Seoul Taco fuses Korean flavors, Mexican styles in Naperville restaurant

Korean-Mexican street food is now part of the Naperville dining scene with the opening Friday of Seoul Taco.

The restaurant joined the downtown dining mix at 206 S. Washington St., selling recipes that are Korean barbecue-inspired, but made into foods that are Mexican-styled, such as tacos, burritos, quesadillas and nachos.

Chef and Owner David Choi spent some of his childhood growing up in the Naperville area and opened his restaurant's sixth location there after starting with a food truck and shops in St. Louis, then expanding to Chicago.

"Naperville has a vibrant dining scene, and it's only grown more over the years," Choi said in a news release. "We look forward to becoming a part of the local Naperville community and sharing our passion for great food and stellar hospitality."

Seoul Taco is a fast-casual place - and a carefully designed one.

There's a mural inspired by Japanese anime, created by muralist and Kimski chef Won Kim and local artist Jake Merten, along with an installation of colorful boom boxes on the walls designed by Alex Morales of Smart Mouth Designs. Its menu boards are decorated with multilingual background patterns, also by Morales, and its vibe is all hip-hop.

One example on the menu of the restaurant's Korean-Mexican fusion is Bulgogi steak tacos, with Korean salad mix, green onion, crushed sesame seeds, lime and secret "Seoul Sauce."

Another menu highlight is gogi and waffles, but the word "waffles" isn't to be taken literally. (It actually means sweet potato waffle fries.) Atop a bed of the fries, diners can add a choice of protein, along with housemade kimchi, sesame seeds, green onion, queso blanco and spicy "Seoul Sauce."

The restaurant is set to be open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily and seats roughly 40 people. It also will offer catering.