Authentic Mexican Food at Sunrise Tacos Bangkok: A Foodie’s Dream Come True!

• Sunrise Tacos Bangkok is a popular chain of Mexican restaurants in Thailand.
• In fact, there are 10 Sunrise Tacos Mexican Grills scattered around Bangkok and one in the seaside resort of Pattaya.
• Sunrise Tacos serves authentic Mexican food with some Tex-Mex and Cali-Mex influences.
• Their killer Margaritas are among the best Margaritas in the Land of Smiles

 

The Back Story

I had been taken to a Sunrise Tacos Mexican Grill on one of my first trips to Bangkok by an American friend who lives there. It was love at first bite. And I always tried to eat there at least one time on subsequent trips to the Big Mangol

I had just checked into the Maduzi Hotel in the Asoke section of Bangkok. I was craving Mexican food, so I checked on line to see if there were any Sunrise Mexican Grills nearby.

I was in luck! There was an outlet in Terminal21, one of Bangkok’s largest shopping malls. In fact, I had eaten there on a previous trip to Thailand. But I wasn’t sure exactly where Terminal21 was in relation to my hotel. So I consulted Google Maps, which indicated it was a short walk from the hotel I had just checked into.

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I found my way to an elevated walkway, which runs under the BTS Skytrain tracks over Sukhumvit Road, one of Bangkok’s busiest thoroughfares. According to the map, the mall was a 20-minute walk from where I was standing.

But which direction to walk in? I tried asking for directions, but it was no use. Nobody understood when I asked, “Which way is Terminal21?”

So I started walking and walking and walking. After 20 minutes, I checked Google Maps again, and I was still a 20 minutes’ walk away. I turned around and headed back in the opposite direction.

I checked again. Same thing. I was still 20 minutes from Terminal21.

I decided to walk down the stairs and try walking along Sukhumvit Road. Despite walking up and down the bustling street, I couldn’t find Terminalp21.

Eventually, I gave up and decided to skip dinner and have a foot massage instead. I was becoming more tired than hungry. And there was no shortage of day spas on Sukhumvit Road!

The following day, I decided to give it another go and have lunch at Sunrise Tacos Bangkok. I ascended the same stairs I had ascended the night before to the elevated walkway.

Lo and behold, there it was! Terminal21 was practically across the street. In fact, it was located kitty-corner from my starting point. How could I have missed it? So much for Google Maps!

Sunrise Tacos Bangkok

There are dozens of Mexican restaurants or restaurants claiming to serve Mexican food in Bangkok. And Sunrise Tacos Mexican Grill is undoubtedly the largest Mexican restaurant chain in the Big Mango.

To clarify, there are fully 10 Sunrise Tacos in Bangkok and one Sunrise Tacos Mexican Grill in Pattaya, a beach resort roughly 95 miles (or 150 kilometers) south of Bangkok. In addition, the chain has another Bangkok restaurante mexicano – Margarita Storm, which is located at Sukhumvit Soi 13.

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Many of the Sunrise Tacos Bangkok eateries are located in shopping malls, such as Promenade Mall on Ramintra Road in Khannayao, La Salle’s Avenue Mall on Lasalle-Bearing Road, Mega Bangna in Samui Prakan, Sam Big C Ekamai, and Terminal21 in Asoke – which is the focus of this review.

In addition, there are Bangkok Sunrise Tacos in storefronts on main drags and back alleys.

I’ve dined at several of the Sunrise Tacos restaurants over the years, and while they shared the same menu, each one had a different personality.

One distinguishing feature is that most of the Sunrise Tacos Mexican Grills have self-serve salsa bars.

But there are a few exceptions. Unfortunately, the Sunrise Tacos Mexican Grill at Terminal 21 in Asoke was one of them. I’m assuming that there wasn’t enough room to accommodate one. Oh, well …

Sunrise Tacos Mexican Grill – the Menu

The menu at Sunrise Tacos Bangkok is divided into three sections: drinks, food, and desserts.

The Sunrise Mexican Grill Menu starts with drinks. In addition to Lime Margaritas, there are Strawberry and Mango Margaritas, but I cant tell you how they taste. I only ordered the lime margarites.

You can also order 100% Jose Cuervo Especial Reposada and Pepe Lopez Gold 100% agave tequilas as well as Patron Silver, Patron Reposado, Patron Amejo, and Patron Citronge.

Other beverages include Horchata, a cinnamon rice milk; frosty fruit freezes, soft drinks, and beers.

The food menu at Sunrise Tacos Bangkok runs from Homemade Chips and Guacamole to All American Southwest Cheeseburgers and Fresh Hand Cut Fries.

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In between, you will find Starters, Soups, Salads, Tacos, Burritos, Fajitas, Quesadillas, Enchiladas, and Off-the-Grill Especialiades de la Casa. And if you’re vegan, yes, there are a few vegan choices.

The Sunrise Tacos Bangkok dessert menu includes homemade pies and cakes. I’m afraid I never had room left to try one of their desserts. Their servings are very generous!

My Recommendations

I spent a total of 50 weeks in Thailand on this particular trip, and during fully 35 of them, I was staying at Jono Bangkok Asok Hotel, which was right next to the Maduzi Hotel and a 10 minute walk from Terminal 21.  

I got to know the neighborhood well, and I tried many of the nearby restaurants, becoming a frequent visitor at several of them. Sunrise Tacos was one of the ones I frequented most frequently.

Margaritas

Are the Sunrise Gold Margaritas at Sunrise Tacos Bangkok the best Margaritas in Thailand? That’s a hard call. All I know is, I had a hard time not ordering a second round.

I never tried either the Strawberry or the Mango Margarita. To me, there is only one type of Margarita, and that is a Lime Margarita.

The only question is: frozen or on the rocks?

Crispy Tacos

I liked the USA Cowboy Tacos because I usually prefer crispy tortillas to soft tortillas. They came with premium ground beef, cheddar cheese, lettuce, and Pico de Gallo.

I would usually accompany this with Mexican rice and beans and Guacamole. This was always a satisfying lunch or dinner.

BTW, if you don’t know what pico de gallo is, it a kind of fresh salsa made entirely of uncooked ingredients, which usually include chopped tomatoes and onions, cilantro, fresh chiles, lime juice, and salt.

Regarding salsa, it is a more general term, and there are many variations,. Also, it is sometimes made of fresh ingredients, but it can also be made of made of cooked ingredients.

Soft Tacos

While I usually prefer crispy tacos, I sometimes want a change of pace, so I would order soft tacos. The Carne Asada Tacos were made with shredded beef, which was folded into corn tortillas, which were lightly grilled.

They were topped with onion, fresh cilantro, and Sunrise Salsa. I usually ordered a side of Mexican rice and beans and guacamole.

BTW, if you don’t know what carne asada is, it is a kind of grilled meat that has been marinated. And that meat is usually beef.

Burritos

For a change of pace, I would occasionally order a burrito, and my favorite was the Classic Sunrise Grilled Chicken Burrito.

It was filled with grilled chicken, Mexican rice, refried beans, cheese, and Sunrise salsa. Pictured here, it was served San Francisco style.

In other words, it was wrapped in foil rather than served with enchilada sauce and melted cheese.

Flautas

The Chicken Flautas were a pleasant surprise! Listed on the menu as a “starter,” they were certainly large enough to serve as a one-course lunch or dinner.

The three flautas were filled with chicken sauteed in garlic, fresh cilantro, and other spices.

And they were topped with Enchilada Sauce, Sour Cream, and Avocado Salsa – the colors of the tri-color Mexican flag.

Enchiladas

One afternoon, I had lunch with the American friend who had first introduced me to Sunrise Tacos Bangkok many years earlier, and she said the Chicken Enchiladas were her favorite dish.

After giving them a try, they became my favorite dish, too. You had a choice of three eight-inch flour or three six-inch corn tortillas, which were filled with slow-cooked pulled chicken with a creamy avocado sauce and melted cheese. They came with pinto beans and rice.

I must say, they were mouthwateringly delicious!

Build Your Own Tacos

As I was having a difficult time deciding what to order during one of my many visits to Sunrise Tacos Mexican Grill, one of the waiters came over to my table and suggested I try ordering a Build Your Own Tacos.

I had seen that option on the menu, but I mistakenly thought it meant they would bring the various ingredients to the table (cooked, of course), and I would have to assemble the tacos myself.

“No!” the waiter laughed. “Let me get you a form!”

This simplified things considerably. First, I could choose either one taco or three tacos. Next I could choose the type of tortilla I wanted: soft corn, crunchy corn, or soft flour.

Then I could choose from 12 types of meat or veggies. These included:

• Three types of chicken: grilled, shredded, or chipotle chicken chorizo.
• Three kinds of beef: Australian ground beef, carne asada steak, or barbacoa shredded beef.
• Two kinds of pork: al pastor or carnitas.
• Two kinds of vegan: fire roasted bell peppers and onions or refried pinto beans and cheese.
• Two kinds of plant based: Beyond Beef or Wonder Meat.

 

Finally, I had to indicate which type of salsa – there were 10 types, ranging from mild to medium to hot.

Did I want cheddar cheese or sour cream? What about cilantro or chopped onions? And what about side dishes? Choices included:

• Guacamole.
• Rice and beans.
• Small salad.
• Tortilla chips and and salsa.

 

Tacos Built My Way

I must say, this simplified things considerably! I was no longer locked into ordering tacos the way they were described on the menu. I could mix and match the ingredients, switching between the various types of chicken, beef, and pork on each visit. I never tried the vegan or plant-based options.

Sometimes I would accompany the tacos with rice and beans, and sometimes I would opt for a side salad.

But there were two constants: I invariably ordered a side of guacamole, and I almost always washed them down with a Margarita! Lime, of course!

 Magnifico!

Chicken Salsa Fresca

I only discovered the Chicken Salsa Fresca a few days before departing Bangkok, and if I had noticed it earlier, I would probably have ordered it more often.

It was a very hot day – even by Bangkok standards! – so I wanted something light. That’s when I noticed the Chicken Salsa Fresca under the heading of “Off the Grill & Especiales de la Casa.”

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Described as a “delicious healthy alternative,” it comprised grilled chicken breast marinaded in Adobo, a mixture of paprika, oregano, salt, garlic, and vinegar. It was served with Pico de Gallo, Mexican rice, and grilled mixed vegetables.

OMG! It was absolutely delicious! And I didn’t need to rush back to my hotel for a siesta!

The Ambiance

The Sunrise Tacos Mexican Grill at Terminal21 was situated on the gigantic mall’s 4th floor, which has a San Francisco theme. There is even a large replica of the Golden Gate Bridge and other San Francisco landmarks.

The dining area of this Sunrise Tacos Bangkok outlet was open to the mall, rather than being enclosed, but that did not interfere with the dinning experience. In fact, I enjoyed watching the world pass by.

Since it was on the 4th floor, the amount of foot traffic was relatively light.

The Service

The staff at the Sunrise Tacos Mexican Grill in Terminal21 were both friendly and professional. They all spoke excellent English, so communication was never a problem. And they were willing always to accommodate special requests.

The Verdict

The Sunrise Tacos Mexican Grill at Terminal21 offers a delightful dining experience. Situated on the 4th floor of the mall, the open dining area provides a pleasant atmosphere to enjoy a meal while observing the bustling mall.

I dined there countless times during my extended stay in Bangkok. I give Sunrise Tacos an enthusiastic two thumbs up

The Location

Sunrise Tacos Mexican Grill – Terminal 21 – 4th Floor (San Francisco), Terminal 21 Shopping Mall, Asoke, Bangkok, Thailand.

The Sunrise Tacos Bangkok branch at Terminal 21 is one of several Sunrise Tacos outlets scattered about the Big Mango. Located on the 4th floor, it is a short walk from the Asoke station of the Skytrain and the Sukhumvit station of the MRT underground.