Good Mexican Food

[MaxLee]

Sunrise Taco just sucks,... I've been there man. Go to Taco Loco in Sala Daeng it is much better...

[Ulysses G.]

If you really don't like Sunrise Tacos, than how about a little constructive criticism, instead of just being nasty? A lot of people enjoy the food there and they are sponsors.

[jfchandler]

The guys at Taco Loco on Silom are very pleasant and accommodating... But...unfortunately, their food doesn't hold a candle to Sunrise, either in taste or in variety of menu....

However, last I heard, there isn't going to be a Sunrise outlet on Silom any time soon.... So the alternative is to stop by the Siam Paragon branch in you're out that way, as opposed to the Sukhumvit area....

[NanaFoods]

Let's face it.... there just isnt much good Mexican food in Thailand.

I have lived here 7 years, and have only seen Tex-Mex or other Americanized Mexican food restaurants.

Never seen a REAL taco in Thailand, except at my house.

Carnitas? Machaca? Chile Verde? Carne Asada? gotta make my own.

[dotcom]

Forgot to mention the kiosk at Tops Thong Lor.

Ate there last night. Very satisfying.

Tex Mex ain't Cali Mex.

[DegenFarang]

I've been to:

Sunrise Tacos twice. Charlie Browns three times. Senor Pico three times. Coyote's three times.

All sucked compared to the mexican food you can get at any mom and pop tacqueria in California. I'm pretty sure this has to do with the availability of good ingredients. The only decent Guacamole I've had came from Coyote's. This would be considered sub par for California but it wasn't horrible. The chicken is not the same as in California. The sour cream is used sparingly, as is the cheese. And I think the number one problem is the beans. The refried beans taste nothing like they do back home. I went to Sunrise last night again after reading about them in this thread, and though the ambiance is great and the margarita's were damned tasty, as were the tortilla chips, the refried beans they used in the burrito gave it a really really bland taste. The burritos you get in California are not bland like this. I also ordered sour cream and guacamole on the burrito, along with cheeese, and I could barely taste any of them they were used in such small proportion to the heaping gobs of the tasteless beans that were in it.

I've thought of opening up one of these places myself because I know if the quality was the same as you can get elsewhere, people would come in droves! But is it possible to get the EXACT SAME ingredients you can at the same quality? I don't think so.

[DegenFarang]

oh ya some feedback for sunrise. the people working at the second location on soi 12 are dicks. i went in there not knowing their was one across the street and they just pointed outside and said 'here closed, go outside'. i thought they were telling me to order from the two little tables outside so i walked outside looking annoyed and just stood there for a couple of minutes waiting for them to come take my order. they just looked at me and kept doing what they were doing. after a few minutes i looked across the street and saw the second location, so i figured it out and went over there. they should have been way more polite and also actually told me their was a location across the parking lot and pointed it out to me. it should have been obvious i had no idea what they were talking about, and they just seemed happy to get me out of the store.

Edited June 24, 2008 by DegenFarang

[Ulysses G.]

I've thought of opening up one of these places myself because I know if the quality was the same as you can get elsewhere, people would come in droves! But is it possible to get the EXACT SAME ingredients you can at the same quality? I don't think so.

Miguel's Mexican Cafe in Chiang Mai has done it. Read some of the comments from people who have been there. If you walked into Miguel's and it was on on Mission Street, you would think that it was pretty good. For Thailand it is fantastic!

[Jimmyd]

I agree, Miguel's is the best Mexican food I've ever had in Thailand, by far--no question. However, if it were on Mission street and I lived in San Francisco, I wouldn't visit very often--it's not *that* league.

[Ulysses G.]

I agree. If I lived on Mission Street, there are lots of other places that are better, but if I stumbled into Miguels one time by mistake, I wouldn't regret it either. That is darn good for Mexican food in Asia!

[JohnBKKK]

How about this for a Mexican Breakfast

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

How about this for a Mexican Breakfast

It looks like a chorizo and cheese omelette with mango salsa. Sounds good and looks great John. Is that on the menu at Euro Gourmet?

I'm still very partial to huevos rancheros.

[JohnBKKK]

Hi,

yep .. its an avocado salsa though with tomatos mild chillies onions and lots of fresh coriander - egg omelett with chorrizo and cheese over the top and quickly grilled for it to melt served on a tortilla -

Unfortunately my current clientele is somewhat a "full english" crowd and its gonna be interesting when I introduce this tomorrow on the menu how many will order it ....... only prepared for 6 and will probably end up eating half of it myself during next week .. not that I mind while our customers demolish the full and light english .. quite conservative folk in the area .. however there is one american who will go for it and he would probably the only one ordering huevos rancheros as well -

John

Edited July 4, 2008 by JohnBKKK

[martinharvey]

If anyone ever comes to Koh Chang,try our mexican restaurant,the name is zigamar,having lived in mexico for some time i think we have at least decent mexican food,we get told it is good,but everyone has a different take on it,and also the cooking changes within the regions of mexico.

so come and try and then post your thoughts.

[dotcom]

Hi,

yep .. its an avocado salsa though with tomatos mild chillies onions and lots of fresh coriander - egg omelett with chorrizo and cheese over the top and quickly grilled for it to melt served on a tortilla -

Unfortunately my current clientele is somewhat a "full english" crowd and its gonna be interesting when I introduce this tomorrow on the menu how many will order it ....... only prepared for 6 and will probably end up eating half of it myself during next week .. not that I mind while our customers demolish the full and light english .. quite conservative folk in the area .. however there is one american who will go for it and he would probably the only one ordering huevos rancheros as well -

John

Well I got by because I felt sorry for John & I didn't want him to have to eat all that by himself. I was very tasty. The man is an expert when it comes to cheese. Excellent cup of coffee too.

I was shopping later on at Foodland & saw the Chorizo for sale there too.

Thanks Guy. !!! Delish.

[JohnBKKK]

Unfortunately my current clientele is somewhat a "full english" crowd and its gonna be interesting when I introduce this tomorrow on the menu how many will order it ....... only prepared for 6 and will probably end up eating half of it myself during next week .. not that I mind while our customers demolish the full and light english .. quite conservative folk in the area .. however there is one american who will go for it and he would probably the only one ordering huevos rancheros as well -

Well I got by because I felt sorry for John & I didn't want him to have to eat all that by himself. I was very tasty. The man is an expert when it comes to cheese. Excellent cup of coffee too.

I was shopping later on at Foodland & saw the Chorizo for sale there too.

Thanks Guy. !!! Delish.

Hi,

thanks for coming by yesterday. Am glad you enjoyed our Mex Breakfast. I must say that to my own surprise, our "fryup" crowd has accepted it very well and I actually had to prepare a lot more instead of eating it all myself we now have a few customers who make it their daily mid afternoon breakfast.

The Chorizo is our own, Foodland make their's but we supply ours to a number of 5 star Hotels because the Chef's love it

Thanks for the vote of confidence on our cheeses but its quite simple - I use only imported, good quality cheese - the Tortillas are made in our main kitchen but than freshly "fried" at the Bistro -

The salsa is made with Avocados - Tomatoes Onions - and fresh Herbs - Lemon juice and some olive oil - I do use some de-seeded large red peppers which some customers find slightly hot but for those who wish, I have our own really hot pepper sauce available

John

p.s. I Had one yesterday myself with a bottle of German Wheat-Beer - IMHO a perfect combination

[pampal]

Looks like the Taco Loco guys are calling it quits, they are selling their taco stand

http://www.businessesforsale.com/Taco-Loco...s-For-Sale.aspx

[jfchandler]

Looks like the Taco Loco guys are calling it quits, they are selling their taco stand

http://www.businessesforsale.com/Taco-Loco...s-For-Sale.aspx

They are very nice guys, but unfortunately, the food never measured up.... I wish they had done better, since Silom is still lacking an easy Mexican place, apart from the pretty pricey Coyote margarita bar.... And it seems that Sunrise Tacos isn't going to be opening there anytime soon.

[DP25]

That's too bad. I'd usually eat there whenever I was in Silom before their closing time, now there's nowhere for me to eat Mexican in Silom. Mexican Tartars in Khao San Road is closed for remodelling or something as well, so now it's just Sunrise.

[farangene]

That's too bad. I'd usually eat there whenever I was in Silom before their closing time, now there's nowhere for me to eat Mexican in Silom. Mexican Tartars in Khao San Road is closed for remodelling or something as well, so now it's just Sunrise.

Try Charlie Browns on Suk Soi 11/1 and you might be pleasantly suprised with their offering.

I just had dinner there last night with a Thai and Japanese friend and they loved it. I have never had a bad meal or bad service there. The place is clean and friendly. Most people who I have invited there, return again for a meal on their own.

[jfchandler]

That's too bad. I'd usually eat there whenever I was in Silom before their closing time, now there's nowhere for me to eat Mexican in Silom. Mexican Tartars in Khao San Road is closed for remodelling or something as well, so now it's just Sunrise.

Try Charlie Browns on Suk Soi 11/1 and you might be pleasantly suprised with their offering.

I just had dinner there last night with a Thai and Japanese friend and they loved it. I have never had a bad meal or bad service there. The place is clean and friendly. Most people who I have invited there, return again for a meal on their own.

I agree. The food and prices and drinks there are pretty good and authentic...for Thailand... Staff is always friendly... usually have some music playing and have an upstairs area in addition to downstairs eating. Tasty regular margaritas also...

Compared to Sunrise Tacos, it's more of a traditional restaurant setting, the prices are higher, the service is better. But judging the food between the two is a close call. Sunrise clearly has the edge on pricing, and it's clearly better for a quick bite or takeout or delivery.

Last time I checked, Charlie Brown's wasn't always open for lunch time...only dinner. But they may have changed that by now....

[DP25]

Hmm, I'll have to give Charlie Brown's a try. Have walked past it a few times but for some reason have never gone in.

[dotcom]

Looks like the Taco Loco guys are calling it quits, they are selling their taco stand

http://www.businessesforsale.com/Taco-Loco...s-For-Sale.aspx

They are very nice guys, but unfortunately, the food never measured up.... I wish they had done better, since Silom is still lacking an easy Mexican place, apart from the pretty pricey Coyote margarita bar....

Well they had a krap location.

[pampal]

Looks like the Taco Loco guys are calling it quits, they are selling their taco stand

http://www.businessesforsale.com/Taco-Loco...s-For-Sale.aspx

They are very nice guys, but unfortunately, the food never measured up.... I wish they had done better, since Silom is still lacking an easy Mexican place, apart from the pretty pricey Coyote margarita bar....

Well they had a krap location.

I was never a fan of the food at Taco Loco but their location wasn't that bad, there are many restaurants in that center that do quite well. KFC, Subway,the Lebanese restaurant (I forget the name),Peking restaurant, etc...

[jfchandler]

Here's the link to a review I posted earlier in this thread on Charlie Brown's...

[farangene]

Here's the link to a review I posted earlier in this thread on Charlie Brown's...

Your reviews of the various restaurants were right on, IMO.

I really liked the guys who owned Taco Loco but not a big fan of their food and don't get to Silom very often anyway.

Coyote I think is overpriced and didn't think their food had much taste. Their happy hour specials are good though.

I really liked Sunrise when it first opened and was in there every 3 days (at least) but the service and food went downhill and haven't been back for 6 months or so. Greg did a good job of making people feel welcome but when he was not there, the service and food screw-ups were unbearable.

I have eaten at Senor Picos twice and thought that was quite good but quite expen$ive. Always enjoyed the live music band which was playing Cuban salsa both time I went. Great dancers on the dance floor if you like that kind of stuff.

El Gordos on Silom I found almost inedible. I was talking to the owner when I noticed a two inch cockroach run over her open toed sandals which she didn't notice. That kind of put me off even more and never went back for an encore.

Thank God that someone put Tia Marias on Soi 23 out of its misery and closed it down permanently. Without a doubt, it served the worst Mexican food I ate in my lifetime or in any of my past lifetimes. I thought it must be a money laundering front as I never saw anyone in the place.

I like Charlie Browns as it is friendly, good service, and decent food at prices that are a good value for Thailand. The farang manager at CB's (Dave who is a Brit) does a good job of making people feel welcome. I don't think it is open for lunch. They used to hand out free margarita coupons in the early evening on Sukhumvit when they first opened. Sure wish they would start that promotion again.

Have not tried Bkk John's place for Mexican food yet but will do so one of these days.

[JR Texas]

Here's the link to a review I posted earlier in this thread on Charlie Brown's...

Your reviews of the various restaurants were right on, IMO.

I really liked the guys who owned Taco Loco but not a big fan of their food and don't get to Silom very often anyway.

Coyote I think is overpriced and didn't think their food had much taste. Their happy hour specials are good though.

I really liked Sunrise when it first opened and was in there every 3 days (at least) but the service and food went downhill and haven't been back for 6 months or so. Greg did a good job of making people feel welcome but when he was not there, the service and food screw-ups were unbearable.

I have eaten at Senor Picos twice and thought that was quite good but quite expen$ive. Always enjoyed the live music band which was playing Cuban salsa both time I went. Great dancers on the dance floor if you like that kind of stuff.

El Gordos on Silom I found almost inedible. I was talking to the owner when I noticed a two inch cockroach run over her open toed sandals which she didn't notice. That kind of put me off even more and never went back for an encore.

Thank God that someone put Tia Marias on Soi 23 out of its misery and closed it down permanently. Without a doubt, it served the worst Mexican food I ate in my lifetime or in any of my past lifetimes. I thought it must be a money laundering front as I never saw anyone in the place.

I like Charlie Browns as it is friendly, good service, and decent food at prices that are a good value for Thailand. The farang manager at CB's (Dave who is a Brit) does a good job of making people feel welcome. I don't think it is open for lunch. They used to hand out free margarita coupons in the early evening on Sukhumvit when they first opened. Sure wish they would start that promotion again.

Have not tried Bkk John's place for Mexican food yet but will do so one of these days.

I have never, not once, eaten good Mexican food in Thailand.........the worst I have had was made at a place I can't mention here..... really would settle for Taco Bell given what is out there pretending to be Mexican food.

[khunopie]

Ate at Charley Browns with a friend. We both had a couple of soft chicken tacos: absolutely devoid of any flavour! So I ask for hot sauce. The result: tobasco! The white trash of hot sauce... and no other available, so I declined the offer. I ask for jalapenos, and recieve a very small side bowl of them..... at 60 baht extra. Won't be returning. Their tacos don't even come close to Sunrise in price, taste and quality

[jfchandler]

Been back from the USA for a couple of weeks, so my Mexican food tank was running low... Thus I decided to mozy on over to Sunrise Tacos near Soi 12 this afternoon for a late lunch snack. It was the first time I'd been there in more than a month, after some pretty mixed experiences (very bad and pretty good, both recounted here previously) around Cinco de Mayo season. So it was time to give Greg's place another look-see and tasting.

There's been a lot of comment here about Sunrise lately.. So let me chime in with my latest. Walking in the door this afternoon, they had a daily special of 3 chili verde tacos for 189 baht... which sounded pretty darned good and diverted me from my original ordering intention. So I had that special and an order of 99 baht tortilla chips and guacamole.

With the caveat that this visit was mid-afternoon on a Tuesday and the place wasn't too busy and in fact had a surplus of serving staff on hand, my order was taken promptly and correctly. My drink and chips/guacamole brought promptly, and the trio of tacos followed not too long after that. Everything was in order and prepared properly, and tastily, I might add, as in their usual custom. (I've never had any complaint with the flavor of the food at Sunrise....)

My waitress even remembered without prompting (kudos to her) to bring over a bowl of their John's extra hot salsa that I had originally requested when ordering... And that reminds me today to say, for those who like it spicy, I'd venture it's probably the best chili salsa to be had in Bangkok.... very satisfying, good blend of flavors, enough to break a sweat and clear your stuffy nose... Likewise, the chili verde tacos were well-prepared, tasty and satisfying... though they automatically came a bit surprisingly with hard corn tortilla shells (and no query about whether soft corn or flour would have been preferred).

In general, I think, the knock most regulars have had about Sunrise Soi 12 in the recent past has been the sometimes haphazard and othertimes downright lousy quality of their serving staff. Today, I saw a couple familiar faces from the past and 3-4 more new (and quite comely) faces I hadn't seen before at all. So it appears there's been some turnover in staffing. And I must say, at least based on today's experience, the changes have been for the good. Service today was just fine. I just hope they can replicate that during the busier night times and keep the ship on course...

189 baht trio of Chili Verde Tacos

[Ulysses G.]

Tequila Reef, Soi 7 is not a Taco/Burrito place (plus the food isn't that good). I'm talking about one like in the Mission district in San Francisco. There is one, Miguel's, in Chiang Mai, and a couple inferior ones in Bangkok. Nothing in Pattaya.