Mapo Mexican lunch with fajitas and enchiladas: Taco Dot

Today, I went to Taco Dot Mangwon Market Main Branch, a great restaurant in Mangwon-dong, for enchiladas and a fajita platter. I remembered enjoying it so much on my last visit that I came back this time.

• Address: 51 World Cup-ro 19-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Mon–Fri 11:30–22:00 / break time 15:00–17:00 / last orders 14:00, 21:00
• Sat–Sun 11:30–21:00 / break time 15:00–17:00 / last orders 13:00, 20:00
• No parking (use the nearby Mangwon Public Parking Lot)

Taco Dot near Mangridan-gil and Mangwon Market

Taco Dot Mangwon Market Main Branch, a popular spot in Mangwon, is near Mangridan-gil and Mangwon Market. It opens at 11:30 a.m., and even on weekdays it seems to get quite a few customers. I visited on a weekend evening last time, and I nearly had to wait because it was so busy, so this time I did an opening-time run for lunch.

The sun is still hot during the day, but it somehow feels cooler already. I came for lunch while making a date of it around Mangridan-gil and Mangwon Market for the first time in a while.

A look around the restaurant at opening time

When I visited on the weekend, there were so many customers and I was busy eating that I did not think to properly look around the inside. This time, since I arrived right at opening time, I was able to take a more relaxed look around the interior.

The interior was casual and exotic overall, so it really felt like I had come for tacos or Mexican food. Further inside, the tables were divided into more areas than I expected, and the wall décor and little details suited Mangridan-gil's signature casual atmosphere nicely.

There was also a self-service station and clothes hangers inside. It was too busy to notice details like these on the weekend, but the weekday atmosphere was definitely more relaxed.

Quite a few people came in for tacos alone, too, so it felt like an easy, no-pressure place for a simple solo meal rather than somewhere you have to visit in a group.

Mangwon-dong has many old buildings, so I also liked that the restroom was inside and well maintained.

Looking over the menu before ordering at the kiosk

Here is the Taco Dot menu at this Mangwon-dong favorite. You can order straight from the kiosk, but the menu photos made everything easy to see, and it was nice to sit down and look through it slowly.

They have both Pepsi and Coca-Cola Zero, plus a varied selection including beer and tequila highballs.

The difference between chimichangas and enchiladas was explained clearly, which helped with choosing what to order!

Triple fajita platter and enchiladas

Our food arrived.

Good food deserves to be shown twice, so here it is again from another angle!!

Fajitas with pork, jerk chicken, and shrimp

This is the Triple Fajita Platter (₩38,900). I ordered this fajita platter so I could try three things at once: pork, jerk chicken, and shrimp!

Since it is Mexican food, I was initially a little worried that the spices might be too strong. But once I tried Taco Dot's fajita platter, the spices were not excessively strong at all—just right and not burdensome—so it felt well suited to Korean tastes.

The meat and shrimp were nicely seasoned, especially, and picked up a subtle smoky char as they cooked, so they were good even on their own. The smoky flavor and seasoning of the fajitas felt just right for Korean tastes, and it was fun mixing and matching the garlic sauce, sour cream sauce, salsa, and other sauces however we liked!

Taco Dot even said they would give us more tortillas and sauces if we ran out. If we had ordered only one platter, we might have needed more, but with the enchiladas too, we were so full that we could not ask for extras. Since Mangwon Market is close by, one fajita platter should be enough for two people planning a light meal.

The chicken was tender with no unpleasant odor, and I had worried whether the shrimp's spices would be okay, but they were pleasantly mild and tasty. Since Mangwon Market is close by, one fajita platter should be enough for two people planning a light meal.

I normally want a beer with tacos, but drinking with my first meal of the day at lunch felt like a bit much, so I ordered a cola after the food came out.

Enchiladas with fried rice and jerk chicken

This is the Paprika Sauce Enchilada (₩17,900). My boyfriend picked the enchiladas!! Enchiladas are a Mexican dish made by filling tortillas with ingredients such as meat, cheese, or beans, rolling them up, pouring sauce over them, and baking them.

Taco Dot's enchiladas were topped with tomato salsa and generously covered in paprika sauce, which made the whole dish nice and moist.

When I cut into the tortilla, it was generously filled with fried rice and jerk chicken. The jerk chicken's distinctive spice flavor came through subtly, and with the fried rice inside too, it was more filling than I had expected.

The tomato salsa on top added a little fresh tang, which balanced some of the heaviness of the cream sauce. With the tortilla, fried rice, and chicken together, it was surprisingly filling even shared between two people, and we had a deliciously full meal!!

A meal that pairs well with Mangwon Market

Today I visited Taco Dot Mangwon Market Main Branch, a great restaurant in Mangwon-dong. It is on Mangridan-gil, making it nice for a date course and conveniently located to explore along with Mangwon Market. With varied choices such as tacos, fajitas, and enchiladas, it was also a good place for a group to share several dishes! If you are looking for something a little different in Mangwon-dong, I think it is worth a visit :)