Vatos Urban Tacos

With all the praise and hype this place has received, I couldn’t help but to be a little skeptical on my visit.  I’m going to start off by saying that overall the food was fantastic and I definitely recommend this place.  With that said, I’m going to be a little more nitpicky than some of the other reviews I’ve read on this place.

these were just okay

So they first start you off with their “chips” which seem more like deep fried taco shells.  I liked the dipping sauces they provided, but the texture of chips were kinda off.  Some parts were nice and crisp, but other parts were kinda chewy like they weren’t fried long enough.  No refills on the chips.  Also, they kinda took a while to come out after we were seated.  I guess it’s because they’re fried on the spot.

9,900 these are fan-fucking-tastic. they'll probably appear in my dreams tonight

We got their kimchi carnita fries, which is their most popular menu item.  After one bite it was easy to see why.  These were absolutely fucking delicious.  By far the best french fry-based dish I’ve ever had.  I absolutely loved the charred crispiness in the pork, the sharp notes of the grilled kimchi, and the smooth cooling effect of the sour cream.  I also liked the skinny fries they used instead of the crinkle cut fries that I find at almost every other western restaurant in Seoul.  I say it’s worth the trip JUST to get this menu item.  Unfortunately, with such an explosively delicious starter, everything just kinda goes downhill from here.

6,500 galbi short rib

Next came the galbi tacos.  Basically it tasted like really good Korean bbq wrapped in a tortilla shell.  Not very much Mexican flavor in this taco, but delicious nonetheless.  The beef was very sweet and flavorful.  Reminiscent of my mom’s galbijjim.  I really wish they would’ve served these last as the strong flavor kinda ruined the progression of more subtle flavors of the following tacos.

6,000 braised carnitas

Next came the braised pork carnitas tacos.  These tasted a bit underseasoned and I definitely think it’s because we ate the galbi tacos first.  We had to dip these in the sauces provided with the chips.  Same deal with samgyeopsal tacos.  Everything just kinda got muddled because I still had that intensely sweet galbi taste in my mouth.  Maybe I should’ve gargled some water before eating these.

6,000 Korean style pork belly (comes with two)

Another gripe that I had was the size of the tacos.  These things are small!  Definitely the smallest I’ve ever had in Korea.  Two bites is all it takes to destroy one of these.  We had to order more food, so we got the chicken quesadilla.  It was pretty good and I liked how cheesy it was.  There was a nice Korean-inspired sweet seasoning on the chicken, but it definitely needed more meat as the cheese really overpowered this whole dish.  I could barely taste the Sriracha sauce they squirted on top.

9,500 chicken quesadilla

Ever since I heard about Kogi BBQ I’ve been wanting so badly to eat Korean-Mexican fusion.  In that aspect I don’t think this place really delivers that taste that truly melds together the flavors of both countries’ cuisines.  I would actually like to see a taco where they take the toppings from the kimchi carnita fries and put it into a tortilla shell.  Now THAT would be an awesome and proper Korean Mexican fusion taco.  Also, they don’t have burritos on their menu.

Price-wise this place wasn’t too bad.  The total bill came out to 37,900. It’s cheaper if you buy three tacos at a time.  We bought two at a time because we wanted to try out as much of the menu as possible.  Definitely gotta try the fish tacos and kimchi quesadilla on my next visit.  Here’s their website for the map, address, and contact info, but oddly, no menu.

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