for the quality. New favourite restaurant in New Westminster

Absolutely wonderful dining experience. The staff were most hospitable and the boozy horchata was perfect.

The tacos are also fantastic.

A secret treasure of New West! Though not a well kept secret this place gets packed! And for a good reason! Somehow they manage to be both the perfect appies bar and a delicious restaurant. The drink menu is extensive and the bartender skilled. The food menu is smaller and is top notch quality. Skipping the chips at this place is not an option. We ended up with 3 types of guacamole and 3 salsas and i couldve eaten just that all night!

The restaurant is a bit pricier but not unreasonable. Even when its packed we recieved friendly and timely service. The smaller sized mains are packed with flavour and after all those chips you arent going to want a huge dish!

Good service. Server name by often to check on us before our food came and then again as people were finishing. She was maybe asked once to ask to replace the water bottle but was otherwise on the ball for servicing our table. Our party was large enough for a gratuity, but I think she earned it.

Food was good. The Wagyu Flank steak was delicious, although maybe it was left to cool a little too long (slightly on the cool side). I loved that smokiness that this dish had. Not sure if this is liquid smoke (beef black on the exterior) or it was smoked before service but that smoke flavour was very evident after dish was uncovered (dish served with bowl covering it which makes me think they used smoking gun).

Parking in this part of downtown seems all paid parking. I parked way East of 4th as free Street parking found starting there. It was as maybe a 7 min walk to the restaurant from the car. Near the end of the night, some people were worried about their parking while I was cool as a cucumber.

Great food! Very loud place which made it difficult to have a conversation at the table, but the tacos were delicious

The food was amazing; each dish we ordered was so delicious (especially the tacos)! Ambiance is also very nice - great for date nights and get-togethers!

One of my fav Mexican restaurants in BC. Highly recommend the chile relleno and enchiladas suizas. Also the guac and ceviche!

Came to this beautiful city for a few weeks and dropped by this great spot, felt welcomed right away! Had some ceviche, had some horchata and for the platos grandes ordered the pollo con chorizo which was amazing! Ending it with the churros!

It was all delicious! Definitely a 5 star, Great staff!

The food was flavourless, and the food was overpriced. Furthermore, I was disappointed by the service since the server took away our plates while we were still eating and even reached over my plate while I was eating. Also, the server also asked if we wanted a dessert, which we said no to, and she stepped away. We tried to get someone's attention to pay for our bill right after, but no one came to check up on us for 15 minutes even though our table was all cleared. Maybe the server wasn't having a great day, but it was a terrible experience for us.

Great atmosphere with nice booth seating available for bigger groups. A huge variety of beverages and the tacos are amazing. This is a must try for New Westminster eating.

Great drinks with a huge selection. Food was ok and service was good. Parking can be a little tricky and is pay parking. Feels like the perfect place for drinks and appy's more than to go for dinner. Ambience was very good and place was clea.

This place is sooooo good! Our server was Virgina and she did a fabulous job!
I had the Enchildas Suizas which is gluten free, and my husband had the Carne Ahumada both were absolutely delicious. My only small complaint is that the rice is a bit bland. Could use some spice. My enchiladas sauce was nice and spicy. Everything is so good!

We did a skip order and was expecting good
Mexican food. What we got was exceptional Mexican food! This place is amazing, the enchiladas were phenomenal as were the Tacos. The churros however were out of this world! Never in my life have tears come to my eyes from eating a churro. Can't recommend El Santo enough!

5 years ago I gave this place 3 stars and said it was a nice atmosphere but the food was only ok.

I have since had many great meals here and been treated well by the staff. The owner is a nice fellow who’s worked hard to keep things going during the pandemic while providing a safe environment and other options. The take home margarita kit was a nice thing during those hard early days.

I still think that only some of the menu items are really terrific, but there are a few undeniably great options along with some that are only ok.

The fish tacos are amazing. Best ever. They make an eggs Benny on cornbread that is likely my favourite item there, although only available for brunch which I don’t think is happening right now.

They make their own chips, which are great - especially with the ceviche.

So, maybe I didn’t order the right things at first or maybe they got better over time, but now it’s a great spot I have pretty fond feelings for.

Friendly and attentive staff. Loud place, sections of restaurant very hot. Food ok bit not real traditional Mexican. If you like fusion and pretty plates its ok. Chile releno a joke, like lasagna but little poblano flavor. Burrito ok, better at other places. Enchilados ok, nothing to write home about. 1st pitcher of sangria tasty, 2nd very bitter. Street parking under construction.

Delicious food. Some of the best I’ve had. There is a section of the restaurant that has a much lower ceiling than the rest. That’s where were seated and it was far far too loud and hot, and that took away from the experience. Great service though. If you go here call ahead of time and ask to be seated under the taller ceiling.

We were really excited to try this restaurant as it had been recommended by friends. The hostess asked if we could be out by 7pm, we showed up at 6pm. Yup, no problem, I get turn over a reservations. So we were a walk in. We were seated and then were asked to move to another section, ok, no worries. We were sat at a 4 top and there were only two of us so, I got that too.
Our server was not strong in service. Did not check in, I had to ask another server for cutlery, side plate, napkins. Didn't check in when we got.our meals. I asked the other server for a second drink. Still our server ignored us. Literally, had her back to us as she served the table next to us without checking in. We also had to ask for the bill for the other server. As we were leaving, we passed our server and she didn't make eye contact, say thanks or anything.maybe she was new?
The server that ended up picking up when we asked, was great!

Food. 3/5 - chicken tacos were super dry, pescado tacos had too much chunky slaw. Potatoes were delicious as were the trio of salsa.

Drinks.delicious.

Service.our original server was very lack luster. But the other gal was great

Ambience was great. Vibrant and happening place to be.

We ended up buying a gift card for our friends. I am hoping this was a one off experience and hope we have better luck next time.

The food and service was great. The location is very convenient and the inside is bigger than it appears. And there's plenty of techilia to choose from:)

Delicious, absolutely delicious. Best guacamole I've had anywhere before and their Tostadas are to die for. Ambiance was lovely and service felt good and covid safe

Friendly service and super efficient on the phone when we called to order. However, they forgot our papas, the burrito was overcooked (no rice or beans inside), the enchiladas were spicy but lacked flavour, and the churros were undercooked and doughy. My goodness! How disappointing to pay $60 for this experience.

Edit: The owner, Alejandro, contacted us about an hour after I posted this to apologize. I didn't talk to him myself, but I appreciated the followup discussion. We will give it another try in the near future!

Great service and vibe but a little overpriced for the size of dish. The food is generally pretty good though. A recommended spot.

Good quality ingredients. The chicken in the taco could use a little more flavour. Not a lot of social distancing, if that’s important to you. For sure I would go back

My wife's favorite New West venue. She is Mexican so maybe a bit bias but it's deserved. Great food selection that always changes for variety. Service is decent. Love that owner comes to table to say hi when he notices you have returned. Great job. New West needs you

Terrible acoustics; walls, floor, and ceiling all smooth concrete, can hear all conversations but your own. Food and service five stars tho, would return.

Great atmosphere, yummy cocktails, spicy snacks and mains. Can't wait for the expanded menu to return for a repeat visit!

Had chirzo with chicken and veggies tasted like it came from the can. Chirzo and chicken had no flavor. Will try again and hope it won't be the same. So much talk about great food and I can say it was not. Had better Mexican food other places

Finally got a chance to check this out, and it was very delicious and affordable! Looking forward to trying more taco combos next time!

The chili rellenos were beyond words! Everything about the place is great - cocktails, space, patio, staff - but the food is incredibly well thought out and tasty. Can't wait to go back.

I've been coming here for a few years now. Great ambience and service as well as a large selection of tequilas and mezcals to choose from.

Very good place. Good bar, good service, good food. The chile rellano was a different take than I've ever had, but very good. My wife had the carne ahumado, also very good. Best dinner out that we've had in a while. Will definitely return.

This is an amazing restaurant. Mexican fusion with a lot of low fat options. Not typical rice and bean fare. The wagyu beef is amazing. Beef cheeks and boar all really good. Ceviche and Brussel sprouts to die for! Very warm and inviting restaurant. Server was so nice and accommodating. Will definitely go back

I ordered the mole enchiladas, I was expecting more out of this dish, the tortillas came out cold and the mole was very standard it didn't wow me. The other dishes that came out for other people in my party looked good, perhaps if I had ordered something else. The Churros were good.

Came here after seeing the good reviews and hearing friend’s recommendations. Unfortunately, we were largely underwhelmed by the quality of the dishes. Ordered 6 plates to share. The guacamole was pretty bland. The Brussels sprouts were good but too salty. The queso fundido was a little rubbery. The dishes didn’t taste like they were made to order, but pre made and reheated. The churros were dense and heavily sugared. The decor was nice and the staff and service were fantastic. Also enjoyed one of the two cocktails. Good drink list. Wish it was a better experience. We have definitely had better at another restaurant with similar menu.

Alejandro the owner is first class in how he treats his customers. My partners and I decide to make a trip down to visit as we heard a lot of good things about this restaurant. I have to say the food and experience lived up to the hype.

We ordered 3 appetitizers (we liked the tacos the most) others were good to but we of course had our favorite

We ordered 3 entrees, our highlight was the steak but in fairness all 3 were great.

The service was super friendly and attentive and the restaurant was covid friendly and safe.

Best Mexican style food that I've had yet. I will definitely return:)

Fantastic service, delicious food, great drinks and decor has been updated and makes for fancy night out. And no matter what you do, get the cornbread. After sharing one we wanted to order another but we missed last call at the kitchen!

Live the romantic atmosphere and the food is very reasonably priced for the quality. The service was above and beyond. Warm, knowledgeable and dedicated.

Beautiful atmosphere, wonderful staff. Not to mention the food and drink is phenomenal. Tacos are worth it everytime!

Really great authentic Mexican menu. Went with Mexican partner and she was very very impressed. Had the chilaquiles and enchiladas with mole

We where told of its great dishes unfortunately it was a little disappointing, the food wasn’t great. Service was very nice, the restaurants design was interesting. The light lamps seemed to be problematic as you would hit your head on them anytime you stood up and it wasn’t only a problem for the customer but also the servers. Seemed like an unnecessary hazard.

First visit was a disaster but the owner did try and rectify and was helpful. Unfortunately or second visit wasn't much better.

Nice little spot, tasty Mexican food. Very authentic, feels like you are in a cantina in Mexico. We got the nachos appy, highly recommend. Will be back!

I had the chili relleno and the pan bread to start, both were very tasty. I was impressed that the pan bread came in a hot mini cast iron pan. The bartender made a very good cocktail. I would recommend the restaurant if you're in the area

The food was amazing, beautiful atmosphere inside, moreover the staff was super nice specially Anja provided a great customer service. Defiantly going again.

If "taste is king" then this place has nailed it. The food is delicious!

Excellent service, even for large groups-which we were.

Expect a buzzing atmosphere that can be borderline noisy at times; the prices are extravagant for the portion size but not for the quality-So, if you equate value to quantity, then don't get your hopes up; but, if you appreciate complex flavours that are true to their ethnic roots, you'll be happy.

To be honest I was really disappointed: (had better tacos at chipotles for way cheaper. Needed more seasoning on the meat, in my opinion (and more filler ingredients). I had been recommended this restaurant and was excited to try it out! I’d honestly be hesitant to recommend the food if someone asked me.

Yummy authentic food, large variety of tequila options. Well designed decorated room. Street parking outside. Tortilla maker in kitchen, which means fresh handmade corn tortillas. Horchata served here. 3 stars for informing us an hour into our meal at 6: 56 we would have to move tables immediately at 7pm or leave for another reservation! Came back, sat at the bar and worked, had a great experience! Good food, better service.

Tough to be fair to this place. They messed up the seating, the the process to pay was like it was their first time. Our group was told there was unpaid for food. But no one had a bill yet. It took over an hour to pay. Serious. The food was pretty good. A bit basic (pork belly has no vegetables). It's pricy. But nice atmosphere. I think it has good owners but lacking a solid team to run it.

This place has amazing food. It's got a great drink list and a really awesome funky vibe going on. It's a little on the pricier side but the portions are pretty fair and I definitely left feeling satisfied.

This is my second time visiting El Santo. The prices are on the higher end which would give you the impression that the food is exceptional. Moreover, the portion sizes are smaller which would mean that each bite should be memorable. Unfortunately, the experience was underwhelming and did not deliver. You are better off going to a hole in a wall restaurant that would deliver a more tasty experience (at a bargain). Or cooking it at home. Pros - good service, a nice location & the tequila list is an impressive one.

El Santo is amazing! I come here quite often for special occasions or if I am just craving some authentic Mexican dishes. They have live music some evenings which is amazing and I love the cozy atmosphere! Everyone I have brought here loves it too! It is a higher-end version of Mexican food so expect to pay a little more, but it’s amazing quality so you get what you pay for! I would definitely recommend!

Food is amazing here, however for a mexican cuisine restaurant, it may be a bit on the pricier side.since there are other local mexican foods out there in new west for half the price.inside ambiance is nice, theme is very modern.might want to go there for the gram:)

definately recommend it if you havent been and you live in the area

Came here for dinner and ordered the bone marrow tacos (TACOS DE TUETANO) for $14. Literally the smallest portion you will ever get for a meal. Small amount of bone marrow and 4 whole cloves of garlic all sitting in a pool of oil. They give you six taco shells yet the entire portion will fit on 1 taco shell with room to spare.

My parents ordered chicken dishes and the waitress asked what they would like for their sides: potatoes or beans. When the bill came they were charged extra for the sides. At no point did the waitress say there would be an extra charge and the wording she used made it seem like the sides came with the dish. Bad business to not disclose to the customers when ordering if there will be an extra charge for something.

Bad service, non disclosure and misrepresentation and small portion sizes. We will not be returning to this restaurant. Very disappointed.

They delivered the worst service that I have ever experienced in Vancouver. I’m such a big fan of Mexican cuisine so I tried out this restaurant with my Mexican friend and other friends as the reviews were quite decent. We all disappointed in the place so much. The place is well decorated and the atmosphere was great. However, the servers were not friendly at all. When we entered the restaurant, the host kept talking to another hostess for at least 5 minutes right in front of us. We waited for a cup of water and salt for at least ten minutes (it wasn’t busy) and our cup was never refilled. No one server asked if we needed anything else. In addition, we were still eating but they just took away all the dishes from our table without asking us. Plus, the taste wasn’t as decent as we expected it was going to be.

I was really excited to try El Santo because I had heard great things. Long story short, I wasn’t impressed and I won’t be back.

My coworkers went for a work lunch (thankful I didn’t have to pay) and it came to $120 for the four of us. The food is just okay, but not at all worth the price. The portions are also very small for the price (and we were actually charged incorrectly for one item -the menu and receipt listed different prices- but didn’t bother to ask for the difference because we just wanted to get out of there).

I had fish tacos and they were decent but I can make better ones at home. We shared the guacamole trio and it was the first time in my life I didn’t like guacamole. The chips were delicious though. We all had different mains and all of us were underwhelmed with them.

Definitely not the worst food I’ve eaten but far from the best. The service was okay. The decor is quite nice but doesn’t exactly scream “Mexican restaurant” (besides the cork luchador mask which I thought was pretty cool).

My favorite restaurant in New Westminster & i am not joking.
But today servuce is horrible. 5 staff on the floor 4tables.
Took almost 10min to get anyome to say hi. Finally 1 girl came to tend to us. Not even saying hi.
She took our order as we were ready. The proceeded to do all kinds of other tasks then putting our order in the computer. It took another 5min.
Very useless

Usually service is fair, always great at the bar.
Food was as good as usual. Thank god!
Get better servers. Look is not making service better. Let me tell you

Food (tacos, seviche and watermelon) were great. Excellent choice of tequilas. Delicious cocktails. Slightly on a pricier side. Service was a bit inconsistent. Good place otherwise

Apparently this place doesn’t like kids. We were really excited to try this place few days ago and it was my birthday. The waitress never had one single smile at us and at one point she just covered her ears and walked away from our table. We didn’t even bother take the cake out since the waitress want us gone ASAP. Still tipped her tho because the host was nice.

Yup, this place is pretty good! Set in the old town of new Westminster along the downtown streets of Columbia comes an upscale Mexican restaurant with all the right fusionistic twists of modern and classic Mexican food. The service is outstanding, the ambiance is up to date and the food.outstanding. The only bad thing I can say is that I wish there were more food to price ratio but other than that, no complaints whatsoever.

I have even come here for a few cocktails a couple of times and even thought there is nothing too special or fancy that I have found so far, they are certainly made with love and are pretty tasty.
El Santos is a great place to stop by for a night cap or even to fuel up the night.

I recommend El Santos to anybody cruising through the neighborhood of New Westminster for a little treat in this beautiful ever growing city

Excellent food and ambience.disappointed only due to bar lady skimping on soda - served me flat soda out of leftover soda can twice. I rarely try cocktails but this one was delish.the soda helped spritz it up!

Great food quality and service. Be aware that this is upscale style cuisine so your portions are going to be smaller than the typical place in New West.

So I just had dinner there tonight and I ordered a dish that I found out I did not like. The waitress there was absolutely amazing and understanding and brought me my second option, which turned out delicious! I couldn't of asked for better service and delicious food! Thank you!