Finally retail manager and travel agent, Mercy Betancourt has printed your boarding pass
for a Mexican venture for flavorful street tacos, piled high with perfectly seasoned fillings.
She recommends a visit to her pick, it's in Miami and it's called La Santa Taqueria.
My name is Omar Montero. I'm the chef and the owner from La Santa Taqueria.
[Montero] Well, all the idea come about with the goal to bring all the originality
and the original flavors from Mexico. Talking about tacos, right? No with
TexMex, no with California style, just to show like how we relate the Mexicans in Mexico.
With the eye on this area, the Little River. So we came already two years ago
was pretty much nothing. But in that time of the construction, the star people and friends as well,
other chefs, start putting the eye on this area. And now I think that is a very trendy
area. I think that our success, if we wanna say like that
is like we are bringing that flavors from home, people when they buy our tacos,
it's not only like thinking of the spicy food or like the vester tea, it's all around.
La Santa Taqueria is the most original flavors and ingredients from Mexico in Miami.
So this place is super vibrant, right?
[Mercy] Yes, it is.
Tell me about it when you walk in the door.
So first of all, it's a pink building, so you can't miss it.
[Joseph] You won't miss it.
Just when you pass by it. That's what the first time I went, grabbed my attention. I was like,
"Oh, what's that?" It's authentic Mexican food. The flavors are just amazing. The
ingredients are fresh. Everything is cooked to order, you can tell.
And then the vibe. They have this one wall that has like sacred hearts, like Mexican,
it's a great wall, like for an Instagram pick or something like that. And then the service,
we immediately were seated and our server was right on point. Everything came out very fast
and he did make some recommendations, which I'm glad I listened to him 'cause they were super
delicious. We did start with the appetizer, they call 'em totopos, which are like tortilla chips.
And the salsa was like I said, freshly prepared, delicious.
[Michelle] A little bit thicker than a regular tortilla, right?
[Mercy] Yeah like corn, like more corn.
Based I think.
Yeah. We told 'em keep 'em coming.
And then I guess I'm a cheese lover. We had the queso fundido then you can put chorizo on top,
which we did. Til the last bite, like that, cheese melted and it was still hot.
Mariette, you had that too, right?
Yes and it has and it has an epic cheese pull, so.
[Mercy] Yes.
You'll pull the cheese and it'll be all the way up to here. It was so good,
the queso fundido with the chorizo too. Yes it was amazing.
And then the tacos that we had was davidia, which was like a marinated brisket with chili paste.
They cook it and you can definitely taste the flavor. It had that kick, it was very tender.
Didn't all of you have the same taco?
[Joseph] I had the same thing, I had that also, it was great.
Yeah it was really good.
It was so good. My wife only eats fish. So she ordered the fish tacos
and you could tell how fresh it was because mine and my daughters came out first,
and the fish had to take "cause it was made when you order it,
you came in there and the day we were there was on Tuesday. So it was taco Tuesday.
Oh yeah, You get extra, you get an extra, yeah.
Do you get an extra?
Yeah, instead of two.
Except for the seafood, you get three, yeah. It was so good. And the thing about it was so busy,
but they took care of it. They, I mean the service there was great. You came in,
you give them a name. They called you, they sat us down. Everything was on
point and the energy of that place actually the entire neighborhood.
[Mercy] Yeah.
It's the strangest place, it was so vibrant out there.
[Mercy] Yeah.
And I was so surprised 'cause the energy there on a Tuesday night, it was great.
Yeah, it is, it is.
[Joseph] The tacos are so good.
Did you start with anything?
[Joseph] Ah, yes we had the guac and some salsa and my daughter,
and that's always my test. She ate every single piece of it, actually.
Did she have a vegan or a vegetarian taco?
Yes she did. It had like quinao on it, yes,
and stuff and she ate it up and she's very picky. They're happy, I'm happy, so.
[Michelle] Yeah, that's good.
With the birria tacos, what I really loved was the broth that you put on top of it.
[Joseph] I dipped it in.
[Mariette] Oh you dipped it? Oh that's amazing And they put the double tortilla so that if
some of the meat falls, then you have a second taco, So that was really good. I also had the
tacos al pastor, so it was really crispy and I was just surprised it had so many flavors.
It tasted like a Mexican grandma made it like in her house or something, it was just amazing. And
I think it used to be a food truck. So you can kind of tell, oh, it's, it's elevated.
[Joseph] That's awesome.
Yeah, I think they worked on those recipes a long time to finally have a brick and mortar.
Another taco we had was alondra de pollos, which is like seared chicken
with bell peppers and onions. And then they added sprouts on the top and it added
like a little bit of texture, and then just presented beautifully. It really added that.
[Joseph] We had the corn.
[Mariette] Oh, the alopte.
[Joseph] It was so good.
[Mariette] It was really good. [Joseph] It was so good.
[Mercy] I have to go back for that.
[Michelle] It's just something very special about eating corn on the cob, on the street. But then
they cover it with all the lovely spices and then the crumble cheese and the cream,
oh, so good, so yummy. Um, dessert, anyone?
I gotta tell you about the churros and the reason why we loved iit came out,
it was piping hot and the sauce. I think it was caramel.
[Michelle] You had them as well.
[Mariette] Yes, I loved the churros they were really fresh
and hot piping out of the, I guess they fry them.
[Joseph] They fried 'em right there.
[Mariette] And it had the cajeta, which is made of goat.
[Michelle] Goat milk and caramel.
So it's goat milk. It was so good. I also had awa de jamaica, which is like
[Michelle] Awa de jamaica.
[Mariette] Jamaica? So it's like hibiscus. It was really refreshing and tangy.
[Michelle] So yummy, right?
[Mariette] I do suggest that you go on Tuesday 'cause you get the extra taco free.
[Joseph] It's worth it.
So you get three tacos instead of two for the same price.
[Mercy] And their margaritas are also, I think they're $5 on Tuesdays.
[Michelle] Even better.
Tell me a little bit about parking, Mariette.
They have their own lot, but it was full,
but there's street parking and there's like an app that you can just buy parking. It was only
about $1.50 for parking. So I'll park the car anywhere. Just gimme some from queso fundido.
[Michelle] But it's also a fun neighborhood to walk around.
[Joseph] It's a fun neighborhood.
So, you don't necessarily have to park right there.
[Joseph] I actually park like block away and it was fine. It's a great neighborhood actually.
Well, Mercy, La Santa Taqueria was your choice. Please sum it up for us.
Amazing Mexican experience with a great vibe and the best tacos in Miami.
Joseph?
Taco Tuesday, go there. Get the best bang for your buck. Great service,
great energy, great selections. And you have to get the churros.
Mariette?
I would definitely go there again.
It's a great place to go share. And it's a new taco Tuesday spot for sure.
For Mexican street food that will liven up your day. Check out La Santa Taqueria
located, 201 Northeast 82nd street in Miami. Open for lunch and dinner every day but Monday.
Reservations are not accepted. The average price for dinner without drinks is about $35.