Seoul Taco - Solid Lunch Spot On Delmar

Seoul Taco Experience Summary

Seoul Taco is a Korean / Mexican fusion lunch spot on Delmar. It used to be one of my favorite spots for Friday lunches when I worked in the loop in 2019; however, it has changed pretty dramatically since then.

Seoul Taco has become a chain with locations in like three or four different states. As a result, their menu has changed and become simpler and more standardized. They used to have more diversified, funkier options like sweet potato queso gogi bowls. Those were very heavy but fun. Now, it's more Mexican tacos, burritos, and nachos.

Enough reminiscing - my current favorite option is a gogi bowl with optional fried rice. It won't knock your socks off, but you'll return to the office happy. The star of the show is the spicey gochujang pepper sauce. There's some kind of miso that pairs extremely well with the spice, and my whole objective when eating is to maximize the flavor output of the sauce.

You gotta get as many bites as you can with the right ratio of rice to chicken to lettuce to sauce.

The problem is that they only give you crappy plastic forks, so it's actually hard to accomplish the maximization. The surface area of the fork isn't big enough, and it has trouble piercing the lettuce.

I know it sounds silly, but these things matter on the margins. Anyways, the portions are also relatively small, so don't go hungry unless you're also going to order a side of fries.

All in all, for $13 with tip, you should definitely have Seoul Taco in your lunch rotation if you live or work near Delmar.

The Food At Seoul Taco

I'm a sucker for gogi bowls. They have everything I want in a lunch - fried rice, chicken, hot sauce, and lettuce.

Seoul Taco's version has a perfectly done sunnyside-up egg on top, followed by a layer of chicken, then some mixed green salad, and fried rice on the bottom. On the side of the bowl, you'll find the stand-out spicey gochujang pepper sauce.

The spicey gochujang pepper sauce tastes like a perfect mix of miso and sriracha. It's at least a spice level two and probably pushing a spice level three. Eating it straight would require chugging water, so the meal becomes an exercise in sauce optimization.

If you're me, your goal is to get the perfect amount of sauce on each bite.

The kimchi fried rice add-on adds another source of flavor, so you have to balance the sauce with chicken to rice to lettuce to egg on each bite.

The problem is that they only give you plastic utensils, so you should honestly bring a fork to optimize this balancing act. I definitely will the next time I go. The extra mental energy is like trying to eat in the dark; it just doesn't taste quite as good.

I know I sound insane, but trust.

The other "problem" is the portion size is pretty small. I hadn't eaten breakfast the day I went, so I was extra hungry at 12.30. I was still hungry after eating literally every bit of the whole thing.

That being said, I probably would have still been hungry even if I ate at a normal.

Seoul Taco Atmosphere And Miscellaneous

Seoul Taco service is super quick. You order and sit down, and it takes maybe five to ten minutes for them to call your name.

The space is beautiful. It's a hip, Chipotle feel with a big open space and neon signs. When you order, you can see into the kitchen and old arcade games are spread around.

The vibe in the restaurant is great.

Parking At Seoul Taco

Parking on Delmar is pretty standard - the key is not to park on the street. I parked in the lot behind Seoul Taco, and there was plenty of parking there at 1230 on a Friday.

Parking is always like that, in my experience. You can park in any of these off-street free lots and only be a ten-minute walk to any place on Delmar.

Seoul Taco Receipt