Korean-Mexican fusion food has arrived in Vancouver.
Tako, or Taqueria Koreano, is one of the latest taco places to open up in Vancouver. Except, they’re not your usual ol’ taco place. The Korean owners serve tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and even poutines with a unique Korean twist! Their flour tortillas are stuffed with Korean BBQ and topped with distinct hot sauces. The end result is a spicy and sweet combination that will rock your taste buds.
Tako is conveniently located outside of Stadium/Chinatown Station (right across the street from Rogers Arena). You’ll first notice their vivid yellow typography and wall décor, splashed across the store. The shop itself is small, minimal and modern. It has light wooden accents, large windows, and stools that go around the vicinity. The casual layout and location makes it the perfect place to grab a bite any time of the day.
I ordered the BBQ Shortrib Burrito and split a Koreano Poutine, which ended up being plenty of food between two people. The BBQ Shortrib Burrito is stout and heavy, and comes cut in half to show off it’s saturated and stuffed centre. It is packed with white rice, sweet BBQ pork, corn, lettuce and a very thick hot sauce. Overall, the taste is strange (for someone not accustomed to Korean flavours) but amazingly delicious.
The Koreano Poutine is just as flavourful, if not more. The size of the poutine looks a little small (especially if you have to share), but it’s filling when you pair it with a couple of tacos or a burrito or intend it as a smaller meal. It comes wondrously topped with long strands of bulgogi pork, diced tomato, minced green onion, and sprinkled with black sesame seeds. It is also generously lathered in sauces of three different colours: green, white, and yellow. I couldn’t find out the name of these sauces, but they are very sweet, spicy and perfect for a poutine.
They also have tacos (with flavours like Tako, Jeju, Seoul, and Gangnam) and bibimbap bowls on their menu. I didn’t hear any PSY or K-Pop music unfortunately.
As for the price of this new blended food, the BBQ Shortrib Burrito is $9.95 and the Koreano Poutine is $8.75 before tax. The price is average for a burrito and poutine in Vancouver and the burrito alone is very filling. Like most trendy/gangnam foods, the price is not sustainable for students but the delicious explosion of flavours is definitely worth a try!
Get outside your (taco)mfort zone and try TAKO.
Karolina is a Vancouver-based writer. You can catch her thinking about her next meal and grooving to house music, often at the same time.