Knock has rolled out a popular combo of American comfort food, cult sneakers and party atmosphere since mid-2015. Inside this whitewashed Thonglor shop-house you’ll find a second floor devoted to drinking and dining, and a third showcasing new and old kicks. The long, narrow restaurant floor is lined with street art, while the projector out back flits between Vice Munchies documentaries, American sports and old-school hip-hop videos. In other words, the place is cool, if a little collegiate.

 

A recent change of concept sees half the menu now devoted to Mexican street eats from chef Billy Bautista of La Monita. As you might expect, these new additions are largely inspired, most notably the chalupa, a Mexican take on Chicago deep-dish pizza, with toppings like seasoned ground beef (B290) and chicken chorizo (B270). With its dense layers of cheese, peppers and tomato, the beef pizza looks an intense proposition, but the corn tortilla base makes for a relative light bite. Another hit are the tacos vampiros, made by grilling the tortilla and cheese until crisp, before throwing in fi llings like beef barbacoa (pulled beef chuck, B350/two pieces). Crunchy and succulent.

 

The other half of the menu, devised by chef Chalee Kader, doesn’t always reach these heights. The duck confit mac ‘n’ cheese (B450) is not only bland but also a chore to eat—we see no reason to plop a full duck leg into this mound of mushy macaroni and bechamel. No amount of rubbery bacon can save it. Much better are the fried chicken and waffles cupcakes (B180), featuring little golden morsels of chicken and delicious maple cream. Basically this is no place for a dieter, with just two salads—including the rich and smoky corn, yogurt and bacon salad (B250), which hardly counts.

 

With regular parties and very-good-very-strong drinks, this can be a happening place, but we’d think twice about visiting on a quiet mid-week night. Overall, Knock has enough substance to go with the style, and can now claim to have some of the most exciting Mexican food on the strip. Corkage B300 (wine, Champagne), B500 (liquor).

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This review took place in September 2016 and is based on a visit to the restaurant without the restaurant's knowledge. For more on BK's review policy, click here.