…at Sunrise Taco! Yes, I know I’m corny. I also know that this Mexican taco/burrito bar has been receiving raving reviews ever since it opened its doors three months ago, and a second branch has already been established at Emporium. Pretty darn good, if you ask me. And that goes double for the food.

If you haven’t already seen Sunrise Taco’s website, you should check it out and tell me that just reading the introduction doesn’t make your mouth water and burn with curiosity of how fresh everything is. Everything here is freshly made, and they boast that their corn tortillas are made from 100% fresh ground corn.

Now, before you go and picture yourself in a fancy stuck-up Mexican restaurant, let me tell you that Sunrise Taco is a small but friendly place. When I pushed open the glass door into the humble shop, the first thing that hit me was the overwhelming smell of Mexican spices. It was enough to make me salivate as I scanned the overhead menu to take my pick.

Let me explain how things work at Sunrise Tacos, as first-time visitors may find it slightly confusing (and a bit intimidating, since the place is always packed with regular customers who seem to know what they’re doing). Behind a glass display, there is a little area where you can see your delicacies being prepared, and on top of this display case is a stack of order forms for customers to fill out to customize their tacos and burritos. First, you pick what type of shells you want for your gourmet tacos (crispy corn tortilla, soft corn tortilla and soft flour tortilla), and then there are a variety of fillings (chicken, ground beef, carnitas, carne asada, barbacoa beef, and grilled vegetables). Next, you pick the toppings (lettuce, onions, jalapeños) and your choice of salsa (Fresh Tomato Salsa, Sunrise Salsa, Mucho Mango Salsa, or John’s Red Hot Salsa). Finally, you can pick either cheddar cheese or sour cream as a final topping (if you want both, you pay 10 baht extra for each taco and 29 baht for each burrito). All the ingredients have been prepared beforehand in the back kitchen and are stored in little containers behind the glass display, so once the staff receives your order form, your food is prepared in a manner that is very similar to an assembly line. Once your food reaches the end of the assembly line, it is placed in a basket covered with thin paper.

Opposite the glass display and pushed up against the window, a counter that seats 7 people looks out into the parking lot and the outside dining area. Okay, I say “dining area” but what I really mean is there are 3 mini tables outside that can seat up to about 9 more patrons (if you don’t mind squishing).

I’m a big taco fan so I ordered three tacos. (Listed in order of consumption):

The first taco: crispy-shelled-carnitas-filled taco with mango salsa and cheese & sour cream toppings (59 baht). The crispy shell lived up to its name and was very crispy, and the carnitas (roasted pork simmered with spices and then pulled apart into strips) was very tender and moist. The mango salsa, with chunky bits of ripe mango, chopped red onions and a bit of cilantro, was sweet and tangy at the same time. As I took a bite, the crunchy tortilla broke and all the juicy flavors of salty smoky pork pieces, sweet soft mangoes, rich sour cream and cheese came seeping out. To sum it up in one word: amazing!

The second taco: crispy-shelled-barbacoa-beef taco with fresh tomato salsa, sour cream and cheese (59 baht). Like the carnitas, the barbacoa beef was so delicately soft that even a grandmother with dentures can probably chew through this. The beef had more hint of spices than the pork, and tasted like it was seasoned with cloves, although I can’t be certain. The Fresh Tomato Salsa contained chopped tomatoes, chopped onions and cilantro. It was refreshing, mildly spicy, and went great with the barbecued beef. (And in case you’re wondering, barbacoa is Spanish for barbecue.)

The third taco: soft-corn-tortilla-with-carne-asada taco topped with Sunrise Salsa, sour cream and cheese (59 baht). I’m more of a hard-shelled tortilla kind of girl but decided to give soft shell a go. The thin tortilla wasn’t that bad, although I’d rather stick to hard shells. It didn’t help that I ate this taco last, so the liquid from the meat and salsa made the tortilla soggy. The store gives a generous amount of filling and as I bit into the taco, the cubed steaks tumbled out with some of the toppings. Of the three fillings I had, I liked carne asada the least since it wasn’t as flavorful. My friend swears by it and everytime he goes to Sunrise Tacos, he would have carne asada, so I guess to each his/her own. If you like your tacos a bit spicy, you’ll love Sunrise Salsa. Consisting of puréed tomatoes, jalapeño peppers, chopped cilantro and spices, it adds that extra zing for a more adventurous experience. (Or you can try John’s Red Hot Salsa, which is said to “dodge bullets”. I still can’t muster up the guts to try this one!)

On my previous trip to Sunrise Tacos, I also tried the ground beef taco (49 baht with extra topping). It was too dry and beefy for my taste, so I’ll stick to the more gourmet fillings.

Besides tacos and burritos, Sunrise Tacos also has other menus such as quesadillas, nachos and salads. Jane had the Nachos Supreme (149 baht) and it came heaping with crispy tortilla chips, melted cheddar cheese, sour cream, jalapeños, salsa and filling (same choice as tacos/burritos). Basically, tacos on a huge plate minus the lettuce and onions. A bit on the pricey side although one serving is enough to fill up a little girl or a small person. (Jane couldn’t finish hers so…*ahem*…I had to help. It would be a sin to leave leftovers!)

On top of this, Sunrise Tacos brags about their frozen margaritas, which are made from “REAL tequila, REAL triple-sec and REAL fresh-squeezed limes”. I didn’t have a chance to try them yet, but for those non-alcoholic types, virgin margaritas are also available.

So now that our bellies are full and our eyes droopy, it’s time to pay. Payment is made at the cashier (duh!) where you give them your name and your bill will magically pop up. Okay, I’m kidding. I forgot to say that when you fill out your order form, you also have to put your name on top so they can hunt you down should you decide to make a run for it.

Sunrise Tacos
236/3-4 Sukhumvit Rd.
(Next to Time Square Building)
Klongtoey, Bangkok
Thailand 10110
Tel: 02-229-4851
Open: 24 hours

Categories: Restaurant Review
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