Best Burritos

[corkscrew]

Yesterday CNN (Asia) ranked La Monita as having the best burritos in Bangkok. It is near the Ploenchit SkyTrain station.

[gotlost]

The best in Thailand. http://www.miguels-cafe.com/

[Awohalitsiktoli]

The best in Thailand. http://www.miguels-cafe.com/

The tamales w/ rice and beans look great at this place. Has anybody eaten the tamales?

The prices at Miquels Cafe are not grossly overpriced like La Monita (and the other places in Bangkok).

I wish Miquels would open two branches: one in Bangkok and one in Pattaya.

Since the best place got lost in a legal problem (Tacos and Salsa), we really are not left with much.

[BillR]

I miss chicago:) I checked la monita's website, their burritos look very sad compared to:

Edited December 5, 2010 by BillR

[tutsiwarrior]

burritos are a trick on world cuisine; 'gimme a cheeseburger!' howled Steve Miller in Livin' in the USA...

but I gots to admit that they had some nice ones (burritos) at the taqueria down by the corner of 16th and Valencia in SF in the late 70s....round the corner from my digs, that was...

also gots to admit that I like the idea of burritos in Bangkok...alliterative and rolls right offa the tongue...

[SpoliaOpima]

It wasn't CNN Asia, it was the locally produced page of the CNNgo.com website, which has licensed the CNN name but is not edited by CNN. Similar to the way National Geographic guidebooks license the National Geographic name but don't have the same editorial standards as the magazines. Entirely locally written, edited and produced.

Some interesting choices in their Best of 2010. Click on 'Meet The Experts' and you'll see McDang - famous for touting his friends' restaurants (such as Rib Room) in Bangkok - is one of the panel, also Bangkok 101 publisher Mason Florence (buddies with the owner of La Monita, who advertises in Bangkok 101).

Iron Fairies for Best Burger Bar (I agree); Rib Room for Best Steakhouse (I disagree; they must not have tried 55 at the Grand Centara); India Today for Best Indian Restaurant (completely flummoxed by that one). Best Burrito (I agree, but there is hardly any competion).

The gigantic burritos at La Monita aren't authentic, but then burritos aren't particularly traditional Mexican, being served only in two border states, Sonora and Baja California, where they are relatively small in size and never contain rice or beans, only the meat or seafood of choice, grilled onions, and salsa (which the customer usually adds himself).

La Monita's are California-style, more specifically a style that originated in San Francisco -- huge and full of rice and beans. I don't particularly like that style, but La Monita's rendition is tasty. If I wanted a burrito, that's where I'd go. The tacos are good at La Monita as well. [Aside: There is a lot more to Mexican cuisine than tacos and burritos, and I'd like to see them go beyond Mexican fast food or San Diego Mexican (eg carne asada fries) and into Mexican entrees.]

Besides Miguel's Cafe in Chiang Mai (where I haven't tried the burritos, but their other Cal-Mex fast food is as good or better than La Monita's Cal-Mex fast food), there's also El Diablo Burritos. I've tried the burritos at El Diablo a couple of times, and found them very tasty, and a step or two closer to the traditional Mexican burrito. El Diablo makes both their corn and flour tortillas from scratch. Burrito de chorizo recommended.

[commonparlance]

@SpoliaOptima, it's true that La Monita's aren't authentic Mexican, but in my opinion they're pretty authentic SF-style, which is usually what people mean when they talk about burritos. A true Mexican burrito is basically just a rolled up taco on a flour tortilla anyway.

For me La Monita comes as close to the real Mission-street variety as anything I've found outside the Bay Area. That being said, I don't think "authenticity" is necessarily the best criterion for judging food--for me how it actually tastes is somewhat more important. With La Monita I have only 2 complaints: the meats (I've tried carnitas, al pastor, carne asada, and chicken chili verde) tend to be too salty, and the prices are a bit high. I guess I still think of tacos and burritos as cheap food, when really in Bangkok they're not.

[bonobo]

@SpoliaOptima, it's true that La Monita's aren't authentic Mexican,  but in my opinion they're pretty authentic SF-style, which is usually  what people mean when they talk about burritos. A true Mexican burrito  is basically just a rolled up taco on a flour tortilla anyway.

For me La Monita comes as close to the real Mission-street variety as  anything I've found outside the Bay Area. That being said, I don't think "authenticity" is necessarily the best criterion for judging food--for me how it actually tastes is somewhat more important. With La Monita I have only 2 complaints: the meats (I've tried carnitas, al pastor, carne asada, and chicken chili verde) tend to be too salty, and the prices are a bit high. I guess I still think of tacos and burritos as cheap food, when really in Bangkok they're not.

I have to agree on what you write about authenticity.  It is the taste what matters.

As a San Diego boy, I love San Diego/Baja-type Mexican food (well, I am also partial to Oaxaca cuisine, but that is another story).  But I am not ashamed to admit that I love the Jack-in-the-Box "tacos"  (Jack-in-the-Box is a regional fast food burger place).  OK, they are far from authentic, but what the heck, I love the taste. 

[Kilgore Trout]

I miss chicago:) I checked la monita's website, their burritos look very sad compared to:

You are making me homesick; what I wouldn't give for one of those and a glass of horchata!

[Ulysses G.]

... Miguel's Cafe in Chiang Mai (where I haven't tried the burritos, but their other Cal-Mex fast food is as good or better than La Monita's Cal-Mex fast food)...

I think that Miquel's is quite good. I was wondering if these places in Bangkok were even better, but maybe not.

Edited December 8, 2010 by Ulysses G.

[jfchandler]

La Monita's are California-style, more specifically a style that originated in San Francisco -- huge and full of rice and beans. I don't particularly like that style, but La Monita's rendition is tasty. If I wanted a burrito, that's where I'd go. The tacos are good at La Monita as well. [Aside: There is a lot more to Mexican cuisine than tacos and burritos, and I'd like to see them go beyond Mexican fast food or San Diego Mexican (eg carne asada fries) and into Mexican entrees.]

Is this the same Spolia who's gone to great lengths to repeatedly criticize La Monita in other threads here on Thai Visa??? Or have you really come to your senses, finally...

Indeed, LaMonita has quite good tasting burritos, and the portions are very satisfying for the price. And not too many, if any, other places in Bangkok offer real chorizo as a meat choice for their burritos.

Whenever I've had their burritos, and they are one of my favorite items on the menu at LaMonita, I always order it with the soupy-style refried beans (they also offer the choice between whole beans or mashed). And I've never found the result to be excessively salty, even after adding on a half bottle of their excellent, homemade salsas.

Sunrise Tacos on Suk Soi 12 also produces a passable burrito, though I've sometimes ended up with versions there that were either starchy dry or too salty. After broaching the issue with management, the subsequent orders improved markedly...

[DP25]

I guess I still think of tacos and burritos as cheap food, when really in Bangkok they're not.

All Mexican restaurants I've tried in Thailand, except Miguels, suffer from the same massive flaw. Significantly more expensive than in the US, and at the same time lower quality. $12 for a super burrito just seems ridiculous to me. I'd kill for a simple taco truck.

[jfchandler]

I'm not sure about the pricing references above...

Sunrise Tacos burritos run about 200 baht plus, and La Monita's run 200 to 300 baht, depending on what fillings and whether you go for the super size that adds 50 or 70 baht to the basic 200 baht price... So we're really talking $6 to $9 U.S. for the single item.

Yes, of course, it's more expensive than the comparable item in the U.S., but so is pretty much everything else that comes from the U.S. or is imported from abroad vs. being produced/sourced locally.

I just came back from a trip to Los Angeles. The same dried cranberries that cost $4 per 16 oz. at Trader Joes cost $7+ in the market here... The half gallon of fresh orange juice I might buy for $3 there costs $6+ here... And so on and so on....

[DP25]

I'm looking at La Monitas menu and a steak super burrito is 360 baht, that's $12. Sunrise is 250-300 for a large burrito like you'd get back in the US, and another 115 baht for sour cream and guacamole. That's at least $12 too. I can get a better burrito for literally half the price in the US. And in the US you get free chips which are another $2 here.

It's not like all the ingredients need to be imported. Rice, chicken, pork, salsa ingredients, chilli peppers, etc are all dirt cheap in Thailand. I can understand guacamole being expensive. I don't think the high price of Mexican food is due to ingredient cost, but rather to the market all the restaurants in Bangkok aim at. I just want a cheap, basic take away joint.

[tutsiwarrior]

best burritos I ever had were from Rod's Burritos on Lincoln Blvd in Venice, CA; they were so big that you needed two hands to remove them from the counter after paying, guacamole and sour cream all inclusive in the price...it was later that I noticed the burrito places in the Mission in SF...

burrito cuisine in Thailand targets falangs with the associated pricing...I have yet to see a 'Noi's Superburrito' food stall down by the bus station...

happy holidays...

Edited December 8, 2010 by tutsiwarrior

[jfchandler]

DP, you're right about the price of that single item, a super size steak burrito....

But as I said above, the regular sized burritos are priced much less, 230 baht for chicken-pork and 270 for steak-fish-shrimp, $6.50 to $9.

And even the super size chicken-pork varieties are 320 baht...

I've had both sizes.... And I'm a big guy with a good appetite... But I've always found the regular size version to be perfectly satisfactory and a good sized portion.... I didn't feel the price increase for the super size was worth the difference for the portion....

For me, 230 to 270 baht is not an unreasonable price for a very good taste of home.

I'm looking at La Monitas menu and a steak super burrito is 360 baht, that's $12. Sunrise is 250-300 for a large burrito like you'd get back in the US, and another 115 baht for sour cream and guacamole. That's at least $12 too. I can get a better burrito for literally half the price in the US. And in the US you get free chips which are another $2 here.

It's not like all the ingredients need to be imported. Rice, chicken, pork, salsa ingredients, chilli peppers, etc are all dirt cheap in Thailand. I can understand guacamole being expensive. I don't think the high price of Mexican food is due to ingredient cost, but rather to the market all the restaurants in Bangkok aim at. I just want a cheap, basic take away joint.

[ihunnieibee]

I'm looking at La Monitas menu and a steak super burrito is 360 baht, that's $12. Sunrise is 250-300 for a large burrito like you'd get back in the US, and another 115 baht for sour cream and guacamole. That's at least $12 too. I can get a better burrito for literally half the price in the US. And in the US you get free chips which are another $2 here.

It's not like all the ingredients need to be imported. Rice, chicken, pork, salsa ingredients, chilli peppers, etc are all dirt cheap in Thailand. I can understand guacamole being expensive. I don't think the high price of Mexican food is due to ingredient cost, but rather to the market all the restaurants in Bangkok aim at. I just want a cheap, basic take away joint.

Did you forget about that $12 pad thai that exist in America when you can get it for around $1 here....

Even if you get a lunch special it will run you at least $7

Just because something is cheap to make doesn't mean that there aren't other expenses to be covered, and of course some people would like to make a profit as well....

Edited December 8, 2010 by ihunnieibee

[jfchandler]

Actually, it's an interesting change in perspective here in BKK over time...

Some years back, people were widely complaining you couldn't find any decent Mexican food in BKK....

Now, we've got a fair number of decent places, so the complaints turn to the prices being too high...

When I was back in L.A., I was regularly stopping by the local Del Taco's for quick burritos.... $1 for a half pound standard or about $2.50 for their fancier varieties.... But if I had gone into a sit down restaurant with waiters and service, etc... I'm sure the price would have been $5-$8 depending on the location and place....

Sunrise burritos are less expensive than La Monitas....by a bit... And for the really cost-conscious, Villa Markets sell frozen packages of 3 or 4 small burritos for about 100 baht under the El Charro brand... I don't see any weight count on the package, but it's a good portion overall. Hardly gourmet, but not bad in a pinch at home..... Beef, pork, chicken and all bean varieties on offer....

[Ulysses G.]

Actually, it's an interesting change in perspective here in BKK over time...

Some years back, people were widely complaining you couldn't find any decent Mexican food in BKK....

Now, we've got a fair number of decent places, so the complaints turn to the prices being too high...

It was not too long ago that many posters were saying that they would be happy to pay over the odds for some decent Mexican food, We really do get spoiled easily.

[DP25]

Did you forget about that $12 pad thai that exist in America when you can get it for around $1 here....

Even if you get a lunch special it will run you at least $7

Just because something is cheap to make doesn't mean that there aren't other expenses to be covered, and of course some people would like to make a profit as well....

Pad Thai can be expensive in the US at some places, especially at dinner, but then almost everything is expensive there so I expect to pay more. The price of pad Thai isn't that out of sync with other foods. Labour, ingredients, rent etc are all much more expensive than in Thailand. Maybe La Monita's location is expensive, and Siam Paragon, but most are cheaper. If you can get decent 50 or 60 baht kebab at many places in Bangkok, you should be able to get a decent burrito for under 100. It's just flat bread, some rice, pork, tomato, and peppers. Almost the same ingredients, before Sunrise I even thought one of the kebab places in Soi 3 was the closest to home. I bet a burrito stall in front of Soi 4 would do well. There was a cheap taqueria for a while in Khao San, but they raised their prices to on par with the rest and seem to have gone out of business.

And I've tried the El Charro burritos, they're decent. Their shredded beef works great as an ingredient at home though, take it out and put it in a larger tortilla with other ingredients. Wish they sold it separately. There's actually lots of decent locally made Mexican products at stores now. Used to have to pay a lot for a bottle of bad imported salsa at most stores

[jfchandler]

DP, I know what you're saying about kebabs and their prices locally.... But for that price, you're talking mostly about stands or counter places along the street or in streetside malls, not sit-down restaurants like Lebanon and such....

It's true there isn't a fast-food version of Mexican food available here as far as I know... It would be a nice option, if someone could make a go of that in an area that would attract customers... Maybe we need a Little Mexico neighborhood for BKK... , same like the Middle East enclave of Soi 3.

[Awohalitsiktoli]

DP, I know what you're saying about kebabs and their prices locally.... But for that price, you're talking mostly about stands or counter places along the street or in streetside malls, not sit-down restaurants like Lebanon and such....

It's true there isn't a fast-food version of Mexican food available here as far as I know... It would be a nice option, if someone could make a go of that in an area that would attract customers... Maybe we need a Little Mexico neighborhood for BKK... , same like the Middle East enclave of Soi 3.

That is a good idea!

But I wonder how many Mexicans or people of Mexican descent are in Bangkok.

My guess: not many and not enough for a Little Mexico.

Still, I wish some person (maybe Jorge of the defunct Tacos and Salsa) would think about setting up Mexican-food kiosks around town.

And sell really good, inexpensive tacos, burritos, and tamales.

A mobile kiosk or something similar to what the kebob vendors have set up might partially solve the high rent problem in the city that is (along with greed) pushing the price of Mexican food up.

[powderpuff]

Yes Migel's gets all the raves on TV. But I guess few of us want to drive to Chiang Mai for dinner.

So for us there is always La Monita. I always get the Super Steak Burrito - ordered like a combo plate. IN the burrito is cheese & salsa. Then refritos & rice on the plate too hot to touch.

Then some of that lovely orange 3 alarm hot sauce.

[SpoliaOpima]

La Monita's are California-style, more specifically a style that originated in San Francisco -- huge and full of rice and beans. I don't particularly like that style, but La Monita's rendition is tasty. If I wanted a burrito, that's where I'd go. The tacos are good at La Monita as well. [Aside: There is a lot more to Mexican cuisine than tacos and burritos, and I'd like to see them go beyond Mexican fast food or San Diego Mexican (eg carne asada fries) and into Mexican entrees.]

Is this the same Spolia who's gone to great lengths to repeatedly criticize La Monita in other threads here on Thai Visa??? Or have you really come to your senses, finally...

Indeed, LaMonita has quite good tasting burritos, and the portions are very satisfying for the price. And not too many, if any, other places in Bangkok offer real chorizo as a meat choice for their burritos.

Whenever I've had their burritos, and they are one of my favorite items on the menu at LaMonita, I always order it with the soupy-style refried beans (they also offer the choice between whole beans or mashed). And I've never found the result to be excessively salty, even after adding on a half bottle of their excellent, homemade salsas.

Sunrise Tacos on Suk Soi 12 also produces a passable burrito, though I've sometimes ended up with versions there that were either starchy dry or too salty. After broaching the issue with management, the subsequent orders improved markedly...

When it comes to burritos, I give the nod to La Monita.

I only mentioned authenticity because the cnn.go article did -- twice. I agree, good taste is more important than authenticity, which is one reason I still rate Los Cabos number one overall. Authenticity only figures in discussions about the definition of a dish, or when someone says something is authentic when it isn't. Sometimes I prefer the authentic version, sometimes not (you cited 'real' chorizo, so I see authenticity does matter ). I do prefer authentic burritos over the SF style, by a large margin. As far as I'm concerned, that style charms the super-size-me crowd, for whom porition size is paramount. I notice that people who go for those usually have huge waistlines

But La Monita's burritos are better than anyone else's, and their tacos are good, too, almost on par with Los Cabos. I don't like the carnitas or the pastor at La Monita, too dry and neither tastes like any carnitas or pastor I've had either in Mexico or in America. Los Cabos makes a good al pastor. Neither is a patch on what you get in Mexico or Texas, or even California at a good taco truck. Jorge made the best. But La Monita's tacos are edible, and the tortillas don't fall apart when you pick them up like the Sunrise version. The problem with both places is that the tacos are overstuffed so the ratio of tortilla to filling is off balance IMO. I'd rather see them get the balance right -- Jorge gets it perfect -- and lower the prices.

Super expensive? Yep -- all of 'em except Los Cabos if you take advantage of the 99B menu, which includes tacos.

I ran into Jorge a couple of weeks ago and he said he has a new location on Suk 18. Not the first location he used to have there, but further down almost at the southern end of the soi. He thinks he'll open by mid January.

Edited December 27, 2010 by SpoliaOpima

[SpoliaOpima]

Miguel's in Chiang Mai hold its own, and definitely deserves mention in Western Food in Thailand (as opposed to the Bangkok forum).

[jfchandler]

Glad to see a report that Jorge's trying to get back into the business....

I just hope the interior of the future location itself is an improvement over the past one.... in terms of seating and comfort.

The past one, on the other hand, had the advantage of being close to a major landmark (The Emporium) and a BTS station, whereas it sounds like the Soi 18 location will have neither of those advantages....

[Ulysses G.]

I do prefer authentic burritos over the SF style, by a large margin. As far as I'm concerned, that style charms the super-size-me crowd, for whom porition size is paramount.

I liked Mission Street burritos long before I became a fat slob and it is because they taste good. To each his own.

[jfchandler]

Burritos come in all sizes and varieties... But what really matters is taste and the right mixture of good ingredients, whatever the style...

Though, just to win a bet, I did once, and only once, eat a 5 lbs. "Manuel's Special" burrito in one sitting at Manuel's El Tepeyac in East L.A. as a college student. The deal was, and probably still is, eat their 5 lbs burrito and the burrito is free... Quite a good burrito, but not an experience I'd try to repeat in my older, wiser adult years...

[SpoliaOpima]

Glad to see a report that Jorge's trying to get back into the business....

I just hope the interior of the future location itself is an improvement over the past one.... in terms of seating and comfort.

The past one, on the other hand, had the advantage of being close to a major landmark (The Emporium) and a BTS station, whereas it sounds like the Soi 18 location will have neither of those advantages....

Soi 18 is very convenient to the Asoke BTS and Sukhumvit MRT. Cross the skywalk to the southeast corner of Sukhumvit and Asoke, and Soi 18 is the first soi you come to. In fact Soi 18 is closer to the BTS than the previous location between Soi 20 and Soi 22. if you're eating arm-sized burritos, you might need the exercise But I don't know how far down 18 it will be. Los Cabos is the closest of any of the Mexican places to a BTS.

I liked Mission Street burritos long before I became a fat slob and it is because they taste good. To each his own.

Perhaps there's a correlation between a preference for the super-sized burrito -- taking a rice, beans and carne asada mexican combo plate, then dumping it onto a huge flour tortilla, and rolling it up -- and becoming a 'fat slob'.

I prefer the Mexican versions because they taste better without the flavor-blurring effect of rice and beans. But of course, to each his own.

Am hoping Jorge's next location works out so that Mexican food aficionados can go back to having choices beyond just burritos and tacos. Sort of like Thai restaurants overseas serving mainly fried rice, phat thai and tom yum. I'd like to see molotes, chilaquiles and tinga (the latter two Jorge had on his last menu).

Back to the best burritos discussion, I still reckon Thailand's best are at El Diablo Burritos in Chiang Mai.

[jfchandler]

Spolia, I think most people know where Soi 18 is relative to Asoke... But maybe you can get your locational comments straight at some point... A location "almost at the southern end of the soi" wouldn't be quite so convenient.

But I don't know how far down 18 it will be.

I ran into Jorge a couple of weeks ago and he said he has a new location on Suk 18.

Not the first location he used to have there, but further down almost at the southern end of the soi.