Magok Mexican restaurant: ribs so tender a knife glides, Taqueros

Sometimes I just crave ribs! Lately whenever I go out I seem to end up buying a lot of rib dishes. This time I heard about a place with great ribs, so I visited Taqueros in Magok with my boyfriend. It's a bit pricey, but there were a ton of reviews saying it's delicious, so I went in with high hopes, and we had such a good meal. Here's my honest review of Taqueros Magok Main Branch.

Where is Taqueros Magok Main Branch, and what are the hours and parking?

Taqueros Magok Main Branch is on the 2nd floor of GMG Tower on Magokjungang 6-ro, at the back of the building. It's open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and closed on Mondays.

• Weekday break time: 3 p.m.–5 p.m. (no break time on weekends)
• Last order: 2 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
• Parking: 2 hours free in the GMG Tower car park

It's at the back of the building.

What's on the Taqueros menu?

Taqueros Magok Main Branch has just about every Mexican dish you can think of, from ribs, chimichangas (deep-fried burritos) and quesadillas to tacos, fries and nachos! There's even a kids' quesadilla called the "Kidsadilla."

They also support cake for wedding-invitation gatherings and birthday parties, and booking through Naver comes with lots of perks. Ribs, chimichangas, quesadillas and more.

Tacos, fries, nachos, pretty much every Mexican dish is here! Even the kids' quesadilla, the Kidsadilla.

What's the atmosphere like at Taqueros Magok Main Branch?

The entrance to Taqueros Magok Main Branch seems to be on the rear-door side of GMG Tower. The place is a decent size, so it looks good for a family gathering of four or a date.

It seems to be the entrance by the building's back door.

I'd booked for 5 p.m., arrived 10 minutes early and sat in front of the shop. We went in right at 5!

The place is a decent size. It looks good for a family gathering of four or a date.

You earn 6% of your payment as points, and there's also a prize draw for every ₩60,000 you spend.

Mexican... with a bit of an American vibe too, an interior that suits the food, I'd say. It's cozy and nice!

It's an open kitchen so you can see the cooking, and from a quick glance it looked clean inside too!

What we ordered: the Taqueros Signature Couple Set with pork ribs

We ordered the Taqueros Signature Couple Set (for 2) at ₩56,000 and swapped the fajita for ribs, paying +₩6,000. (This was the masterstroke.)

Every table has hot sauce and ketchup, and the plate comes with plastic gloves and a wet wipe. I think the gloves are meant for eating the tacos! (We were so hungry we didn't use them and just dug in.) If you write a Naver review, they give you Nutella tortilla chips & ice cream.

Complimentary tortilla nachos and cheese sauce

At Taqueros, tortilla nachos? come out by default as soon as you sit down. The nachos are crispy with a good thickness, and the cheese sauce has a somewhat different flavor, so dipping and eating just flows.

While you snack on them like an appetizer, the main dishes arrive! They come out fairly quickly.

Couple set tacos: fried chicken and fried fish

The first thing out from the couple set was the tacos! On the left, fried chicken? with a slightly spicy sauce; on the right, fried fish with a fresh sauce. They're packed with fillings, so your mouth is totally full. The seasoning is just right, and although it could get greasy, a pretty big slice of tomato on top cuts the richness so you can enjoy it to the end. Personally, I recommend eating the fish taco first!

While we were wolfing down the tacos, out came our ribs...

How big and tender are the Taqueros pork ribs?

The Taqueros ribs had a look that startled me the second they came out. They were seriously so huge, I was shocked... and you could tell at a glance they were thick and meaty. About the size of a baby's thigh? Bigger than a woman's hand. And it's not only the size, but

the tenderness is just insane. The knife is basically decoration; it slides through without any pressure. You could practically eat it with just your gums. So even though it's lean meat, it isn't dry. On top of that, the seasoning is exactly what adults and kids would both love. The marinade has soaked in well and the meat is soft. I used to think the ribs at Outback were the gold standard, but this flipped that idea upside down. (There's an Outback in the next building though...)

Pork rib sauces and what could be better

The sauce on top of the ribs is a Greek yogurt? sauce, and underneath is barbecue sauce. They're good plain and good dipped. Since it's all meat, though, I thought a slightly spicy sauce would be nice too! The fries underneath are crispy as well, and the combination is just ridiculous... I think it's enough to fill two adults.

Is Taqueros Magok Main Branch worth a return visit?

My boyfriend raved that Taqueros' ribs were the best he's ever had. Taqueros Magok Main Branch is a place I want to visit again... I bet kids would go crazy for it! Highly recommended for a family meal or a date, whenever you're craving meat.