New Taco Stand in Central Pattaya

[marinediscoking]

Seems they just opened up a week or so ago and I am going to have say they make the best Taco's I have had in Thailand. They are thai run but the owner tells me she leaned how to make them from a Mexican family when she lived in Los Angeles. They are more of a Northern Mexican style of Taco than an American as they are small but this is the size one gets there. She also is making her own soft shell corn tortillas. For 99 baht you get 3 beef, chicken or pork. They also have quesadillas, burritos and enchiladas. The Taco's on their signs do not look like what they serve which look like a taco bell taco. I'm not going to say they are comparable to what one might have in Califorina or Texas but for Pattaya this is a new good choice to have available. They are locted on Second 2rd a few meters inside Soi 10. This is opposite where Soi Honey inn meets 2nd Rd. I wonder if I should give them a fair warning about Jingting?

[HeijoshinCool]

Sounds like it might be the same older Thai woman who had a booth at the night market in Chiang Rai. Pretty good food, actually.

[marinediscoking]

Sounds like it might be the same older Thai woman who had a booth at the night market in Chiang Rai. Pretty good food, actually.

I don't think so. She is about 30 and seems to have recently returned to Thailand from America.

[wooloomooloo]

I wonder if I should give them a fair warning about Jingting?

Warn them to make a decent taco for the money. Seems reasonable.

[NeverSure]

"Happy Taco" is the name, LOL.

[toenail]

I can handle a good beef taco, can't handle minced meat (hamburger) that has too much fat. What is the quality of the beef?

[marinediscoking]

I can handle a good beef taco, can't handle minced meat (hamburger) that has too much fat. What is the quality of the beef?

It's hand chopped beef not ground like hamburger. I would call it a "true" Mexican taco but she puts a little shredded cheese on them which I have never seen on any taco I have had in mexico. I guess she does this as people here would expect it.

[Jingthing]

Salsa situation?

[PatDon]

I stopped by this place today to try their tacos out, and I have to say, it was the worst attempt at making a taco I've ever had. It was bad....really, really bad. I'm an American retired in Thailand who has lived in New Mexico many years and, while I'm by no means an expert on Mexican food, I have had my share of tacos and Mexican food in general. In my opinion, the tacos I had today don't even qualify as being considered a taco.

I ordered three ground beef tacos for 99 baht. The shells were the color of a corn tortilla, but when I tasted them, they didn't taste like any corn tortilla I've ever had. They were soft and chewy, but not like a flour tortilla. Something was different about them, and I didn't like it. They were tiny as well, but that didn't bother me so much. I don't know what the salsa was made of, but I've never tasted anything like it before. They also had a small bit of lettuce on them and some kind of cheese that I didn't recognize.

I know I'm being very critical of this place, but trust me, if you love tacos you would do well to stay away from this place. Of course, people have different tastes, so by all means check them out yourself. Having said that, I can't speak for their other menu items, and I won't be back to try them either. Definitely a thumbs down from me. I was really hoping this place would be good, so I'm disappointed. I should have taken some photos, but I forgot to.

[Jingthing]

The salsa thickens!

Sent from my Lenovo S820_ROW using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Jingthing]

Just had a look. Not hungry now though. The joint didn't look particularly inviting. More reports please.

Sent from my Lenovo S820_ROW using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[HeijoshinCool]

What a shame the place has a bad review. Neve met a Thai who didn't love one of my tacos.

Whenever I had the hankering for a genuine unauthentic taco, I just bought some taco shells (Ortega or Old El Paso) at Foodland or Makro. They also have the taco spice pack, but it's easy to make your own.

Salsa Cruda's a slam dunk: dice tomato, onion, garlic, red and green chiles, and cilantro, add fresh lime juice, and your good to go. If you want it more like the stuff in jars, add some ketchup.

[Asiantravel]

Whatever happened to that Mexican place in Soi Buakhao where I thought the food was pretty reasonable?

I understood he closed so that he could open a bigger place somewhere else. Did it happen?

Edited May 7, 2015 by Asiantravel

[Jingthing]

Whatever happened to that Mexican place in Soi Buakhao where I thought the food was pretty reasonable?

I understood he closed so that he could open a bigger place somewhere else. Did it happen?

Do you mean the place with the tacos that tasted very similar to Sunrise chain style?

Assuming so, no, I don't think they are anywhere else.

[marinediscoking]

Whatever happened to that Mexican place in Soi Buakhao where I thought the food was pretty reasonable?

I understood he closed so that he could open a bigger place somewhere else. Did it happen?

There were 2 places. Big Al's closed years ago, never reopened. There was a place across from the Sawadee Hotel last year that had former people involved from Sunshine's but that did not last very long and never reopened.

[Jingthing]

I never even tried Big Als. I just didn't like the vibe. Oh well!

[marinediscoking]

I never even tried Big Als. I just didn't like the vibe. Oh well!

Big Al was a character. Raised in East L.A. and spend time in prison after high school. After opening his first place on second rd., he had Oliver Stone do an interview with Pattaya People TV Niels Colov shortly after opening in front of it as they were good friends. Oliver put an abrupt end to the interview after Niels kept asking a series of unrelated strange questions, seems Niels did not have the self awareness to edit that part out. The food was not half bad.

[bobbin]

^^

I remember Big Al! Talked to him a few times..

I also remember that interview Niels did with Oliver Stone. At one point Neils asked Oliver if he had "the virus", presumably meaning had he become a fan of Pattaya...

The look on Stone's face was priceless!

The interview went downhill from there....

[Asiantravel]

Whatever happened to that Mexican place in Soi Buakhao where I thought the food was pretty reasonable?

I understood he closed so that he could open a bigger place somewhere else. Did it happen?

Do you mean the place with the tacos that tasted very similar to Sunrise chain style?

Assuming so, no, I don't think they are anywhere else.

I can't comment regarding their tacos because every time I went there I couldn't resist having their California burritos

[Asiantravel]

Whatever happened to that Mexican place in Soi Buakhao where I thought the food was pretty reasonable?

I understood he closed so that he could open a bigger place somewhere else. Did it happen?

There were 2 places. Big Al's closed years ago, never reopened. There was a place across from the Sawadee Hotel last year that had former people involved from Sunshine's but that did not last very long and never reopened.

" across from the Sawadee Hotel"

That's the one.

I don't understand why they didn't survive? May be they didn't have a booming trade but to me it seemed steady. There always seemed to be people sitting in there and people coming in and just ordering takeaways

[NightRider70]

When is this place open? I was there today but it looked shut down.

[marinediscoking]

When is this place open? I was there today but it looked shut down.

I guess 2 or 3pm. They told me they close at 2am.

[smccolley]

When is this place open? I was there today but it looked shut down.

I guess 2 or 3pm. They told me they close at 2am.

They actually opened at 5pm, I showed up today at 3:30 and they were just setting up. I went back at 5pm and got 4 taco sets, 2 steak (soft and hard) and 2 pork (soft and hard). I had to take them home as the kids were dying for them. I can say the hard tacos survived better but they all tasted quite nice, certainly for the price. Definitely more mex than tex mex. Since I showed up early it took a little while to make, but since they served beer it was not wasted time.

I will definitely return for the other menu items and a couple more hard tacos. The food quality was very good and the taste was great.

[jwdub]

When is this place open? I was there today but it looked shut down.

I guess 2 or 3pm. They told me they close at 2am.

They actually opened at 5pm, I showed up today at 3:30 and they were just setting up. I went back at 5pm and got 4 taco sets, 2 steak (soft and hard) and 2 pork (soft and hard). I had to take them home as the kids were dying for them. I can say the hard tacos survived better but they all tasted quite nice, certainly for the price. Definitely more mex than tex mex. Since I showed up early it took a little while to make, but since they served beer it was not wasted time.

I will definitely return for the other menu items and a couple more hard tacos. The food quality was very good and the taste was great.

Gracias for the review SMC. Would you say a set (3 taco's) is filling for a grown man or are they bite sized.

Edited May 8, 2015 by jwdub

[NightRider70]

They are the same size as Taco Bell's I think. Three will not fill you up if you are very hungry. Style and taste is somewhere between Tex-Mex and Mexican. All good for 99 baht. They also got burritos and some other things.

[ToddinChonburi]

OH yes the Taste of a Good TACO !!! I will take the one in RED !!!

[Sayonarax]

I can handle a good beef taco, can't handle minced meat (hamburger) that has too much fat. What is the quality of the beef?

you do realize the fat cooks out when frying?

[Jimmyd]

I went to try it today at 5:15 pm. It was closed.

215

[I loveTravel]

I know the owners because I go there so much.ghey actually know what I want now they make tostadas large or medium . I eat the shredded beef tostada with guacamole which they had to make it for me fresh and add it to my dish with rice and bean and all the salsa . It looked so big but I took my time enjoying it and took a shredded beef buri to with every thing to go . To my surprise they had the chapole hot I am glad they decided to open a mexican place .i

[marinediscoking]

I know the owners because I go there so much.ghey actually know what I want now they make tostadas large or medium . I eat the shredded beef tostada with guacamole which they had to make it for me fresh and add it to my dish with rice and bean and all the salsa . It looked so big but I took my time enjoying it and took a shredded beef buri to with every thing to go . To my surprise they had the chapole hot I am glad they decided to open a mexican place .i

The last time I was there I sat at the bar part of the stand so I could see how they were being made. For my tacos a fresch cut of seasoned beef was cooked in a pan while this was happening she was also cooking a tortillia that she rolled in front of me and then hand chopped the beef for the steak tacos. I was surprised to see this as most resturants make batches a head of time for the day and then re-heat them to save time so I appreciate the freshness that comes with making food from scratch. I wish them luck but as I said before they will seem unfamiliar to most people as they will expect an American/tex-mex taco and not a taco as one would get in Mexico.