Katana, Santa Teresa
Favourite cafés and restaurants, chosen by Jo, the host behind The Current’s Healing Table.
For Jo, recommendations in Santa Teresa often begin with the people. A bakery she has watched grow from a tiny neighbourhood spot. A tea house run by a couple she loves. A restaurant whose founder she remembers from her catering days. Ask her where to eat and you hear a little of the town’s history along the way.
Breakfast and brunch in Santa Teresa
In Carmen, Mafra’s has been part of Jo’s neighbourhood for more than a decade. She remembers when it was a tiny spot, before it expanded into the larger space she knows today. The focaccia is a favourite, and the affection in her recommendation comes partly from having watched the place grow over the years.
The Bakery holds a different memory. Jo recalls its croissants as some of the first proper ones she could find in town. She still recommends the pastries, alongside a matcha latte - a favourite stop for a smaller breakfast.
Red Velvet croissant from The Bakery, Santa Teresa
For a longer breakfast, her first choice is the tea house at Horizon. There’s shakshuka, a generous vegetarian selection and a view towards the ocean. Jo speaks warmly of Yoav and Gali, the couple behind it, and recommends their yoga as readily as their food. Herbs grown on the property find their way into drinks; she particularly likes the moringa juice made from their own tree.
At the other end of town, Café Social offers another kind of morning. Jo knows it for the Argentinian brothers behind it, the easy atmosphere and a good açaí bowl. It’s a simple recommendation: somewhere she likes the food and enjoys being.
When the day turns towards dinner
Drift is one of Jo’s firm favourites. She remembers Sharon starting out in catering, and the restaurant’s early vegetarian menu. The food has broadened since then, but the ravioli and fresh-juice cocktails are what Jo singles out. Her enthusiasm is as much for Sharon as for the dishes: another person whose work she has followed as the town has changed.
Horizon Restaurant, Santa Teresa
For Asian fusion, she recommends Katana. The vegetable roll is her pick, and the atmosphere is part of what makes it a favourite for an evening out.
The recommendations tell you something about Jo, too. She remembers who started a place, what it used to be and the dishes that have stayed with her. It’s a way of finding your bearings in Santa Teresa through someone else’s familiar tables.
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Discover Jo’s World
Food, seasonal ingredients and gathering around a table are at the heart of Jo’s experience with The Current.
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