Baan Thai – Pan Asian Restaurant Bar

San Jose del Cabo, Los Cabos, Mexico

This restaurant is closed – circa 2018

Conveniently located in historical downtown San Jose del Cabo, Baan Thai Restaurant & Bar is set in a 150 year old colonial home. The unique mixture of colonial architecture, Asian teak, and bamboo furnishings gives an exotic, “other-world” feel to the relaxing atmosphere.

Chef-Owner, Carl Marts’s commitment to provide the best service and food has resulted in an electic menu of dishes from Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, and China, using all fresh ingredients and herbs. The wine list features a vast range of wines from the United States, Latin America, and Australia, all carefully chosen to compliment the exceptional dishes served.Air conditioned and open from 12 noon to 10PM Monday through Saturday, Baan Thai is perfect for a leisurely lunch, or a special dinner. A private patio is available for large groups.

It may be a bit hard to find if you don’t know San Jose del Cabo, but not to worry, all the cabbies know exactly where it is. You certainly won’t miss it when you’re in the neighborhood, especially once you get a whiff of the exotic Far Eastern spices and seasonings ranging from coconut milk, Thai basil, mint, curry, garlic, chiles, peanut sauce and other delicious aromas from the distant world of the Pacific Rim.
That’s not all that goes into these dishes, all carefully overseen by Baan Thai Owner and Chef, Carl Marts.

Chef Carl Marts was the winner of the 2000 U.S. Meat Export Culinary competition. Shortly after winning the competition he was invited to prepare a dinner at the James Beard House in New York, a very rare honor. Marts is no stranger to Los Cabos or fine cuisine. For more than a decade he was the Executive Chef of Hotel Twin Dolphin, an exclusive hideaway in the Corridor nestled on the cliffs next to Bahia Santa Maria. Some nights the clientele would be as much local residents as guests, returning for dinner season after season to taste Marts wonderful creations using fresh local ingredients with a sophisticated twist.

As the years went by, Marts felt he needed a fresh challenge and when the opportunity came up to acquire Baan Thai, he decided to take a chance and do something completely different.

Baan Thai seats 80 at full capacity with indoor air-conditioned comfort and beautifully crafted antique solid teak tables and chairs and artifacts. The exotic outdoor rear patio with unusual Indonesian bamboo tables and chairs under a palapa roof, and enough greenery to have you believe you are really in a jungle setting somewhere near the South China Sea.

The menu is much larger than you would think possible given the compact kitchen, ranging from traditional wok dishes like Pad Thai, a combination of Thai rice noodles with dried shrimp, pork, and chicken with combined with bean sprouts and a slightly spicy peanut based sauce. The Tom Yum Soup, a tasty chicken in coconut milk with mushrooms and lemon grass is sure to bring you back a second night for its exquisite flavor. The Daily Catch is prepared with Lemon Black Bean Sauce, seared in the wok and then steamed with mushrooms, black beans and green onions – delicious, light, and very flaky.

Meat lovers will appreciate the Brandy Garlic Lamb Chops, served with a Hoisen Peanut Sauce, or the Duck with Cilantro, Chalice and Garlic, a decadent stir fry, and very satisfying. Curries are well represented with the fiery Thai Coconut Chicken Curry, simmered in a spicy green curry and served with jasmine rice. For red curry lovers, the Pineapple Shrimp Curry is spicy, with succulent shrimp and tropical highlights. Vegetarians will be in heaven at Baan Thai where most of the dishes can be modified to suit almost any diet. For once there’s a place to eat more than beans and quesadillas!

Baan Thai boasts a very respectable wine list and their by the glass prices are some of the most reasonable around. A well stocked bar awaits those with a penchant for stronger spirits. It’s always best to reserve ahead at Baan Thai if you want a special table, or have a preference for the patio. Open from noon to 10:pm, Baan Thai is air-conditioned and is closed Sundays.

This restaurant is closed – circa 2018