Mexican Restaurant Santa Serves Up Mediocre New Coffee, Compensates With Mean Margaritas
Santa is poised to be a coffee haven, but unfortunately during our recent visit it completely missed the mark.
Located on the sleepy Sanlitun Beixiaojie, the six-month-old Mexican restaurant recently unveiled a window through which it serves street side coffee and cocktails. They're not alone in this effort – both the neighboring Jenny Lou's and April Gourmet grocery stores also have such sidewalk booths to entice passersby by. Those beverages range in price from RMB 15-25 and all are served quickly with a satisfactory taste that is somewhat watered down.
Santa's window, in comparison, boasts chalkboard displays that are prettier than its competing neighbor's bland cardboard renditions. Its coffees are pricier and appear more professional, including a RMB 18 espresso, RMB 20 americano, RMB 20 cappuccino, and RMB 25 latte. The latte featured a creamy head and an initial hint of sweetness that unfortunately faded after the first few sips. The americano was a bit better, thanks to its bitterness, but that wasn't enough to meet our expectations. We'd hoped for some authentic Mexican beans to match the restaurant's eye-catching aesthetic and tasty dishes (more on that in a minute), or at least some java that didn't border on blandness.
The coffee was also a major letdown when compared to the cocktails, which thankfully did not disappoint. At RMB 48, their mojito is a bit pricey, but still refreshing and subtly minty (rather than over-the-top minty, a cardinal cocktail sin committed at far too many Beijing venues). But the true drink of choice are Santa's margaritas. These classic icy Latin cocktails come in a more generous-sized glass than their mojitos, justifying the price (RMB 48 for a regular classic, RMB 58 for apple or orange). Our orange margarita had a strong kick and a bold, citrusy taste that made it perfect for summer evening sipping.
The margarita also proved to be an ideal counterpart to Santa's mouthwateringly, salsa tinged dishes. Our previous review of the restaurant's tacos and salads from back when it first opened tempted us for a second round. The chipotle chicken tacos (RMB 38 for two, or RMB 48 for three) allayed any worries that things had gone down hill since our first visit and were delightfully flavorful and arrived promptly. The carnita tacos were also tasty but lacked the fiery pop of carnitas served at other local Mexican haunts like Q Mex and especially Más (which we believe to be Beijing's most underrated taco purveyor).
Delicious as the cocktails were, by far the best menu item to accompany Santa's cocktails are the nachos. Priced at RMB 42 for a smallish plate – that would satisfy two peckish patrons, but disappoint two starving customers – these nachos are topped with tender beef, peppers, and a generous amount of gooey cheddar. Their chips strike the right balance between crunchy and soft, making them ideally paired for a boozy, margarita-rife evening and may just rank among some of the best nachos in Beijing – certainly better than the disastrous chips on offer at Wood Fusion Grill & Bar.
With all these cocktails and tasty eats on offer, there's little reason to stop by Santa in the morning for a meager cup of joe, though there are plenty of incentives nibble and sip away a lazy evening.
Santa
Daily 11am-7pm. 6 Sanlitun Beixiaojie, Chaoyang District (6461 6928)
朝阳区三里屯北小街6号
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Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
Twitter: @MulKyle
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Photos: Kyle Mullin
