SANTORO MEXICAN RESTAURANT

My favorite restaurant was Rivera’s, so when this opened I was so excited! My boyfriend had never been to Rivera’s and didn't know what to expect. While it was on the pricier side, he even agreed the taste was worth every penny. We didn’t wait long, we went right before dinner time. I think within 5 minutes we were seated. The drinks were delicious. The shrimp alambres were DELICIOUS. Everything was 10/10. Perfect date night.

The food was fantastic. The best Mexican food I've ever had. Truly an amazing meal. The price is high though. $140 (before tip) got us 4 plates, 2 beers, and a soda. We left with 2 small to-go boxes. I would say the price was the only thing that disappointed me and will make this a very rare meal.

Food did not disappoint after waiting 3+ years for the return! Atmosphere: not the highlight. Modern take on restaurant design, but very noisy (even for a restaurant), and other than the beautiful mural and wall of tequila it felt very basic. Drinks: Freida and the Toxi-mango are winners, flavorful and the tequila/mezcal shined with the flavors! The GOAT margarita can stay home. For being the "goat" it was the most basic and tasteless margarita I have tasted in quite a while. Apps: we had the nightly special which had the most delicious hibiscus puree and wonderful pork belly. I do miss the old salsa though, something changed and it is not as flavorful. Main meal: enchiladas especiales and Casuelas Norteña (sp?). The food lives up to its predecessor, everything has spice! The prices have definitely increased, but I think it is mostly on par and they are large portions with one exception. The enchiladas are a bit high and I don't think the amount of lobster used really justified $35. Enchiladas were delicious, but hard to order enchiladas (even as delicious as they were) for that much when most other places are half or less. The white mole is legend, I could drink it plain. The Nortenas was was like a Mexican lasagna and was so flavorful and huge! Honestly my favorite thing is the rice and beans. So many places screw this part up and leave them bland. I save room to eat the beans and rice here, they are so good! No room for dessert. We will be back to try more, but will probably leave the "goat margarita" and special enchiladas alone.

Date Night We were headed to Omaha from Lincoln. While we never had the pleasure of eating at Rivera's I was excited to try the Chef's new hotspot Santoro! I originally heard about it from favorite Local Foodie Restaurant Hoppen a week or so prior. It was a Saturday and they don't accept reservations. We got there about 7pm, on the list, were told 20-30 min wait, pretty sure we were seated in like 12. There are a minimal amount of tables, maybe 15? It was 100⁰ and even the patio was full. Only a few working the floor, got our chips and salsa fairly quickly. It was different, kinda creamy and smoky. My husband looked at the menu and had a bit of sticker shock. I told him it's supposed to be worth it... he struggled a bit with his decision but we both put in for our mains. About 45 minutes after arriving our entrees were delivered to the table. He quickly dug into his Chipilo Enchiladas. He specifically chose one with several little chili peppers next to the description. Full of Braised Pork and Onions and topped with a Spicy Almond Mole Sauce I watched his expression change. He Was Stoked! The amount of flavor was Incredible! Completely Unique and Amazing! Even the sides of Rice and Beans were unmatched. One of the only veg options is the Chile Rellenos. While it's something I do enjoy it's not generally what I'd choose for a main. What was on my plate was unlike anything I'd seen before. Holy Crap it was Delicious! The layers of flavors, cheesy goodness, there are just not enough adjectives. Absolutely Elevated, Warm and Inviting! It's one of only a handful of times I sat there and cussed out loud at my food. Veg Cilantro Lime Rice was intense, and Veg Black Beans (which were a tad overdone for my liking) had lots of veggies. Decided I had to try the GOAT marg before we left. It was a really good Margarita but nothing really special for me. Most of their craftier choices involve smoky or spicy ingredients which I can't do. Our server Rosa was great but they all seemed to be stretched a bit thin. After it was all said and done my husband was Impressed. Worth the Wait. Worth the Drive. Worth the Price! *****Originally posted to EAT IT in Lincoln, NE on Facebook*****

Happy to see Chef Rivera back at it and blessing Omahans with top notch Mexican food! Shrimp alambres, queso, and salsa were 10/10. As well as the carne asada and enchiladas Rancheras. Been waiting for this! Beware that the Spicy margarita is SPICYYYYY. We love spicy but couldn’t even drink it! One thing that impacted my rating on the atmosphere is how very loud it is. It felt like we were screaming to speak, because tables next to us were very loud. The echo in the building amplified this noise, to where you couldn’t hear music, it was just loud patrons. Another is how close the tables are together. We had to squeeze through to get to our table, it felt like we were on top of each other. Hopefully this will get resolved so you can enjoy the delicious food with great company and get to chat.

It takes a lot for me to leave a 1-star review, but this experience was so disappointing. The space itself was odd—one beautiful mural surrounded by three unfinished walls. We were really looking forward to the shrimp alambres and margaritas we used to enjoy at Riveras, but from the start service was slow and disengaged considering there were 5 employees standing at the bar and one other table. Not the waiting line to get a table like Rivera’s. We had to ask just to place an order, then ask again for chips and salsa, and when we ordered another round of margaritas, only one was brought out. The fajitas looked very sad, though they actually tasted fine. The shrimp alambres was the one bright spot—it still tasted like the original recipe. Halfway through our meal, we were asked if we wanted to-go boxes, then given the check before we had even finished. For a $115 tab, (3 small margs, shrimp alambres, guacamole and we shared a single fajita) we expected at least the chance to enjoy our dinner without being rushed out. Overall, extremely disappointing service and experience. The food had a couple bright spots, but not nearly enough to make up for everything else. 😐

Tried this restaurant during the first week and the food was absolutely incredible. We were a party of 9 and it only took around 30 minutes to seat us. Every entree was one that if I'd have ordered it myself, I would've been super pleased with. The Carne Asda was the best I've ever had, with a slightly spicy Pico and a delicious guacamole salsa. We also had Enchiladas supremas which were amazing too. Very rich, but the lobster and shrimp were cooked to perfection. As others have said the restaurant is very loud, so keep that in mind, but this is the only negative. Will be back next week! Best mexican food I've had.

Jesus did it again, the best Mexican restaurant we have EVER been to! The flavors, sauces, textures come together for culinary perfection. We are so lucky to have this place in Omaha. Service was amazing and drinks were nice and spicy!

Aieeee! My favorite Mexican restaurant in Omaha was Rivera's which closed due to a fire. It has been reincarnated as Santoro. It's not easy to find - but it's gonna be very hard to miss. Spousal Unit and I took Favorite Daughter and the grandkiddies for dinner. Santoro opens its doors at 4pm, and when we arrived at 5pm there was an hour wait for a table in the dining room. We opted for the patio - a bold choice given the 96 degree temp. It was worth it. I ordered Mayan Chamorro (pork shanks marinated in chintextle spices, beer braised, and finished with an almond mole sauce). It was outstanding, and way too much for me to finish. (It was equally outstanding for breakfast the next day!). SU and the kiddies ordered - and devoured - street tacos with beef and Guacomole Casero with hot fresh tortillas. Favorite Daughter scarfed up Enchiladas Suiza. There was nary a crumb to be found. I'm so happy this place has reopened. It offers mole sauces that I've never found anywhere else, and the people are amazing. Please, please stay away so I can keep Santoro all to myself!

As a 15 year Rivera's patron I patiently awaited the opening of Santoro. Jesus always brings the flavor. I've yet to find a Mexican restaurant in the U.S. that combines unique Mexican cuisine with spice in a way that isn't overwhelming (unless you order the Diablo enchiladas lol). It doesn't come without a wait, but it's worth every moment. The mango margaritas are the best I've ever had, which helps ease the 40 minute wait on Friday and Saturdays. I've heard a few folks mention the prices. Yes, it's at the top end of the spectrum for its category, but for the quality of ingredients and dining experience- worth the spend. You also have to take into account the new location and heavily upgraded interior. If you have a party of two, you can usually squeeze into the bar within 10-15 minutes. Unfortunately, the patio was closed due to rain but we look forward to eating out there this summer. This was our second visit since the opening and we'll be back each week. Service was amazing as always. I got the enchiladas rancheros, which are a combo of steak and chorizo and covered in their verde salsa. If you like spice, I highly recommend. If not, maybe get an extra side of sour cream sauce. My wife is trying to adapt to my love of spicy food and they were slightly too much last time we were in. She still loved them. The rice and beans are the best in the game. My wife got the enchiladas Supremas which are the new version of the old Robbie's seafood enchiladas that were on the Rivera's menu. 9.5/10. The creamy white mole sauce could have been a tad bit thicker, but the quality & quantity of shrimp and lobster meets the price tag. Mole is not my thing and these were phenomenal. Not pictured, we had the cheese dip and dolce de leche flan. Cheese dips just like the old Rivera's you are used to- nice level of spice, ideal saltiness and a perfect amount of pico de gallo on top to add a hint of onion and garlic to each bite.

I've missed Riveras!! So glad to see Jesus Rivera's food back on a menu! The wait right now is no joke since it just opened but I'll be honest -- the food is worth it. The starting salsa alone is so spicy and yummy. I forgot how good it was! Delicious margs as expected. And the entrees didn't miss! Just so good with a nice heat. My only complaint is the noise level indoors. We were lucky to be seated outdoors on a beautiful evening but the inside is incredibly loud. I'd still deal with it to eat there again but a heads up to anyone who might have an issue with loud spaces. Also the fact that they have a patio is so amazing. Drinking their margs outdoors was a treat!

I love this spot!! I was the biggest fan of Rivera's and was devastated when they closed so when I heard the owner was opening this spot I was so excited to try it and see if it was as good as Rivera's and it most definitely is. The menu is very similar if not almost identical which made me happy. The habanero salsa here is incredible and the shrimp alambres were very yummy. I love the enchiladas suizas here!! They have so much flavor, as do the beans and rice. My boyfriend got the enchiladas rancheros and they were also very good but he said he expected it to have more spice. Overall, the food here is incredible and the restaurant itself is very nice. I wish there was more seating and a better reservation or waitlist system though since the restaurant gets very crowded with people having to wait an hour or longer to be seated. Definitely worth it though I won't lie! Excited to come back in the future.

My wife and i decided to try Santorini for dinner on Tuesday . We were seated right away. The restaurant was very clean and upscale. Very nice. We placed or drink orders. The menu had many of the same dishes liked from the old Riveras restaurant . I ordered the cazula Norte and my wife ordered the chipilo enchiladas and a side of Mexican street corn. My dish was as tasty as i remember from Riveras. My wife's enchiladas were excellent. The portion sizes were large enough for two people to share. We were disappointed in the street corn. The flavor was good but the corn was mushy like it was previously frozen . Overall it was a good meal. We look forward to returning

Hesitated to make this review as I don't like to be negative. Was very excited to try Santoro's as we loved Riveras before they closed and read lots of great reviews. We ordered the Chili Rellenos and Enchiladas Rancheros. The entrees were very good, but the price of $28 and $27 respectively was excessive. The place beautiful and modern but the acoustics set my apple sound alarm off several times and this was a Wednesday night. Staff efficient. Overall good but overpriced.

The place closed down at 7:40 PM. Because they said they have no customers. If you're open till nine stay open. I'm never going back.

This place is One of a kind. Everything was heavenly. Perfect spot for date night. We had such a wonderful dinner. The service was top notch! You have to order flan to go for a midnight snack. Pure Perfection.

You could just "go out to eat," at Santoro, but that wouldn't be doing it justice. It's an experience. Not a loud, flashy show with no substance behind it but real food that - from what I saw - draws the crowds we've seen for Chef Rivera in the past. I came in at 3:59pm Friday with a line of people in front of me. I sat at the bar and ordered a drink, an entree, and a side, and I took in what was happening around me. It was everything we've been missing for the last couple years. The service was great even at a busy bar. The food was incredible - little has changed in that regard. You think after so long it can't possibly live up to the memory, but I'm here to tell you - it's even better. I could keep going, but to summarize - there's nothing else like it for Mexican food in Omaha. They don't take reservations and fill up fast. Grab a drink; it's worth the wait. (For some reason, Google currently says it's cash only - it is not. They take cards.)

Overall this is excellent food and I would come back, however the ambiance of the restaurant definitely needs some work and the service seemed a bit flustered. It was extremely loud so much so my watch alerted me to extreme noise exposure. This made it difficult for the server to hear and ended up causing a miscommunication with the server and our second app wasn't ordered which ended up being okay but not the intended result. I do appreciate that they were able to modify my street tacos for my allergies so that was nice. The street tacos were incredible and the margaritas were tasty. I wish the noise level hadn't been so loud cause I would have loved to relax for a dessert but was overstimulated and needed to leave. Our food orders took a fair amount of time to be taken and water was never refilled but I'll give them another chance to get a 5 from me as the food was incredible!

Food was amazing. The weight staff is very attentive, friendly, and efficient. It also seems pricey but they are going for upper scale to the Mexican food we know. But I won't go back. The noise level is too much. We originally had a seat in the main inside room, but thank goodness a table opened up outside and we moved. There is no way we could have enjoyed our meal sitting in that room. They really need to put some baffles on the ceiling or something because the noise level is Excruciating! Please, please talk to your architect or whoever and make some changes in your dining room.

Fantastic Mole Enchiladas, would highly recommend. Service was good, a little loud in there but great drinks made it all work.

Soooo good! Loved the suiza enchiladas and the carne asada. I've been going once a week lately.

It takes a lot for me to leave a 1-star review, but here it goes. Walking down into the basement, we were greeted by one beautifully painted mural... and three unfinished walls. Still, we were excited--mainly for the shrimp alambres and margaritas we used to love at Riveras. After sitting down, we had to ask multiple times just to place our order. We finally ordered shrimp alambres, fajitas to share, guacamole, and a round of margaritas. While waiting (with only one other table occupied and at least five employees standing behind the bar), we had to ask again for chips and salsa. When we asked for another margarita, only my husband got one--not me. The fajitas were the saddest-looking we've ever seen, though to be fair, they tasted decent. Still, halfway through dinner--while I was literally sharing my husband's margarita--they came by to ask if we wanted to-go boxes, then dropped the check before we were even finished. At this point, only one more table had come in, so it wasn't as though they were slammed. For a $115 check, we at least expected the chance to sit and enjoy our meal. Instead, we left disappointed with the entire experience. The only highlight was that the shrimp alambres tasted like the original recipe. Everything else? A huge letdown.

Jesus Ventura's new restaurant is wonderful. Santoro"s has an upscale atmosphere from the previous place, with an entire glass wall of unique tequilas behind the bar. Seating is comfortable and spacious. You'll find a lot of old favorites in the menu, most with an updated twist which makes them both familiar and new at the same time. Generous portions are standard, especially the appetizers, with huge shrimp and big bowls of Guacamole or cheso. Entrees are well proportioned and delicious. Everything seems to have a little more heat than I remember, but flavors are rich and delicious. The variety of margaritas is wonderful, with a straightforward, one called Verano, up to a spicy jalapeño infused one that you have to sip to enjoy. A wide selection of beers and other drinks as well. If there were two improvements, I could suggest, the night that we were there, the staff seemed a little overwhelmed. They could've used an extra hand behind the bar to handle more of the drink orders I thought. Second, the open ceiling to the concrete rafters doesn't offer a lot of sound damning, so the noise of the crowd can get pretty loud. It's a great atmosphere, but it isn't super quiet. We will certainly be back again and maybe come a little bit earlier than 6 o'clock on a Friday, because by then the wait for a table was an hour and a half! Thank goodness we were able to get drinks from the bar and eventually get a seat at the bar, which got us some food a lot quicker. Thanks for coming back into business, Mr. Ventura!

This place is awesome. I have been here three times and each time is better than the last. Try the mayan chamorro.

Awe and shock! Went here with my brother for what I thought would be a low key Mexican food evening. The prices were a bit more than expected 20$ + but worth every penny! Amazing cocktails. I had the galasco margarita (spicy) and my bro had a beer. I ordered the chipolio enchiladas and my brother ordered the mole enchiladas and we spilt guacamole. Food was clean, elevated and like no other Mexican food we have had in Omaha. We ordered a couple more beers. Fantastic service and fun atmosphere. Total bill was around $100 but worth every penny. Can't wait to put this spot into my rotation!

Always delicious! Jesus Rivera was greatly missed! We had the guac, shrimp alambres and I had the enchiladas supremas with salsa verde added on top. Nothing comes close in Omaha!

We are so thrilled that Jesus Rivera has opened another restaurant. Brought back a bunch of favorites like the shrimp alambres, and added some great new dishes. Our favorite is the enchiladas rancheros (beware- they are spicy) and they were perfect. Just like old times, there will likely always be a wait but grab yourself a margarita, settle in, and indulge in the best Mexican food in Omaha.

it's Rivera's 2.0. Spicy and full of flavor, the enchiladas suiza was delicious. The queso dip was amazing. Great margarita!