Santo Remedio, a Mexican restaurant that opened in February 2024 on the hip stretch of Tennyson Street at the corner of 39th Street, suddenly shut its doors in June with a cryptic note that simply read, “Sorry, we are CLOSED due to technical issues.” At the time, general manager Luis Enrique Rios explained that some structural issues had been found during a liquor license inspection.
At the time, Rios and the staff were prepared to move to a new space, if necessary, in as little as a month. It’s taken more than three months, but Santo Remedio is about to reopen at last — in a different neighborhood. Instead of Berkeley, where it had built a loyal clientele over a year and a half in business, it will now be in the former Red Tops Rendezvous space in Jefferson Park, just off Federal Boulevard on 25th Avenue.
The previous tenant, a Detroit-style pizzeria from the Culinary Creative Group, closed, in part, because street construction had blocked its entrance. But today, the street is clear, and the neighborhood has an up-and-coming vibe. Rios says the residents and businesses have been welcoming and are looking forward to his opening.
Also new on the street is JP Restaurant and Lounge, which is now open in the former Sarto’s space — though Santo Remedio isn’t ready to welcome guests just yet. “Right now, the only thing holding us back is the license,” Rios says. “Once we get that sent over, I’ll open the doors right away.”
Inside the doors, the place is ready and waiting. The furniture is all set for a full house, and the kitchen and equipment are primed for the green light. Because the space had recently been open as a newly built restaurant, Rios and his crew didn’t have to do much besides redecorate and repaint. “We did construction for like a month,” he explains. “We did some kitchen repairs as well.”
The building was constructed in 2022, and the renovated first floor is open and spacious, with stairs along one wall to a second floor of seating and a small outdoor patio that overlooks the block. The restaurant can accommodate 250 diners, more than the former location. There’s a bar under the stairs along the main dining area, and throughout the eatery, there are nineteen television screens.
“We want to bring the community here, you know. We’re going to make something like Tennyson,” says Rios, adding that he appreciates the loyal fan base the business had built in Berkeley.
Beyond the location, Santo Remedio’s menu is changing as well. “We’re gonna be more into tacos,” he says. But don’t expect a “taqueria” with street tacos and a fast-casual feel. “It’ll be better,” he adds. “More like a full-service taqueria,” with some other entrees and apps for full dinner service, and reasonable price points too, he adds.
“One of our goals is not just to offer service. We’re going to offer hospitality. So our service is going to be more elevated. We want to have customers that come back all the time,” Rios notes.
Best of all for fans of the original Santo Remedio, the entire staff will return to the new location — a promise Rios made when he closed the doors on Tennyson in June. “Everybody is returning. I gave them a courtesy call the other day, and everybody, everybody’s on board. I think they’re all excited,” he concludes.