Hacienda in Itaewon: Mexican Food Cooked by Koreans
After the Itaewon tragedy, a 20% discounted Itaewon Seoul Pay was released to help revive the neighborhood. Thanks to that, I finally visited Itaewon after staying away for a while, did some shopping, and stopped by Hacienda for dinner. Hacienda serves Mexican food, but it operates with a rather unique combination: Koreans are sweating it out cooking in the kitchen, while foreigners who appear to be Black and Hispanic handle the serving. Still, seeing Hispanic families speaking Spanish and enjoying their meals here suggests that they serve reasonably authentic food, rather than some gochujang (Korean red chili paste) fusion.
The two of us ordered guacamole, Mexican wings, and fajitas. I thought it might be too much food, but we munched away until our plates were completely empty. I don't eat Mexican food very often, but the spices here were stronger than at other places, making the flavors really pop. It truly felt like eating abroad. The strong spices might be polarizing, but for my born-to-be-Korean taste buds, it was absolutely delicious.
The guacamole had an exotic taste thanks to the cilantro, and the spicy kick of the wings made me feel like I was in South America. I was so focused on filling my stomach that I devoured the fajitas without even analyzing the taste. I was really satisfied to have a proper dinner with something other than just rice or bread.
Even now, thinking about that day makes me dizzy and dazed. It's a neighborhood I used to live in, and I had even briefly considered going to see the Halloween festivities while at the subway station. I remember frantically contacting anyone who might have gone to check if they were safe while watching the news at home. Because people have been avoiding Itaewon out of sadness, you can see the shops disappearing. Even though I only walked around for a short while, there were quite a few closed stores. Even on the main street, every other building had a "For Rent" sign on the first floor, making it obvious to anyone that the aftermath of the tragedy is severe. How about making a deliberate effort to visit Itaewon now? In that spirit, I highly recommend Hacienda.