Weekend date burger restaurant in Jongno: El Taco Burger, Reel Burger

Reel Burger Gwanghwamun opening hours and parking

Reel Burger Gwanghwamun is open Mon–Thu 11:00–20:30 and closed on Sundays. Break time is 15:00–17:00, last order is at 20:00, and for parking you need to use a nearby paid lot.

A Jongno weekend date planned around the El Taco Burger

I planned a whole Jongno date in the sweltering summer just to try the Reel Burger El Taco Burger, hehe ˘◡˘ I saw it on Instagram, and as a burger-and-taco lover,, there was no way I could skip it!!

Where to park for Reel Burger Gwanghwamun?

No parking at the restaurant! The nearby Grand Seoul lot is a free Hyundai Card lot, so we parked there and walked over. (It's ₩0 all day on weekends, so after the burgers we wandered around Gyeongbokgung and Myeongdong and got 7 hours of free parking >.<)

Reel Burger Gwanghwamun, opened in June: the vibe and QR ordering

The Gwanghwamun branch of Reel Burger, newly opened in June, is clean and tidy through and through. We came around 2, after the lunch peak, and almost every table was still full, and customers kept streaming in while we ate, haha. Of course, Reel Burger is a top Jongno handmade burger spot 🍔

You order by scanning the QR code on the table. Since everyone can order on their own, I thought it would make paying easy for office workers coming for lunch.

I'd already decided on my order before we came, so I ordered right away, hahaha 🧾

• El Taco Burger (single)
• Jalapeño Mayo Burger combo (+ Cajun fries, cola)
• Onion rings (single)
• Heineken bottle

A self-serve sauce bar with 3 kinds of Tabasco

There's a self-serve bar in front of the entrance of Reel Burger Gwanghwamun. I grabbed plastic gloves, wet wipes and a few sauces and went back to our seat. I especially loved that the sauces include Tabasco Sriracha, original Tabasco and Tabasco Green Pepper (Tabasco Sriracha on potato chips is 🐶 delicious).

The drinks, onion ring sauce, ketchup and pickles came out first. Wow, the cups were chilled and the cans came with lids on top, what a thoughtful touch. Details like this made us say we'd come back two, no, three times, haha. While I was chatting with my boyfriend, all the food arrived at once.

The look: passed already!!! If you order a combo, the fries come on the same plate as the burger.

What does the Reel Burger El Taco Burger taste like?

The Reel Burger El Taco Burger is seriously huge. You can see the cola can behind it, right..? hahaha

I lifted the top to see what was inside and wow... how did anyone come up with this..? They use an onion ring like a guard rail and put pico de gallo inside, haha. Plus loads of salsa mayo. I started to feel this had to be delicious.

It felt like everything had to go in one bite, so I went in big, nom.

Whoever made this burger deserves an award, seriously ㅡㅡ ugh.. it's truly a taco burger. It's a burger that's a taco, and a taco that's a burger.

When you want a burger and you also want a taco, ahhh~~~ I want both ㅠㅠ that's exactly when you need this!!! The El Taco Burger fully satisfies both cravings. Total must-try ❤︎ =͟͟͞͞♡ ᰔᩚ ♡

Reel Burger onion rings: a well-fried side

The Reel Burger onion rings look similar to the Onestar onion rings that we rank number one! And sure enough, Reel Burger's onion rings are great too 🤨hahaha Really well fried onion rings! The seasoning is just right!!

Jalapeño jam in the Reel Burger Jalapeño Mayo Burger

The Reel Burger Jalapeño Mayo Burger has Swiss cheese and roasted tomato on a smashed patty. I was eating it wondering where the jalapeño was, and then a subtly spicy-sweet flavor came through??

Can you see the green jalapeño jam under the patty? Jam?? In a burger?? Huh?? But maybe because it's jalapeño jam, it goes so well with the burger!! I didn't know you could make jam from jalapeños, but it was so good that I searched for it right away and added it to my cart, hahaha

Why I'd go back to Reel Burger Gwanghwamun in Jongno

Reel Burger Gwanghwamun, a great Jongno handmade burger spot, made me reflect on how I'd only been going to Onestar for handmade burgers lately. It was a real discovery in taco burgers. It was shockingly good, and I'm going again, seriously.... ᰔᩚ