After trying all manner of tapas, this was a refreshing change. I'm so glad I've had authentic Mexican food in Mexico and in Detroit's Mexican Town many times so I know how good it can be. Santita stands with the best Mexican food I've ever eaten.
To start, it already stands out from every other restaurant I've visited in Madrid because of his beer selection. Instead of ordering Cerveza, and getting the one beer the place has, you have nice choice of Mexican beers, served in a bottle. Negra Modelo, one of my favorites, was among them. Margaritas are small, but cheap (5€), tasty, and potent.
Guacamole is creamy and robust, served in a stone mortar, as it's traditionally been made for centuries. The tortilla chips are thick, and not particularly salty, but they're a perfect pairing to start the meal.
Please, please order the Los Ignacios...the most perfect Mexican pizza you'll ever have in your life. The description on the menu says "our version of the traditional nachos". For Americans, this evokes tortilla chips with melted cheese, onions, and peppers with low grade meat. Here, you get a thin, crispy crust layered with pico de gallo, cheese, beans, guacamole, meat...yes, similar ingredients in crappy bar nachos, but so, so much better.
Tacos are tiny discs piled with meat. The tacos de pollo (chicken) is covered in a rich crema, with small pieces of lean chicken breast. The tacos de chochinita had a massive mound of marinated pork. All had pickled red onions on top. My wife didn't like all the crema, but I did. The pork was excellent.
The burrito de pollo was massive and suitable for sharing (though our friend didn't want to share). It has excellent rice with the chicken. We had tried to order a side of rice previously, and we were told it couldn't be ordered separately. Not sure why that is, but this is a great way to get it.
Yes, we were stuffed by then. No, we didn't stop ordering. We closed with coconut ice cream, which was pretty standard, but the margarita ice cream? Wow. It's a scoop of ice cream that gets a shot of tequila dumped on it. The sweetness balances the tequila beautifully.
Service was also excellent. We ordered a few rounds of drinks (lost track of how many...oops). All the things we ordered set us back 93€. What a great way to experience authentic Mexican cuisine. read more