Santo Pecado offers first-rate tacos, taco bowls, empanadas, churros and tamales of the sweet and savoury variety.

The Mexican spot features plenty of Latin American treats on the counter and if you look up, lo and behold, a festive pinata overhead.  Starting as a catering company out of the shared kitchen at Depanneur nearly 10 years ago, Santo Pecado came to St. Clair West in 2017. 

Owners Paola Solorzano and Adriana Pelayo have been together for twice as long as they've owned Santo Pecado ("holy sin" in Spanish), and seem to have just as much chemistry in business as they do in life.
Solorzano was working as a career counsellor and chef before that and Pelayo was working at Nellie's, where she started a food program for women in need and their families before they decided to try their hand at catering. 

Now they offer takeout along with the corporate taco lunches, weddings and events they've become known for.

The homemade corn tortillas for the tacos are brushed with oil that's been marinating with annatto seeds, a popular colouring and flavouring in Mexican as well as Central American and Caribbean cuisines. 

And each one of them comes wrapped in not one, but two warm tortillas, just like you'd find at street vendors in Mexico, to best hold all of the meat, fillings and sauces that are all made here.

Order a few individual tacos ($4.95) or go for the fiesta box for two ($39.95) which comes with six tacos of your choice and three empanadas that come in the colours of the Mexican flag. It's just the thing you'd want to order before heading to a nearby park for a picnic. 

The fried empanadas (order of three: $9.95) include a pulled chicken breast in white corn masa, roasted poblano pepper, corn and black bean in spinach cilantro masa, and a cheesy, caramelized onion option in red guajillo masa. 

When it comes to the list of tacos on the menu, you have your options between pork carnitas, beef barbacoa, chicken tinga, baja fish, green bean and mushroom al pastor that offers a vegetarian take on the classic pork taco. 

One of the all-time favourites is the baja fish taco. It comes with deep fried beer-battered fish, some creamy slaw, a bit of lime juice and habanero mayo, which is made in-house with dried habanero peppers. 

You can also opt to hold the tortilla and go for the taco bowl that is filled with rice, stewed black beans, cucumber, pickled red onion, grilled corn salsa and your choice of protein. 

Although it seems such a shame to pass up the fresh-made tortillas, the taco bowl ($13.95) tastes just as fresh and is complemented by a number of flavours. 

Among the four tamales made here, the one with an amaranth and chia dark chocolate brownie ($4.50) wrapped in the corn husk takes the cake. Unwrap and drizzle in the thick caramel sauce that comes on the side. 

The flans in a jar ($8.50), made by Pelayo, is another option for dessert. Choose between the vanilla custard that's topped with goat milk dulce de leche and one made with Ibarra chocolate from Mexico. 

As you make your way out the door with hands full of tacos, take a quick look at the homemade salsas ($12 each) lining the shelves. Made by Solorzano and Pelayo, there are seven different variations, one for each of the deadliest sins. 

Santo Pecado is certainly a great spot to satisfy a taco craving with lots of options vegetarians will enjoy while not forgetting about the sweet tooths who walk through the door.