Birria and chicken tinga meet ramen and bao buns in Near Southside restaurant
A new restaurant in Fort Worth’s Near Southside neighborhood serves ramen in burritos and kimchi in quesadillas.
While some locals were sad to see Paco’s Mexican Cuisine close, owner Francisco “Paco” Islas didn’t leave his customers high and dry.
Instead, those who loved Paco’s can still enjoy Islas’ new Mexican concept with a twist– Shōgun Taqueria.
Replacing the former Paco’s at 1508 W. Magnolia Ave., customers can chow down on Asian-Mexican fusion dishes before they prance next door to the speakeasy for a nightcap.
Islas was encouraged by Kevin Martinez of Tokyo Cafe off Camp Bowie Boulevard to bring Japanese influence to his Mexican flavors. Shōgun’s menu is still growing and changing, as Islas is still experimenting (behind the scenes) with sushi tacos and sashimi in aguachiles.
At first glance, I was hesitant to try a mixture of Asian and Mexican cuisines (though this is not a new concept). But after the first bite, the umami and spice of Asian flavors compliments the richness of the birria meat better than I thought.
What’s on the menu at Shōgun Taqueria
Since Islas is still testing dishes, Shōgun’s menu won’t be the same every day.
The menu has staples that stay, like the birria quesatacos and birria ramen, but also has rotating specials like chicken tinga dumplings and lo mein noodles.
While most entrees are truly a fusion of flavors, there are select dishes that are solely Asian or solely Mexican.
For example, guests can start with spicy chicken karaage, a Japanese fried chicken dish, or order themselves carne asada street tacos.
The fusion comes in dishes like the ramen-rito, a flour tortilla stuffed with ramen noodles, protein, guac, chili oil and cabbage. Or the chicken pozole shio, which has chicken pozole, hominy with shio noodles, cabbage and tomatillo salsa.
What I ate at Shōgun Taqueria
Before going to Shōgun Taqueria, I stalked their social media pages to see what I wanted to eat.
I was so excited to try the chicken tinga dumplings, shishito peppers and lo mein, which are all dishes I’ve seen customers rave about online. But unfortunately, I will have to revisit another time when those are available.
Instead, I was able to try the Shōgun birria tacos, spicy birria miso and a few starters.
Our starters were strong– tamari and tajin drenched edamame and fried brussel sprouts coated in soy sauce and tajin. The tajin on both dishes was a nice kick and fit with the umami flavors. Edamame isn’t a must-order but a good snack. Brussel sprouts were addicting.
Unfortunately, I have to say I was expecting more flavor in the miso broth. The birria meat was tender and went deliciously with the soft noodles. But, I wanted the broth to be saltier, or spicier, but it needed lots of lime to be less bland.
The Shōgun tacos are worth an order no matter what (though they are fully Mexican, no Asian). I don’t know what Islas puts in that salsa on the side, but: yes. The menu description notes miso and bonito flakes (Katsuobushi) but I didn’t get those flavors as much– but I will say I was drenching my tacos in the consomé broth, and salsa may have been the reason why.
I’ll be back to try the chicken karaage, chicken tinga dumplings, lo mein and ramen-rito.
Shōgun Taqueria in Fort Worth
Shōgun Taqueria is located in the old Paco’s Mexican Cuisine at 1508 W Magnolia Ave., across from Sweet Stacks and Ellerbe’s Fine Foods.
The restaurant is only open for dinner, Tuesday through Saturday from 5:30 to 9 p.m. It’s smartest to book a reservation online beforehand, especially for Friday and Saturday dinner.
And about that speakeasy I mentioned earlier, a wall in the taqueria is the gateway into “Secreto Speakeasy.”
Secreto is an intimate 40-seat bar, only open Thursday through Sunday. Shōgun does serve cocktails like a matcha paloma and sake sangria, but Secreto has its own drink menu that is purely Latin-inspired.
Customers don’t have to dine at Shōgun to drink at Secreto, but why not kill two birds with stone and treat yourself to a mezcal digestif?
This story was originally published February 2, 2026 at 5:00 PM.