Santito Takes Its Tortillas Seriously

The first time the team at Santito made a successful tortilla, co-owner Jenna Davies says she was transported back to a trip to Mexico. “You forget the flavour of the tortilla – the freshness,” she says. Premade corn tortillas are useful for convenience, but “you’re not tasting the actual corn flavour as much compared to fresh”.

Mexican food in Australia is often limited by access to produce and specialty ingredients. “We spent months trying to bring in heirloom organic corn from Mexico,” co-owner Tom Davies says. But after securing the corn and submitting the import paperwork, they learnt it would need to be quarantined at a biosecurity site and crushed before it ever reached the restaurant. So they pivoted to local growers, finding a Gippsland farmer growing white corn – the closest local equivalent to dent corn typically used in Mexico they could source. “The minimum order was a thousand kilos of corn, so we literally have a thousand kilos out the back,” Tom says.

At Santito, a taqueria housed in the former Hotel Jesus site on Smith Street, the tortillas are made by hand using the traditional Mexican process of nixtamalisation, where corn is soaked in an alkaline solution to enhance texture and nutrition. The kitchen team then grinds it using a Molinito brand molino – a volcanic-stone grinder imported from the US via Mexico – and the resulting masa is pressed into tortillas before each one is grilled to order.

Those tortillas are then used to make tacos. While the owners’ other venture, Mission District, explores Cali-Mex flavours, Santito draws direct inspiration from Mexico City. 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 already come dressed, but a trio of house-made salsas – salsa verde, salsa roja and a habanero salsa – are on hand to finish.

Beyond tacos, there are dishes such as squash blossom quesadillas with Oaxacan cheese; tuna and avocado tostadas; and queso fundido – a sizzling plate of molten cheese and longaniza served with fresh tortillas.

While not an intentional move, the kitchen team at Santito – some of whom have worked with the couple for several years at Mission District – are all women and all from Mexico, shaping the menu with techniques and dishes informed by their upbringings.

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 takeaway counter, which closed late into Hotel Jesus’s run, has also been revived. The fit-out remains largely unchanged from its Hotel Jesus days, but there’s fresh branding and a new private dining room downstairs.

Santito 
174 Smith Street, Collingwood
0466 925 887

Hours:
Tues to Thu 5pm–9pm
Fri 5pm–10pm
Sat midday–10pm
Sun 5pm–9pm

www.santito.com.au
@santitomelbourne