Tacos And Salsa Restaurant Review

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

Chicken tacos? I have never seen anybody eat it at any Mexican restaurant..........but sometimes chicken enchiladas with green sauce is good.....or cheese enchiladas.

Personally, I like beef when I am eating at a Mexican restaurant........good beef: beef enchiladas, beef tamales, beef fajitas, beef rellenos, etc.

Tamales with chicken and a little green verde sauce inside are authentic Mexican. I also prefer beef, or cheese for enchiladas or rellenos. I also like the fruit-filled tamales made at Christmas-time in Mexico, which I've never encountered at a gringo restaurant.

This is a great thread with lots of good ideas. I just hope someone can execute and make some good Mexican cuisine. Jorge does the best right now, with his tacos al pastor.

[khunopie]

Sorry JR,

I wasn't in a mood to do extensive writing that day I wrote that, but I needed to vent I guess.

Okay, well, been a regular customer of the new location. Took a friend by who also loved it and we were both having a few meals a week there together.

I worked in restaurants for a long time, helping manage them in L.A. and I know how difficult this field can be. However, my lat two visits have resulted in food very changed from its previous incarnation, the enchiladas, nachos, beans and tamales being of a specific point. The pre-prep on the food was too long in the one instance, the meat having dried to the point of being completely bland and of no interest once prepared for consumption.

Then assuming everyone always has an off day, I went by with some mates for a bite the other evening. There was a booming business going on and maybe this is part of the problem, as running a successful restaurant is often more difficult than running a slower one. We ordered nachos, guacamole and chips and beer. The nachos had almost no cheese other than some runny yellow mess that was I think Velveeta. The normal cheese being used previously was not in stock perhaps, I've no idea, but better to simply say we are out of the proper ingredients than what we were served. The guacamole was very thinned out versus the previous incarnations as well. Again, better to say, out of stock than put out an inferior product.

I will give this place one last shot this week and if the owner is in, I will have a chat. The day I was in and the food was really bad, and I d mean bad, put my wife off completely. The owner was there that day, but my wife was so pissed at me, there was not a chance to chat.

Also, and a last note, knowing how to cook food doesn't make a person a a host and expert at running an establishment. Sorry, but the gentleman needs to learn how to handle customers and be a host or find someone who does. This mainly relates to the day I went with my wife. I do not care to go into specifics, but suffice it to say, customers are valued gold in any business and deserve the best the place has to offer rather than being treated as if they are a nuisance.

Dr. B

I wasn't too impressed as well. Had 2 of the mini tacos and was disappointed to see the smallest bit of chicken sitting naked on 2 small soft corn tortilas.... for 80 baht! Even Sunrise does better than this!

[JR Texas]

I wasn't too impressed as well. Had 2 of the mini tacos and was disappointed to see the smallest bit of chicken sitting naked on 2 small soft corn tortilas.... for 80 baht! Even Sunrise does better than this!

A message is surfacing: bigger portions, lower prices................hard to do when you are a restaurant owner that has to deal with the real estate hounds in Bangkok. But it might be worth a try..........if that results in a lot more customers, it might be financially feasible........just more work, at least initially.......if it becomes very successful, and you expand all over as a franchise...........$$$$$$$$$$$

[bonobo]

I had to go downtown yesterday, so I hit the Asoke California Fitness, Villa Market, then headed to Tacos & Salsa for dinner.  I was surprised that it was Mexican Independence Day, and the restaurant was only serving a buffet. 

This was a far better buffet than the Saturday fare. Maybe it was because the were not allowing ordering off the menu, and so the kitchen was able to keep up with demand.

OK, except for the al pastor, nothing at Tacos & Salsa is going to make you miss you favorite haunt in Mexico or the US.  But for Thailand, it is pretty darn good.  

The al pastor was good, as usual.  The enchiladas did nto seem overly "Mexican," but i have to say, I really liked them.  I enjoyed them more than I normally enjoy enchiladas.  The tamales were good, the guacamole plentiful and good, and the the chicken tacos and taquitos fine.  I can't eat cheese (a handicap), but I nibbled around the edges of the soft flour tacos, and those tasted pretty good.

THere was a free marguerita with the meal, but I opted for a Coke Light while my dinner date had a watermelon shake (both were free, too).  All told, for 350 baht, this was a pretty good and filling meal.  I wish the Saturday buffet could mirror that.

[on-on]

I'd like to see them try tacos de picadillo, which are close to what many Americans think of as a beef taco, at least the common fast-food style beef taco. In that case ground beef is cooked with onions, spices, tomatoes, etc to make sort of the Mexican equivalent of Isan laap, but less soupy. Found in many parts of northern Mexico, and a specialty of El Paso, too.

I'd also be interested in grilled beef tacos instead of whatever method is currently used. More similar to carne asada. I'm not at all dissatisfied with what's there. Just that if we're naming our druthers then that's mine.

It seems to me that many of you want what we call, back in Texas, a fajita. You can make them with flour or corn tortillas.

Tacos, to the best of my limited knowledge, are "street food." By that I mean common.......everyday stuff, made with whatever fresh ingredients are available--beef, pork, chicken, sausage..........sliced, ground, shredded, chopped..........whatever.

I would like to be able to order good fajitas.........the type that are grilled over a real fire, sliced, and very tender (marinated).........basically, sliced top sirloin steak inside a warm tortilla served w/ quacamole, salsa, sour cream, refried beans and Mexican rice.

Try making fajitas with T-Bone steak...........wow! But it would cost too much in Thailand.

I'm from Texas. In fact, I'm from around Houston, where Tex-Mex originated and I grew up eating it just like you. Back in Texas, when I buy a taco made from grilled, sliced or cubed beef from the taco truck run by the Mexicans at the corner it's called a taco, not a fajita. There's a bit of cultural overlap there because fajitas are a popular restaurant dish nationwide (worldwide?), but there's really nothing odd about a grilled, sliced beef taco. Heck, I've eaten plenty of them on the street wandering home drunk from Ma Crosby's and Corona Club in my day as well. I just said similar to carne asada because carne asada means grilled beef.

It's entirely likely that in Thailand, grilling beef makes it even tougher than it already is, so I'm sure there could be any number of problems with making affordable grilled beef tacos. Still, I thought we were all just posting what we'd prefer. I've got my Texas bonefides and I'll stick by my views on Tex-Mex against anyone, but that doesn't make them economical in Thailand and it doesn't mean they'd fit with anyone else's druthers. As I said before, I dig Jorge's place more than any other Mexican in Bangkok by a mile and I still eat there multiple times every week. If Jorge picks up on this, I'm certainly not complaining about the place - it's a real addition to the local eateries.

Edited September 18, 2009 by on-on

[JR Texas]

I'm from Texas. In fact, I'm from around Houston, where Tex-Mex originated and I grew up eating it just like you. Back in Texas, when I buy a taco made from grilled, sliced or cubed beef from the taco truck run by the Mexicans at the corner it's called a taco, not a fajita. There's a bit of cultural overlap there because fajitas are a popular restaurant dish nationwide (worldwide?), but there's really nothing odd about a grilled, sliced beef taco. Heck, I've eaten plenty of them on the street wandering home drunk from Ma Crosby's and Corona Club in my day as well. I just said similar to carne asada because carne asada means grilled beef.

It's entirely likely that in Thailand, grilling beef makes it even tougher than it already is, so I'm sure there could be any number of problems with making affordable grilled beef tacos. Still, I thought we were all just posting what we'd prefer. I've got my Texas bonefides and I'll stick by my views on Tex-Mex against anyone, but that doesn't make them economical in Thailand and it doesn't mean they'd fit with anyone else's druthers. As I said before, I dig Jorge's place more than any other Mexican in Bangkok by a mile and I still eat there multiple times every week. If Jorge picks up on this, I'm certainly not complaining about the place - it's a real addition to the local eateries.

I think we are making too much out of words for what amounts to meat inside a corn or flour tortilla........taco, fajita, even some people will say burrito.......pretty much the same concept. (Now the Mexican food police will come out in force and let me have it for that comment.)

What I want is a taco/fajita/burrito w/ meat in it that is very, very tender. One way to do that is to smoke it for hours, another is to fry/boil it (then at the last moment put in on a grill to get the grilled meat taste), etc.

As for as your comment about T&S........yes, I agree. It is the best out there at the moment (but I still have not tried Miguels in Chiang Mai. Still, I would like to see beef that is more tender, and I would like to see bigger servings.

I really like the beans at T&S, salsas, corn tortillas, chips, cheese enchilada (but I want it bigger), and beef taco (but I want the meat more tender). The next time I go there I am going to have to try some of his tamales.

Having said all that and sounding like a parrot now, I still think that the first person to focus on real Tex-Mex (and we both know what that is) will make a lot of money in Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, and probably Phuket too. A real Tex-Mex with combination platters and hot plates, etc.

Failing that, I would think, if the govt. would allow it, a "taco truck" concept would work in Pattaya-Jomtien or around the bar areas in Bangkok. It might specialize in one or two items only.......top quality, good price..........its a home run out of the park.

[Superfarang]

i could go for some sunrise tacos now!

[gvallee2]

I went to tacos once, tried a bunch of stuff. was delicious, i ordered it from chefxp.. most of it was uneatable.. but great restaurant for eat-ins

as far as sunrise tacos go.. i went/ordered there a couple times over the years and got sick everytime.. disgusting.

[bkkjames]

For some reason Mexican doesnt travel as well as say pizza.

Not sure if T and S does this, but I would recommend separating some ingredients and let the customer assemble it themselves - ie Tacos?

[bonobo]

For some reason Mexican doesnt travel as well as say pizza.

Not sure if T and S does this, but I would recommend separating some ingredients and let the customer assemble it themselves - ie Tacos?

Good point, and I certainly think it would be worth a try.

[babuhavas]

good advertising

[jfchandler]

Stopped by Tacos and Salsa last night (Saturday) for their Saturday evening 250 baht buffet. 6-10 pm.

I had stopped by the first time, and favorably reviewed it here, shortly after T&S began offering the Saturday buffet. So yesterday was a third time revisit, and I found the buffet had matured in several ways, some good, a few not so good.

First off, upon arriving about 7:30 p.m., I found the restaurant was packed, with not a single free table available downstairs. So I went to the now-open small upstairs area, which was great, because it gave me a chance to watch the Thai ladies preparing the food in the small kitchen/counter area there. In contrast, the first time I stopped by for the buffet, there were only a few customers on-hand a bit earlier in the evening. So clearly, T&S has attracted a good Saturday night following.

The first time I had stopped by, the buffet menu that night was limited to the usual mini soft corn shell tacos, along with some really good frijoles and freshly prepared guacamole, and some other things. Last night, the buffet menu was much broader with small tacos, taquitos, tostadas and a few other things.... But much to my dismay, the frijoles and fresh guacamole were no longer part of the buffet offerings -- though still available via the regular menu.

Still, the food on the buffet menu was good and reasonably authentic, unlike almost anything you're likely to find elsewhere in Bangkok. I always need to remind myself how, when a first moved to BKK several years long ago before T&S arrived, how I would have killed for anything close to what T&S serves up now daily. So it's always good to remember your blessings, and not take them for granted.

I also discovered the restaurant, since my last visit, has hired/arranged some additional help, including a very attractive, shapely young woman in a black hot pants Corona beer-logo uniform who was helping with the tables and serving. Hard to argue with that kind of management decision.

Right now, however, the most difficult thing about a visit to T&S may be getting in the front door. Because someone in local government has decided to (VERY SLOWLY) redo all the sidewalk paving stones pretty much from Asoke to the Emporium shopping center, the whole front of T&S last night was filled with a wide swathe of freshly poured cement. Upon arriving, I found a single pole traversing the stretch between the restaurant's doorway and the dry portion of the sidewalk 4 or 5 feet across. Not wanting to risk it, I walked around to the back entrance and got inside that way without risking a step/fall into wet cement.

A few doors down, a new small bar seems to have opened with the interesting name of "Bali Hugh's", with a kind-of beach motif and what looked like sand on the floor. It too had a pretty good group of customers on-hand, as the staff invited me to walk thru to the back en route to Tacos and Salsa.

When I first saw the wet cement at the front of T&S, I thought about packing it in and coming back another day. But I persevered and was rewarded with a tasty Mexican buffet meal at a very good price. Buffet and two San Miguel Light's at 120b per bottle. Total bill... 490 baht, plus tip.

[bonobo]

I agree with your comments on the guacamole.  I really miss it as I use a little on most tacos/taquitos.  I would gladly pay a little more if the guac was still available.

[MaxLee]

Now that I tried out most of the dishes here, I would say that the Tacos and Enchalidas are pretty good. The Burritos however were a little too dry in my opinion.

[JoeInSurin]

I stopped by T&S last week and thought their food was great. They have a salsa tray with a very hot green salsa, a chunky fresh salsa, and a very good salsa with an orange color. Does anyone know what kind of salsa the orange colored one is?

[khunopie]

Food here any better since my last visit?

[Jimmyd]

As a reminder, I am the person who started this thread with a review of T&S when it was at their old location. (It's a long thread now, so I thought I'd mention that for context.)

I had a chance recently to visit T&S again, so I thought I'd give a re-review 8 months later.

We went last Saturday afternoon. I was very happy to try T&S again, especially since I heard they had tacos al pastor. Perhaps the only negative in my first review was that the meat was rather bland--just boiled meat. I ordered tacos al pastor, of course, and my wife ordered chicken enchiladas. We also ordered guacamole and chips. On the menu, something was mentioned about a lunch special for 220 baht, but I was just confused as to what that special was--it was on the menu but with no description.

The interior of the new location:

Looking back at the original review, it seems we ordered almost exactly the same things--the only difference being that I got tacos al pastor and we ordered water instead of diet cokes.

I was very disappointed with the tacos al pastor. The tortillas were lightly fried which made them a bit greasy. The meat was a bit chewy, the sauce seemed an afterthought rather than an integral part of the dish and the flavor was not very good. Instead of refried beans, they had some whole beans in liquid--the beans were bland and disappointing especially since the refried beans at T&S are a treat. If I were to give a taco al pastor from a taco truck in San Francisco 100%, the taco from T&S would receive perhaps 30% if I were generous.

The tacos al pastor at T&S:

Here's some tacos al pastor I had in San Francisco:

To really see what I mean, you need to see them close up. First the T&S, then the SF taco:

On the positive side, the enchiladas my wife had were pretty good. The refried beans were also good, though not as good as I had remembered them, almost like the bacon (or whatever smoky meat he uses) hadn't had enough time to meld into the beans.

More pictures:

Enchiladas:

Chips, salsa and guacamole:

So essentially the same meal as in February. The cost? 400 baht in February, 620 baht in November.

My final comment in February was that I would visit once a month if I lived in Bangkok. I'll change that to once a year.

A side note: They brought two bottles of water, one of which was warm, so we asked them to put it back in the fridge while we consumed the first bottle. We ended up only needing the one bottle, but were charged (40 baht each) for two bottles. I didn't bother asking them to correct that.

All in all, I'm as disappointed by this visit as I was excited by the last. You can't judge a restaurant by a single visit, so I hope this was just a bad day for them.

Edited November 10, 2009 by Jimmyd

[wintermute]

620 = roughly $18 for some soggy watered down beans and a floppy enchilada. You could buy a feast off any taco truck in LA. Sorry but that food looks hilariously unappealing. When will someone get it right and figure out that Mexican food isn't mean to be an overpriced mediocre dining experience.

Edited November 10, 2009 by wintermute

[ricklev]

I don't mind paying 400 baht or more for a good casual meal. However at those prices I want an actual chair to sit on and not a wooden stool!

[kikoman]

I don't mind paying 400 baht or more for a good casual meal. However at those prices I want an actual chair to sit on and not a wooden stool!

I get tired of hearing people that have not been in Mexico or Mexican Barrio's in the states claim they know the real authentic Mexican food,Tex-Mex is a sub-species of American food, that is called Mexican. I have had some very good Mexican food in Texas but in places where the non-Mexican would not venture to go to. Mexican food from different parts of Mexico are not prepared the same.

Tomorrow I am making Mexican beef Barbacoa, and pork in my underground pit BBQ, which is my 1st try are using Thai beef in a pit. The meat is too lean and stringy, I am going to mix some pork fat with it to see if it helps.I will never know if it works without trying it.

I was born in Mexico ,lived in the US do not claim to be an expert on Authentic Mexican food, As one born in America can claim that their particular Stuffed Thanksgiving turkey is the authentic national American food.

Everyone has a different taste/ idea of what is good to them, what they grew up eating, is their "favorite" food. I have never tasted anything in Thailand that ,I could finish eating that was on my plate in any so called Mexican Restaurant. Yet I hear people rave at the authentic food served there.

Point of information, Mexican food has the lowest over head cost to produce than most western foods, Why should someone charge so much for the Mexican food here. I can get a much better tasting meal and more for my money off a taco truck in the US or a hole in the wall taco stand in Mexico. Even paying the high cost for two taco.s for a dollar and serve yourself condiment bar including multiple kinds of salsa?

Sorry"Rickleu" this response was not aimed at your post!

Edited November 10, 2009 by kikoman

[JR Texas]

Interesting post..........thanks for that. About $$$$$$$$$

I can only make a guess at why "Mexican food" is so expensive here:

1) cheese is very expensive

2) local beef is horrible so you have to use expensive imported beef (but is seems hard to find good beef items at these places)

3) RENT..........this might be the biggest factor....rent is way, way too high in Bangkok.

Of course, greed comes in to play at some point...........but there are other things that you have to consider.

On my last trip to T&S, at the old location, I had some small but OK beef tacos.........very small but tasty cheese enchilada.........very good refried beans w/chips.........salsas were good too.

But the price is high..........so is the price at Sunrise Tacos.

Some of us are spoiled.........I know I am........growing up in Texas with fantastic Mexican restaurants all around me.

They were, however, not inexpensive. But, in real terms, they were much less expensive than what you find in Thailand.

Inexpensive meant going to Taco Bell for a "fix."

I am like others..........I want one person to give us some big, messy, inexpensive and tasty Mexican food........East, West, North, South.......Tex-Mex, California-Mex, Mex-Mex, NY-Mex, it does not matter..........just some really good food on the plate at a good price.

[NanaFoods]

Those T&S taco shells appear to be soft-fried not steamed... it that correct?

[Jimmyd]

Those T&S taco shells appear to be soft-fried not steamed... it that correct?

Yes, ChefHeat. They were fried. They were also very thin and did not have a very nice texture--a great tortilla has to be just a tiny bit soft, but these were closer to gritty or grainy. They weren't as bad as the ones I had at Sunrise the one time I ate there (those were an abomination), but were not even near up to par for an 'authentic' Mexican restaurant.

Even compared to the tortillas I can buy in Foodland, they were poor, and were no where close to what I could get in the States or Mexico.

Edited November 11, 2009 by Jimmyd

[Ulysses G.]

I want fanastic Mexican food with the best imported ingredients for which I pay a pittance - after all, it is really cheap in Mexico!

[bonobo]

I kind of have to side with Ulysses here.  This is Thailand, and we are just not going to get Mexican as good as in Mexico or the US here.  I personally rather like the taste of Tacos & Salsa's al pastor, but nothing served there is as good as in any number of Mexican places I go to in Tijuana or San Diego.

But this is Thailand, not TJ.  And so, for me, T & S is a very reasonable source for filling my Mexican cravings.  It is the best I have had in Thailand.  And if I can't get my 3 for $1 taquitos here, well, so be it.

[Ulysses G.]

I kind of have to side with Ulysses here.

For the first time ever!

[kikoman]

I kind of have to side with Ulysses here.

For the first time ever!

Mexican food stateside if the majority of diners are non- Mexican, the food is going to be downgraded to their clientele taste,and the prices are higher then a like Mexican restaurant in the barrio. Even with the abundance of the supply of that food, and the cost in comparison with the Mexican/US cost of living.

I realize that certain ingredients are extremely expensive, I have looked all over the world via Shopping net works, that are quite expensive and their shipping charges are outrages. Gruma S.A. Maceca de Mexico has opened a maseca plant in China and are also planning on doing the same in Malaysia.

In Bangkok ,Thailand there are two plants producing flour and corn tortillas, so yes there is a source of masa available in Thailand. Those plants realize they have a stranglehold on the maseca and corn tortilla market, and their business attitude is that we are going to keep the corn tortilla market under our control.

I have even encounter lack of response from seed companies as to which is the best Thai Dent/Field corn to plant for the purpose of growing my own masa corn.

Mexican beef is the same as Thai beef, one day its eating grass in the fields, the next day it gracing your taco plate. The non exported meat for local consumption is not aged.

The secret is long slow cooking and chopping it up before being sold and served as taco's. I would bet you that restaurants in Thailand (do not) buy the best quality of beef available except for a few high-end places that have a lot of beef on their menu.

Still the prices charged are out of line.

[JR Texas]

IMHO.......Thai beef is disgusting! Is Mexican beef really the same? Is the trick to making it "good" slow cooking with the right spices?

I said in an earlier post that part of the price problem is related to imported beef...........but I actually don't know for sure if people like T&S and Sunrise Tacos and Miguels are importing beef or not.

Does anyone know? Are we being served THAI BEEF.............

Do the chefs out there really think you can make Thai beef taste good?

[bkkjames]

IMHO.......Thai beef is disgusting! Is Mexican beef really the same? Is the trick to making it "good" slow cooking with the right spices?

I said in an earlier post that part of the price problem is related to imported beef...........but I actually don't know for sure if people like T&S and Sunrise Tacos and Miguels are importing beef or not.

Does anyone know? Are we being served THAI BEEF.............

Do the chefs out there really think you can make Thai beef taste good?

A few things come to mind, firstly, if you are not sure of the type of beef being served then it really shouldn't matter. 2nd, I don't think ST or Migs are serving Black Angus.

As for the thai beef being tasting good, I get villa to cut me 14oz ribeyes -aged, decent marbling then throw them on my bbq for a quick sear, served medium rare. Tastes pretty good for the price.

[JR Texas]

IMHO.......Thai beef is disgusting! Is Mexican beef really the same? Is the trick to making it "good" slow cooking with the right spices?

I said in an earlier post that part of the price problem is related to imported beef...........but I actually don't know for sure if people like T&S and Sunrise Tacos and Miguels are importing beef or not.

Does anyone know? Are we being served THAI BEEF.............

Do the chefs out there really think you can make Thai beef taste good?

A few things come to mind, firstly, if you are not sure of the type of beef being served then it really shouldn't matter. 2nd, I don't think ST or Migs are serving Black Angus.

As for the thai beef being tasting good, I get villa to cut me 14oz ribeyes -aged, decent marbling then throw them on my bbq for a quick sear, served medium rare. Tastes pretty good for the price.

I get your point.......but IMHO it is sickening.........revolting stuff.

I, too, have tried Thai beef.........tried ground round..........tried rib eye.........all horrible!

It even has some chemical smell like it has been sitting in formaldehyde.

BUT, I grew up in Texas and know what good steaks are supposed to taste like (at least in Texas)......maybe that is the difference here.

Thais might find a good Texas steak revolting.