SANTO TACO — Restaurant in Vancouver

Came for dinner and waited about 10 minutes before being seated. Service was a bit slow as there was only one waitress but she was kind and got to us when she could. We ordered an array of tacos and they were very flavourful however the two I ordered, trompo and chicken, were a miss since the former was too salty ( though flavour was really good) and greasy with bottom of the pan burnt pieces while the latter was really dry and lacking in portion. What really made this not the best experience was seeing the kitchen right in the open and the kitchen crew work. The number of times I saw them wipe their nose as mouths with their gloved hands and then immediately stick their hand into a food bin to make the tacos with their hands was honestly horrifying, especially since I was waiting for my tacos to be made. I saw one worker eat a scrap piece out of the bottom of a container which I’m all for, except he immediately touched the tacos he was making for other people after his lips made contact with the gloves. I think he open kitchen concept was cool except it was like they didn’t even try to hide the constant wiping of their mouths/noses with the back of their hands. At least use an arm or anywhere that wasn’t glove meant for touching food ONLY. Of course I felt fine after the meal since I assume none of the workers were sick or have food-borne pathogens but it was not pleasant to see all that was happening. I hope they can be more cognizant of touching only food and clean objects with their gloves in the future and change gloves when contaminated as I do want to try this...

Best tacos we’ve had north of Mexico (out of Texas, California, Oregon and Washington)

We we're visiting from out of town and getting bubble tea next door. Hungry for lunch we didn't have plans until we walked by Santo Taco. The convincing giveaway? seeing other Latino families eagerly lined up outside before the doors opened. That was the sign we needed.

⭐️ We got tacos which were all amazing. The meats were so tender and cooked to perfection-- •Birria was flavorful, fall-apart tender •Chicharrón was thinly cut and easy to eat with a perfect crispy texture •El Gober, the shrimp + cheese combo was full of flavor, perfect amount of spice and acidity •Lengua was melt-in-your-mouth perfection •Choriqueso, the chorizo was minced pretty finely, and I tasted cheese but we couldn't see it, it wasn't a heap of melty cheese like we were expecting

⭐️the hand made tortillas were better than our other favorite hand made ones I've had, so fresh, soft, and delicious. They did not break or fall apart as we were eating.

✅ Fast, friendly service ✅ Clean tables and bathrooms which was much appreciated as travelers with kids ✅ Extensive menu, but everything feels intentional and well done

We were so excited to dig in, didn't get any photos, but I promise our plates were empty and we will definitely be back with other taco lovers the next time we...

Great food but the service or lack of, threw me off so much. We walked in and waited to be seated, this tall guy looks at us waiting, doesn’t say anything and keeps walking around doing other things. We waited maybe 5 minutes until he comes towards us, doesn’t say hi or anything, just signals with his head for us to come in, turns his back at us and just goes about his day. I guess we waited for nothing and could’ve just sat ourselves?

Anyway, we sit down, he brings us waters (still no greetings whatsoever) and leaves again. We wait and have to wave to order, he comes to the table and goes “you ready?”, we order and I asked for extra limes and he doesn’t even let me finish my sentence, cuts me off saying “we will serve you salsas and limes”. Yeah, I know… I’m asking for extra limes and some salsa.

This other server (girl) brings our food and actually talked to us, asked if we had everything we needed and was super sweet. She was the same one that cleared our plates as well and asked if everything was good. Not once the server that took our order came back to check in. We wanted to order more but he wouldn’t even look at us.

This is just an advice for the owners and management that you can have the best food in town but if your staff is so dismissive and makes you feel like they are doing you a favor … you will lose lots...