Korean tacos are aKorean-Mexicanfusion dish popular in a number of urban areas in theUnited States andCanada. Korean tacos originated inLos Angeles,[1] often asstreet food, consisting ofKorean-style fillings, such asbulgogi andkimchi, placed on top of small traditionalMexicancorn tortillas.Korean burritos are a similarly themed dish, using largerflour tortillas as a wrap.
Although various restaurants have occasionally served dishes they called Korean tacos,[2] the popularity of the dish is generally traced to the use ofTwitter by the proprietors of theKogi Korean BBQ, afood truck inLos Angeles, California, to announce their schedule and itinerary.[3][4][5] The idea of making Korean tacos came to owner Mark Manguera after an unsuccessful search of Los Angeles'Koreatown forcarne asada tacos.[4] In its first year of operation, Kogi generated an estimated $2 million of revenue.[6]
Koreantaco trucks later appeared inPortland, Oregon (the "KOI Fusion" truck),Austin, Texas (theChi'Lantro BBQ truck), andSeattle, Washington ("Marination Mobile", whose spicy pork Korean taco earned them Good Morning America's Best Food Truck in America).[7] In San Francisco the dish was popularized in 2009 by Namu Restaurant's Happy Bellyfood cart in Golden Gate Park, later moving to afarmers market food stand at theSan Francisco Ferry Building.[8] The dish's popularity led mainstream fast food chainBaja Fresh totest market Korean tacos as a menu item in California, with plans to introduce the dish to hundreds of locations nationwide.[9][10] In 2011, David Choi foundedSeoul Taco as a food truck in St. Louis, and expanded the business to nine locations inChicago andMissouri by 2023.[11]
In April 2010,Food & Wine magazine namedRoy Choi, the chef of the original Kogi's, one of its annual "Best New Chefs".[12] It was the first time afood truck chef had been nominated for the award.[13]
