Snack Attack: Kimchi Fritas at Coreanos

Loaded fries meet Korean-Mexican fusion.

Kimchi Fritas at Coreanos

Kimchi Fritas at Coreanos. / Photo provided

Owners Jina and Yongsik Kim, along with their son Alex, have made a few tweaks to their Korean-meets-Mexican fusion menu in the six months Coreanos has been open in Allston. But they have left one dish untouched since day one.

That snack is the restaurant’s kimchi fritas, a bowl of French fries smothered in pan-fried kimchi and cheese, sprinkled with scallions, and finished with spicy mayo and cilantro lime sauce and a sunny-side egg. For a few extra bucks, you can top your tray with proteins such as bulgogi beef, spicy pork, or kalbi beef short rib.

It’s savory, shareable, and what the Kim family believes exemplifies their fusion cuisine.

“The blend of fries, kimchi with a bite, and gooey cheese, all smothered in egg yolk, just works harmoniously,” Alex Kim says.

Aside from its standalone flavor, the fritas are also a pre-meal primer for the breadth of KoMex entrées you can find at the restaurant, including doubled-up corn tortilla tacos with spicy ginger slaw, quesadillas with house-fermented kimchi, and signature rice bowls. While there’s also egg-topped bibimbap, spicy tteokbokki, and other traditional Korean dishes on the menu, eclectic plates like these have made the small storefront a hit.

“It says something about the Allston neighborhood,” Kim previously told Boston. “This [fusion concept] is huge in L.A. and New York. It’s a long time coming here, especially Allston, with such a young, hip, diverse population.”

The loaded papas fritas are one of the top-selling items at the restaurant, Kim says, so swing by and see what the locals are so jazzed about.

$5.95, Coreanos, 172 Brighton Ave., Allston, 617-208-8822, coreanosallston.com.