El Santo — Spanish for The Saint — was a masked real-life hero and legend of Mexican sports, who never revealed his true identity to his fans or his country. The famous luchador (wrestler) is restaurant founder Alejandro Diaz’s childhood hero, but unlike the masked wrestler, El Santo reveals the best of contemporary Mexican cuisine for you to experience and enjoy.
When Alejandro moved to New Westminster in 2010, he immediately recognized the community’s desire for fresh and innovative cuisine available close to home. His love for great food and outstanding hospitality inspired his vision for a restaurant that married modern West Coast ingredients with traditional, though lesser-known, Mexican favourites. He envisioned dishes served up in a lively, inviting, social, dining room where patrons could also sample delicious tequilas and mezcals on their own, or mixed into a tantalizing cocktail. And thus, El Santo was born.
El Santo showcases both the diversity of Mexican food and the fresh, local, and sustainable ingredients of the West Coast in creative dishes and a welcoming dining room that will have you wanting to come back to enjoy the experience over and over again.
Since opening its doors in 2015 Executive Chef Sam Fabbro has prided itself on supporting local merchants. Both the bar program and food menu are a reflection of the fantastic ingredients of the Pacific Northwest, with a Mexican twist.
Together they’ve created a menu that includes popular Mexican favourites and regional specialties you won’t find anywhere else on the Canadian coast — right down to their house-made corn tortillas.
Alejandro and Sam share a passion for good food, cocktails, outstanding service and adventure.