At Santi’s in Charleston, Christmas Decor Defies Gravity

For some restaurants, whether old or new, the reason for the season is not just to celebrate with food and drink — it’s to go wild over holiday decor. In this miniseries, we highlight the spots across the country for whom extra doesn’t begin to cover it when it comes to lights, tinsel, and Christmas spirit. Next up: Santi’s in Charleston, South Carolina.

For the past 21 years, Charleston-based Mexican restaurant Santi’s has amused customers with its over-the-top Christmas decorations every holiday season. Every inch of the dining room, bar, and outdoor seating area is completely covered in colorful twinkling lights, quirky ornaments, and baubles that partner Javier Valladares has collected since the first Santi’s Christmas. “Every year, it gets more, more, and more extravagant,” he says. “I don’t know how I can stop. It is something that I have inside of me.” Each Christmas, Valladares tells himself that he isn’t going to buy any more decorations, but once he’s in a store, he can’t help himself. Though, to his defense, he does have three locations of Santi’s to deck in festive ware.

Santi’s is as well known for its holiday decorations as much as it is recognized for its al pastor tacos, caldo de res, chilaquiles, and enchiladas. In 2003, when the restaurant opened on Meeting Street Road, owner Santiago Zavalza wanted to display a Christmas tree, but the space was too tight, so he hung it from the ceiling. “When I saw that, I was in love,” says Valladares. “I thought it was magical, but Santiago explained that he saw it done that way in France.”

Valladares says he was initially worried that the holiday decorations would be too much, but now he says he can’t stop because his customers are as obsessed as he is. “A lot of people fall in love with what they see and take pictures and videos,” he says. “It’s something nice to see.”