Randomness Guide to London - Differences between Version 16 and Version 15 of Santo, W10 5TD

Mexican restaurant on Portobello Road.

The venue itself is plainly but pleasantly decorated, with seating for about thirty people inside as well as a bar and outside seating. The cooking offers an authentic range of Mexican flavours, rather than the more common Tex-Mex.

itsbruce and colleagues first visited in November 2008 to check out their lunch deal (available on weekdays between noon and 3pm); a choice of "big bowl of soup with a quesadilla" or a burrito, with a (non-alcoholic) drink, for £5. The burritos were very tasty, a good size and well presented. All who attended said they'd happily go back. The food took a while to arrive but this may be because we were the first customers of the day.

itsbruce et al. visited again for an evening meal later the same month. Mole con pollo (chicken in a dry chocolate salsa) was well cooked and subtly flavoured. Another member of the party was very satisfied with their enchilladas de pollo. itsbruce constructed a meal out of starters and side dishes, all of which were good. The bill was about £25 per head not including drinks. Drinks, by the way, were also enjoyed: they have some nice Mexican beers (e.g. Negra Modelo) and the margarita cocktails went down well.

It was a busy evening but the staff were attentive and service was prompt.

The regular menu includes burritos (mostly £7.50 or £8.50), tortas (£6.50 to £8.50), bowls of stew/rice/beans (£4 to £8), quesadillas (£5.50) as well as salads and side dishes. One or two vegetarian options are available in each category and they have a children's menu. Evening meal main courses are more expensive, in the £11 to £16 range. They also do takeaway and on weekends they offer a breakfast menu.

The bar offers selected margaritas for £5.50 on Friday and Saturday evenings after 10pm.

On an October 2011 visit with a group of vegetarians and vegans, itsbruce found the vegetarian section of the menu to be significantly expanded. Nobody had a problem constructing a satisfactory meal from the available options, although one dish of tacos had to be sent back when they arrived with cheese on top, despite there being no mention of cheese in the description.

itsbruce warmly recommends this place, with the one caveat that service has proved to be consistently slow and the wait for food can be stomach-gnawingly long. It seems impossible to have a lunchtime meal that lasts less than 90 minutes. Another warning is that it can take a while for their heating to kick in, so dress warmly if visiting earlier in the day during cold weather. It's nice and toasty by the evening, though.

See also:

• Hardens review
• Dos Hermanos review

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