Sounds like you have missed the one good, authentic Mexican restaurant in Bangkok: Tacos & Salsa, owned by a Mexico City native passionate about his home cuisine.

Well i didnt miss Tacos & Salsa, i have eaten there with the wife it was ok but very average, dont think a return visit is on the cards....

This post has been edited by beekaykay: 2009-09-02 13:31:25

a mexican taqueria, isnt your typical restaraunt, everythings pre-prepared just scoop, roll, cut and serve.

nothing like a typical restaurant where each dish must be prepared specifically.

most restaraunts fail because the owners are too lazy to do the work themselves.

to the OP, make sure you have 6 months worth of emergency funds, the 6 months are the hardest.

oh and - nachos using velveeta cheese please, and make your own sour cream, most places here buy it and spend about 10 times what they should, hence very little sour cream at almost all mexican places.

Thanks everyone for all the good comments and suggestions. I'm very happy to learn that most of the comments here are the same I felt about Mexican food here. So I think I'm going to the right direction now : ) and I think this topic is very useful for other owners of the Mexican restaurants in Thailand as well.

First thing, appetizers, nothing better than freshly baked tortilla chips with mild, hot choices for salsa as well as hot melted cheese dip...

A Tex-Mex style Chimichanga.....oh my, deep-fried and full of shreaded (not chopped) beef or chicken and salsa....

I agree with the hippie and make sure that you have loads of nachos and not some small Pizza Company salad bowl size.

I wish you the best of luck. As a former restaurant owner from the US I can tell you it is quite a bit of hard work. Also as the chef mentioned previously, there is huge difference between being and excellent chef and an exceptional businessperson, and both skills will be required to ensure your endeavor is successful.

As somebody who has lived in Thailand for six years and loves Mexican food, I would like to give you my one idea to help your establishment that I hope you strongly consider, because it would be very important to me as I am sure it would be too many of your potential customers.

And it is I would have TWO beef menus. All the items would be the same, but one would be the inexpensive Thai beef and the other would be the expensive imported Australian beef.

If you are as good a chef as you state you are, and I believe so, this one solve one of your big dilemmas. Some of your customers are going to prefer meals priced in the 100 to 200 Baht range, which can only be done with the Thai beef. Where as some of your other clients are going to want real high quality Mexican food and will be able to pay for it, this can only be accomplished with the Australian beef.

Obviously, depending on your location, size of your restaurant, financing and amenities I believe you have a pretty good chance at success. Mexican food is not the most difficult food to produce consistently day after day and once your recipes are established and well received you should have no problem training Thai chefs and cooks to duplicate your meals.

The other issues I see are with some of your major ingredients, which I have already mentioned one, the beef.

1) Chicken – No problem, cheap and plentiful.

2) Rice – No problem at all.

3 Beans – I guess if you find a good supplier of dried beans this item would not be too expensive, so I would have to give this a no problem also as I believe this is possible.

4) Floured Tortillas – I buy these at the supermarkets and there is even a Thai producer, so I see no problem with these.

5) Corn Tortillas – Here I see a problem; the imported brands are very expensive. The solution is to find somebody to make them for you according to your recipe or make them yourself. Thailand does grow its own corn I believe or least it is very inexpensive anyway, so there is a way around this issue, but you will have to find it.

6) Nachos – Same as above.

7) Chilies – As has already been mentioned, Thailand does have an almost endless supply of different types of chilies, I always thought there had to be some kind of substitute for Mexican chilies and one of your readers has already mentioned one, so I am sure there are others to meet your needs.

8) Cheese – This is your BIG problem and one you are going to have to make a well thought out wise decision on. No way getting around it, cheese is very expensive in Thailand. If you're going to serve first class Mexican food the dishes that have cheese on them it usually come in abundance. At least that is my experience anyway. What are you going to do about this? If you serve great food and put the normal amount of cheese on your dishes, they are going to have to be expensively priced. If you skimp on the cheese, your reviews will only be average on the quality of your food and you will soon be reading on this forum how bad your food is. This is a big decision on what type of restaurant you are going to have, is it going to be one that serves the best meals possible, regardless of price? Or is going to be based on a price wary consumer? Not an easy decision and if made improperly or without conviction one way or another could lead to financial disaster.

I wish you the best of luck, it is not an easy business, but it surely is possible to produce a financial success story with a little hard work and some expertise on your part.

This post has been edited by billaaa777: 2009-09-03 10:57:11

Thanks billaaa777 for your best wish and your comprehesive thought about operating a Mexican restaurant : ) Giving 2 choices of beef for customers to choose were brilliant! if I were a customers I would prefer to be able to pick a choice base on my preference or money in my pocket.

Mexican food is about the only food I really miss being in Thailand. I try and eat my weight in it when I am home ! coming from California I grew up on it. What I miss here are really decent refried beans. The ones at sunrise don't do it for me. In general I find there food way way way too sweet. If I do go there I pretty much order a bean and rice burrito with guacomole and lots of hot sauce...I also miss real tamales......

My wife is an exceptional cook and she has masterd the art of salsas and can now make some pretty decent frioles that she refries and adds beer while doing so.

Good Luck....If it's good we will come and keep coming!!!!

Hi all ,

I have eaten at every Mexican restaurant in Bangkok.
I agree , there is not one restaurant that can be considered as " good authentic mexican food "

Senor Pico - Good food overall but this is a bit expensive & caters for more upmarket dining.
Tacos & Salsa - Not to bad although the beef & food generally is very bland.
Sunrise - This reminds me of what we called ' Taco Bell ' type food. The sour cream is like water .
Coyotee's - Atmosphere great , looks and feels like a good restaurant. Food is quite tasty ..the beef is good.
Charlie Browns - I'm not sure where car number plates on the wall fit into mexican food. But I remember when this place first opened we went many times as there Nachos were so huge !! shredded beef . good cheese & sour cream ( thick ).

At the moment , I would consider Coyotee's or Charlie Browns the best of a bad bunch. ( just my opinion )

There have also been others we travelled to that have come and gone !
there use to be one over in Silom years ago named ' maria ' or similar that was quite good.

Good Mexican food -
Fresh corn chips
Shredded beef
Thick sour cream
Tasty Salsa
Include taquitos in the menu
Authentic tacos - using lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, salsa, beef or chicken
Hot Jalepinoes
Tabasco sauce or similar
A reasonably good quality cheese always fresh and spreads well.
Corona of course.

Atmosphere plays a big part in where I eat & if the surroundings compliment the type of food then thats a big plus. I believe an outside garden type Mexican restaurant with mexican music ( maybe two guys in Sombrero's playing a guitar & drums ) . This is my kinda restaurant.

Cheers,

I would say that opening an authentic place that served "genuine" Tex-Mex almost could not fail, despite the competition. You will obviously confront a lot of the same challenges as the pre-existing "Mexican" restaurants in Bangkok, but I think that if you simply hew as closely as possible to a genuine Tex-Mex menu that you will be fine.

In my personal opinion, every single Mexican restaurant in Bangkok at the present time falls short. Every time that I am in the mood for Mexican food, and I either order out, or I go out to eat, I end up dissatisfied and grouchy. There is no doubt that I am particular about Mexican food... my own family comes from Southern Colorado, and I still remember my great-great grandmother making tortillas by hand, from scratch. There was nothing like a fresh, warm tortilla from her hands. If you made your own.... you just might establish that one point of differentiation that sets you apart from every other place in town. I would buy fresh home-made tortillas. You could sell them. Yes, I am aware that tortillas are sold at Villa and Foodland. I buy them, on occasion, and again, I get grouchy when I eat them, because they just do not compare to grandma's tortillas.

The other thing that really matters to me is, your guacamole needs to be done right. And you need to provide a LOT of it. I really enjoy good guacamole, and I have to resort to making my own when avocados are not too ridiculously priced at the grocery store. It is extremely frustrating to order guacamole for delivery with Mexican food from any of the present restaurants in town, only to receive a pathetically small plastic container that contains an amount equivalent to a couple of ketchup packs. I do not know if avocados are grown in Thailand. If not, you may want to make a deal with a farmer to start a plantation for you, regardless of how long that it will take before the trees become productive, because avocados are one of those fruits that are difficult to come by here, in a place that is otherwise a paradise for fruit. I know that I would purchase avocados every week, if they did not cost 100 baht per piece. I would gladly pay 20 baht per piece. And I would buy a lot of them.

The previous comment on sour cream is also on the money. I think that freshness of these staple items, making them by hand, fresh, daily, would set you very much apart from your competition.

I really enjoy a good echilada. I have yet to encounter one in Bangkok that is satisfactory. The sauces that are foisted on customers in this town suck.

I also miss authentic peppers and eggs. And green pork chile with eggs. There is something to be said for rolling these contents into a fresh hand-made tortilla.

If you want to sum up the way that you can put the other "Mexican" restaurants out of business, just make your food like your grandmother made it.

I do not know, honestly, whether it is possible to teach a Thai how to cook in an authentic Tex-Mex fashion.

I wish you much luck with that, and with your endeavor.

If you have second thoughts.... consider the fact that there are no authentic Philadelphia-style sandwich shops in town. Nowhere to get a real cheese steak sandwich done right. No place to get a real weighty hoagie. Subway... just does not cut it. I never stepped into a Subway franchise back in the states, in the Philadelphia area, because any neighborhood hoagie store run by Italians blew them away. Here... they are pretty much the only game in town. And they still suck.

Anyway, thanks for doing some market research here. I look forward to trying your food.

I personally welcome new Mexican restaurants in Bangkok. I agree that all the one's here are terrible. All of them. What I would give for some Taco Bell right now (not that they are authentic Mexican Food, but oh, so addicting).

However, I am concerned about your location. Mahatun Plaza just doesn't have the foreigners around to draw some good business. Mostly Thai office people around there. Office Thais aren't going to pay 200B-300B for lunch or even dinner. What that location needs is a Tem-IM. Low cost, no frills, Thai food. Come lunch or dinner, every Tem-IM has a line to get in.

Yes ... i agree ...Ploen Chit is not the place for a mexican restaurant.

You are catering for expats !! farang !! most expats are around soi 4 to 33 ..

You need to be on the north side of Nana !!

Believe me ... alot of falang won't go down to Ploen Chit for Mexican food ...but they would go anywhere north of there ..

It's just a location thing ....

Just my opinion..

cheers

I certainly understand your point, kyb78. Mahatun might not really be a great spot for Mexican food. However, I still believe (might not be true) that if the food is good people will follow you. So if can create a buzz then I will be ok, won't I. What do you think? Anyways, if the crowd is not coming to us then we will go to them! It's gotta work one way or another! ; )

All your comments are well noted ma91c1an. You also made me want to eat Philadelphia cheese steak sandwich! LOL... Anyways, thanks for your support and hope to see you at our shop when we open : )

I have to ask why Mexican food in that location? Do you have any Thai customers ready to visit your restaurant? I don't know any Thai's who would even try Mexican food, my wife would rather go hungry than eat Mexican which for a Thai woman is a big deal :-)
Not only are you restricting yourself to a mainly ex-pat customer base, it's also probably only a small part of the ex-pats in Bangkok. I come from Europe where Mexican food does not seem to be very popular and I think you are only likely to be attracting people from the US.

I tend to disagree with the Thais don't eat mexican food. Wife and I have eaten at both T&S and Sunrise. Surprise surprise that if you visit during a lunch hour you will see alot of Thais - and not just those with a farang BF in tow.

When I visit Bangkok, I always make a few visits to the Ploenchit area.
Bangkok Bakery at the J.W. Marriott and Beirut Restaurant in Ploenchit Center to name a few places.

Better an easily accessible location than some of these restaurants tucked away on a side soi off Sukumvit that one has to walk a km. or more to get to, IMO.

In the poll 47% stated food quality as important. IMO, if the food is good and is kept consistently good, you should have no problem in the Ploenchit area.

When I visit Bangkok, I always make a few visits to the Ploenchit area.
Bangkok Bakery at the J.W. Marriott and Beirut Restaurant in Ploenchit Center to name a few places.

Better an easily accessible location than some of these restaurants tucked away on a side soi off Sukumvit that one has to walk a km. or more to get to, IMO.

In the poll 47% stated food quality as important. IMO, if the food is good and is kept consistently good, you should have no problem in the Ploenchit area.

Ploenchit ain't exactly remote, you can walk to the BTS station in 2 minutes from Nana Plaza. Also near the US embassy.

Besides, I think most Americans that like Mexican food are willing to go almost anywhere in Bangkok to get it.

And there's plenty of other bars and restaurants in that area at similar prices that do well and Thais eat at. They're not all just eating 30 baht noodles and drinking lao khao every meal.

I'll definitely be giving the place a try when it opens.

As for Philly Cheesesteaks there used to be an ok place in Ploenchit a couple years ago but it didn't last. I only ate there once because it only had outdoor seating, sorry but I don't want to sit outside in the sun eating a hot cheesesteak during lunch.

This post has been edited by DP25: 2009-09-08 14:19:43

Ploenchit would do ok for the lunch crowd with the embassies and offices in the area - but at night - pretty much pretty dead. Don't count on farangs walking there for a taco at midnight - wrong direction for most.

@ OP:

I like your idea, and wish you success.
However, it seems many here actually want you to open a TexMex restaurant.
IMO, there are already plenty of these. If you want to be unique, stick to your guns.
-----------------------------------
My 2-satang:

Food quality #1
Atmosphere #2
The level of these two will dictate the price range that you can charge.

IMO, if you want be more authentic, please stay far away from Velveta, especially on your nachos, else they will seem like TexMex or 7-11 style "biker nachos" sold in the US.

Stick to jack, longhorn, or queso blanco; these three should cover most all your offerings. If you can find some chihuahua cheese, that would be even nicer for more options. Use of either queso blanco or chihuahua in your cheese enchiladas should set you miles apart from the competition. Or consider mixing queso blanco with jack or longhorn. Yum. The good thing is, queso blanco is easy to make in-house; similar process as ricotta or cottage cheese.

Mexican nachos are simply tortilla chips, longhorn cheese, and jalapenos. If you wish to offer a "super nachos" or "nachos supreme", that is actually TexMex. However, I've seen many Mexican restaurants in the States offer them, so you can probably get away with that, and they might sell well here if done-up nice.

Tacos with crispy shells, lettuce and cheese are TexMex. Real tacos are made with small (palm-sized) steamed corn tortillas, often doubled up, with meat and a cilantro-onion garnish. Served with tomatillo-based "salsa taqueria" or a dried chili salsa, and a lime wedge. I have never seen a real taco in Thailand - and offering this might very well set you apart. But your clientele may also demand what they are more familiar with, TexMex tacos. You might consider offering both.

I don't know what someone else was saying earlier, but machaca and shredded chicken are always prepared in advance, even in upscale Mexican restaurants. They have to be, as they have long prep times. However, what I have seen in Thailand are just so-so. If you can up the ante regarding quality and flavor, that should be to your advantage. Please, never use ground beef in your enchiladas, burritos, tacos, etc.

I have also never seen real carnitas in Thailand. I've seen shredded pork masquerading as carnitas, but it wasn't even close. Also, good carne asada, something else I haven't seen here, might actually sell quite well, IMO. More to consider.

Corn tortillas might be little difficult to make in-house, unless you have a good supply of masa, but you should at minimum make your own flour tortillas. And please do not use baking soda in them. They will puff up just nicely without it, actually better, if you make and cook them correctly.

Someone suggested chimichangas... these are delicious, can be offered as appetizers, and fall into both TexMex and Mexican cuisines.

I would also suggest to consider offering a Sope or Gordita on the menu.... never seen them here as well. Great for lunch or dinner. Might be worth a test, anyway. You would need a supply of masa, in which case you could also offer tamales - something else I haven't seen here, other than the frozen section.

Good luck.

Thanks ChefHeat. Most of your ideas matched with what we've been thinking about and more. : )

ChefHeat, agree with you all the way. Mexican tacos are served with a variety of salsas, (always including salsa casera) by the way, not just the two you mentioned. Sliced red radishes and grilled chiles are also very common additions but as with the aforementioned salsas and cilantro garnish, the customers add these themselves at table. I wonder how available tomatillos are in Thailand?

Although you never see crisp-shell tacos in Mexico, there is a another variation, tacos dorados, where the entire taco is fried (either pan-fried or deep-fried). Not the same as taquitos, which are rolled, the taco dorado is folded and the edges of the tortilla are moistened so that they stay together before the taco hits the oil.

Mexican-owned Tacos & Salsa, IMO, serves the most authentic Mexican-style tacos in Bkk, with soft corn tortillas, as you described, including tacos al pastor. Someone else serving comida mexicana autentica would be a welcome addition, especially in the Ploenchit area, which unlike Sukhumvit, appears to be devoid of Mexican restaurants. I'm assuming that Monita is American, however, and like many Americans he may not be acquainted with real Mexican food. Hence I wonder whether it might be easier for him to approximate Tex-Mex/Ameri-Mex?

Either way (I vote Mexican), good luck, Monita.