Taco Bell Pattaya

[bkk6060]

42 minutes ago, tonray said:

Having grown up on the east coast of the US, I've had plenty of real Mexican food to compare and Taco Bell isn't even in the same universe.

In California it is even better.  But, if a person goes to Mexico they will realize anything other then getting Mexico food in deep Mexico, is a fraud.   Corn tortillas flour are very rare, little cheese, lots of stewed dishes birria and adobo, no heavy sour cream type sauces, fresh chiles and other ingredients.

Taco Bell is just another gringo Mexican place.  

[EVENKEEL]

6 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

In California it is even better.  But, if a person goes to Mexico they will realize anything other then getting Mexico food in deep Mexico, is a fraud.   Corn tortillas flour are very rare, little cheese, lots of stewed dishes birria and adobo, no heavy sour cream type sauces, fresh chiles and other ingredients.

Taco Bell is just another gringo Mexican place.  

I stayed in San Diego 2-4 mos a year. Literally Mexican Food everywhere but only on occasion for weight reasons. Taco Bell in Ca is bad enough, this Taco Bell in Pattaya will be a place you try once for nostalgia reasons and swear never again.

[Skeptic7]

On 7/5/2021 at 7:22 AM, redwood1 said:

1.....No beans.........My favorite thing from Taco Bell are Bean Burritos.....A mexican food restaurant that does not serve beans is just strange...(Not a single bean to be found on Taco Bell Thailand's menu)....

Spot on. Went a month ago in BKK and was told 'no bean only meat'. I replied 'no thanks only leave' and walked away. 

[tonray]

19 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

In California it is even better.  But, if a person goes to Mexico they will realize anything other then getting Mexico food in deep Mexico, is a fraud.   Corn tortillas flour are very rare, little cheese, lots of stewed dishes birria and adobo, no heavy sour cream type sauces, fresh chiles and other ingredients.

Taco Bell is just another gringo Mexican place.  

Someone here joked about Thais not knowing anything about making Mexican food, but in certain areas of the US, Mexican cooks make up the bulk of labor in many busy restaurants, they may be owned by Thais, Vietnamese, or other Asians but there is almost always a Mexican crew in the back knocking out the plates. Full circle...

[bkk6060]

13 minutes ago, Skeptic7 said:

Spot on. Went a month ago in BKK and was told 'no bean only meat'. I replied 'no thanks only leave' and walked away. 

They may be worried about the smell caused by excessive flatulent.

 

Beans and some other legumes, such as peas and lentils, have a reputation for causing gas.

Edited July 8, 2021 by bkk6060

[Kerryd]

What amazes me is the lack of decent Chinese Food restaurants. I tried a couple here, only to find they were "British" Chinese, where literally every dish is served like a stew.
(Beef in Black Bean, Lemon Chicken, Sweet and Sour, etc, all served in so much sauce it looks more like soup. Or like Thai curry dishes where you have to fish the food out of the sauce.)

One thing a lot of the big chains do is require the franchisees to order key ingredients from the parent company. This is done to keep the taste consistent. For example, Tim Hortons franchises have to order the (premade) donuts from the parent company, then unthaw and cook them on location. There are even rules about the water used to make the coffee (and how long a pot can stay on the heater before being thrown out) so that a donut and cup of coffee bought in Chilliwack, BC will taste the same as a donut and coffee bought in Chicoutimi, Quebec (4,600 kms away).

I'm guessing Taco Bell would have to source most of it's "Mexican" content from the US as well to keep the flavour consistent but as others have noted, it's not "authentic" Mexican anymore than Chop Suey is "authentic" Chinese (having been "invented" in the USA according to some legends).

But that's really no different than trying to find "authentic" Thai food outside of Thailand. I'm almost embarrassed to eat in a Thai restaurant in Canada (or some place like Dubai) as it is usually quite disappointing. (Or "authentic" German food in Pattaya.)

Hard for them to get authentic ingredients even if they have "authentic" cooks to prepare the dishes.

[jacko45k]

43 minutes ago, tonray said:

Someone here joked about Thais not knowing anything about making Mexican food, but in certain areas of the US, Mexican cooks make up the bulk of labor in many busy restaurants, they may be owned by Thais, Vietnamese, or other Asians but there is almost always a Mexican crew in the back knocking out the plates. Full circle...

From what one sees watching Gordon Ramsey programs that would be the case for many many USA restaurants of any ethnicity. Far and wide.....

[J Town]

On 7/6/2021 at 9:24 PM, kynikoi said:

Food reviews? It's freaking taco bell.

LOVE IT! And apparently it's not even a very good Taco Bell.

 

[J Town]

2 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

In California it is even better.  But, if a person goes to Mexico they will realize anything other then getting Mexico food in deep Mexico, is a fraud.   Corn tortillas flour are very rare, little cheese, lots of stewed dishes birria and adobo, no heavy sour cream type sauces, fresh chiles and other ingredients.

Taco Bell is just another gringo Mexican place.  

The first time I visited Mexico, I thought to myself "They don't know how to make real Mexican food here, do they?"

[Yellowtail]

10 minutes ago, J Town said:

LOVE IT! And apparently it's not even a very good Taco Bell.

 

I'm not really a fan but is is amusing that people complain that it's bland when they have about ten different hot-sauces to choose from...

 

[jomtienisgood]

On 7/4/2021 at 4:06 PM, thaitom said:

Finally, a reason to visit pattaya

Don't look down on the future next Sand(box)castle. 5555555

[jomtienisgood]

2 hours ago, jacko45k said:

From what one sees watching Gordon Ramsey programs that would be the case for many many USA restaurants of any ethnicity. Far and wide.....

Watching who????

[Yellowtail]

5 minutes ago, jomtienisgood said:

Watching who????

 

Television 

[jomtienisgood]

8 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

 

Television 

Not watching anymore, too much bad news.. 55555

[DefaultName]

An American chain restaurant, selling copy Mexican food, in Thailand.  That is SO Pattaya.  ????

[Eindhoven]

2 hours ago, Kerryd said:

What amazes me is the lack of decent Chinese Food restaurants. I tried a couple here, only to find they were "British" Chinese, where literally every dish is served like a stew.
(Beef in Black Bean, Lemon Chicken, Sweet and Sour, etc, all served in so much sauce it looks more like soup. Or like Thai curry dishes where you have to fish the food out of the sauce.)

One thing a lot of the big chains do is require the franchisees to order key ingredients from the parent company. This is done to keep the taste consistent. For example, Tim Hortons franchises have to order the (premade) donuts from the parent company, then unthaw and cook them on location. There are even rules about the water used to make the coffee (and how long a pot can stay on the heater before being thrown out) so that a donut and cup of coffee bought in Chilliwack, BC will taste the same as a donut and coffee bought in Chicoutimi, Quebec (4,600 kms away).

I'm guessing Taco Bell would have to source most of it's "Mexican" content from the US as well to keep the flavour consistent but as others have noted, it's not "authentic" Mexican anymore than Chop Suey is "authentic" Chinese (having been "invented" in the USA according to some legends).

But that's really no different than trying to find "authentic" Thai food outside of Thailand. I'm almost embarrassed to eat in a Thai restaurant in Canada (or some place like Dubai) as it is usually quite disappointing. (Or "authentic" German food in Pattaya.)

Hard for them to get authentic ingredients even if they have "authentic" cooks to prepare the dishes.

Shanghai on 3rd Road wasn't bad on my visits. Haven't tried it since the renovation.

[Kerryd]

3 minutes ago, Eindhoven said:

Shanghai on 3rd Road wasn't bad on my visits. Haven't tried it since the renovation.

Have that on my "will go eventually" list if I ever find myself in that area when they are open. I have them pinned as one of the few places that serves (proper) Dim Sum (that I'm aware of). MK has some Dim Sum items that aren't terrible (but I'm sure they are factory made and frozen, not made from scratch in the back).

Meanwhile - one lesson I learned years ago - no matter the restaurant or the dish, enough hot sauce will kill the taste of almost anything !

So be sure to take a bottle of Tabasco (or something stronger) with you when you go to Taco Bell just in case the (tacos/burritos) are more expensive.

One thing I noticed on their online menu was that almost all of their displayed choices contained chicken. 
If you want beef, you have to select it as an option - and pay an additional fee.

Which makes me wonder if they are sourcing the meat locally as chicken is (usually) much cheaper in Thailand than beef is

[MrJ2U]

On 7/4/2021 at 2:36 PM, champers said:

I wish them well and must presume they have a good deal on rent. RGP is as dead as a doornail now and the last couple of times I have passed through there big names like Svennsons had mothballed the business for lack of customers. They might tick over at weekends when Pattaya gets visitors from other provinces.

Its been pretty slow there years before the pandemic.

Its pretty dated.

[Kerryd]

1 hour ago, MrJ2U said:

Its been pretty slow there years before the pandemic.

Its pretty dated.

I think it really started to die when they closed the cinema down back in 2009. Last time I was there (at RGP) was back when the Sizzler was still on the ground floor near the #2 road entrance (which is now a fitness club).

I think they still have Ripley's though and a bunch of other restaurants like the new Taco Bell. I wonder what shop/restaurant they replaced in there ?

[BTB1977]

Taco Bell if you read this. There is a place called Hua Hin that has alot of Bangkok and farang tourists.  Plus all of us that live here year around.  Think about it. 

[Yellowtail]

5 minutes ago, BTB1977 said:

Taco Bell if you read this. There is a place called Hua Hin that has alot of Bangkok and farang tourists.  Plus all of us that live here year around.  Think about it. 

There used to be a pretty good hole-in-the-wall Mexican joint in Hua Hin, the name escapes me...

[Damrongsak]

9 hours ago, Kerryd said:

...  One thing I noticed on their online menu was that almost all of their displayed choices contained chicken. 
If you want beef, you have to select it as an option - and pay an additional fee.

Which makes me wonder if they are sourcing the meat locally as chicken is (usually) much cheaper in Thailand than beef is

From the Thai Taco Bell site linked in a previous post:

 

[elgenon]

I hope Thais don't think what they serve at TB is what Mexican food is like.

 

 

[Yellowtail]

1 hour ago, elgenon said:

I hope Thais don't think what they serve at TB is what Mexican food is like.

Why?

 

If they like it what difference does it make? 

[SnowyWiez]

It's tex mex fast food... nothing amazing but tasty for what it is. Would say would eat that over McDonalds but isn't saying much ???? Tortilla chips and Nacho cheese hard to go wrong. Although the tortilla chips and fries all have a heavy dose of seasoning on them. Charge 30b+ to upgrade to beef on most items. I wonder if Chipotle will be next ????

[Yellowtail]

5 hours ago, SnowyWiez said:

It's tex mex fast food... nothing amazing but tasty for what it is. Would say would eat that over McDonalds but isn't saying much ???? Tortilla chips and Nacho cheese hard to go wrong. Although the tortilla chips and fries all have a heavy dose of seasoning on them. Charge 30b+ to upgrade to beef on most items. I wonder if Chipotle will be next ????

 

I think it's Sonora style fast food.

[elgenon]

21 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

Why?

 

If they like it what difference does it make? 

You are right. If I give you an apple and tell you it's Mexican food and you like like it, no harm done? Though if you don't like the apple you will think you don't like Mexican.

 

If you are served terrible Thai food and don't like it, you will think you don't like Thai food. 

 

 

[sucit]

Wake me up when a del taco hits thailand

[sucit]

On 7/8/2021 at 6:40 AM, jacko45k said:

Errr... oh never mind. 

Haha. Yes. I have had “Mexican food” on the east coast. 

[Yellowtail]

1 hour ago, elgenon said:

You are right. If I give you an apple and tell you it's Mexican food and you like like it, no harm done? Though if you don't like the apple you will think you don't like Mexican.

 

If you are served terrible Thai food and don't like it, you will think you don't like Thai food. 

 

 

 

Only if you're a moron. Is that what you do? Only eat one dish and decide you'll never try another? 

 

There is no shortage of nasty authentic Mexican food.