Taco shop in Gimhae with a mac taco and birria set: Holstaco Yulha

So, what did I eat today?

You know those days when you're tired of the usual Korean food and craving something different? I picked Mexican, thought of tacos in Yulha, and headed to Holstaco Yulha 🌮

Holstaco Yulha's hours, parking, and location

Holstaco Yulha is open daily from 11:30 to 20:30, with last order at 20:00, and it's closed every Monday. If Monday falls on a public holiday, the closed day shifts to Tuesday.

Parking is free — you can park right in front of the restaurant or near Yulhacheon stream. I parked in the spot right in front of the store. The address is 1F, 82 Gwandong-ro, Gimhae-si, Gyeongnam, South Korea.

• Group-friendly / waiting area / takeout
• High chairs / separate men's and women's restrooms

What's the vibe like inside?

Holstaco Yulha has a distinctly colorful, leafy-green vibe, totally different from your typical Korean BBQ or rice restaurant. It's casual yet exotic overall, so you instantly feel like you're here for tacos ➿

From the table settings to the wallpaper, it really made me think — is this Mexico or what! Each table comes equipped with disposable gloves for hygiene, hot sauce, and tissues.

The posters are super cute, giving off major petit-Mexico energy. There was a lot to look at while waiting for the tacos, so it was fun.

The menu and ordering

The taco lineup ranges from meat to shrimp, so it's great for ordering to match everyone's taste if you're with a group 🥩 🍤 🌿 Rather than picking a bunch of individual items off the menu, we decided on Taco Set A, which lets you try several kinds at once.

• ✔ Taco Set — ₩30,500
• Extra cilantro (free)
• Swap to 2 Coke Zeros (+₩0)
• TOTAL ₩30,500

Five tacos plus nachos and drinks, always served generously — is 30,000 won for real?

What's in Taco Set A

Holstaco Yulha's Taco Set is made up of "2 birria tacos + carnitas + camarones + mac taco + nacho salsa + 2 drinks."

Birria tacos

The birria taco is the signature menu item, made with beef flap steak and hanwoo (Korean beef) broth, and the owner kindly explained how to eat it.

• 💬 Squeeze lime juice on and dip
• 💬 Add cilantro to taste — recommended

Both methods suited me perfectly, and I polished off a whole plate. This is my second favorite item on the menu.

Like this! By the way, if you dip generously in the sauce and then hold it up for a bit so some of the sauce drips off, the seasoning settles in just right for the best bite. This is a truly genuine Yulha taco spot. Also, a group of four guys came in besides us and were enjoying a variety of dishes — it was nice to see 🧑🧑🧒🧒

Camarones / Carnitas

Camarones (shrimp) has delicious fried shrimp topped with a homemade pickled onion kicker! Carnitas (pork) is an authentic Mexican-style taco, so if you like the real deal, this is highly recommended.

Both come with a fresh squeeze of lime 🍋🟩 The camarones isn't just grilled shrimp — it's fried shrimp with the shrimp meat still bouncy inside — and the carnitas is piled high with pork, with the sauces on top pairing well together for a moist taco style that felt refreshingly different.

Mac taco

The mac taco has a homemade beef patty inside and is aimed at grown-up palates — and I think I was properly targeted haha. It totally tastes like a McDonald's Big Mac, just with the patty turned into a taco!! Pile it high with chopped cheongyang chili peppers on top. This is my top pick, and next time I'm ordering two.

Nacho salsa

The basic of basics, freshly fried nachos. They're thin and super crispy, and the homemade salsa sauce is unbelievably good. It's got way more umami than the sauces I usually know, and I finished every last crispy bite.

If I go back to Holstaco Yulha

The owner really seems passionate about tacos, and that came through in the restaurant's atmosphere too — such a happy experience haha. I'd recommend it as a date course.

Next time, I'm planning to get the burrito set and add tacos on the side for a real feast.