Beetle's Taco on Seosunla-gil, Jongno — A 150-Minute Weekday Wait

#NoSponsorship

Beetle's Taco (비틀비틀, 비틀스타코) on the trendy Seosunla-gil in Jongno is one of Seoul's hottest spots right now. I was really excited to try it — but the wait was something else entirely.

Located 244m from Jongno 3-ga Station Exit 7, it's open Monday-Thursday 16:00-23:40 and Friday-Sunday 13:00-23:40. The place became even more famous after being featured on the TV show "I Live Alone" (나 혼자 산다) with celebrity Jeon Hyun-moo.

I arrived on a Friday at noon — the place opens at 1 PM on weekends/Fridays. Already number 51 on Catch Table! I thought "it'll be an hour max once they open." Wrong. The turnover was painfully slow, with groups entering at a crawl. Final wait time: 150 minutes on a weekday.

We killed time at nearby Solbangul Bakery (highly recommend!), chatting over coffee and pastries. Good thing there was somewhere nice to wait.

Important rules: No solo diners, no groups of 5+, no takeout, no minors, and one drink per person is mandatory. It's more of a bar than a restaurant. Almost all seating is outdoors — meaning it's absolutely sweltering in summer. They provide fans, but it's barely enough.

Ordering is via kiosk near the kitchen — and no additional orders...