Seolleung taco restaurant with an 8-step eating guide: Chilango, Seoul

I was meeting a friend I hadn't seen in a while, and they offered to come to my side of town. When that happens, I want to treat them to something a bit special instead of the usual. You can get Korean food or barbecue anywhere, so I wanted us to try something different together.

So I searched for taco restaurants near Seolleung Station, and Chilango was the first place that caught my eye. It looked like it had good atmosphere in photos, and the idea of building your own tacos seemed fun, so I went to check it out.

Chilango Seolleung Main Branch hours and location

• ⏰ Hours: Mon–Sat 17:00–23:00 (last order 22:00)
• 🚫 Closed every Sunday
• 📍 Location: 19 Yeoksam-ro 67-gil, 1st floor, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea / 445m from Seolleung Station Exit 1

※ Hours may vary on public holidays, so it's worth checking before you go. It opens at 5pm, so it's not really a lunch spot — you'll want to head over after work.

Why the alley location keeps Chilango quiet

When you think of Gangnam, you probably picture crowded, noisy streets everywhere. But Chilango Seolleung Main Branch is set slightly off the main road, down an alley.

Thanks to that, it was quiet outside even though the place was already packed inside. With its exotic interior, it seemed like a great spot for when you want a change of atmosphere from your usual routine.

What comes on the Chilango taco plate and how to pick fillings

Chilango's signature menu is the taco plate. You choose it based on your group size — 2 people can pick two fillings, 3 people can pick three, and 4 people can pick four.

You can choose the main filling from beef, shrimp, lamb, pork, or chicken. We went with shrimp and chicken. Ordering the taco plate comes standard with guacamole, nachos, chili con carne, pico de gallo, pickled peppers, cheese sauce, sour cream sauce, and 3 house-made salsa sauces. Once it arrived, I thought the spread was genuinely generous.

The instruction card that comes with every taco plate

When you order the taco plate at Chilango, they give you something like an instruction card. It was more useful than I expected. One side has detailed descriptions of the salsas, and the other explains how to eat the tacos step by step with photos.

First-timers can feel a bit lost about how to eat it, but following this made it much easier.

The card explains all six Chilango salsas

The salsas are split into two main groups. The main salsas are guacamole, pico de gallo, and chili con carne. The 3 salsa sauces are Salsa Roja (red), Salsa Verde Tomatillo (green), and Salsa Verde Lime (pale green) — even their colors are all different.

It says the recipe was passed down from the grandmother of Korea's first Mexican chef, made without seasoning additives. There's also a note that it can take a bit more time to prepare because of that.

The 8-step order for building a taco at Chilango

The eating method is explained in 8 steps with photos. I followed along step by step haha. Rub the tortilla with lime, spread on guacamole or chili con carne,

add the main dish, then top with paprika or asparagus and pico de gallo. Drizzle on whichever salsa you like, and add sour cream or cilantro to taste.

Finally, finish it off neatly with a good amount of filling and fold it so it doesn't spill. Following this order really did make it taste better.

Three main salsas and three salsa sauces on one plate

The thing that impressed me most at Chilango was the sauces. There are so many kinds. Chili con carne, one of the main salsas, was something I'd never seen before. It's a Mexican dish made by simmering ground meat and beans with chili, smoked paprika, and other ingredients. I took one bite and was surprised — the savory depth was no joke.

So every time we added a different sauce, it felt like a slightly different dish. Same taco, but the flavor kept shifting depending on which sauce we dipped it in, so there was never a dull moment. They say the salsa sauces are made with natural ingredients and no seasoning additives, and they really did taste clean, not sharp or overpowering.

Shrimp and chicken served piled into one pan

The taco plate arrives with the ingredients piled onto a large pan. Along with our shrimp and chicken, it was loaded with mushrooms, onions, paprika, avocado, and arugula.

On top of that, there was a generous layer of cheese, so it looked hearty from the first glance. The shrimp was plump with a nice bite, and the chicken was tender.

Most of all, there was so much cheese that it stretched endlessly every time we lifted a portion out.

There was also arugula, which I love, and its subtle aroma filled my mouth nicely. There was plenty of mushroom too, so every bite felt a little different. The seasoning on the fillings itself also had a faint, tingling spice to it, which cut through the richness — so even with all that cheese, it never felt heavy. I think that seasoning is exactly why so much cheese didn't get tiring.

The nachos at Chilango are worth a bite too

The nachos that come standard were better than I expected too. You'd normally think of nachos as being pretty salty. But Chilango's nachos are nutty without being overly salty. That makes them pair really well when you dip them in the sauces. Since the nachos themselves aren't heavily seasoned, you can taste the sauces clearly.

Extra tortillas: 4 pieces for 2,000 won

As you eat, the tortillas tend to run out before the fillings do. When that happens, you can order extra tortillas alone — 4 pieces for ₩2,000. It lets you wrap and finish every last bit of filling, so I'd recommend adding some if you need to.

Is Chilango Seolleung good for a team dinner?

My friend said it was delicious and that they really enjoyed it. Eating there, I thought Chilango would be a great spot for a group dinner. The taco plate is sized to the group, so it's easy to share, and there's a range of beer, wine, and tequila so everyone can drink what they like.

Most of all, being tucked in an alley meant it wasn't noisy, which made it easy to talk. My office is nearby, so it's somewhere I'd love to come back to for a work dinner.

Looking for tacos near Seolleung Station in Seoul?

To sum up, Chilango has so many sauces that it never got boring, and the flavors were clean enough that I kept reaching for more. If you're deciding where to go for tacos near Seolleung Station, this place is worth a visit.

It would suit a day you want a change of pace from your usual meals, a day you're looking for a spot for a group dinner or gathering, or a day you want to eat somewhere quiet and talk slowly. It opens at 5pm and is closed on Sundays, so just keep that in mind before heading over. Next time, I'm planning to try the lamb or beef, since I haven't had those yet.