Santonia Cantina to open at Pearl in San Antonio

• Santonia, which is projected to open in November, will draw on the food, drinks and hospitality that connect Northern Mexico and South Texas.

Dig in: The restaurant's centerpiece will be its bar, with cocktails featuring sotol, mezcal and tequila alongside regional flavors like prickly pear, mesquite, pecan and roasted corn.

• The food menu will include pork shanks, ribeye tacos, shrimp flautas, ceviches, pozole, fideo and more.

What they're saying: "Santonia is very personal to us because it comes from the region that shaped who we are," Martínez, who was born in Laredo and raised in Nuevo Laredo, said in a statement. "Growing up between Northern Mexico and South Texas, we never saw those influences as separate. They were simply part of everyday life."

• "Santonia gives us the freedom to celebrate that culture in a way that feels current, fun, and completely our own."

Flashback: The couple launched Naco Mexican as a food truck in 2017.

• Naco has since expanded into a brick-and-mortar restaurant and earned accolades from Texas Monthly, Netflix, Food Network and Forbes.