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Montreal has a new peddler of tacos and Mexican-inspired cocktails. After a soft launch this past weekend, Socialito, the grand makeover of the bygone Gracias Corazón in Mile End, is now open. The 60-seater took over the defunct Colombian diner at 75 Saint-Viateur Ouest, as well as an adjacent space next door. “We changed everything," principal Agostino De Riggi (late of Sofia Vineria and Nolana Pizzeria) recently told Eater. "It's all new, from floor to ceiling. Décor-wise we initially went for a Mexican country vibe, but then it evolved into something else. The ambiance is very urban. There's a mural done by Jason Botkin. It's quite interesting — it has this Mexican Asian graffiti with gold leaf, and copper leaf. It all looks really sharp, and I think it fits well with the neighbourhood.”
Socialito's menu offers up seven different tacos, seven "non-taco mains" with traces of Asian influences, and a couple of desserts. Beverage-wise look mainly for beers and cocktails, though some wines are available. The restaurant has bar and counter seating, a mix of tables and banquettes, and, added De Riggi, “a takeout window in the lane that looks on to the kitchen action. There's also the possibility of a big terrasse in the back, with 40 seats.”
Status: Socialito, 75 Saint-Viateur Ouest, (514) 272-7377, now open (hours not posted yet).