Las Santas — A Girl's Guide to Drinking Alone

572 Fulton St btw Flatbush Ave and Rockwell Pl, Fort Greene

The Place: A recently opened Mexican restaurant in an enormous (yet cursed) space in Fort Greene near BAM.

The Time: Wednesday January 15, 6pm. It’s my only night off this week and I have big plans to watch a movie and not get up from the couch. On my way home, I decide to stop in to the newest restaurant in my neighborhood, Las Santas, which recently moved into this huge space on Fulton after more than a year of being empty.

The Vibe: There’s a long bar area in the front and a sprawling restaurant with what seems like 100 tables and an open kitchen in the back. There are giant windows facing the street so I’ve walked by and looked in many times (and maybe checked myself out once or twice — don’t judge me, you’ve definitely done that!) but once I’m inside, the bar section does feel like a good size and not like a warehouse stocked with fancy tequila. I walk straight to the bar to grab a stool, when the manager/host/man-who-I-hope-works-here slides a menu next to me and says “enjoy your evening” in a deep, ominous tone. The barback also hands me a drinks menu, a food menu and a happy hour menu so now I have a collection of menus in front of me. Two massive TVs brighten up this otherwise dimly lit place, and CNN is on, showing the House declaring impeachment! Queen Nancy Pelosi is wearing a fab pink jacket. I really, really, really hate TVs in bars that aren’t sports bars. Logically I understand why this place might want them but then again, logic has never stopped me from hating something. There are more people here than I’d expect on a weekday at 6pm, including three people each with a laptop, so math concludes that is now two TVs and three laptops projecting blue light. There are two pairs of women on either side of me, one group catching up and chatting away, the other barely saying anything and watching CNN. I can’t help but watch too, and I don’t ever need an excuse to drink a margarita but impeaching this motherfucker is certainly reason to celebrate.

The Bartender: A blonde woman with tattoos and piercings, who is nice and attentive but also seems a little stressed out. Occasionally she kind of barks orders to the barback, and I’ve been stressed behind the bar before too, but I feel bad for the guy. He seems to be doing his best! I’m always on team barback, they rarely get the credit they deserve.

The Drank: A $7 house margarita from the happy hour menu, which is pretty good but a little sweet and pulpy. It also has a full salt rim, and though yes I asked for salt, it kind of makes the whole thing a little too salty, and not in a way that counteracts the sweetness. But you know what, it’s a $7 margarita, I will drink it! I also get the happy hour nachos for $5 and I’m expecting a $5 plate of nachos but instead it is a HUGE plate of nachos and I am having a very happy hour thanks to this.

Was I Hit On?: Nope, I’m left alone to inhale these nachos all by myself. At one point though the manager/host man steals a stool next to me; just silently lifts it up and whisks it away. I hope they’re very happy together.

Should You Drink Here Alone?: Yeah, sure, you can. Fort Greene has a lot of Mexican spots but Las Santas feels a little more upscale than the others, while still having that casual bar vibe and an obviously sweet happy hour deal. I will say that when I was ready to leave, I just really wanted to leave, but I blame this more on the denture commercial bombarding my vision when I eventually look up from my now empty plate.

*UPDATE* Las Santas is now closed