Celebrate mum with a new flavour of love across cultures through these five ethnic food spots.

August always feels like a quiet checkpoint, a reminder that the year’s racing by faster than expected. But in Thailand, it also means one thing, Mother’s Day is around the corner.

If flowers and the usual high tea feel a little too predictable, maybe it’s time to switch things up. This year might just be the moment to explore something different. Why not take mum on a culinary adventure that spans continents without leaving the city?

Koktail has handpicked a series of story-rich restaurants serving everything from fiery Mexican plates to soulful Filipino comfort food. It’s the perfect excuse to try something new together and toast the woman who’s been there through every course of your life.

1/5 Philippines: Kalamansi Kafe

Filipino Comfort at Its Best with Dishes That Feel Like Home

Named after the small citrus fruit that’s essential in Filipino cuisine, Kalamansi Kafe delivers food that feels both homespun and worldly. The menu reflects the layered history of the Philippines–Chinese, Malay, Spanish, and American culinary influences are folded into the recipes. You’ll find dishes like chicharron bulaklak, crispy pork ruffles with garlic and vinegar, and kinilaw, the Filipino answer to ceviche, using sashimi-grade tuna, cane vinegar, ginger, and cucumber.

The kitchen also serves up hefty Filipino classics like pork sisig, sizzling chopped pork cheek seasoned with calamansi and chilli, and kare-kare bagnet, a peanut stew topped with crispy pork belly. Inihaw na bangus, or grilled milkfish, arrives with charred eggplant and tomato salad, while sugpo sa gata, prawns cooked in coconut milk, shows the country’s tropical flavour at its best.

This is not a polished fine-dining spot but rather a warm, convivial space where the food does the talking. It’s a good pick for a mum who enjoys hearty meals, generous portions, and casual, friendly service.

101, 11 Suan Phlu Rd, Thung Maha Mek, Sathon, Bangkok

2/5 Mexico: Santiaga

A Modern Mexican Tasting Experience Rooted in Cantina Culture

Santiaga isn’t a standard taco-and-margarita kind of place. It’s an exploration of Mexico’s cantina culture, guided by Chef Mauricio Rosales Ungson, who draws from his Mexico City upbringing and global training. Through an eight-course tasting menu, he reinterprets the cantina spirit as a space for ritual, rebellion, and connection.

Expect to find mole amarillo, one of Oaxaca’s revered moles, paired with slow-braised wagyu short rib. Then there’s camarón a la vainilla, a bold combination of hickory-grilled prawn, smoky morita chilli, and sacred Mexican vanilla. Each course is accompanied by a meticulously crafted cocktail or mocktail designed to amplify the dish’s essence–smoky, citrusy, or herbal.

Santiaga is a theatre of technique and tradition, great for a mum who enjoys culinary storytelling and a setting that’s contemporary but rooted in heritage.

Reservations are required by calling 092-272-8003, with a price of THB 2,500++ per person, with vegetarian options available.

888, Above Billy’s Smokehouse, 23-24 Phloen Chit Rd, Lumphini, Pathum Wan, Bangkok

3/5 Myanmar-Yunnan Border: Namsu

Shan Fermentation and Borderland Flavours in a Design-Driven Space

Namsu takes a different route. It’s not strictly Burmese, Chinese, or Thai, but a culinary intersection shaped by history, migration, and fermentation. Helmed by Chef Honey Rae Zenang who was born in Muse, a town just steps away from the Chinese border, the restaurant echoes the cross-cultural identity of Shan cuisine (a region located between northeastern Myanmar, Yunnan province, and Thailand).

Shan food is built on fermentation with vinegar, soy-based ingredients, and punchy herbal notes. Namsu’s name itself is derived from vinegar, a tribute to its transformative role in food and culture. Expect elevated versions of Shan food–think pickled tea leaf salads, spicy rice noodles, and dishes that pair beautifully with sake, a nod to the chef’s time in Tokyo.

Designer Saran Yen Panya has turned the restaurant’s space into a restaurant that “there is no other like this in Bangkok”, mixing temple mosaics, red earth tones, and architectural forms unique to Shan State. This one is for the mum who appreciates lesser-known stories told through food and design.

2nd Floor, 306 Santiphap Rd, Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Bangkok

4/5 Latin America: Carito’s Bangkok

Latin Classics Reimagined with Local Produce and a Seriously Good Mood

Set inside a multi-level shophouse, Carito’s is Sarnies Group’s modern take on Latin American cuisine. It’s the kind of place where you walk in for a meal but end up staying for the wine bar and its mood. The menu pulls from the Andes to the Amazon, showcasing reinterpretations of classics using local produce.

Beef shank barbacoa, slow-cooked for six hours, is paired with mole poblano and mojo verde. Sea bream aguachile comes alive with watermelon, finger lime, and chamomile salt. The wine list focuses on South American vineyards, from Argentina and Chile to Uruguay, while the cocktails include inventive takes like guava pisco sour and Oaxacan old-fashioned.

For non-drinkers, house-made ferments such as sourdough & honey mead and tepache (a spiced fermented pineapple drink) offer just as much depth. Carito’s is ideal for a mum who likes her flavours big, her wine list tight, and her nights a bit longer than expected.

District, 549 Sukhumvit Alley 22, Khlong Tan, Bangkok

5/5 South America: Guilty Bangkok

Vibrant Latin Dining with Theatrical Plates and High-Energy

Guilty, set inside Anantara Siam, feels more like a Latin lounge than a hotel dining room. Neon lights, lush courtyard views, and Latin music come together to create a scene that’s as lively as the food.

Chef Axel Javier Mancera, who’s worked across Mexico, Dubai, and Doha, brings theatricality to every plate. From crab croquettes with uni mayo and jicama mango salad to Brazilian wagyu picanha, and banana latina for dessert, the lunch set menu offers a well-paced, three-course experience at THB 900++.

Signature dishes like uni guacamole, prepared tableside, combine creamy avocado with sea urchin and Thai herbs. It’s a dish that captures the restaurant’s ethos: maximal flavour with a personal touch. This is the perfect place if your mum loves Latin rhythms, vibrant presentations, and a high-energy atmosphere.

155 Ratchadamri Rd, Lumphini, Pathum Wan, Bangkok

So instead of queuing up for the same high tea or revisiting familiar haunts, this Mother’s Day could be a chance to travel across continents in one city.

Bangkok’s ethnic dining scene is more diverse and layered than ever before, offering both delicious meals and windows into different cultures. At the very least, it’s a way of saying thanks to your mum with something thoughtful, and a little unexpected.