Excellent Mexican Restaurant - The Salsa Kitchen

[butterisbetter]

I used to live in Mexico and didn't have much hope of finding a good Mexican restaurant here. But last night my wife and I went to The Salsa Kitchen and had an astonishingly good meal. I opted for the Pork Ribs and my wife for a combination plate of burritos, flautas, etc. The pork practically melted off the bone and didn't overly rely on sugar for it's flavor. The flour tortillas tasted like they were home made. And the various fillings in those tortillas were delicious. As were the flautas.

Most telling of all was the quality of the salad. Not only was there a wide variety of greens in it, but the dressing was clearly home made. It didn't have that peculiar taste that characterizes store bought salad dressings. Because it was white I was afraid it was going to be a sweet salad dressing favored by Thais, but it turned out not to be that at all. Not sweet, and tangy. Clearly a lot of thought and effort had gone into its composition. Another plus: the owner actually makes his own butter. I think you need at least a touch of OCD to run a good restaurant and at least one of the owners clearly has it. Or maybe it's just a bad case of enthusiasm. In any case, it's the diners who benefit.

The service was excellent. The owners were right there overseeing the operation so there was no lack of attention to details. The place was nicely decorated. The furniture has a rustic feel to it. This establishment wouldn't be right at home in Mexico

[elektrified]

I definitely would not refer to it as a "Mexican Restaurant". Nevertheless it's a good restaurant and the food is well prepared.

[PeaceBlondie]

It's not a Uigur restaurant. We former residents of Mexico think it's autentico for Chiang Mexico.

[Ajarn]

I would say, 'mostly' well prepared. I have had a number of bummers with their mexican food..

Edited June 14, 2009 by Ajarn

[huggybear]

I used to live in Mexico and didn't have much hope of finding a good Mexican restaurant here. But last night my wife and I went to The Salsa Kitchen and had an astonishingly good meal. I opted for the Pork Ribs and my wife for a combination plate of burritos, flautas, etc. The pork practically melted off the bone and didn't overly rely on sugar for it's flavor. The flour tortillas tasted like they were home made. And the various fillings in those tortillas were delicious. As were the flautas.

Most telling of all was the quality of the salad. Not only was there a wide variety of greens in it, but the dressing was clearly home made. It didn't have that peculiar taste that characterizes store bought salad dressings. Because it was white I was afraid it was going to be a sweet salad dressing favored by Thais, but it turned out not to be that at all. Not sweet, and tangy. Clearly a lot of thought and effort had gone into its composition. Another plus: the owner actually makes his own butter. I think you need at least a touch of OCD to run a good restaurant and at least one of the owners clearly has it. Or maybe it's just a bad case of enthusiasm. In any case, it's the diners who benefit.

The service was excellent. The owners were right there overseeing the operation so there was no lack of attention to details. The place was nicely decorated. The furniture has a rustic feel to it. This establishment wouldn't be right at home in Mexico

Can you get them to open a branch in Phuket? The Mexican food here is scheit.

[CLASBYCLAN]

Yes I love Salsa Kitchen too, you can order their food from meels on wheels to! I have to say though that I'm not keen on the location.

[Ulysses G.]

I definitely would not refer to it as a "Mexican Restaurant". Nevertheless it's a good restaurant and the food is well prepared.

That is how I feel too. The best ribs around!

[uptheos]

Overall, I too think the food is OK but Mexican it is not!

[piercefilmlid]

Overall, I too think the food is OK but Mexican it is not!

I have eaten at Salsa Kitchen a couple of times and thought the food well prepared and good value.

Best "mexican type food" by far in CM.

[seesip]

Tried it once, so take this with a grain of salt, but the jerk pork was bland and nothing like any jerk I've ever had. The service was ok, but the food took forever. I'm going to give it another try, keeping fingers crossed.

[Somtamnication]

Huggybear, check my new South American restaurant discovery in the Phuket forum. Well worth the trip near Wachira. Sorry I am posting this here. I am contemplating moving to CM and need to read wassup in the area.

[anonymouse]

I've only eaten Mexican food in London & Chiang Mai so am no expert on the Salsa Kitchen's authenticity but for value for money, filling and tasty food it would be hard to beat.

[Ulysses G.]

A buddy with excellent taste in food told me that he agrees that Salsa Kitchen has the best ribs in town. He also mentioned that he does not like typical American potato salad, but enjoyed the style they serve at Salsa Kitchen.

[getgoin]

I ate the ribs at The Salsa Kitchen and while I have to say that the ribs were good and tasty, they were by far not the best in town. They were fatty and the sauce was not tasty. Also, the sides that came with the ribs were lacking. The salad was bad, the corn was raw and the potato salad was not potato salad at all but mashed potatoes with vinegar and mayonnaise. All this for about 200 Baht. I ate out but hopefully when you eat in you get free water. The dish needs work.

By the way, if we want to get into Meals On Wheels, I ordered the ribs and the salad came in a plastic bag that was open at the top and was thrown in the bag. The potato salad was also thrown in the bag open at the top. The corn was in a bag, at least closed with a rubber band but was not cooked, raw.

[Krupnik]

As I've said in previous topics - Salsa (in my opinion) is the best Mexican restaurant in town and would rate highly in my all time favourites in the city.

The service can be hit and miss - usually fine, unless they are very busy.

Overall I definitely recommend the place. My friends all love it there too.

I did prefer the old location, but nothing anyone could do about that. Luckily the food is still just as good.

[getgoin]

But while we are on the topic of excellent Mexican food. I tried the fajitas at Miguels and I have to say that they were very good and a good value. Maybe it was a mistake, compared to the rest of their food, but a lot of chicken and a good plate. Good job.

[PeaceBlondie]

Potato salad with Southern US ribs has mustard and mayo, served cold and semi-mashed. German Milwaukee style is sliced and in vinegar, often warmed. Either way, it's not Mexican or Tex-Mex. I like their cold lettuce-cabbage side salad with sour cream, and Spanish rice, and air-con.

[getgoin]

Potato salad with Southern US ribs has mustard and mayo, served cold and semi-mashed. German Milwaukee style is sliced and in vinegar, often warmed. Either way, it's not Mexican or Tex-Mex. I like their cold lettuce-cabbage side salad with sour cream, and Spanish rice, and air-con.

Potato salad is potato salad. Cold or luke warm, semi mashed, mustard or mayo. At least it tasted alright. But in a plastic bag thrown in the bottom of a to go order. I am a fan of good potato salad, with eggs, mustard and lots of vegetables, pickles, olives and mayo, onions and celery. The worst potato salad but it tasted good as mashed potatoes with mayo and vinegar, maybe some mustard in it. The ribs? Way fatty. More like country style fatty ribs or with the belly attached. A good gourmet item but far from commercial. The new thing is pork belly simmered and savory. I would compare the ribs to this. Yummy but pure fat.

[el jefe]

Funny that in this "excellent Mexican restaurant" the owner doesn't claim to make authentic Mexican food and 2/3 of the menu isn't Mexican at all. The owner says he's trying to make good food using local ingredients. He sometimes succeeds, often times not.

The ribs that some people love certainly aren't Mexican. My wife loves them but she thinks pork fat is one of the 4 food groups. There are two pages of Caribbean food on the menu. I've tried several of them but most are flavorless. The jerk pork has so little seasoning that it really shouldn't be called jerk. The side dishes that come with the Caribbean dishes are all excellent though, especially the potato salad. The tossed salad is good too.

You get a lot of food for your money so some people think it's good value. I'm there on a somewhat regular basis since we often run out of pork fat in our house.

[Earl]

As a Californian who was nursed on Mexican food I found La Salsa palatable but bland. MIGUELS is tastier, hands down. And that is why it is packed.

[Ulysses G.]

I agree that the ribs are fatty - they are supposed to be - That is why they taste so good. Fat is what makes steak and pork ribs taste so much better than almost anything else. If you are on a diet, you should avoid either one of them.

I try to eat both kinds of meat very infrequently, but when I do, I want them to have an amazing taste like the ribs back home.

Salsa Kitchen BBQ pork ribs are hot and juicy and dripping with delicious fat and taste like something you would get from a good soul food restaurant in the United States. When it comes to ribs, fat is where it is at!

Edited June 19, 2009 by Ulysses G.

[Paagai]

In my opinion, recently Salsa Kitchen has not been as good as it was six months back for both food or service. Had the ribs a couple of weeks ago that seemed like reheats from a few days before with the outsides all burnt and crusty. Some of the mexican dishes are very heavy on the salt too. Service went down hill since the sweet young man who worked there disappeared, or is my view biased because I'm missing the eye candy ?

For my tastes it also attracts the wrong crowd; I don't like places who's customers think the whole restaurant want's to hear their conversation (not too mention the prayer ritual before eating ). But that's also why I don't go to the Dukes, perhaps it's a rib thing? Do all rib lovers have a particular type of personality?

A general comment: the economic situation is having an effect, and might be a factor in the above observations. I've been in a couple of other normally good restaurants recently where the quality of the food has deteriorated, probably due to cost cutting.

[anonymouse]

In my opinion, recently Salsa Kitchen has not been as good as it was six months back for both food or service. Had the ribs a couple of weeks ago that seemed like reheats from a few days before with the outsides all burnt and crusty. Some of the mexican dishes are very heavy on the salt too. Service went down hill since the sweet young man who worked there disappeared, or is my view biased because I'm missing the eye candy ?

For my tastes it also attracts the wrong crowd; I don't like places who's customers think the whole restaurant want's to hear their conversation (not too mention the prayer ritual before eating ). But that's also why I don't go to the Dukes, perhaps it's a rib thing? Do all rib lovers have a particular type of personality?

A general comment: the economic situation is having an effect, and might be a factor in the above observations. I've been in a couple of other normally good restaurants recently where the quality of the food has deteriorated, probably due to cost cutting.

It's a shame if this is true and the service has gone downhill, it's been about six months since I last ate there. Hopefully Chiang Mai Soul Brother will read these posts and take the positive critisism onboard.

I'm a reasonably softly spoken Brit with no religious leanings who likes ribs, so in my case your theory is wrong

[el jefe]

I agree that the ribs are fatty - they are supposed to be - That is why they taste so good. Fat is what makes steak and pork ribs taste so much better than almost anything else. If you are on a diet, you should avoid either one of them.

I try to eat both kinds of meat very infrequently, but when I do, I want them to have an amazing taste like the ribs back home.

Salsa Kitchen BBQ pork ribs are hot and juicy and dripping with delicious fat and taste like something you would get from a good soul food restaurant in the United States. When it comes to ribs, fat is where it is at!

So is it a "soul food" joint or a Mexican restaurant?

If they'd add chitterlings, fried chicken with waffles, and maybe mac 'n' cheese, I'd be there even more often.

UG, that's what ribs should look like. But you didn't take that photo at Salsa Kitchen, did you?

[SpoliaOpima]

Overall, I too think the food is OK but Mexican it is not!

I have eaten at Salsa Kitchen a couple of times and thought the food well prepared and good value.

Best "mexican type food" by far in CM.

Have you tried Miguel's?

[Ulysses G.]

I'm a big Miguel's fan too, but for some reason, some people can't stand the place and rave on about other "Mexican" restaurants that taste like my Aunt Betty is making the food from recipes in Redbook magazine. I just don't get it.

Salsa Kitchen started out as a bagel restaurant and morphed into sort of a Mexican-fusion place with great BBQ ribs and then added Caribbean food. To me, it is a "what-ever tastes good and is fresh" place and in Chiang Mai, that is nothing to complain about.

At one time, there was a place in the Night Market that had a lot of Southern US cooking - like El Jefe mentioned - with real buttermilk bisquits, fresh English muffins, fried fish and even hush puppies. They were doing pretty well, but, for some reason, they suddenly abandoned everything unique and almost just re-printed the Duke's menu. Shortly afterwards, they closed down and moved to Hang Dong and I've never heard a word about them since. Does anyone still eat there?

[HTWoodson]

Went and tried this place tonight after reading this post. Gotta say it was pretty good for Chiang Mai, definitely not up to the standard I was used to living in California, but good for Chiang Mai. I ordered the flautas, and on the menu it says you can request "spicy", so I did. Unfortunately they were completely without any kind of heat whatsoever, my biggest gripe about so called "Mexican" food in Thailand, so asking for spicy doesn't really mean anything I guess. The dish was tasty though; the refried beans and rice were even better than the main course. Plus the atmosphere in there is nice, and you gotta love air-conditioned restaurants. I liked the place better than Miguels, sorry Ulysses. Salsa Kitchen is not my favorite place for Mexican, there is a little place I like better, but it was pretty good. Not cheap though.

[cloudhopper]

Can someone tell me where the new location is? Thanks I'll give it a try next time I'm in town.

[heybruce]

I'm a big Miguel's fan too, but for some reason, some people can't stand the place and rave on about other "Mexican" restaurants that taste like my Aunt Betty is making the food from recipes in Redbook magazine. I just don't get it.

Salsa Kitchen started out as a bagel restaurant and morphed into sort of a Mexican-fusion place with great BBQ ribs and then added Caribbean food. To me, it is a "what-ever tastes good and is fresh" place and in Chiang Mai, that is nothing to complain about.

At one time, there was a place in the Night Market that had a lot of Southern US cooking - like El Jefe mentioned - with real buttermilk bisquits, fresh English muffins, fried fish and even hush puppies. They were doing pretty well, but, for some reason, they suddenly abandoned everything unique and almost just re-printed the Duke's menu. Shortly afterwards, they closed down and moved to Hang Dong and I've never heard a word about them since. Does anyone still eat there?

You probably mean hel_l's Kitchen. The last time I talked to the owner, Latif (sorry if I'm spelling it wrong), he indicated he was going to China to teach. He was a really good guy, a U.S. ex-pat who could have lived on his retirement pay but wanted to stay busy. He opened the restaurant using recipes he got from his mother and grandmother. He emphasized the ribs but everything there was excellent, I wish I'd eaten there more often. I think he got out of the business because it was a hassle to run and a small restaurant in this competitive environment is never going to make a lot of money. If he ever opens another restaurant I hope I find out about it.

By the way, Mexico is a big and varied country, there are many varieties of "Mexican food". When English speakers talk about Mexican food they are usually talking about southwestern U.S. style Mexican food, or TexMex. I'm one of them, I prefer the burritos from Los Cuates in Albuquerque over any I found in Mexico. I haven't lived in Mexico, but I spent several months there, mostly in the south, where they like to put a chocolate flavored sauce over everything--I never developed a taste for it. Ceviche and crispy fried crickets with chili powder are fine, but don't but chocolate sauce on my chicken.

I haven't eaten in Salsa Kitchen for a long time, but will say that Miguel's serves a good burrito and has excellent guacamole.

Edited June 19, 2009 by heybruce

[lannarebirth]

I'm a big Miguel's fan too, but for some reason, some people can't stand the place and rave on about other "Mexican" restaurants that taste like my Aunt Betty is making the food from recipes in Redbook magazine. I just don't get it.

Salsa Kitchen started out as a bagel restaurant and morphed into sort of a Mexican-fusion place with great BBQ ribs and then added Caribbean food. To me, it is a "what-ever tastes good and is fresh" place and in Chiang Mai, that is nothing to complain about.

At one time, there was a place in the Night Market that had a lot of Southern US cooking - like El Jefe mentioned - with real buttermilk bisquits, fresh English muffins, fried fish and even hush puppies. They were doing pretty well, but, for some reason, they suddenly abandoned everything unique and almost just re-printed the Duke's menu. Shortly afterwards, they closed down and moved to Hang Dong and I've never heard a word about them since. Does anyone still eat there?

I guess you mean SoJo's. At one time the best farang (American anyway) food in the city. Not nearly so good now, and rather expensive too. Also, way out in World Club. I think they cater almost exclusively to missionaries now.