The first week I moved here, there were so many things that I had to cross off my to-do list: move in to my apartment, start a new job, go the immigration office, and — perhaps most importantly — find the nearest Mexican restaurant in town. Priorities, you know?
If you search for Mexican food in Naver Map or KakaoMap, you’ll find yourself in a sea of Mexicana Chicken branches (a Korean fried chicken chain whose name baffles me, considering it doesn’t seem to have any Mexican or even Mexican-adjacent items on their menu) and questionable “burrito” fast-casual places that might appeal to university students looking for a cheap bite to eat. I say “questionable” because I saw a picture of hotdog inside a burrito when I was looking at the menu of one of these places just now. Yikes.
Thankfully, not all hope is lost. Located on Garosu-gil (aka “cafe street”) in Yongho-dong is Todos.
If you’ve been missing the comfort of homemade guacamole, or that fuzzy feeling only a frozen margarita can give you, Todos has you covered. But be warned — it’s busy at all times during the weekend, so either make a reservation, or go knowing that you’ll probably have to wait a bit to be sat.
One of the great things about Todos is the size of their menu. They have plenty of appetizers, four different kinds of tacos, as well as fajitas, quesadillas, salads, and rice bowls. They also have self-serve chips and salsa, although I will say: their salsa comes in a squeeze bottle and doesn’t really do it for me — but I’m used to the homemade salsa I grew up eating at my family’s restaurant back home, so maybe I’m just a bit spoiled at this point.
Whenever I go, I usually get the guacamole to start. It’s thick and chunky, and it always comes garnished with pico de gallo, a sprig of cilantro, and two little wedges of lime to squeeze on top. I also love their cheese-stuffed fried mushrooms appetizer. They’re crispy, cheesy, and perfect with the homemade ranch it comes served with. It’s not hard to believe that this is one of their most popular menu items.
Now, on to the main meal. There’s four different types of tacos:
- Premium beef steak with pico de gallo, salsa verde, and guacamole
- Tex-mex BBQ pork with cabbage, jalapeno mayo, chopped tomatoes, pineapple salsa, and pickled beets
- Creole spice chicken with pico de gallo, feta cheese, and garlic sour cream
- Mango salsa shrimp with shredded lettuce, jalapeno mayonnaise and sweet mango salsa
You can choose two or three of each taco, but the only way you can mix and match is with the sampler platter, which gives you one of each taco. This is a great way to try each one, but if you’re not hungry for four tacos, I recommend the pork and steak tacos! All of them are good, but those two really stand out for me — especially the pork. You just can’t go wrong with a pork and pineapple combo.
If you’re not in the mood for tacos, then you should probably see a doctor try out one of their quesadillas! The quesadillas make for a nice meal, or even a good appetizer to split with the table. You can choose chicken or beef, and I mean… look at these grill marks! Grilled to perfection, plus they are filled with ooey-gooey cheese and served with a garlic ranch sauce.
Or if you’re looking for something with a little more substance, the Surf & Turf Platter is where it’s at. Sometimes a taco just isn’t enough! This is where the Surf & Turf comes in. My friends and I ordered this one on a whim once, and we devoured it in about five minutes flat. It comes with grilled creole pork neck, bacon-covered grilled shrimp, french fries, and roasted shishito peppers. It’s also served with three sauces: a mojo sauce, ranch, and a sweet and tangy sauce. So. Dang. GOOD.
And lastly, beverages. Or more like THE beverage. Todos has a pretty good drink menu compared to a lot of the restaurants I’ve been to in Korea. In the States, it’s pretty standard for a restaurant to come with a full bar, but in Korea, that’s rarer to come by. However, Todos does have a nice little collection of craft beers, and cocktails such as gin & tonic, mojitos, a standard on-the-rocks margarita, and — my favorite — the Coronarita, which also happens to be their signature drink. The Coronarita comes in a full-on goblet, filled to the brim with a strong frozen margarita and “garnished” with an upside-down mini Corona bottle. This thing can transform your casual Sunday lunch into a Sunday Funday in a matter of three sips.
If you’re ever in Changwon and wondering where to go, or you just can’t kick that craving for Mexican food, Todos is so worth it! Have you ever been here? What’s your favorite Mexican restaurant in your city? Feel free to leave a comment and let me know!
Address: 경남 창원시 의창구 용호로 116 (English: Gyeongnam Changwon-si Uichang-gu Yongho-ro 116)
Craving This Now 