The downstairs restaurant at Santo Remedio Marylebone - if there are four of you, you'll want that booth table.
What can you tell us about Santo Remedio?
We've been fans of Santo Remedio since the early days, particularly when they were first finding their feet in Shoreditch. It was one of the early additions to the proper Mexican food scene in London, showcasing just what the cuisine was capable of and ushering in a new wave of great Mexican restaurants in London. This is their third restaurant (they're also in London Bridge), bringing what they're calling a Casona and Cantina to Marylebone.
Where is it?
It's taken over the space that was once Carlo Scotto's Xier and also briefly Peruvian restaurant Nakanojo. It's a two-floored affair, with a small bar downstairs for a quick pre-dinner drink. Which nicely leads us into...
Where's a good place to meet for a drink first?
That bar we just mentioned? That's a perfect space to have a pre-dinner cocktail. Naturally, they do some excellent margaritas here. We did just that, kicking off with the must-have guacamole which comes with or without grasshoppers. Close by to the restaurant, there are a few decent pubs as well as the sole remaining 28:50 which remains a good place to grab a glass of wine. There's also an old-school wine bar in Angelique's Wine House, not too far away down St Christopherr's Place which we popped into after our dinner.
Guacamole on the bar. It's been a while since we've had Santo Remedio's guac, but it remains some of the very best in London.
And where should we sit?
We only got a chance to look at the ground floor dining room so we'll only be basing this on what we saw there. Anywhere seemed decent in a warmly decorated room (although cushions on the chairs would be nice). There are some stools by the window near the bar which are ideal for solo diners and if you're a group of four, you'll want to grab that large booth you can see in the photo above. They do have large glass doors at the front and limited outside seating - so come spring/summer, that's where you should aim for.
Onto the food then - what makes this Santo Remedio outpost different?
Each of the previous Santo Remedio incarnations have their own menus and this cherry picks some of the best dishes from both of them. Essentially, you'll find authentic Mexican tacos, tostadas and more, alongside some specific regional specialities. Marylebone does already have two great Mexican restaurants in Kol and Cavita but we'd say they operate in a different, higher-end territory than Santo Remedio (particularly Kol) and, being frank, the portions are much more generous here.
Here's a taste of what we had:
Chorizo & cheese heirloom corn masa empanadas with salsa verde (£8.50) - along with the guac, we'd recommend ordering these while you take a look through the menu.
Prawn taco - a great (and large) taco featuring gluten-free beer & tequila batter, grilled pineapple pico de gallo, chipotle mayonnaise (£14)
Sashimi grade tuna tostadas - ancho chilli & tamari marinated yellowfin tuna, crispy shallots, chipotle mayonnaise, Jalapeño, sesame, smashed avocado (£16). Tuna tostadas remain one of our go-tos on any Mexican menu and these were properly piled high.
Cornish Venison quesabirria - crispy corn tortilla, melted cheese & shredded venison (£16). A unique take on quesabirria; we loved the idea of using British game instead of beef.
Duck carnitas with tomatillo and jalapeño salsa verde (£24) - the duck comes ready for tearing apart to create...
The finished duck carnita
Ancho sautéed potato with jalapeño mayonnaise (£7) - we probably over-ordered a little when we added these, but they were VERY good potatoes and there's a real kick to that mayo.
Anything else to mention?
We've really only lightly touched on what's available here. In addition to the above, we'd always recommend the Baja style fish tacos (£14.50) as well as the slow cooked barbacoa lamb shank (£32.50). As for the vegetarian offering, there's plenty to choose from including sweet potato flautas (£13), vegetarian poblano chile relleno (£21), shiitake mushroom aguachile rojo (£14.50) and another favourite of ours, the hibiscus flower sopes (£12.50).
At the time of writing, they don't have bottomless brunch like the other venues (yet), but there are brunch dishes which include motuleños fried eggs with black beans, crispy bacon, plantain (£16), French toast or chilaquiles verdes (Blue & yellow corn tortilla, house-made salsa verde, black beans, fried egg, crema and feta £13.50)
And dessert?
We do miss the appearance of churros on the menu, but of the desserts we had, this is the one to go for:
Dulce de leche & ancho chili tart (£9.50) - a very good tart (we always love anything dulce de leche) but we wouldn't have minded the chilli element being a little more pronounced.
How about drinks?
The cocktail menu should be your first port of call, the margaritas are fantastic here, and they also do a notable line in non-alcoholic cocktails, with virgin hibiscus and coconut margaritas available. On the wine list, it's worth taking note of the house white, the chardonnay from Baja California, México. It's essentially very close to a Californian chardonnay but at a pretty great price (£33 a bottle). There's more on the list, but starting there (it's also available by the glass) is recommended.
Mezcal Margarita (Amarás Verde Momento Mezcal, lime & lemon juice, sugar, tajín, £14) and the Pineapple Mezcalita (Amarás Verde Momento Mezcal, Cointreau, roasted pineapple cordial, cinnamon rim, lime, £15.50)
Overall thoughts
As we said at the start, we've always had a soft spot for Santo Remedio and that hasn't changed with their latest opening. They still serve up some of the best authentic Mexican food in town, the portions are generous and the cocktails are spot on. It's an easy recommendation and if you're looking for something new in Marylebone, this is well worth your time.
More about Santo Remedio
Where is it? 13-14 Thayer St, London W1U 3JR
How to book: Book online
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @santoremedio_uk.
Hot Dinners ate as guests of Santo Remedio. Prices are correct at the time of writing.
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