Immigrating to the United States wasn’t easy for brothers Ignacio and Felipe Santiago Marcial. They grew up speaking Zapotec in their native Oaxaca, in southern Mexico, and they couldn’t fully understand English or Spanish when they settled in the Los Angeles area.
But a lot has changed after living and working in L.A. for more than a decade. They can now speak both languages and they also operate a popular restaurant in Boyle Heights.
The Santiago Marcial brothers, who live in Santa Monica, opened X’tiosu in 2017 with the idea to preserve, highlight, and fuse their Indigenous culture through their food. The restaurant serves a mix of Oaxacan and Mediterranean food that includes a falafel pita burrito, a chorizo kebab, and chicken shawarma plates.
Showcasing their culture through their food has gained them local notoriety and success in Boyle Heights and across the city – and for that they are grateful.
“This place is our accomplishment,” said Ignacio. “And that makes us proud,” agreed Felipe, completing his brother’s sentence as the two did with each other throughout the interview.
On a recent December day, the smell of homemade Oaxacan hummus made of whipped black beans emanates from the X’tiosu kitchen. Customers are greeted with red tables, colorful umbrellas, and by the two friendly Oaxacan brothers who are ready to take orders through a window that’s decorated with newspaper articles about the restaurant.
Uriel Burgos, a customer, is a fan of the shawarma plate and the hummus.
“I don’t like hummus, but I think theirs is homemade, so I like it,” Burgos said.
Karina Ramirez, another customer, likes that X’tiousu offers a fusion of flavors.
“It’s just a different take on something that’s familiar, which is amazing,” Ramirez said.
Ignacio Santiago, his brother Felipe, and Rey Arrellanes all work in tandem during a busy lunch rush at X’tiosu. 
Rey Arellanes preps more than a dozen plates for a big lunchtime order. 
Felipe adds chicken to more than a dozen combination plates. 
Rey Arellanes prepares the falafel in the deep fryer. 
Ignacio adds the final touch to several plates, pickled red onions.
The brothers have come a long way since they first immigrated to the United States.
Felipe, 35, immigrated to the U.S. in 2004, when he was only 14 years old. Ignacio, 31, joined him five years later when he was around 16. They came here seeking economic opportunities that they couldn’t access in Oaxaca.
“There are jobs [in Oaxaca] but they don’t pay enough to survive and move forward,” Ignacio said.
Their parents, who are in their 50s, worked in the field as campesinos, harvesting beans, corn, and pumpkin ever since the brothers were young.
Growing up in Oaxaca, their main language was Zapoteco. They recall struggling to learn Spanish during elementary school. Their teachers only spoke Spanish and couldn’t explain the material in their native Zapotec. The brothers went to school from first grade to sixth grade because the family did not have enough money to pay for school expenses. There were no middle schools in their town.
“It’s really hard coming to a place where everybody is speaking a language you don’t understand,” said Ignacio.
Ignacio and Felipe found themselves improving their Spanish here, working in kitchens with people from different parts of Latin America.
“Here, I learned from friends in the kitchen. You work with people from all parts of the world. That includes people from Michoacán [México], Guatemala, El Salvador,” Ignacio said.
When arriving in the U.S., they settled in Long Beach.They worked in more than six restaurants and learned how to cook Mexican, Irish, and Italian food. Felipe worked in a company that hired him to help open new restaurants and got to travel to Lake Tahoe and Nevada. The brothers then moved to Santa Monica.
Preserving their native language has become a main priority as they make a living in the U.S. Ignacio teaches both of his children Zapoteco.
“With my daughters, it’s the main thing we try to teach them so that when they go to our hometown, they can talk with their grandparents, their aunts and uncles,” Ignacio said.
While the brothers have found success with their restaurant, opening it wasn’t easy.
Restaurant properties that were for sale in Santa Monica, Culver City, and Mid City, were all expensive. Eventually, they found their current space on the corner of Forest and Wabash avenues. It was one of the most affordable options. They decided to establish their restaurant there and named it X’tiosu, which means “thank you” in their native Zapotec.
But things didn’t get easier once they opened.
Attracting customers was a big obstacle for the brothers. A main reason was because Igancio and Felipe weren’t yet known in the community. During their first two months, X’tiosu only had a limited number of customers, who were mostly family and friends.
Their luck turned around when their business was featured in the LA Weekly. One afternoon, Ignacio noticed there were two new faces waiting to order their food. It was rare for the brothers to see new customers. Soon, three more people showed up. Customers kept trickling in.
Ignacio recalls going out to sweep the front of the restaurant, and upon seeing the line of customers, he immediately thought Felipe was giving away free food. The brothers immediately got to work and cooked enough food for their new customers. The Los Angeles Times and other outlets have also featured them. In 2018, Boyle Heights Beat student Armando Magallanes wrote a review of the restaurant.
While Ignacio and Felipe enjoyed a steady stream of business, the pandemic almost caused the business to shut down. Food prices increased. Customers promised to visit once the pandemic was over. They reduced operating hours.
“If it weren’t for the pandemic, I think business would’ve gone up more, more than it climbed after the LA Times article, more than after LA Weekly posted, after many more covered us too,” said Ignacio.
When they’re not managing the restaurant, Felipe and Santiago make time to honor their Indigenous culture. They celebrate traditions like el Día de Muertos and patriotic festivals like la Feria del Tejate and la Guelagetza, events that Oaxacans celebrate with folklórico dance and food.
The brothers feel a sense of longing for their native country.
In 2009, Felipe was the only one of the brothers who was able to visit their homeland. He stayed in Mexico for about six months.
“We miss our relatives. We miss the town. We miss being there like when we were children. We aren’t children anymore though, so if we go back, it wouldn’t be the same as it was,” Ignacio said.
As far as the future goes, they hope to continue growing their restaurant and open a business in Oaxaca with a similar menu. The brothers also want to build a house for their parents in Mexico.
“We hope to build a house out there so that our parents have a place because, before, our house was made of pure reed. We didn’t have a house that was made from concrete,” Ignacio said.
Ignacio wants to keep inspiring his daughters to attend school and take advantage of opportunities he and his brother didn’t have. Felipe wants to visit Mexico and perhaps settle there to establish a restaurant. They both wish to visit their parents.
“We’re proud of where we are today. We may not be millionaires, but we’re not struggling for food,” Ignacio said.
X’tiosu
(323) 526-8844
