Bangkok's best Spanish and Mexican restaurants
At these 10 top restaurants you'll find full-flavored dishes and drinks served with Latin flair.
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7 years ago
Spanish
Islero
A modern, geometric mood dominates this space at the foot of Athenee Tower. It’s upscale, luxurious, sexy and pricey-looking, but the whole vibe is more laidback sophistication than stiff fine dining. The restaurant takes on the traditional end of Spanish cuisine and presents it in a contemporary style, with the menu featuring classics like Iberico ham croquettes, grilled octopus tentacles served with beans in Castilian stew, baked fish fillet with potatoes and almonds and, the highlight, Josper-grilled Segovian-style suckling pig, imported from Spain. Other dishes go the modern route, like spherical olive and deconstructed Spanish omelet served in the form of cream and espuma in a martini glass.
Athenee Tower, 63 Wireless Rd., 02-1688100. Open daily 11am-2pm, 5pm-midnight, BTS Phloen Chit
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Osito
Osito trades off the contagious, fun vibes of its neighbor, La Monita Mexican restaurant (see below), while also bringing its own dose of informal, after-work style. The casual place features a semi-open kitchen, where you can get a peek of the crew at work as well as a bar counter where they stock a solid lineup of gin. While sticking to Spanish flavors, the chef plays around with almost-entirely local products. The menu features his takes on traditional pulpo a la gallega (boiled octopus on potato slices), tortilla espanola (Spanish omelet), and a variety of rotating pintxos (pieces of bread with toppings). Our fave: his pressed sandwich with cobra goat cheese and chorizo.
Mahatun Plaza, 888/23-24 Phloen Chit Rd., 02-651-4399. BTS Phloen Chit
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Toro
This Barcelona-inspired tapas bar is the brainchild of two celebrity chefs, Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette, who have both won James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef Northeast award, the Oscars of the culinary world. The US branches’ modern tapas concept is adapted to suit local ingredients and palates, resulting in Bangkok-only dishes like the seared foie gras served with roselle sauce, shimeji mushroom and mangosteen. We especially like the flavorful combo of asado de huesos, which sees bone marrow and oxtail marmalade served with radish citrus salad and cocoa nib. Also don’t miss their churros—perfectly crisp yet moist inside, with a hint of banana in the mix.
72 Courtyard, 72 Sukhumvit Soi 55 (Thonglor), 02-392-7790 | Exclusively for Citi credit cardmembers: |
Barcelona Gaudi
The work of Catalonia’s most famous son, architect Antoni Gaudi, inspired the facade of this two-story restaurant. Its floor-to-ceiling windows are framed by organic, cave-like pillars, while inside you’ll find a space that’s somewhat more ordinary. Typical Spanish and French-influenced Catalan-style dishes dominate the place. The laminated menu placemats include all the Spanish classics like croquettes, Spanish omelet and garlic prawns. A highlight here is the hearty paella. Traditional Catalan dishes include the fideua (noodle paella) and mandonguilles (pork meatballs with squid).
Le Premier 1 Condominium, Sukhumvit Soi 23, 02-661-7410. MRT Sukhumvit
Uno Mas
Nestled up on the 54th floor of Centara Grand at CentralWorld, this restaurant offers the best views of the lot. Those panoramic cityscapes are even better thanks to the open windows (nighttime only) and breeze allowed through.Some 40-odd hot and cold tapas dominate the menu, alongside a selection of very fancy cold cuts like Joselito ham (self-described as the best Iberian ham in the world and recipient of some serious foodie praise too). But the really exciting stuff is the Josper oven-roasted Cochinillo suckling pig. There’s also a top-drawer list of Spanish reds and whites, with a total of 36 wines offered by the glass.
Uno Mas, 54/F, Centara Grand at CentralWorld, 999/99 Rama 1 Rd., 02-100-6255. BTS Siam
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Mexican
Touché Hombre
This Australian-hailing bar blends Mexican booze, street art and hip-hop tunes into a space that transitions seamlessly from dinner into a night out. Along with a dangerously good line of tequila and mezcal (try the Tommy’s Margarita), the place also serves some excellent Mexican food. Indulge in richly-spiced chillies, house-made tortillas and chips, and perfectly grilled corn on the cob with chipotle mayo, cotijia cheese and lime.The not-to-be-missed tacos don’t only stand out for the perfectly soft corn tortillas but also fillings that go beyond carnitas and refried beans to the likes of octopus and chorizo, and roast duck and seared foie gras.
1/F, 72 Courtyard, 72 Sukhumvit Soi 55 (Thonglor),
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Mexicano
Rembrandt hotel’s Mexican institution steers toward a traditional direction. Mexican head chef Carlos Bravo presents classic Mexican specialties including freshly smashed guacamole, refreshing tuna and sea bass ceviche, fajitas (grilled meat) and tacos. We especially like the thick, six-hour-braised Angus beef rib, which come smothered with pumpkin-seedy, flavorful green mole sauce. Another highlight is the new lamb chop with chocolate mole dish. The bar features a wide selection of tequila with a focus on classic Mexican cocktails. Dinner gets more fun with music from lively Latin band.
1/F, Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok, 19 Sukhumvit Soi 18, 02-261-7100. BTS Asok
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Tacos & Salsa
Tacos & Salsa sits in a cozy, colorful house decorated with hand-painted works by one of the owners. The friendly eatery goes down the traditional route and rolls out favorites like guacamole and tortilla soup, as well as rarer items including the Yucatan specialty pork pibil huaraches (slow-roasted pork with achiote, orange and other Mexican spices, sitting atop a refried-beans-stuffed tortilla) and taco dorados (deep-fried tortilla filled with pork carnitas and topped with cabbage, tomato salsa, cheese, sour cream and guacamole).
21/3 Sukhumvit Soi 18, 02-663-6366. BTS Asok
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La Monita Mexican Urban Cantina
This sleek mall branch of the much-loved Mexican joint La Monita Taqueria goes well beyond regular Tex-Mex by adding creative and seasonal ingredients to Mexican classics; think braised beef tongue tacos, duck carnitas quesadillas (and guacamole made with pineapple or mango. There’s also a nod to Peruvian-Japanese cuisine with the Ceviche Nikkei (yellow fin tuna cured in wasabi-soy leche de tigre). A well-stocked bar serves Mexican cocktails like margarita as well as other modern classics.
7/F, The Helix Quartier, Emquartier, Sukhumvit Rd., 02-003- 6238. BTS Phrom Phong
Other branches: Mahatun Plaza, Phloen Chit Rd., 02-650-9581. BTS Phloen Chit., Siam Paragon, 02-650-9581
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Mejico
This Bangkok offshoot of Sydney-born restaurant Mejico does away with Mexican restaurant cliches and instead goes for a cosmopolitan, cocktail-bar kind of feel. And the food menu, taken up by small plates just match the vibes. The chef plays with classic dishes and present his own take on stylishly-plated dishes like deep-fried jalapeno poppers (feta cheese-stuffed jalapeno peppers) and soft shell crab tacos (fried soft shell crab, apple-mango coleslaw and cumin). The drinks menu is huge, and reads like a Wikipedia page on Mexican alcohol thanks to over 200 carefully described labels of tequila and mescal.
Mejico, 2/F, Groove @ CentralWorld, Rama 1 Rd., 02-252-6660. BTS Siam
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