Charleston has a habit of finding its next big flavor in the smallest, most unexpected corners. Right now, that corner sits at 73 Spring Street, where a Mexican pop-up called Xolo is turning breakfast into something closer to revelation.
And yes — it starts with a pancake.
A flapjack with depth
Food writers throw around words like complex all the time, but when a critic says, “I have yet to taste a pancake with as much complexity…” — as Post & Courier reporter Parker Milner does — you pay attention. Especially when he doubles down, calling it “the most delicious flapjack I've tried over the last few months,” a bold statement following his recent brunch-guide marathon.
At Xolo, the pancake arrives looking deceptively simple: a golden, bubbled surface, about a centimeter thick, perched on a glossy white plate. But the flavor carries a subtle gravity — earthy sweetness, toasted edges, and a warmth that spreads behind each bite. The whole thing opens up even more when dipped into a syrup steeped with cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, vanilla, and black pepper, an aromatic blend the Post & Courier describes as “intricate but comforting.”
The not-so-secret secret? Masa.
The pancake is 40% masa — the nixtamalized corn dough foundational to Mexican cuisine. It’s a quiet shift in structure that transforms the familiar into something that feels older, deeper, and wonderfully new.
A chef with roots — and range
Xolo is led by Asheville chef Luis Martinez, widely known in North Carolina’s culinary circles for Tequio Foods, his company that imports Oaxacan-grown corn and beans for chefs seeking the real thing. His one-month Charleston residency takes over the former Kultura space, which recently relocated to Rutledge Avenue.
According to the Post & Courier, Martinez’s daytime menu (Thursday–Sunday, 8 a.m.–1 p.m.) leans into the fundamentals of masa: breakfast burritos, tacos, tostadas, and yes — the now-famous pancake. The sweet potato taco earns its own quiet praise, with Milner calling out its house-made corn tortilla as a standout.
In the evenings, Xolo becomes something else entirely. On Friday and Saturday nights, Martinez serves a 10-plate tasting that blends Oaxaca, Appalachia, and the Lowcountry — a triangle of culinary heritage that sounds unlikely until you taste how comfortably it fits.
A space on the move
Think of Xolo as a pop-up with momentum: here for November, gone by month’s end. Chef Amethyst Ganaway steps in come December, and once the New Year arrives, Kultura owners Nikko Cagalanan and Paula Kramer will transform the space into Bareo, a casual nook dedicated to dumplings and kakigōri — Japanese shaved ice with an almost creamy texture.
A lot is happening in this one little building. But for now, for a few fleeting weeks, it’s home to the most interesting pancake in Charleston.
And it’s worth every bite before it disappears.
This is a summary of an article published in the Post & Courier. Click here if you’d like to read that article.
