La Monita

[languageexpress]

Had lunch today at a new taqueria called La Montia. Great food and the Spanish American chef reckons everything (including the tortillas) is cooked from scratch. I had the Big Burrito which was about the size of two pint glasses end to end (290 baht). It must have weighed a couple of pounds, loaded with steak, guacamole, spicy rice and beans: too big for one person (greed got the better of me). A co-worker had three soft shelled tacos made from oven roasted pork/beef/chicken (99 baht) - a way better lunch.

La Monita is located next to the Mahatun Plaza building on Ploenchit road. Go to BTS Ploenchit and get off at Exit 2, walk 5 meters to Mahatun Plaza (20 stories of metallic orange cladding & glass – it's impossible to miss). On either side of the Mahatun Plaza are two neat concreted lanes, walk down the left lane keeping Language Express on your right. La Monita is 30 meters down the left lane, near the Manhattan Restaurant/Bar. It has a small blue sign above the door. Its easy to find - I don’t know their opening hours but they do both lunch and dinner, so presumably open till late.

[Nio]

Authentic Mexican good is always a delite to find in Thailand.

However 290 for a Burrito is getting pretty darn expensive almost US $9.00.

3 Soft Tacos for 99 baht is more inline with lunch pricing.

Made locally and from scratch with nothing to import it should be allot cheaper in my opinion.

[lordsux]

Good Mexican cuisine in Thailand was hard to find until Sunrise Tacos came along. With regards to quality and price its hard to find any Mexican grub that is remotely comparable to Sunrise.

I will try the restaurant mentioned though, I do love my Mexican food

[sorensen]

Sure looks nice: http://www.lamonita.com/

I walk past there a lot and will give it a try.

[Xonax]

I will definitely give it a try. Also Coyotes is very good - but very pricey, except for their lunchtime offers.

[jfchandler]

And more here on this place's Twitter page....

2. @everyman61 thank you so much!!! Hope to see you soon. We open Monday through Saturday for lunch and dinner : )

3. @GarpotStudio I have to apologize, we don't have the staff just yet to stay open on Sundays. But we are open on Monday through Saturday.

5. @GarpotStudio yes we are! You can call for a reservation at 02 650 9581... See you soon : )

7. La Monita Taqueria - We're having a soft opening this Friday. We won't have all of the items on the menu, but be sure to try the al pastor! 5:14 AM Nov 24th from web

8. @GarpotStudio Ooh tacos de cabeza, I miss those too. Unfortunately we don't have those yet but be sure to try our killer tacos de lengua. 5:04 AM Nov 19th from Tweetie in reply to GarpotStudio

9. @scott_cos we are working on the deal with delivery service right now. will make sure it covers Laksi area : ) 4:44 AM Nov 19th from Tweetie in reply to scott_cos

12. @GarpotStudio Jing Jing!! Really!! If you like So Cal. Mexican then you will love us. 12:54 AM Nov 18th from web in reply to GarpotStudio

13. http://twitpic.com/pu16v - Try our "Mexi Grilled Fish Taco" from La Monita Taqueria - So healthy and so yummy!!! 8:04 PM Nov 16th from TwitPic

20. Monkey Wings from La Monita Taqueria...Crispy and juicy! http://twitpic.com/moykq 9:21 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie

[languageexpress]

Authentic Mexican good is always a delite to find in Thailand.

However 290 for a Burrito is getting pretty darn expensive almost US $9.00.

3 Soft Tacos for 99 baht is more inline with lunch pricing.

Made locally and from scratch with nothing to import it should be allot cheaper in my opinion.

I hear you on the 290 meal...however this was an absolute Beast of a Burritto. I ordered the biggest thing on the menu coz i do like large portions plus I figured I'd give them a hand on their opening day .

It consisted of a handmade triple size soft torilla, wrapping spicy rice, steak, beans, guacamole, cheese and some kind of salsa. The Chef came out and went on about how it was a big meal for lunch..even so it took me by suprise... this thing was the size of two pint glasses end to end. They came out and took a pic of me attempting to finish it off. Pig tho I am, I couldnt finish it - staff wrapped it in tin foil for take away. Lot of fun.

It is the only thing I tried on the menu, but I will visit more this week and update this posting. Next time i plan on some of the regular sized meals.

[junkofdavid2]

I hear you on the 290 meal...however this was an absolute Beast of a Burritto.

Will try it.

But add 60 baht (total of 350 nett) and you have a complete huge buffet in either Bourbon St. (Tuesday night) where you can make your own beast of a burrito in addition to lots of other goodies and desserts; or Tacos and Salsa (Saturday night).

I must say the Tacos and Salsa was quite good and authentic; but for 350, it was not as good "value" as Bourbon St. because the selection was not as big... you can't even put your own cheese and sour cream in the Tacos and Salsa Buffet, and they don't put enough of it on their dishes. At 250 that's fine, but for 350, they should at least allow you to put your own cheese and sour cream!!

[kikoman]

Most Mexican Restaurants prices are out of line with it cost for local food plus the overhead.

At those prices ,I will not be going there.

Cheers:

[scott_cos]

Hailing from LA, I am a Mexican food addict. Been to them all from Chiang Mai to Phuket.

Now, with La Monita Taqueria in Bkk my addiction is being met. Food coming out of their kitchen is superb. Still in the "opening" stage, I can not wait to see their full menu. Meanwhile, their fish tacos are "to die for" while their burritos are a meal in themselves.

And their guacamole I could live on. Probably some of the best I have ever eaten, anywhere in the world.

No, don't know the owners (but have met them at the restaurant) - point being this is a non-paid endorsement of a fine restaurant - I think #1 Mexican restaurant in Bangkok if not all of Thailand.

And folks, Bourbon Street food is inexpensive, buffet food. Nothing like the homemade style, quality ingredients used at LMT.

Edited December 5, 2009 by scott_cos

[webworldly]

Perhaps the overall opinion of prior Mexican Food Restaurants in Thailand is represented well by the "Similar Topics" section at the bottom of the page?

CHEERS!

D

[sorensen]

Perhaps the overall opinion of prior Mexican Food Restaurants in Thailand is represented well by the "Similar Topics" section at the bottom of the page?

CHEERS!

D

Ha, ha. Good, valid and funny observation. Still I would say, "Vamos a comer la comida Mexicana"

[JR Texas]

Hailing from LA, I am a Mexican food addict. Been to them all from Chiang Mai to Phuket.

Now, with La Monita Taqueria in Bkk my addiction is being met. Food coming out of their kitchen is superb. Still in the "opening" stage, I can not wait to see their full menu. Meanwhile, their fish tacos are "to die for" while their burritos are a meal in themselves.

And their guacamole I could live on. Probably some of the best I have ever eaten, anywhere in the world.

No, don't know the owners (but have met them at the restaurant) - point being this is a non-paid endorsement of a fine restaurant - I think #1 Mexican restaurant in Bangkok if not all of Thailand.

And folks, Bourbon Street food is inexpensive, buffet food. Nothing like the homemade style, quality ingredients used at LMT.

Just the thought of a fish taco makes me want to puke.

But I love good guacamole (don't want to pay a fortune for a tiny bit.......assuming the serving size is substantial).

Burritos.......well, that is really street food......can't hardly even find it on the menu in a good Tex-Mex place.

Providing they serve them, how about some input on their chile rellenos, fajitas (beef), beef tacos, tamales, enchiladas (cheese and beef), refried beans, rice, nachos, and salsas/hot sauces.

Thanks........if you already did this, sorry.

[sbk]

I love a good crispy chile relleno. Can't say I've ever seen em on the few places I've been in Thailand

[Jingthing]

Hailing from LA, I am a Mexican food addict. Been to them all from Chiang Mai to Phuket.

Now, with La Monita Taqueria in Bkk my addiction is being met. Food coming out of their kitchen is superb. Still in the "opening" stage, I can not wait to see their full menu. Meanwhile, their fish tacos are "to die for" while their burritos are a meal in themselves.

And their guacamole I could live on. Probably some of the best I have ever eaten, anywhere in the world.

No, don't know the owners (but have met them at the restaurant) - point being this is a non-paid endorsement of a fine restaurant - I think #1 Mexican restaurant in Bangkok if not all of Thailand.

And folks, Bourbon Street food is inexpensive, buffet food. Nothing like the homemade style, quality ingredients used at LMT.

Just the thought of a fish taco makes me want to puke.

But I love good guacamole (don't want to pay a fortune for a tiny bit.......assuming the serving size is substantial).

Burritos.......well, that is really street food......can't hardly even find it on the menu in a good Tex-Mex place.

Providing they serve them, how about some input on their chile rellenos, fajitas (beef), beef tacos, tamales, enchiladas (cheese and beef), refried beans, rice, nachos, and salsas/hot sauces.

Thanks........if you already did this, sorry.

Maybe not Tex-Mex, but the burrito is the crowning culinary masterpiece of CAL-MEX Mexican cuisine.

[scott_cos]

Hailing from LA, I am a Mexican food addict. Been to them all from Chiang Mai to Phuket.

Now, with La Monita Taqueria in Bkk my addiction is being met. Food coming out of their kitchen is superb. Still in the "opening" stage, I can not wait to see their full menu. Meanwhile, their fish tacos are "to die for" while their burritos are a meal in themselves.

And their guacamole I could live on. Probably some of the best I have ever eaten, anywhere in the world.

No, don't know the owners (but have met them at the restaurant) - point being this is a non-paid endorsement of a fine restaurant - I think #1 Mexican restaurant in Bangkok if not all of Thailand.

And folks, Bourbon Street food is inexpensive, buffet food. Nothing like the homemade style, quality ingredients used at LMT.

Just the thought of a fish taco makes me want to puke.

But I love good guacamole (don't want to pay a fortune for a tiny bit.......assuming the serving size is substantial).

Burritos.......well, that is really street food......can't hardly even find it on the menu in a good Tex-Mex place.

Providing they serve them, how about some input on their chile rellenos, fajitas (beef), beef tacos, tamales, enchiladas (cheese and beef), refried beans, rice, nachos, and salsas/hot sauces.

Thanks........if you already did this, sorry.

Nothing to puke about with the fish taco - not fishy at all. In LA, roach coach fish taco "stands" are considered great cuisine.

I did have a tamale which was very good, a bit on the small side and no sauce accompaniment but I think their kitchen is not yet in full swing so some mistakes are acceptable.

I have taken food out twice and eaten in once. With take away, no sauces which they promised to correct in the future. Dining in, waitress did not give me sauces until half way through (I had to ask) and they were nothing spectacular (unlike the food which is spectacular).

[languageexpress]

I went there with a party of four on Friday night for tacos and the odd burrito. We mostly went for the beef and green chicken, (which were excellent) but there was a big range (not all listed on the menu) including al pastor, grilled fish and ox tongue. It wasn’t a dirt cheap night, tacos were around 70-90 baht, but the quality was brilliant- fresh, flavorsome and home-made. Totally different league from Sunrise, which is a bit school cafeteria-ish IMHO. Depends what you like, I suppose.

Pricewise it was comparable to Bkk pub food and very tasty, made for a good night out.

Edited December 5, 2009 by languageexpress

[JR Texas]

I went there with a party of four on Friday night for tacos and the odd burrito. We mostly went for the beef and green chicken, (which were excellent) but there was a big range (not all listed on the menu) including al pastor, grilled fish and ox tongue. It wasn’t a dirt cheap night, tacos were around 70-90 baht, but the quality was brilliant- fresh, flavorsome and home-made. Totally different league from Sunrise, which is a bit school cafeteria-ish IMHO. Depends what you like, I suppose.

Pricewise it was comparable to Bkk pub food and very tasty, made for a good night out.

I did not quite understand you..........beef and green chicken what? Burritos? Tacos? Both?

To an earlier poster..........I hope it is nothing like Sunrise (yes, some like it......but it is not for me and no offense).

Ox tongue? Fish tacos? Oh how I miss good Tex-Mex........you just don't find that stuff in the usual Tex-Mex places. You also don't normally find a burrito on the menu..........along the border towns you can find almost anything, including menudo.......

Most of us, I think, would not really like traditional Mexican food.......I have said that many times. What we find in most places in Texas and California is not traditional Mexican food.....it is a morphed version of it, usually with intestines and tongues and eyeballs omitted.

You also never go to a Mexican restaurant in Texas and order BBQ ribs (but better never say never).

What is normal in Texas: beef fajitas (also chicken), beef and chicken tacos, beef and chicken and cheese enchiladas, beef and cheese chile rellenos, beef tamales, refried beans and rice, quacamole, chips (corn), tortillas (mostly corn but with fajitas you are often served flour tortillas), hot sauce/salsa (normally a simple, chunky red version that is not too hot) and a jalapeno pepper on the side (the pepper is for those who want heat).

That is pretty much standard. Pork on the menu is rare........so is fish. And if you want smoked BBQ, you go to a smoked BBQ place.

Good luck with the new place...........maybe I will try it.

[wayfarer108]

Rolled up at La Monita last night with a party of four but it was closed for a private party. I look forward to trying again soon. It's tucked pretty far off Ploenchit Rd towards the back of Mahatun Plaza, on the ground floor, BTW, so don't give up if you don't see it right away. I remember years ago there was another Mexican restaurant in roughly the same location - can't recall the name.

So we wheeled back to Sukhumvit to Tacos & Salsa. I didn't go for the Sat night buffet as I am more of a quality-over-quantity eater. One American at our table did order the buffet and stacked his plate sky-high with tostadas, tamales, tacos and enchiladas. Poor fellow could barely walk afterwards The owner was there and insisted that my friends and I try a bowl of pozole from the buffet even though it's not on the a la carte menu. It was some of the best pozole I've eaten outside Mexico. Everything else our table ordered (tinga tostadas, enchiladas, chilaquiles, quesadilla, alambres, guacamole, frijoles refritos) was excellent as well, and despite the fact that the restaurant was completely packed - every table downstairs was filled, with a mixture of Mexicans, Americans and assorted other nationalities - service was relatively prompt and efficient. Only sore point was I ordered a margarita on the rocks and was served a frozen margarita, which I hate. After I pointed out the error, the waiter made sure the next three margaritas were on the rocks

And FYI, T&S is much closer to Tex-Mex than any other Mexican eatery in Bangkok, IMO (except La Monita, which I haven't tried yet). No eyeballs or innards. At any rate, I thoroughly recommend a little flexibility when it comes to food. You never know, you might grow to like something you're not used to, expand your horizons, etc

Edited December 6, 2009 by wayfarer108

[jazzbo]

What we find in most places in Texas and California is not traditional Mexican food....

Kuhn JRT -- My definition of 'traditional' Mexican food is simple: If you go to a Mexican restaurant and 95+% of the clientele is Mexican and, other than your table, you cannot hear a word of English spoke, it is traditional enough for me... BTW my favorite city for Mexican food is Salinas, CA where the above definition is easily met.

[JR Texas]

What we find in most places in Texas and California is not traditional Mexican food....

Kuhn JRT -- My definition of 'traditional' Mexican food is simple: If you go to a Mexican restaurant and 95+% of the clientele is Mexican and, other than your table, you cannot hear a word of English spoke, it is traditional enough for me... BTW my favorite city for Mexican food is Salinas, CA where the above definition is easily met.

Keyword in my sentence is "most." Sure, you can find the real thing. But most (again most) Westerners, in my view, prefer the morphed Mexican food (Americanized Mexican food).

Somebody above said T&S is making food that is closer to Tex-Mex than any other Mexican restaurant in Bangkok...........I agree (but it is still very different from what I know as Tex-Mex). I especially like the refried beans and cheese enchiladas (wish they were double the size) and corn tortillas and salsas. I look forward to trying the buffet one day.....and tamales and fajitas.

I AM SO HUNGRY FOR REALLY GOOD MEXICAN FOOD

[kikoman]

I have been in Texas and eaten, "Tacos de Cabeza" and they included the tongue, and eyeballs that are considered a delicacy.

Tex /Mex American food is the Anglo version of Mexican food, I have eaten in places in Texas that Anglo's would be unwilling to go to, and the food served there are closer to the same type of food eaten in Mexico.

The Burrito is the backbone of Mexican food, If one goes to a restaurant that does not serve burritos it must be Chi-Chi's, which is not Mexican owned.

No Mexican would name their restaurant Chi-Chi's which means (a woman's breast)

Fish is an integral part of the Mexican diet, as you will notice both sides of the Mexican land mass borders on the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Sea food is as important to the Mexican diet ,As seafood holds the same importance to theThai diet.

The foods you mentioned are totally Americanized version of Mexican food, There is nothing that is Traditional about it.,

Cheers:

Edited December 7, 2009 by kikoman

[Jingthing]

Burritos are actually generally not found in Mexican restaurants in Mexico except for northern Mexico (where it slipped into gringolandia). The traditional Mexican burrito is only meat stuffed into a large flour tortilla. Us gringos made it much better!

Edited December 7, 2009 by Jingthing

[sabaijai]

Mexicans are Westerners as well. So the claim that 'most Westerners prefer Americanized Mexican food' is absurd, JR, with all due respect.

There are lots of other nationalities who are also Westerners and who also prefer authentic Mexican. By 'Americanized' if you include Californian style Mexican, than you might be able to claim that most Americans prefer Americanized. If you mean Texas style, most Californians would of course prefer their version of Mexican over Tex-Mex and they outnumber Texans, so Californian would rule

Fortunately cuisine is not democratic, otherwise we'd all be eating pizza and McD's most of the time For Bangkok's international, multi-cultural market (incl Thais and all nationalities of Western expats, among whom Americans would be a minority, and among them Texans an even smaller minority), I think authentic Mexican is the best way to go, generally speaking, in terms of pleasing the majority of customers.

I also would reiterate that Tex-Mex and Mexican are not all that different. IMO it is silly to be so stiff about it when we aren't in Texas. We now have at least three very good Mexican restaurants in Bangkok, each of them different but all of them recognisably Mexican and crossing genre boundaries to a greater or lesser degree.

[sabaijai]

I have been in Texas and eaten, "Tacos de Cabeza" and they included the tongue, and eyeballs that are considered a delicacy.

That's true, plenty of Mexican restaurants in Texas serve menudo and pozole as well, which usually contain tripe.

[Jingthing]

Actually, I don't consider the large portion of Mexicans who are have an Indian culture westerners. The Spanish types, of course. In the sense that "westerner" is more a subjective state of mind, rather than a geographical location. For example, Australia is a country with a dominant western culture.

Edited December 7, 2009 by Jingthing

[Groongthep]

What is normal in Texas:

Pork on the menu is rare........so is fish.

I worked on and off in the Houston/Galveston area for several years recently. Fish tacos are now quite common at places near the water like Seabrook, Baytown and Galveston. Pork is not as common as beef but still found on a lot of menus. Mostly in small Mom and Pop joints.

[kikoman]

Actually, I don't consider the large portion of Mexicans who are have an Indian culture westerners. The Spanish types, of course. In the sense that "westerner" is more a subjective state of mind, rather than a geographical location. For example, Australia is a country with a dominant western culture.

What would you consider them (Mexican Indians) ?

Mestizo mixed Native American/Spanish blood make up the majority 80% of the Mexican population. There are over 20 million Native Americans in Mexico, I am Mestizo.

I find it discriminatory that on a Western Food Forum, Discussing Mexican food, Thats main ingredients are foods discovered by these natives long before the 1st European set foot on the American Continent of North and South America ,That introduced their food to the world (Nixtamalization) process was discover by the Native American people of the new world.

Which happens to the foods ,you have been discussing on this Western Food Forum. The history/culture of the Americas did not began with the coming of the Europeans, There were vast Native American cities before the Spanish landed in the late 1400s.

It is unbelievable that people still hold those old ethnocentric Ideals in this day and age, The invention of the Mayan Calender, hundreds of years ago is perceived by many in this world as predicting the end of mankind, as the calender stops in the year 2012.

Times have changed for most people , some still think back in the dark ages.

Cheers:

Edited December 7, 2009 by kikoman

[Jingthing]

Not western does not imply inferiority or superiority, just not western! I personally don't think Mexican food belongs in the western food forum as the most popular Mexican foods have a strong Indian influence. I really could care less if you are offended because I truly feel most people categorize western as being from Europe. For more examples, Argentinian food is western, Afro-Brazilian cuisine is not. Of course there are popular Mexican dishes that are western such as milenesa. There are also regional USA dishes that are not western. However, in my view the DOMINANT influence of Mexican food is not western, while the dominant influence of American and Canadian food is western. Like you, I very much appreciate the contribution of foods from Americans to global cuisines. Cheers. If you continue to be offended by the point of view of someone like myself who loves Mexico, well that is your choice and has nothing to do with me.

Edited December 7, 2009 by Jingthing

[sabaijai]

Mexican culture and cuisine is obviously a blend of European and Amerindian influences. However even the European influences, primarily Iberian, in Mexico were in turn heavily influenced by Middle Eastern culture. So there is a lot going on in Mexican cuisine. To call it primarily Amerindian is, IMO, incorrect.

However, to point out the obvious, Mexico lies in the Western hemisphere, and thus it's a geographically Western country. If you want to call something European, than call it European But Mexico is a Western country and most food journalists, myself included, would classify the cuisine as Western.