Corn, water and salt. How hard could making a tortilla be? You’d be surprised. Getting the right varieties of heirloom Mexican corn to Australia is next to impossible due to biosecurity laws. And even with less-than-suitable local corn, there’s the labour- and equipment-intensive process of soaking the kernels in alkaline solution, grinding them, pressing into tortillas and grilling to order.

The team at Santito thinks it’s worth it, and it’s one just a few restaurants in Melbourne making this Mexican essential from scratch. Tacos here range from al pastor – the spit-roasted pork dish introduced to Mexico by Lebanese migrants – to suadero (confit beef brisket) and longaniza (chorizo-style house-made pork sausage). They come dressed, but a trio of house-made salsas – salsa verde, salsa roja and a habanero salsa – are on hand to finish.

Drinks lean on classic Mexican beers like Tecate and Modelo, alongside cocktails – particularly Margaritas in different variations including mezcal, spicy and frozen – and non-alcoholic drinks including horchata (a cinnamon-spiced rice punch) and pepino, a subtly sweet cucumber and pineapple drink finished with chia seeds.

The striking white-tiled fit-out remains largely unchanged from the days when this was another Mexican restaurant, Hotel Jesus, but there’s fresh branding and a new private dining room downstairs.