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Fearless Critic restaurant review
Portland
Food
Feel
Price
6.7
6.0
$5
Mexican, Korean
Food cart

Hours
Mon–Sat 8:30am–6:00pm
Sun 10:00am–5:00pm

Features Veg-friendly
Bar None
Credit cards Visa, MC, AmEx

www.koifusionpdx.com

Southwest Portland
Check Twitter
(503) 997-6654
KOi Fusion
Check Twitter for the whereabouts and whenabouts of this fiercely followed Korean taco truck

Korea and Mexico. At first glance, you might think one has absolutely nothing to do with the other. But both cuisines love charred meat, garlic, and chili spice. Plus, have you ever wrapped bulgogi in a taco? KOi Fusion has.

And they’re not the first, either. There’s a taco truck in Los Angeles called Kogi Korean BBQ To Go that moves around the city, Twittering its location daily to hordes of drooling fiends. Word has it that KOi Fusion has some loose connection to the L.A. Kogi, and it does emulate this marketing tool as well as the menu. The service can be incredibly slow when they get slammed with a crowd of people, taking as long as 20-25 minutes for a couple of tacos.

But we’re not entirely sold. The idea is great, but the execution is just not as good as it could be. The homemade corn tortillas (props for homemade tortillas) can be dry and chewy, depending on how long ago they were made. Stick to the marinated meats, as tofu tends to be severely underseasoned. Still, it can be hard to tell which meat is which; after dressing them, they all sort of taste similar, negating the differences between bulgogi and the fattier, juicier galbi (short rib). Spicy pork is pretty good; it’s not at all like al pastor, but is rather entirely its own thing, sliced thinly and with a thicker sweetness. In general, the heat is dialed way down, as it is at Mexican taco trucks that have learned Americans are control freaks. Here you can add your own from squeeze bottles.

“Seoul Sliders” are okay. These are a little rich (and big), and would benefit from a kimchi condiment, which seems only natural.

Ultimately, this is great late-night drinking food on the weekends, when it’s open until 2am. That is, if you can designate a sober person to troll Twitter for you. And, of course, to drive you there.