Popular eatery Tacos & Salsa has been a Mexican mainstay in Asoke since 2012, and they have a newer second branch on On Nut’s main drag near Soi 2.
We stopped by over the weekend to see if the second location lives up to the reputation of the first.
Similar to the original, the decor has a rustic Mexican vibe, with brightly-painted walls and kitschy art featuring skulls, Frida Kahlo, mariachis, and toreadors. If you’re so inclined, they have sombreros and luchador (Mexican wrestler) masks you can wear during your stay.
The food at Tacos & Salsa is anything but bland. That sounds like an obvious statement when discussing Mexican food, but if you’ve made the rounds of the Mexican joints in Bangkok, you might have noticed that much of it tastes like nothing at all.
We’ve personally endured flavorless guacamole made with local avocados and nary a squeeze of lime or clove of garlic in sight. We’ve had nearly cheeseless quesadillas with nothing but a few sad chicken strips inside, and salsas that leave us scratching our heads and wondering if they aren’t just bowls of crushed tomatoes.
For a country that’s cuisine is hallmarked by the intense flavors of spicy, sweet, sour, and tangy, there is some lackluster Mexican food in this town.
Tacos & Salsa has a rep as one of the few places in Bangkok making authentic Mexican and one of its co-owners hails from Mexico. The second location lived up to that claim pretty well and they have some dishes on the menu that we haven’t seen offered elsewhere in the city like Chorizo Sopes (THB220), spicy Mexican sausage on corn rounds with green chili salsa, pork and corn Pozole Soup (THB200), and Chicken Tinga Chilaquiles (THB250), corn chips cooked in salsa and covered with chicken, cheese, and sour cream.
On a recent Sunday afternoon, we had the place to ourselves when we sat at 3:30pm but it was getting crowded as we left at 5pm. This is notable since the original location often has a wait at the door on weekends.
We started with the Guacamole (THB160) and a side of Refried Beans (THB50) to dip chips into. The portions weren’t skimpy, and we guessed that two full avocados went into our guac. It was rounded out with tomatoes, chunks of white onion, garlic, cilantro, and lime. The refried beans are smooth and made without lard — important if you have vegetarians in your group — and, we guessed, made with a mix of black and pinto beans.
They also delivered cups of their two homemade hot sauces, a mild green one and a hotter brown one, which was swimming with chili pepper seeds and tasted like it had some tamarind in it. For hot sauce loyalists, however, a caddy also appeared on our table with all the usual suspects, including Tabasco, Cholula, Valentina, and El Yucateco.
For an appetizer, we ordered Mini Prawn Tostadas (THB220). The six two-bite sized tostadas were made on freshly fried warm bases, with dollops of more guac and sour cream holding a garlic chipotle prawn on top of each. The tasty apps were finished with fresh cilantro, spring onion, and a seasoning mix featuring cumin and paprika.
Up next were mains. The Pork Pibil Huarache (THB270) was made on a base that was a cross between a corn chip and fried dough. Made of corn but far thicker than a tortilla, it was deep fried and pliable, holding a pile of slow-roasted pork cooked with achiote (a peppery powder made from annatto seeds) and orange. The dish hails from Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and was topped with loads of pickled onion that made it pop.
We were undecided between the Baja Fish Tacos (THB270) and the Prawn Enchiladas (THB300), so the waiter stepped in and helpfully suggested that we get one prawn enchilada and one fish enchilada — an item not on the menu — in our order. So that’s what we got.
The fish enchilada featured hunks of a soft white mild fish while the prawn version had large shrimp. The whole thing was covered in plenty of melted mozzarella — but we always want more cheese anyway.
Though we were feeling a bit delicate and had only a Tamarind Smoothie (THB60) and water to drink (side note: this place has joined the no plastic straw movement and offers metal versions), they offer a decent selection of tequila, mezcal, beer (including micheladas), cocktails, and eight kinds of margaritas (which are buy one, get one free on Mondays from 4-9pm).
Though quieter than the original location, the food stands up in the second address. Mexican food hack: If you want a quieter meal, are in a large group, or simply want to bypass the weekend wait list at the Asoke location — we’d recommend taking the train a few more stops and visiting the On Nut outpost instead.
FIND IT:
Tacos & Salsa Mexican Food
250/2 Sukhumvit Soi 77 (Original location: 21/3 Sukhumvit Soi 18)
Open daily, 12pm-11pm
BTS On Nut
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