We went here on Saturday and ordered the NOPAL SALAD: Mixed leaves, cactus leaves, tomato, hibiscus flower & pecorino cheese with vinaigrette, avocado and seabass. However, what I actually got was a bed of iceberg lettuce, strips of seabass, tomatoes and a sprinkling of pecorino cheese on the top, this was in addition to my friend getting her portion of rice 10 minutes after her dish (which should have arrived together) and us ordering a bottle of water and the salt that never arrived at all.When I enquired about the absent mixed leaves and avocado in my salad they (reluctantly) gave me a side plate of BRUISED avocado and left me for ages when I asked to see the menu again. (I wondered if they were photo shopping an old menu round the back?).After being left for about 10 minutes I ending up borrowing a menu from another table and presented it to our waiter, pointing out that I hadn't been served the correct salad. They then admitted they'd made a mistake, said they'd take the £14 salad off my bill, not charge us service charge and asked me never to come back again???!!!!I'd like to point out I was polite the entire time and couldn't believe - that even in a recession - this is how they treat their customers (especially when you factor in the power of the internet). Do yourself a favour and don't go here. You'll be disappointed.

You know when you're in a questionable establishment when you ask to see the manager and the response is that you'll have to wait because he's playing the drums. This was after a 20 minute wait for a drink and a further long wait to have an order taken. Apparently the owner fancies himself as a percussionist and not a restaurateur. however after the experience at Santo,maybe percussion would be a better option. This is a place where the staff seem to be more intereste in having a good time than serving customers.
This place is not good value for money. You will pay a lot for very average food and still be hungry when you leave. Huge disappointment.....

Living close to Portobello I've been a couple of times to Santo. Sadly on all occasions it failed to hit the mark. The food is good although somewhat overpriced for what it is.

My biggest gripe is the service, every-time I've been it's taken a while to to order even when they weren't that busy. There are better places to go for the same money.

Really glad we found this place, tucked away at the top of Portobello Road, it's fantastic! Authentic Mexican food, cooked perfectly - and with passion. You can always tell when a chef really enjoys his job, the food tastes so much better, and the chef here obviously loves his work! It's not cheap but then it's not a Tex-Mex diner, this is a full-on Mexican restaurant serving the very best that Mexico has to offer. Highly recommended.

Hmm,

must have been a bad day (saturday) that I ate here. Waited ages to get served because of lack of staff....staff which were also bickering with one another. Most disappointing were the utterly pretentious portions. Three measly tacos with even more measly fillings for £6.80!! I've had bigger starters in other restaurants!

I thought i would give Santo's takeaway menu a go. I have just finished my meal and i can say it is £35 down the drain. I ordered 3 dishes (2 taco dishes and 1 enchillada) the portions were tiny and had nothing to them. I am a mexican food lover and would not recommend this place for takeaway, i would give it a chance in house but takeaway i would stay well away from.

DO NOT EAT HERE. Was ill after eating Santo's food. The restaurant's response to the matter was as disappointing as the food itself. Very poor food and evidently unhygienic preparation.

This is what good Mexican food should taste and look like - vibrant colors, fresh taste, and honest prices! The atmosphere is cozy and refined, the neighborhood is lively, and the owners are very generous and friendly.

They include lots of vegetarian offerings and tasty natural fruit drinks.

There's a reason why on most weekends, the wait can be longer than usual, but with one of their delicious margaritas, the wonderful music and relaxed atmosphere, the wait passes quickly.

From now on, whenever I'm in the mood for great Mexican cuisine, Santo is my choice!

Great food! Great atmosphere! Try the clay bowls (cazuelas)..

I had the birria, a lamb dish, it came with little corn tortillas, salsa and chopped coriander and onion for making your own tacos.

I shared with a mate who had the nopales (cactus salad! Yes!). Amazing.

We'd been once before as it's a good Portobello market day venue but it had been packed and we did enjoy but not as much as this time..the staff were amazing, very attentive and the music was fab!

It's an oasis.

Nice location, nice layout and nice staff. Unfortunately, the meal and evening was a complete dissapointment. We were all looking forward to some good Mexican food and margaritas. The restaurant prides itself on being a "margarita bar"....! The margarita's were really dissapointing, small, sickly and expensive at £8.50 each - not to mention the fact that I think the chap had never made a cocktail in his life let alone a margarita - they took ages to come despite the restarant being practically empty. The food was expensive for what it was, a medium sized plate of veg nachos @ £8 was fine but the chicken enchilladas were dry, bland, uneventful and, i think, expensive at £12.50! One cocktail, shared nachos and shared enchillada my bill, including service was £20 and I was still hungry and thirsty! The margarita I had next at the near MauMau bar was 100% better, bigger and cheaper (£6.50)!
Also, the menu is complicated and hard to read - you cannot order the lunch-time burritos etc in the evening.
I'm sure they'll do OK in the balmy summer evenings, but I wonder how they'll fare during the trying times of January and February? I wish them all the very best of luck, but, as for us four, we will not be returning in a hurry.

New place at the north end of Portobello Road. Walked in, they don't do reservations. It was a wednesday lunchtime, fairly empty, I was told it's quite busy in the evenings.
Lovely waitress, from Holland but spoke perfect Spanish. I went for the Chicken burrito. They use organic chicken and veg and it's cooked by proper mexicans. It cost about £8 but it was delicious, really fresh and very tasty. I've never written a review before this place deserved a mention.
Really nice people, fantastic food and I've been back 6 times for a different lunch. They were all 1st class.
Thank you Narayan and Carlos.