The background
After bringing the varied flavours of Mexico to London with its popular London Bridge restaurant, the Santo Remedio team led by Edson and Natalie Diaz-Fuentes, has opened the Santo Remedio Mexican Café on a bustling corner in Shoreditch. An ode to the cafes of Condesa in Mexico City, it’s warm and colourful offering is every bit as fun and authentic as we’ve come to expect with familiar favourites and new exciting offerings on the menu.

The space
Cosy, intimate, vibrant and warm are the words that spring to mind as you enter Santo Remedio on Shoreditch’s Great Eastern Street. Warmly adorned with exotic plants and a collection of vintage Mexican prints from Natalie’s personal collection, which celebrate the nostalgia of Mexican art, the 35-seat café features an open kitchen, counter-top seating and a selection of comfortable tables dotted around. A warm and inviting ambiance ensues as soon as you enter, a vibe designed to emulate the cafes frequented by Edson and Natalie’s grandparents in Mexico.

The food
Offering a selection of botanas, tacos, tostadas and quesadillas, the menu may be light, but it is packed full of all the exciting flavours you’d expect from Edson and Natalie. After a Mezcal Margarita or two, we opted for the classic guacamole to start, served with corn tortilla chips and a healthy sprinkling of lime and chilli-sautèed grasshoppers –– surprisingly delicious.

Sharing is the order of the day at Santo Remedio so we tucked into succulent and flavoursome carnitas-style pork belly tacos, the best-looking baby potato flautas: stuffed crispy rolled tacos topped with a vibrant green avocado salsa, cheese and pickled onion, and an extra special sautèed prawns and padron pepper rajas cazuela, with grilled corn and cream fraiche. A selection of dishes as punchy and as vibrant as Mexico City itself, washed down with a combination of Peach Mezcalita cocktails and Sangria – so exotic for a rainy London afternoon.

Topping off our meal was the delicious Mexican chocolate tart of dreams, rich and sweet accompanied by a cold glass of Mezcal-flavour coffee, we made note to order this again!

The bill
Sharing plates for two including cocktails, around £100

The verdict
To step off Shoreditch’s bustling Great Eastern Street into Santo Remedio is like stepping directly into a café in Mexico City: the vibe, the smells, the music, the food, the drink. Edson and Natalie continue their trademark Mexican authenticity in the most vibrant and delicious way.

Santo Remedio Mexican Café, 55 Great Eastern Street, Shoreditch EC2A 3HP; santoremedio.co.uk