Linda Falkenstein
A corn dog, bubble tea, egg toast and mochi doughnut from Teamoji.
Clockwise from left: Hot Cheetos corn dog, creme brulee bubble tea, egg toast and mochi doughnut.
It’s hard to imagine a less serious eatery than Teamoji, a bubble tea and Korean corn dog spot on State Street at Gilman. It takes the space of Sookie’s Veggie Burgers at 502 State St., in a neoclassical Beaux Arts style building listed on the state historic register. The contrast between its stately exterior and its mod interior with digital ordering kiosks and a K-pop soundtrack is a little jarring.
But whatever. Teamoji is fun. There isn’t a single thing on the menu that’s healthy, so you’d better be looking to have fun. The four basic food groups here are: tea drinks, Korean corn dogs, egg toast sandwiches, and mochi doughnuts.
Tea drinks
These come in an array of flavors with various boba add-ons. I like a classic milk tea, or a Thai iced tea where you can taste the tea. These delivered. My more frivolous drink order was a roasted creme brulee milk tea, which started out with a little tea flavor before it started tasting straight-up creme brulee, which wasn’t a bad thing. The cream was so thick on the sides of the plastic cup that it could have been creme brulee. Do I wish this carried more tea flavor? Yes. Was it terrifically fun? Also yes.
Korean corn dogs
These have been trending in the U.S. since before 2021, the year Bon Appetit declared it the year of the Korean corn dog, but Madison got its first dedicated outlet (Glazed, at Global Market and Food Hall) in 2023. The Korean corn dog isn’t wrapped in a cornmeal breading like the American version; these use a more neutral wheat and rice flour batter that’s then rolled in crumbs or pieces of some other food (potato, sweet potato, crushed ramen noodles, Hot Cheetos) and fried. Teamoji’s corn dogs are huge, like demi-burritos, but that’s mostly batter. Inside there’s a choice of beef hot dog; half beef, half mozzarella; half beef, half cheddar; or all mozzarella. The beef wiener provides the most flavor contrast with the crunchy exterior; the cheese tends to get lost in the dough. The Hot Cheetos saltiness is combined with a sprinkling of sugar, reminiscent of how Kettle Corn combines salty and sweet. Teamoji provides squeeze bottles of ketchup and mustard to drizzle on your dog, but adding sweet chili sauce and Kewpie mayo options would be much appreciated.
Egg toast sandwiches
As far as I can determine, this is the only place in Madison where you can get Korean street toast. The slightly sweet, fluffy, thick-cut white bread is griddled and holds a thin Japanese-style rolled omelet, along with melty American cheese and a sweetened mayo sauce. It’s yummy and best eaten hot, on-site, where the drippy sauce is most appealing. I’d prefer a less aggressively processed cheese flavor but I realize that’s not really in the spirit of the dish. This is a generous sandwich (it also comes with bacon or ham add-ons, and can be made with garlic toast). Toast chains in Korea serve these sandwiches with a greater variety of fillings, from bulgogi to chili shrimp. Bring it. Madison needs more toast.
Mochi doughnuts
Mochi doughnuts are usually made with rice flour, which makes for a chewier dough. The dough itself doesn’t have much flavor, and the flavored glazes here just taste sugary. Although it’s hard to go wrong with fried dough and sugar, I don’t see the advantage of this style. They are super cute, though, but pricey at $3.50 each.
For all its fun food, Teamoji is not an especially inviting place to sit. The area where food orders come out doesn’t look finished and there is a weird platform of electrical outlets set in an Astroturf type material adjacent to a single-diner bar that feels like eating at a hole on a miniature golf course. There’s an airport concession hurriedness about the room.
But that won’t bother kids, who are probably going to love it, and if you find the kid in you, you might too.
Teamoji
502 State St., 608-640-4097
11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. daily
$5-$8
