Seongsu taco dinner with kids: chili takoyaki & wasabi fries, Morimoly

Looking at the new restaurants opening in Seongsu these days, more and more of them aren't just good at food, the space itself is great too. The alleys near Seoulsup change a little every time I go, and this time I wanted something filling but a bit special for a weekday dinner with my child. I searched around and found a place that really impressed me: Morimoly, a Seongsu taco restaurant.

Honestly, I went in expecting to casually eat a taco or two, but the unusual menu and the interior surprised me far more than I expected. It doesn't feel like a plain taco shop. It mixes Seongsu's trendy vibe with Japanese details and a street-food feel, and I could see why people are talking about it as a new Seongsu hotspot.

What are Morimoly's hours and parking?

Morimoly is open daily from 11:00 to 21:00, with last order at 20:30. For parking, I recommend using a nearby public parking lot.

Where is Morimoly and what does it look like outside?

Morimoly sits in a quiet alley you reach by walking from Seoulsup Station toward Yeonmujang-gil. A simple sign reading MORIMOLY in red on a black exterior wall catches your eye. It isn't over-decorated, yet it has a strong presence.

You can really feel the Seongsu district expanding these days, and it was interesting that good taco places keep popping up even deep in alleys like this.

Above all, it felt truly brand new: the outside posters and little decorative details seemed to still be getting added.

You can tell the owner is still working on the space, and that actually adds to the fresh, new-hotspot atmosphere.

You can order through the front window, but the real entrance is up the stairs on the side. I thought it was a small shop at first, but that changed completely once I went inside.

How do the floors at Morimoly differ inside?

Morimoly isn't a small fusion taco shop on just the first floor. It uses the whole building, with a 1F ordering area, then 2F, 3F and a rooftop. This layout was the part that surprised me most.

The first floor works as the ordering area, and the 2nd and 3rd floors and the rooftop are all open to use.

The stairway is decorated in a very trendy way at every turn, so even among Seongsu taco places, the space has quite a strong character.

What popular Seongsu spots have in common these days is a look that's good for photos, not just food, and Morimoly follows that trend well.

The 2nd floor is mostly couple seating, with soft lighting that gives it a pretty atmospheric feel. The 3rd floor, on the other hand, is comfortable for eating alone and has lots of side-by-side seats, so it feels more casual.

Many people looking for a Seoulsup taco spot are probably also wondering where to go for a date, and judging by the atmosphere alone, I think satisfaction would be quite high.

What is on the Morimoly menu?

Tacos are the main item on the Morimoly menu, but they're a fusion of Japanese ingredients rather than typical Mexican tacos. I sat down and started reading the menu, and the lineup was quite interesting, a bit different from the other Seoulsup taco places I'd seen while searching.

Besides the signature Morimoly Taco, there were rather unusual ones like the shrimp tempura taco and the uni yukhoe (raw beef with sea urchin) taco, and sides included takoyaki, croquettes and gyoza dumplings.

They have beer and soft drinks too, so it looked like a good place to have a casual drink.

Our family ordered the Morimoly Taco and the garlic butter shrimp taco, and added chili takoyaki as a side.

Is the Morimoly Taco filling enough for a meal with a child?

The Morimoly Taco has rice tucked inside a crunchy base like gimbugak (crispy seaweed chip), so it's closer to a meal than a snack, and it was quite filling even with a child along. The biggest surprise was that taco base.

Instead of a regular tortilla, the taco is wrapped in a base that's crunchy like gimbugak but still has a faint savory umami, and it went surprisingly well. Even among Seongsu taco places, this is clearly the differentiating point.

Inside, a little rice is spread and the ingredients are piled on top, so it felt like a real meal rather than a snack-style taco. That's probably why it was quite filling even with my child.

In the Morimoly Taco, the combination of meat marinated in a special soy sauce, vegetables and salsa was really good. The crunchy seaweed texture, the soft rice underneath, and then the texture of meat and vegetables on top made for a pretty unique combination.

The fries aren't ordinary fries either. Sprinkled with parsley, thick yet crispy, with a savory potato flavor, they're bewitching fries that keep you reaching for more.

How do the garlic butter shrimp taco and chili takoyaki taste?

Morimoly's garlic butter shrimp taco has a plump king prawn with rich garlic butter aroma and the crunch of garlic chips, and it was the one I personally remembered more. The bouncy prawn texture was really good and the garlic butter scent came through quite strongly. With the garlic chips added, the flavor was much richer.

The wasabi sauce served alongside went surprisingly well, and it was really tasty with the fries too.

The chili takoyaki I ordered as a side was also quite satisfying.

I liked the combination of savory mayonnaise and slightly spicy chili sauce, and it wasn't strongly spicy, so even an elementary school child could eat it without trouble.

Is Morimoly worth visiting as a new Seongsu taco spot?

Morimoly was a Seongsu taco restaurant with unusual flavors and a great atmosphere, and not just a space that photographs well, the food itself was excellent. Even after finishing the meal and heading out, I looked around the space once more.

Competition among restaurants in Seongsu is fierce these days, yet Morimoly felt like a place I'll remember for quite a while. If you're looking for a Seongsu taco restaurant, it's well worth a visit, and personally I felt it's likely to get even more famous. It had real individuality among Seongsu taco places and is easy to recommend to anyone searching for a Seoulsup taco spot.