La Santisima

The salsa bar is delicious and surprising, the place was crowded but service is fast. Plenty of chips to try all the different salsas and the prices are sweet!

Ya’ll don’t understand. This is it. This is the place. This is as good as it gets.
When people say, «Know any real Mexican restaurants?» take them here. When you have people fly in from out of town and say, «Take me to a hidden hole-​in-​the-​wall spot» take them here. When you want to impress a date, your parents, or just have delicious meal… take them here.
If you go at prime dinner time it’ll be a 15 – 30 min wait. But it’s so worth it. You sit down. They place a complementary basket of chips and you look to the back where there are 10 different salsas. Yes ten. And not this made-​in-​a-​bag BS. Real fresh stuff. So you get to experiment with these while you wait for your food to come out. Next, order the Horchata. Get only one and share. They are huge. Their margaritas are also good. Finally, get something with the black mole and/​or oaxacan cheese.
I cannot overstate how amazing their mole sauce is. All of their food is excellent but the mole… I have no words to describe it. I have had their black mole tacos, their black mole sandwich and the heavenly Oaxacan Black Mole Chicken Quesa which is more like an empanada.
I am from the Midwest originally. Before I moved here, I swore off Mexican food. It was greasy, disgusting, and tasted like hot and salty mush. This restaurant is probably my single favorite place to eat since moving here 3 years ago. Treat yourself to this place. You deserve to know happiness.

This place was great. Started with the guac which was probably the best I have ever had. The party I was with had a combination of tacos, burritos and sandwiches … All which were winners. Too bad I love so far away it this would be a go to place.

I had this restaurant bookmarked for a while after seeing it on Diners, Drive-​Ins, and Dives. We were attending a show in Downtown Phoenix, so we went by La Santisima before that. It was around 6-​ish in the evening when we arrived and there were only 1 or 2 small tables open, so we were seated immediately. Getting to the table was kind of like walking through a maze since the restaurant is small and crowded.
It was very obvious that they were super busy and there were only 2 people taking orders, delivering food, etc. It took a while for them to take our orders and then even longer to bring us chips to snack on & our drinks. When they did, however, we were more than happy to wait for our food as we were were enjoying all the different salsas with the chips!
The salsa bar they have is very unique. They had very flavorful salsas that I’ve never had before. My favorite was the peanut one. It was kind of thick and creamy with a bit of spice. Other salsas that both me and my boyfriend liked were the pecan salsa, the salsa roja, the guacamole, etc. There were a total of maybe 10 or 12 different ones, all that tasted great with the chips and also on our tacos. I’d come back here just because of the salsa bar!
As far as our food goes, I ordered the Tinga taco and the Cabo Shrimp taco plate with rice and beans. My boyfriend ordered the La Santisima Speciality tacos with chicken. Both the tacos I ordered were completely different from each other. The Tinga taco tasted good as it was served but I thought that the shrimp taco needed a couple of salsas to enhanced the flavor of the breaded shrimp. The La Santisima Speciality tacos were much like the Tinga taco in that there were a bunch of different toppings on them, so they tasted great as served. My boyfriend couldn’t help but to add the delicious salsas on them anyways, however!
Next time, we come in, I’d probably skip both the rice & beans and instead order one more taco! It’s not that the rice & beans weren’t good, it was just that the tacos were SO GOOD! It’s great that everything that can be ordered a la carte or as a meal. Some tacos are bit more expensive than other ones, but the whole menu seemed fairly reasonably priced.
Overall, like I’ve said, the food was great but the service is where there could be some improvement. We’d recommend this restaurant to others!

By far the best mexican food I’ve found in Phoenix, and trust me, I’ve eaten at almost all of them :) I tend to get their street tacos with either pastor or carne asada, but everything is good here. They have an awesome little salsa bar with like 10 different kinds of salsa. I live in Anthem and we drive out of our way 30+ minutes to eat here it’s that good!

I would say what a great find, but it’s already been found. Some of the best Mexican food I’ve ever had… And I’ve had a lot. Definitely give this place a try.

Stopped

Stopped by for a quick lunch — the salsa bar was superb. Lots of selection — none were very hot though including the «de arbol». It took a while for the server to take my order and even longer to get a drink of water. I I ordered the Sonoran Arrecheta tacos and they were delicious — basically carne asada with cabbage. The server let my food sit in the window for a while and never came back around to fill my water. So because the food was ok but the service was terrible on many fronts it gets a two star review.

Great service– server was friendly and attentive. Small place, will probably have to wait if you could at a typical busy lunch or dinner time. Food was on point, even a few options for vegetarians! Good sized portions, not overly pricey. Love having the salsa bar there! The jicama drink was similar to a berry juice, was a little too sweet for my liking but once it was watered down a little, it was delicious. Will definitely come back here next time!

Yes! Yes! Yes! …
I’ve been here a few times now and every single time I come I ask myself «now why don’t I come here more often?» I do live close by, but then their long line reminds me why lol.
This place is so freaking delicious! First of all their beans are perfection. And their salsa bar is like its own tasting station lol.
I’ve had their bullet burrito, azteca Tinga burrito, shark tacos, shrimp burrito, quesas, guacamole, and their veggie burrito. Everything was great I have no complains.
If you love horchata you have to try theirs. I promise you will love it! I can go in there for just that a bullet burrito and chips with salsa. LITERALLY.
It is a very small place so I wouldn’t suggest coming during lunch/​dinner hours. You will just stand there looking at everyone enjoy their food thinking to yourself «ok can you please hurry and swallow your meal, because it’s my turn to sit and swallow mine». Lol
I usually come here before busy lunch hours and dinner hours so I can get a table asap.
Customer service is always great. Their menu is to the point, my kind of menu!

Dear Arizona,
Over 1.5 years ago, I visited your state and ate at a Mexican restaurant that I neither remember the name nor want to. It was awful. And I reviewed that restaurant and commented that a place so highly reviewed in Arizona must have meant people in Arizona don’t get food. I was wrong. So wrong. And for that, I apologize. After visiting la Santisima (a different restaurant than the above mentioned disaster), I realized you guys have got the Mexican food down to a T.
Your Midwestern friend,
–Deena
Okay now for the review:
We were in town for a wedding and we had a lot of time between the wedding and our arrival so we looked up some good places to eat. Thank GOD for Unilocal because it helped us find this holy landmark of Mexican food.
Atmosphere: 3.5÷5. Small restaurant. You will definitely wait so get there early. Nice paintings around. Modern American music playing which is fine by me. You don’t need to play mariachi music for the place to be authentic. If your food is this good, I don’t care if you play Beyoncé or sounds of the Amazon.
Food: fresh corn tortillas. Fresh chips. Guacamole with chunks of avocado so ripe it melts in your mouth. Salsa with fresh peppers. Mole so good it could only be holy. Fish and shrimp tacos as well as «shark» tacos that melt like butter !! Horchata with fresh fruit and cinnamon and nuts. Oh my gosh. Never ending food ecstasy here. I wish I had an extra stomach so I could have ordered more food to try before I left this place.
Service: they are a limited number of servers but they bust their humps walking around serving, taking orders, etc. Five stars to them!
Miscellaneous: limited parking out front. They take all credit cards except American Express.
PROS: great food and memorable flavors
CONS: can’t think of any

The best tacos in Phoenix, the best I’ve ever had.

Amazing Mexican food and sauces! I never have experienced such diverse foods. They have pulled recipes from all over Mexico and excel at reproducing some amazing food. If you love Mexican food you must go here. Their salsa bar is like no other. Pecan salsa, peanut sauce etc. And they have a good tequila selection!

Wow! What a great surprise, You can definitely taste the quality in the food! Great selection of salsa and the menu has a variety for all. The good isn’t over done to the point where you can’t finish your plate. I will most definitely be coming back here.

Well this place is stinkin delicious. The service is a bit slow, and the restaurant is not that big, so expect a crowd– but the fresh food definitely makes up for anything the former was lacking. We enjoyed the specialty burrito with steak, and it was mouth wateringly good! The salsa bar is a nice touch, and everything tastes really fresh and well made. I’ll be sure to stop again when I’m in the area!

Sunday afternoon and we were starving. We saw the gourmet taco sign so we discussed quickly and did u uturn because curiosity set in. The place looked like a sticky dive but it was packed and we had to wait 15 minutes which was a sign of YUUMY food so we waited!
See pictures of what we ordered.
I love the cucumber in my burrito which you made for a unique taste compare to the normal burrito you get everywhere. I order side of red sauce which was also had an amazing consistency and taste. My guest order ed a shrimp taco which was also yummy. She loved every byte of it (her exact words) so much she had it done before I could eat half my burrito.
Our server Joe was also very pleasant and I enjoyed leaving a nice tip.
Going back for sure!

Nothing even close in Denver. I may move to Phoenix over these tacos. And the service, hilarious and amazing. Highly recommended! Pretty sweet artwork as well, and top notch salsa. You will not go wrong with this place.

This place prompted me to leave only my fifth Unilocal review in like five years (shame on me, but oh well). The food was just SO good. I had the chicken mole burrito and it was about as close to «perfect» as it gets. They took the simple finishing step of grilling the burrito lightly, which gave it some crunch and made it taste like a non-​fried chimichanga. Why don’t more places do this? The salsa bar had more options than I had time to test, but each one I sampled was delicious in its own way.
I wasn’t expecting a full bar, but yep, they have one of those, too.
The atmosphere is better on the inside than you would think by looking at the outside. It’s small though, so don’t be surprised if there’s a wait.
We will be back many times in the future!

We flew into Arizona, jet lagged and hungry. This taco spot was near by and food network featured it.
Outside the place looked a little sketchy, but inside it looked like a typical taco spot. We got fresh chips to start. And then we ordered about 3 tacos per person (all of them were good!).
The best thing about this place is their salsa bar. They have everything from pico to strawberry to pecan salsa. Some were spicy, some sweet. It’s insane. And delicious.
Pretty cool and simple taco spot in Phoenix. Small dining area though, so don’t get mad if there’s a wait.

The food is amazing! Fresh ingredients & great taste! The quesadillas are my favorite, filled with cheese! My One Complaint: I was seated by the salsa bar next to the wall & somehow ended with white all over my jeans & jacket! Very inconvenient since now I have to go back home before going to work because it doesn’t come off easily!

I am not a huge fan of Mexican food so when my sister took me to this restaurant, I was not expecting to me blown away. Except I was! I loved this place, from the beans to the different types of salsa and the to-​die for carne asada tacos! My boyfriend had the al pastor burrito which he loved as well. Service was great however my only complaint is that there aren’t enough servers. We found ourselves waiting a lot but I knew it wasn’t our server’s fault. She was just extremely busy.
⁵⁄₅ stars for sure! :)

I reserve 5 stars for meals that are exemplary. This «gourmet» taco shop is truly that. Every bite is a flavor party, including the array of succulent salsas ranging from chipotle to creamy cilantro. The spicy jalapeños are truly spicy, turning me into a fire-​breathing dragon for moments after I ate them.
This restaurant does justice to vegetarians, all veggies are sautéed with care and attention to spices. The mole nearly made my partner dance, dark and intricate like a Spanish tango. My Santisima quesa was a revelation, full of flavor and topped with Mexican crema, a thick corn crust that managed not to be greasy.
And the horchata? It’s the real deal. We shared a margarita that tasted natural and refreshing, not a bottled mix in the house.

Wow. This is a great spot. After driving by two times, I finally parked near the party supply company and walked into La Santisima to find a small dining room full of satisfied customers… and a huge salsa bar!
Highlights include the Santisima taco with Oaxaca cheese, and the baja shrimp.

I have only been here once but it won’t be the last time.
The food here is so fresh and the salsa selection; i have never seen anything like it and it’s all so fresh and interesting.
The ambiance has a lot of character but people come here for the food. I just had tacos and was blown away by the flavor.
The shells were good but the meat was seasoned nice, the veggies were crisp and the staff were awesome. I will definitely be going back!

Hunting for authentic Mexican food? La Santisima is the REALS! They have over a dozen salsas in their salsa bar and let you help yourself with the complimentary basket of chips. I ordered (2) Carne Asada and (1) Al Pastor taco and added the rice and beans for a total of $ 8.97. Let me start by saying your food comes out piping hot on a hot plate. The food is made fresh and it shows. The refried beans were delicious, really creamy, and flavorful. The rice was not dry and also way above average in taste. The Asada was so flavorful and tender. Definitely better than most places I frequent. The beef was not chewy at all and has an almost melt in your mouth consistency. The Al Pastor was also amazing with all fresh ingredients including the pineapple. If you’re in the Coronado area, do yourself a favor and check out this little gem!

I wanted to love this place. The chicken mole tacos are killer and the only reason they’re getting two stars instead of one. A confluence of negatives brought what should have been a five-​star review down — fast.
1. Our waiter didn’t have his heart in it. He barely smiled, didn’t share any pleasantries and was drier than toast. No offer to refill water, to show us the dessert menu. Just overall lacking in basic customer service skills.
2. When was the last time you went to a Mexican restaurant and didn’t bring home a doggy bag? The portions here are for a bride-​to-​be trying to lose weight before a wedding. The shape of the rice was a ¼ measuring cup. The refried beans were about 2 tablespoons worth.
3. The wait for menus. The wait to be acknowledged. The wait for drinks. The wait for the meal. The wait for the check. i wanted to belt out that tacky song: «Cuando, cuando, cuando?!?»
4. The temperature. Lukewarm food is not cool. It sat somewhere for some unknown reason. I’d usually send it back but damn! I thought I’d eat next week.
5. The outside at night. What’s up with the no lights? We drove by the first time because we had no idea it was open.
6. The margaritas are creative but DAMN! Inordinately expensive. We are not on the Upper East SIde of Manhattan.
7. The plates. I guess they’re reminiscent of Mexican pottery but they looked like they could contain lead. No bueno.
The salsa bar is killer — they make their own unusual and tasty concoctions (pecan salsa?). Quite lovely.
But they really need to step up their game and stop resting on the laurels of Diners, Drive Ins and Dives.

Santi and I came to La Santisima looking for a good Mexican fare, and walked away pleasantly surprised by the overall experience. The small, squared-​shaped interior included a small dining area, a full salsa bar, kitchen, and a small bar area in the back. The wall-​to-​wall paintings and artifacts were striking, and nicely added to the casual and festive atmosphere. The menu consisted of an eclectic listing of gourmet tacos, street tacos, burros, deep-​fried corn quesadillas, and lonches.
The Al Pastor Burro ($ 8.95) arrived with spicy pork, homemade salsa, pineapple, tomato, lettuce, guacamole, onion, cilantro, avocado, and al pastor salsa. The burro was tightly wrapped in hot pressed tortilla. The spicy pork was nicely seasoned with sweet pineapple to brighten the flavors. The rest of the supportive ingredients added subtle touches and kicks. The textures of the onions, lettuce, and tomato were noticeable, but I wished there could be more guacamole to round out the flavors. The burro was sizable, and good to share when cut in half. I recommend it.
The Aztec Tinga Taco and Maya Cochinita Pibil Taco ($ 9.39) came with rice, black beans with Oaxacan cheese, and two sizable double-​decked tacos with shredded meat and red onions layered on top. The Tinga Taco encompassed tender shredded chicken, tomato, and chipotle salsa. I wished there could be more chicken, but the taco was mouthwatering delicious. The Cochinita Pibil was made with pork shoulder wrapped and slow cooked in banana leaves, lime marinated onions and salsa to add acidity and sharpness. Their distinctive taste from one another made the experience worthwhile. The rice and black beans were not simple fillers, but instead they were surprisingly flavorful and addictive.
The Tialoc Veggie Burro ($ 8.95) was put together with mesquite-​grilled cactus, caramelized onion, garlic, tomato, mushrooms, jalapeño, and Oaxacan cheese in a tightly wrapped hot pressed tortilla. Personally, I prefer the soft, spongy, and stretchable flour tortillas, but the firm and hot pressed version was surprisingly good, resilient, and held everything together quite well. The grilled cactus came in large pieces, and the pleasant textures nicely complemented the generous earthy mushrooms. The Burro could taste bland for some people, but the addition of melted Oaxcan cheese added nuances to the sweet and savory flavors. If I were to order this again, I would add guacamole and more cheese to the mix.
Lastly, the Arabe Burro ($ 12.99) had plenty of al pastor, hummus, aguacate, pastor salsa, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, red onion, avocado, red pepper, and Tzatziki dressing on top. In this case, cognitive dissonance can be a good thing, as this Arabic-​inspired burro was a hit. The sweet and spicy pastor coupled nicely with the smooth hummus, and the support ingredients rounded out the flavors by bridging flavors of the two worlds. This is one of the worthy items for those looking for an adventure, along with their great looking deep-​fried corn quesadillas at many tables.
The chips were refilled upon request. Among the 12-​salsa options, my favorites were the chunky chipotle, smoky Cabo, sweet pecan, spicy Mexicana, peanut, and spicy avocado. Unfortunately, the cilantro salsa had an overpowering sour cream flavor, and some of the other options were too watery, didn’t register, or live up to my expectations.
The restaurant can get very busy throughout the day, so service was not their strongest attribute on each visit. The food took some time to arrive, but the salsa bar and complimentary chips were there to scale down the hunger pains. I thought the prices were a bit higher than San Francisco and Los Angeles. However, there was a nice mix of original and innovative flavors to set them apart. Quality-​wise, the food was less greasy when compared to a traditional taqueria. Interested diners should come open minded, and not expecting the most authentic fare. I hope to return to try their Oaxacan Shrimp Mole Burro, Chicken Mole Street Taco, and Pumpkin Flan. 3.5 stars for the overall experience.

How can I not like this place? It has my name written all over it!
My hubby took me here on a Saturday night because he wanted to get my take on this popular gourmet taco shop. We stepped into the dark interior which had a Day of the Dead décor and filled with ten tables for hungry diners.
The menu is divided into five sections:
Gourmet Tacos or Gourmet Taquetzin
Street Tacos
Gourmet Burros or Cazuela Bowl
Gourmet Corn — Quesadillas
Lonches
I ordered the Al Pastor Burro (spicy pork, salsa, pineapple, veggies) $ 9 and Daniel got the Tlaloc Vegan Burro (mesquite grilled cactus, caramelize onion, veggies and cheese) $ 9. Both of them did not have rice or beans inside (a.k.a. fillers) and still kept it hardy but not overstuffed. My Al Pastor had the spiciness and sweetness which you typically find but what made this burro special, was it was grilled on the top and bottom and the fillings were made from high quality ingredients. And for you cheese lovers, you won’t find it inside but I’m sure you can request it. Daniel’s burro was a healthy alternative and the cactus had a nice texture. My only complaint was it needed additional salsa to add to the flavor. Be warned … take a Beano before this meal!
All meals came with a basket of tortilla chips and unlimited trips to the salsa bar which had at least ten different types of homemade salsa to experiment. Most of them had a kick of spice to it and you can pick from chunky vs. smooth salsas. My favorite was mixing the Salsa Mexicana and Avocado Salsa. Talk about double dippin’! The Salsa Chipotle was also another favorite for us.
Personally, the lighting was a little darker than I preferred during dinner. I wouldn’t call it romantic but rather adventurous!
Since it was a busy night, the two servers were on their toes and the wait for the food was reasonable. They had an extensive cocktail list with many of the diners enjoying their margaritas and homemade horchatas.
I hope to return with Daniel to try the mole street tacos and say I ate at «Santisima»!

I have heard so many great things about this place (It was on Diner’s Drive-​Ins & Dives!) and we finally decided to get our taco-​loving booties over there to try it! Ohhh my goodness, I am so happy that we did!
They have the most amazing fresh salsa bar with at least 10 different salsas made daily. Being a sauce lover, this was a complete dream come true. I recommend getting the two taco plate with rice and beans. I got the Aztec Tinga Taco (Shredded Chicken, Tomato, Onion & Aztec chipotle sauce) and it was SO juicy with the perfect combination of spices. I also got a Carne Asada taco that was delish! The restaurant is small and I hear it gets busy so I would recommend dining here during off days/​times. We went on a Thursday night at 7:30 PM and it was perfect!!! We will for sure be back, i’ve been daydreaming of their fabulous salsa bar ever since we left!

Authentic? First, we were hoping the tortilla were homemade (likely not). I ordered a pork/​tomato/​onion «not a» torta, and it was most certainly a sandwich with mustard and mayonnaise? That didn’t seem authentic. But I ate the thing– it was good. But I would get tacos or a burrito next time… if there is one. DUN DUN DUNN!
MILEY, WHAT’S GOOD?
The salsa bar is great… though the best ones («guacamole») were empty the Friday lunch hour I went. Chunky pico is good. Strawberry salsa? Um ok. Peanut salsa. Sure. Cilantro salsa– tasted more like bell pepper to me. Hit and miss, but fun to try them all regardless.
DRINKS?
Skinny margarita so watery my wife switched the beer. But the iced tea is good and comes in a big 32 ounce cup so you don’t have to bother anyone for refills. And you get your own water bottle.
Kinda of a fun, dark, (maybe too) little dive w/​good service. Would be greater if they could extend the bar to more than three seats.

Muy rica la comida! Delicious food!

This is the first time I have tried horchata, and it was delicious. I love the cinnamon taste of it. They serve the drink in a plastic cup, so you can conveniently take it togo.
Before the main course, they give out complimentary chips you can munch on. The chips are quality chips — they’re not the thin ones like from Rubio’s. The best part is the salsa bar! They have a wide selection. Watch out for the extra spicy ones. I’m definitely returning to this cute hole in the wall place for good tacos and horchata.
A heads up that parking in front of the restaurant is limited.

Si! Si! Si! Dieciseis salsas. Tacos sabrosos. El pibil? Increible. Los mejores tacos este lado de la frontera.