Mexican is comfort food for us. The lack of decent Mexican around the world is one of the hardest things for us about being a long-term traveler. The existence of a fabulous Tex Mex place in Bali, Taco Casa, is one of the things that saved us while living in Ubud. Living in Bangkok has been a dream come true for us Mexican lovers. What’s been amazing is that we’ve been able to track down some pretty decent Mexican in Bangkok, Thailand. Because the Mexican food Bangkok offers is actually surprisingly decent.
And, although the best food in Bangkok is always traditional Thai, sometimes the answer to the question of “what to eat in Bangkok” is Mexican! Particularly for expats living in Bangkok, or long-term travelers stopping through.
Mexican in Bangkok – The Taco Truck
La Monita Taqueria was one of the first places we ate Mexican in Bangkok. After all, how could we not be intrigued by an indoor taco truck in one of the nicest malls in Bangkok? La Monita Bangkok’s Ploen Chit location was their original Taqueria, and their location at EmQuartier is a heck of a lot fancier. But, their taco truck in the basement of Siam Paragon hits the mark every visit.
With reasonable food prices, our go-to dishes include the burritos and baja gordita, each of which comes with your choice of meats, including chorizo and carnitas. The crunch star is unique, with a quesadilla wrapped inside a crunchy taco shell. And, they have the second-best queso in Bangkok. I’d skip the monkey wings.
Over at their Ploen Chit location, there’s a bit more seating, and for some reason, the burritos seem a lot bigger.
Location: Ground Floor of Siam Paragon mall, in front of the Gourmet Emporium, the fancy supermarket.
Dinner for Two: For only $30, it’s possible to have a queso, two burritos, and two beers. For Mexican in Bangkok, it doesn’t get much better.
Net Net: The price is right to place La Monita on a regular dining rotation.
Read More Reviews of La Monita Bangkok.
Mexican in Bangkok – Giant Margaritas
Another go to, perhaps more because of location than anything else, is Charley Brown’s on Soi 19 – home of the Giant Margaritas. After all, I rarely go to Soi 11 for fine food. I do, however, end up going there to drink with friends. Recently Charley Browns moved to Soi 19, but serves the same great food and is probably still one of the most famous Mexican restaurants in Bangkok.
Charley Brown’s has been a go-to meet up location for friends in town. They offer drink or food specials most nights of the week. The best one being half priced margaritas on Tuesday nights. This includes pitchers of margaritas. And, the pitchers are enormous, often seeming bottomless.
The food is pretty good too. Although the chili con carne is a little too sweet for my liking, the chimichangas are perfectly fried, the burritos are tasty, and they have the best queso in the city. They serve a decent sized portion of chips and a tangy salsa as soon as you sit down, which seems to be rare for Mexican restaurants in Bangkok.
Often a Tuesday night involves pitchers of margaritas and bowls of queso shared with friends, making Charley Brown’s come out as one of the best places for Mexican in Bangkok.
Location: Suhkumvit Soi 19.
Dinner for Two: $40 for a full meal, including half-price margaritas! $10 more for a full priced pitcher.
Net Net: See you there every Tuesday we’re in Bangkok!
Read Reviews of Charley Brown’s Mexican Bangkok.
Mexican in Bangkok – Higher End Authenticity
Through the wonders of Twitter, Eric came across one of the newer Bangkok Mexican restaurants, called simply, The Mexican Bangkok. Set down an alley just steps from the infamous Nana Plaza, The Mexican is in an interesting location. We walked down Sukhumvit Soi 2, past the JW Marriott, into an area that I assume would get no walk by traffic, until I peered down the other end of the parking lot and saw Nana Plaza, a late night hang out for sure.
The restaurant itself is lovely and contemporary, with a lot of attention to detail in the decor and artwork. The owners also are paying attention to detail in the food, importing fresh habanero and poblano peppers, and even importing a Mexican chef. The food is fresh, imported, and authentic, and has a price tag to match. Eric’s wet burrito was massive. My steak fajitas were tasty and made with very high-quality beef. We also ordered the chili relleno, which was spicy and covered in creamy sauce. This is not a regular menu item, but we heard about it on Twitter and asked for it specifically.
Their social media guru, Sean, heard that Eric was a pork fan, so without asking, they send over some special jalapeno poppers, which were stuffed with prawns and cheese, and wrapped in bacon. These were surprisingly enjoyable, and also a bit spicy. But, I like the spice.
Margaritas are mix and match, allowing you to choose your tequila or mezcal-based on your preference and budget. Prices start, somewhat confusingly, at 100 THB for a margarita base, plus another 180 THB for the tequila. This means the basic margarita runs close to $10 a drink, which is how our meal became so pricey so quick.
Location: Suhkumvit Soi 2, Raja Complex
Dinner for Two: $85 for one appetizer special, two entries, and four margaritas
Net Net: Great option if you are looking for an authentic meal, and are looking for a splurge, but probably not someplace to satisfy your Mexican craving on a weekly basis.
Read More Reviews of The Mexican Bangkok.
Mexican in Bangkok – Soi 11 Standard
Just down the road from Charley Brown’s is another Soi 11 standard, Coyote Mexican. Coyote provides more of a bar feel than its nearby neighbor Charley Brown’s. They run two happy hours per day, offering half priced margaritas. They also offer a ladies night, providing ladies with free flow margaritas.
But, it’s not all about the drink specials. They offer standard Mexican fare at a decent price, all offset with spicy hot sauces from their Wall of Flame. Menu items include quesadillas, nachos, burritos, and chimichangas, like the other Mexican restaurants in town. Later in the evening, the bar scene tends to take over a bit, with the loudest music of any of the places we checked out.
Location: Suhkumvit Soi 11, farther in than Charley Brown’s
Dinner for Two: Half-priced margaritas and two burritos total $30.
Net Net: A fun night out, with great drink specials, and massive burritos.
Read more reviews of Coyote Bangkok.
Mexican in Bangkok – Authentic from Mexico City
During our research on the best Mexican in Bangkok, people continued to recommend one particular place: Tacos and Salsa Bangkok. There seems to be some confusion as to whether this used to be the Mexican place in the nearby Rembrandt Hotel, or if that’s a different place. Regardless, people kept telling us it was good.
And it was. First, seeing authentic Mexican dishes, like tortas on the menu meant there was someone behind the menu that knew Mexican in Bangkok shouldn’t be limited to quesadillas, tacos, and enchiladas. The pork in the torta was tender and juicy, along with black beans, even if it wasn’t a photogenic dish. The tacos dorados were similar to flautas, crunchy, with fresh pico and sour cream. They may not have been exactly like traditional tacos in Mexico, but they were tasty.
Even if we chose the nacho fries, a decidedly un-authentic dish, to match our margaritas, I was entirely impressed and will definitely return. If you see Lisa, one of the owners around, say hello from us. We loved chatting with her, in our broken Spanish. She hails from Mexico City. I am sure that Tacos and Salsa is the only Mexican owned Mexican in Bangkok.
Location: Suhkumvit Soi 18, a decent walk down from the main road, past the Rembrandt Hotel.
Dinner for Two: We splurged on a giant jug of margaritas for just the two of us for $25. The three dishes we shared came to an additional $25, making Tacos and Salsa a pretty good deal for authentic Mexican in Bangkok.
Net Net: Authentic Mexican in Bangkok at a reasonable price, with knowledgeable staff, and a friendly owner.
Read more reviews of Tacos and Salsa Bangkok.
Mexican in Bangkok – Our Least Favorite of the “Best”
It’s honestly hard to do a list of the best Mexican in Bangkok when there aren’t many options. Sure, there are more than in Ubud, but it’s not like putting together a list of Mexican in Chicago.
This means that I will include a restaurant on the list despite it being the farthest thing from the best choice in town. It is one of the more high profile Mexican restaurants, so I wanted to include it on the list.
I really really really wanted to like Mejico Bangkok. It’s in Groove at Central World. We spend a lot of time in Central World, shopping and hitting the movies on the 7th floor. We walk past Mejico all the time. I’ve always been curious and wanted a regular option for eating, or grabbing a margarita, so close to home.
They run a decent happy hour special, offering buy one get one on beers and classic cocktails, including all of their margaritas. The margaritas usually run $6-7, so this is a good deal. But, they were some of the worst margaritas I’ve ever had. So bad, we actually walked away from our second ones. They were ungodly sweet. I asked for the second to be less sweet, and it was, but not by much. When I asked about it, I was told the bartender only used a little simple syrup. Therein lies the problem. Traditionally, margaritas don’t have simple syrup or sugar to make them sweet. Normally, it’s a sweet liquor like Cointreau that makes them sweet.
Because we weren’t all that hungry, we tried the guacamole and a couple of tacos as snacks. The guacamole was made tableside, making it a novelty for Mexican in Bangkok. It was fine but almost as sweet as the margaritas. And, they added some sort of sunflower seed for crunch (unnecessary) and served it with banana chips (soft and kind of stale). The tacos were fine but strange. Each one had a single giant chunk of tender chicken, making them difficult to eat.
Overall, I left entirely disappointed. Is it the Best Mexican in Bangkok? Far from it, but I wanted to include it on the list to let people know our thoughts.
Location: Level 2 of Groove at Central World. The Bangkok branch of a popular Sydney Mexican restaurant.
Dinner for Two: Pricey. Four margaritas on their buy one, get one, plus guacamole and one order of tacos set us back $40.
Net Net: Avoid. It was so disappointing as I wanted to like Mejico. But, if I wanted a higher end Mexican option, I would prefer The Mexican for its authenticity.
Read more about Mejico Bangkok.
Mexican in Bangkok – The Late Night Choice
There is no way to write a list of the best Mexican in Bangkok without mentioning Sunrise Tacos, almost an institution. We stopped by their Silom location for lunch one afternoon. It’s not really a lunchtime place. Although they offer a mess of great salsa options on their fresh salsa bar, I thought the food was mediocre and the beer was warm. Similar to its neighbor, Patty Fiesta, also on the same stretch of Silom Road, Sunrise Bangkok is a decent late night choice (read: perfect after a mess of beers in Patpong). Is Sunrise Tacos Bangkok one of the best places to eat in Bangkok? When drunk? Sure.
During our one visit to Patty’s we were driven out by ridiculously loud music and a server who tried to give us the wrong change, thinking we were drunk tourists who didn’t know any better. But, they are there as options for late night Mexican cravings.
Plan your Bangkok trip!
Mexican in Bangkok – The Rest
Yes, there are a few not included here. We plan to update this list when we return to Bangkok in April. On deck: Diablo’s, which offered a decent delivery through Food Panda. There’s also rumor of a Mexican Buffet, back at Rembrandt Hotel. I’m hoping to find a few more and will update this list as we find them. In the meantime, I’m happy to say there are a lot more options for Mexican in Bangkok than I originally thought. One of the reasons I can definitely call Bangkok home, for a while.
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Where to Stay in Bangkok
Here are our recommendations on where to stay in Bangkok:
Mandarin Oriental, a luxury option, on the Chao Phraya river, and very historic, with rooms from $500 a night. Grab a cocktail at the famous Bamboo Bar and use the hotel riverboat for transport (Check out Trip Advisor Reviews here | Book here)
Sofitel So Bangkok, a contemporary option, away from the noise of Sukhumvit, but still centrally located, with rooms from $160 a night. Their rooftop bar offers a view over Bangkok that cannot be found anywhere else. (Check out Trip Advisor Reviews here | Book here)
Pullman G Bangkok, another contemporary value option, again away from the noise of Sukhumvit, with rooms from $115 a night. They offer one of the best burgers in Bangkok downstairs and a great cocktail bar with views upstairs. (Check out Trip Advisor Reviews here | Book here)
Heading to Bangkok?
Where to Stay in Bangkok: Get hotel recommendations here.
What to do in Bangkok: Go for a spa day!
Find more Bangkok tips in our Southeast Asia food travel guide.
Learn more: Get a Luxe Guide to Bangkok or the Lonely Planet Guide from Amazon.
Amber Hoffman, food and travel writer behind With Husband In Tow, is a recovering attorney and professional eater, with a passion for finding new Food and Drink Destinations. She lives with her husband, Eric, in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. Together over the last 20 years, they have traveled to over 70 countries. Amber is the author of the Food Traveler’s Guide to Emilia Romagna.
Casa Azul in Ari. Just go for the tacos and salsas, which on Tuesdays are 50bt each. Their smoked ribs special, is also worth trying.
We will add it to the list! Will be hard to skip half priced margaritas at Charlie Brown’s, but we will try!
Looks like a lot of really delicious options!!!
Hi, Thanks for coming to visit us at Tacos and Salsa,and for the nice write up, we are glad you enjoyed our food and drinks. We have been around for the last 4 years and were at the very end of Soi 18, we recently relocated next to the Rembrandt Hotel. Im glad you had a chance to try our new menu with my families recipes from Mexico, we hope to see you again 🙂
Thanks for the comment Lisa! We will be back to visit in April I’m sure.
You definitely need to write about Casa Azul!
We’ve heard about it, but haven’t been yet. Will try to hit it up in the next few months, when we are back in Bangkok!