Cross Cultural

Shogun Taqueria, 1508 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth. 817-759-9110

When Paco’s Mexican on Magnolia announced its closure in January, there were many eulogizing the announcement but not without controversial opinions. I had noticed over the past couple of years guests voicing up-and-down experiences similar to ones I had, though I kept them to myself.

Full disclosure: I have vested interest in several hospitality concepts but have been working in the industry since graduating high school, which has provided invaluable insight into the literal blood, sweat, and tears that go into opening and operating a concept. Before I became involved as an owner/investor, I was a food writer for local and national publications for a decade and have always done my best to steer clear of the title “critic.” My goals are to write about my experiences in a positive light, leaving the rest to the reader in hopes they will become a guest of whatever establishment I’ve visited. It’s a delicate balance of tact and truth.

I have been visiting Paco’s since the pandemic, and it provided my first acquaintance with the birria taco trend — Paco’s were fantastic. Subsequent visits are when I noticed inconsistencies with food quality, menu availability, cleanliness, and service and what felt like an apathetic affair. My last dining impression was during August 2024, when I had superb birria tacos again, but the chips were stale and greasy — not the first time they were served in this woeful state. But the issue that got me was how unbearably warm it was inside. When we asked, we were informed by the server that the AC unit had been kaput for a while and that nothing had been done to fix it.

After closing Paco’s, owner/operator Francisco Islas announced that his restaurant would be transforming into Shogun Taqueria, showcasing a fusion of Japanese and Mexican cuisine with ramen as the focal point. Rejoice!

My guest and I opted to visit a mere three days after the reopening, and I approached it with grace as there are always hiccups. I also knew hiccups had been Paco’s situation for years under the same leadership, but my expectations rested on the higher side.

Choosing our own table as instructed, we were quickly greeted by our server with menus, and we were eager to dive in. Cocktails were a priority as an attractive list of Japanese-inspired drinks shared menu space with unique or traditional Mexican cocktails from the days of Paco’s. After I placed an order for the Old Fashioned with Japanese whiskey, the server returned to inform me that it was a no-go. I ordered the nori negroni with nori as the fourth ingredient of this classic three-ingredient cocktail, and like before, our server returned saying they couldn’t make it. The hibiscus sake sangria was next, and this yielded the same result. Basically, Shogun had nothing in stock to make the Japanese-inspired drinks. This left us baffled. With the same liquor license and booze on the shelves, how or why was there a lack of inventory for the new cocktails? This set the precedent for the rest of dinner.

Starting with dim sum, we opted for chicken tinga gyoza, the spicy fried-chicken karaage, and, from the hot stone parrilla section (cooked tableside), Wagyu. Of course, the server told us the stone parrillas were unavailable.

Although appearing lifeless on the plate, the chipotle marinated chicken within the steamed wonton wrapper of the gyoza was tasty, and those familiar with the chicken tinga tacos from Paco’s will recognize the flavor. The chicken karaage was lightly battered in chipotle adobo, not heavily fried, and succulently juicy. Both items gave hope for the rest of the meal. That is, if the rest of the menu clocked in.

We discovered that answer when we ordered the pork carnitas tonkotsu ramen and lo mein a la diabla. After taking our orders, our server returned several minutes later to say they were out of ramen and noodles in general. At this point, I just asked what was available, so we wouldn’t order, then wait in agony wondering whether or not we would eat.

We were told everything else “should be available,” but that “should” worried me. Where was a manager, or anyone for that matter, communicating between the front and back of the house what items were 86ed or how many remained available.

We plowed forward, ordering the deep-fried pork cutlet smothered in red mole (tonkatsu con mole), the bao bun trio, pork belly kimchi quesadillas, and the oyakodon rice bowl. Welp, another swing and a miss with the rice bowl as that wasn’t in-house, but the others were delivered as promised.

Bao buns, or sticky buns, are to be served warm with a pillowy texture from being steamed to the point that they stick to your fingers, but these were chewy to hard, with the meat inside dry and lacking seasoning. The tonkatsu was passable, but the red mole heavy with ginger and chile powder wasn’t that exciting. The kimchi quesadilla was good. And why not? Quesadillas are a holdover from the days of Paco’s with kimchi as the new component.

Truly hoping for their success, upon leaving, I thought of Scooby-Doo, when a mask being yanked off ultimately reveals the true culprit of the crime. Only here it would be all the former issues that plagued Paco’s in the final years parading as a new concept that simply didn’t deliver on this visit.

Shogun Taqueria
Bao buns $15
Tonkatsu con mole $14
Kimchi quesadilla $14
Tinga gyoza $9
Spicy karaage $8