Mexican Seoul

The dishes at Mexican Seoul are a successful mashup of Mexican and Korean street food, a fusion that originally comes from California. Here, in a decidedly more grey east London, the cheerful combinations—beef bulgogi tacos, elote ribs—suit the atmosphere which channels the friendliest house party in the world, or at least in Hackney.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

The narrow, corridor-ish space has the kind of lovable energy usually reserved for a litter of Andrex puppies. Bounty bars are balanced on top of excellent white rum and pineapple cocktails. Tables are pushed together for last-minute groups, lured in by the laughter drifting outside and the promise of wings smothered in gochujang sauce. And friendly staff all but dance towards you, dropping off rounds of picantes, complimenting your outfit, then moving on to make another person’s night. Gnaw on moreish elote ribs, check your teeth for kernels, and before you know it, you’ll be endorsing lychee soju coolers as your new drink.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Some dishes are a little heavy handed: take the thick batter on the boulder-like cauliflower bites or one-time special of underseasoned choriqueso. But even these dishes are still tasty and fun. No one can be mad at a gooey pot of cheese, after all. The dining room and the menu are small, but nights at Mexican Seoul involve big belly laughs, feasting on spicy pork tacos, and inevitably buying Seouls Of Mischief merch.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Elote Ribs

Using cuts of meat to describe vegetables usually sends us into fits of involuntary eye-rolling—see cauliflower steaks—but we’ll forgive Mexican Seoul because these corn on the cob ribs are fantastic. They’re dusted with tangy pecorino and chilli flakes and we usually re-order another round immediately after finishing the first.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Spicy Pork Belly Tacos

These are the kind of tacos that are loaded so high they require a few forkfuls before you can hold them in your hand. The filling—soft, thin slices of spicy pork belly—pairs well with the smooth, refreshing lime crema and the sweet, crispy fried leeks.

Bulgogi Beef Tacos

Unlike us after indulging in a few kimchi bloody marys, these tacos are perfectly balanced. We’re big fans of the soft meat covered in a sweet soy sauce, with the citrus tang of the slaw and pickled onions. Once again, the fillings are generous.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Gochu-Gang Wings

These are some of our favourite wings in London—and we nearly broke up with our long-term partner because we had to share them. They’re meaty and the double fry gives the gochujang coating the perfect crunch. We’re also big fans of the crispy pops of sesame seed, raw spring onion, and generous zig zag of creamy gochujang mayonnaise on top.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Korean Fried Cauli Bites

The coating on these pieces of fried cauliflower are a little thick and they’re far from being bite-sized. They could easily sub as golf balls. They’re tasty, but the batter on the wings is better.