Yogi BBQ Cart Is the Newest Korean Taco Contender
You would think that the Korean taco niche has reached capacity by now, but apparently not. Yesterday Lunch’er Harry tipped us off to this new cart on the corner of 56th and Madison, and we had to see if the new kid on the block could hang with the big boys.
The cart offers tacos, gyros, and platters over rice (white or fried) with your choice of either teriyaki chicken, bulgogi beef, or spicy pork. Of course, for the sake of gluttony science, I went with one of each taco.
The tacos come individually and un-photogenically wrapped in foil and cost $2 for chicken, and $2.50 apiece for beef or pork. Each is wrapped with a single flour tortilla. This will be a sticking point for some, but I personally prefer flour over corn tortillas, so this was fine with me. The tacos are dressed with iceberg lettuce, chopped tomatoes, shredded cheese, and a squirt of their ginger white sauce- which is a mayo based sweet and tangy topping, almost reminiscent of Miracle Whip (which again I happen to like, but lots of people hate, so I’ll be interested to hear other people’s take on this sauce). They offer kimchi as a free add-on, so I added it on, of course.
Each of the meats were easily identifiable and had plenty of flavor. The spicy pork (pictured above) was not nearly as spicy as I would have liked, but the kimchi added some kick and the meat itself was tender and still had plenty of sweet Korean marinade flavor. The bulgogi was also tender and juicy. If I had to choose, it would probably be my favorite of the three, but I think they’re all worth a try. The chicken was also a win. The teriyaki flavor was prominent without being too saucy. Three tacos was definitely enough for lunch, I was stuffed afterwards.
While Yogi BBQ doesn’t offer the varieties of kimchi and veggies that Korilla does, with all of the controversy recently swirling around on this site, Yogi BBQ may come to develop a loyal following in this part of town. I’m also curious to see what a bulgogi gyro would look like…is Korean gyro the Korean taco of the future?
The + (what someone who likes this place would say)
- I can’t get enough of Korean tacos, I can’t wait to try a new version!
- Midtown East needs a new Korean taco joint now that I’m boycotting Korilla.
- I prefer flour tortillas over corn on my tacos.
The – (what someone who doesn’t like this place would say)
- Another Korean taco place? It’s time for a new food trend already!
- Flour tortillas are so inauthentic.
- When I see “Spicy Pork” I expect SPICY pork.
Yogi BBQ Cart, SW Corner of 56th & Mad.
Posted by Anna at 9:45 am, January 10th, 2012 under Korean, Yogi BBQ Cart.
19 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post
19 Comments
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Am I they only one who wouldn’t mind a gyro taco?
I think my love of gyro meat is almost fetishistic.
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i see no point in replacing the usual pita with a flimsy flour tortilla
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Lower net carbs?
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Then eat it wrapped in a lettuce leaf. Authentic!
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When I eat Mexican I want the real experience of cholera and dysentery!
Also, my oxen does fording this comment.
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*Oxen died
Too hungry to type correctly.
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Do they give small portions too?
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I tried it yesterday. I had one of each taco. My impression was similar to yours. “When I see “Spicy Pork” I expect SPICY pork.”
I think the mayo will turn some people off, but I liked it. I thought the tortillas were pretty good for pre-made tortillas.
Portions were OK. The tacos were a nice size, though the lettuce takes up space. The iceberg lettuce gives the tacos some texture. I had a positive impression overall.
They said that they are friends with the Bob and Joe guys. They happen to be on the same corner Bob and Joe were on.
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I forgot to mention that I really want to try the “Spicy Pork Gyro.”
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I had the beef tacos and I really liked them. I loved the spicy mayo sauce. However, I do feel that the meat portions are a little too small. I wish they put more meat in their tacos!
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Had a beef and a chicken. Got the last of the kimchee too. It was delicious!
And btw…for two bucks IN MIDTOWN.. its a steal!
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No gyros eaten? Boo.
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Teriyaki chicken over rice: good amount of food and very tasty for $5 (+spicy mayo and kimchee) and comes with lettuce salad w/ a bit of mayo.
Beef gyro + spicy mayo: looks exactly as you’d expect, with a bit of lettuce and some pico de gallo. Tastes great, but not quite as good a value in respect of the amount of food (still decent though).
$10 and I have a bit of leftovers for 5PM munchies.
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p.s. decent sized line at 1:15 meant it took 15 mins to get food. Only 2 guys working in the cart, but owner seems very friendly. I will be back often.
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What happened to this place? I thought this truck was at the corner of 56th and madison everyday? I checked today 1/17 and it was not there!
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Just tried going today and the cart wasn’t there.
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Tried yesterday (1/31) – no dice.
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Possibly in SoHo now. I noticed on Yelp that someone reviewed them at Prince St/Greene St.
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may want to add the new Seoul Food truck to this list of Korean tacos as well. Saw them in midtown last friday. Menu seemed to be a mix of Korilla and Big D’s.