Mangridan-gil taco spot: mango shrimp and fish tacos for two, Taco Dot

This is my review of Taco Dot, a Mangridan-gil favorite serving Mexican dishes you don't see everywhere, like tacos, chimichangas and fajitas.

A Mangwon taco spot aiming for somewhere between the US and Mexico! The owner-chef is a first-generation Korean Mexican cook with 15 years of experience, and I went to try the life-changing tacos that all that skill produces.

How do you get to Taco Dot Mangwon Market Main Branch?

Taco Dot Mangwon Market Main Branch (타코닷 망원시장본점) is on the ground floor, reached by leaving Mangwon Station Exit 2, heading toward Mangwon Market, and going straight down the alley on the right until you hit the Joeun Fruit & Vegetables alley (조은과일야채). It had been a while since I'd visited Mangwon, and it was still bustling, with new restaurants popping up all over.

After the meal you can quickly walk to Mangwon's bakeries and dessert cafés, so it's a great date course.

A cute taco neon sign and an arrow point the way to Taco Dot.

Taco Dot opening hours and facilities

• Restaurant: Taco Dot Mangwon Market Main Branch
• Main dishes: tacos, fajitas, enchiladas
• Weekdays 11:30-22:00 (break 15:00-17:00, last order 14:00 and 21:00)
• Weekends 11:30-21:00 (break 16:00-17:00, last order 15:00 and 20:00)
• Address: 51 Woldeukeop-ro 19-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, ground floor
• Groups welcome, Wi-Fi, separate men's/women's restrooms, takeout

What's the atmosphere inside Taco Dot like?

The interior has an exotic feel that reminded me of a taco joint in the US.

The place is decorated in lively, appetite-boosting colors like yellow and red. It really got my appetite going.

What's on the Taco Dot menu in Mangwon?

The menu is split into fajitas, tacos and enchiladas. Fajitas come with a choice of toppings like pork, jerk chicken and shrimp, plus tortillas, for several people to share.

The colorful tacos include a fried fish taco, mango shrimp taco, pulled pork taco, Nashville hot chicken taco and carnitas taco.

For a filling meal there are enchiladas, a verde sauce enchilada and a paprika sauce enchilada, and there's also Okinawa taco rice.

How do you order at Taco Dot?

You can see the main dishes on the menu board, and you order at the kiosk on the counter. The kiosk has more trendy items, like chimichangas and mozzarella sticks, so look through it carefully before ordering.

What we ordered for a weekend lunch for two, and the prices

We ordered with all our appetite!

• Mango shrimp taco ₩10,000
• Okinawa taco rice ₩15,000
• Fish taco ₩12,000
• Nashville hot mozzarella sticks ₩4,000
• Pepsi Zero ₩2,500
• Dr Pepper ₩2,500

Drinks come with a cup of ice. One can fit into the stainless steel cup perfectly, neither overflowing nor falling short.

The four dishes the two of us demolished for weekend lunch! They pile on lots of meat and vegetables, so everything looks healthy and delicious.

I heard the owner-chef strikes a perfect balance between mass appeal that suits Korean tastes and the deep flavor of authentic, local Mexican food.

How does the Taco Dot mango shrimp taco taste?

The Taco Dot mango shrimp taco (₩10,000) is topped with shrimp tossed in a spicy-tangy salsa and sweet, cool mango. The tacos here combine carefully selected fresh ingredients with homemade salsa, so you get a spicy, tangy, clean flavor. The mango shrimp taco made me curious the moment I saw it.

Shrimp tossed in spicy-tangy salsa with sweet, cool mango, such a combo! The toppings are piled up like a mountain, so it's hard to eat in one bite. The two of us happily shared one each.

The natural sweetness of the mango, the springy shrimp and the spicy sauce go together even better than I imagined.

What is the Taco Dot fish taco like?

The Taco Dot fish taco (₩12,000) is a distinctive taco with fried fish and tartar sauce.

I tried something new, and of course it was delicious.

Even the fried fish on its own was good: crispy batter, moist fish, clean and nutty.

A mouthful full of happiness! Wrap the taco up well and take a big bite to really get the authentic taco flavor.

Is the Okinawa taco rice filling?

Taco Dot's Okinawa taco rice (₩15,000) comes with steamed rice, cheese, cabbage, nacho chips, tomato sauce and jerk chicken, which makes it a good hearty meal.

Since it has rice, it was really filling.

You can choose one topping, and I picked jerk chicken. Cabbage and jerk chicken together feel like a healthy salad, while with the nacho chips, cheese and rice it's more intense and varied. The meat topping was generous, so it filled me up.

Are the Nashville hot mozzarella sticks worth ₩4,000?

Taco Dot's Nashville hot mozzarella sticks (₩4,000) are a side dish of whole mozzarella cheese, deep-fried and tossed in spicy powder. They've been popular lately in YouTube mukbang videos.

Whole fried mozzarella can't be bad. And this one is a high-intensity cheese stick tossed in spicy powder!

At ₩4,000 it's a total bargain. These aren't thin cheese sticks but thick squares, and even after a little while the cheese still stretched nicely.

Dip it in the mayonnaise sauce and you get a soft, nutty flavor, then the salty, spicy kick comes charging in.

Verdict on all four Taco Dot dishes

All four dishes we had at Taco Dot were distinctive and delicious. If you're looking for a Mangridan-gil restaurant, do try the authentic Mexican tacos at Taco Dot, made to suit Korean tastes.