In announcing its second brick-and-mortar location, TaKorean continues its push to make the spicy pickled cabbage known as kimchi a taco topping
de rigeur.
To the
Twelve12 complex near Yards Park, TaKorean owner Mike Lenard will bring his signature caramelized tofu and bulgogi beef tacos, enlived with kimchi or napa cabbage slaw, lime crema and more. The restaurant, now under construction, is slated for a summer 2014 opening.
The Capitol Riverfront area “is a beautiful neighborhood,” Lenard says. “There’s lots of stuff going on down there. It is really going to be a destination for the area.
“It already is,” he added.
The forthcoming outpost of the fast-casual chain, where patrons can get three tacos or a rice bowl with their choice of toppings for $9, will be its largest to date. This location will probably offer soju, Korea’s signature spirit, a clear alcoholic beverage made from barley or rice and consumed neat. “It’s what I drink when I go out to eat Korean,” Lenard says.
Not necessarily Korean beer, though. “We’ll probably do more local American stuff,” he says. “There’s no microbrewery culture in South Korea."
TaKorean staked its first permanent claim with a stall at Union Market in 2012, and its original food truck edition continues to roam the District’s streets.
“Union Market is a great project for us,” Lenard says, speaking to Elevation DC from that location. “We’ve done pretty well here and established our name a lot further than we had been able to do with just the truck.”
Lenard wouldn’t speculate on the next target for his “tako” takeover, but noted that the Yards Park location was “the obvious next step.”