When considering tacos in Tijuana, birria should be at the top of your list. But what does Tijuana-style birria mean, exactly? Birria is a slow-cooked meat preparation hailing from the east-central state of Jalisco, where it’s typically made with goat and served with tortillas and a consomé broth on the side. But birria has grown popular all around the country and well beyond (we documented birria in Mexico City years ago), and along the way it’s developed regional styles and variations.
Tijuana’s is the most famous, swapping the goat or sheep for carne de res (beef), thus yielding more product at lower cost. It’s a soupier, stewier dish, rich with beef fat and reddened by dried chiles, and it’s served right in the tortilla—in other words, as a taco. The tortillas are first cooked a bit in the rendered fat skimmed from the top of the pot, giving them an orange hue and an irresistible crunch. They’re served with chopped white onions, cilantro, and salsa de chile de árbol on top, or with birria en caldo (soup) on the side.
A taquero named Don Guadalupe Zárate, who moved from Puebla to Tijuana and began selling this type of taco de birria de res in the 1950s, is largely credited with developing this style (source: Eater). Fast-forward a few decades to when birria de res jumped the border to Los Angeles, the dish caught on like wildfire, and the rest is history.
Good to know: Tacos de birria is traditionally eaten for breakfast, so many carts close by the early afternoon.
Where: We had very little time to explore in Tijuana, so we chose from SanDiegoRed’s excellent list for great birria tacos in the city and landed at Taqueria El Sabroso (664-821-7971; corner of Brasil Av. and Aguascalientes, map).
When: Daily, 7am-3pm
Order: This cart offers tacos de birria (30 p), tacos de lengua (beef tongue, 50 p), as well as consomé, quesatacos and quesabirria, adding Oaxacan cheese to the tacos. We tried both of the regular tacos and weren’t disappointed. We were asked if we wanted frijoles with the birria, and the answer was, Por supuesto! The addition of pinto beans to the birria mix was a welcome contrast to all the meat.
According to SanDiegoRed, El Sabroso’s birria recipe includes avocado leaf and chocolate. Whatever it is, it was delicious. Don’t forget to make good use of the lime, pickled onions, and many hot sauces on offer, and pair your tacos with some orange or jamaica juice—both of which help cut the rich meat.
Alternatively: There’s no shortage of birria in Tijuana! Other taquerias on our radar include Tacos de Birria Martín (Calle 8va. Miguel Hidalgo , map), Tacos Los Poblanitos (Calle Ing. Juan Ojeda Robles 415, map), and Tacos Fitos (Francisco Javier Mina 1695, map). For a different take, seek out chef Javier Plascencia’s birria de pescado (fish) at Erizo Baja Cocina de Mariscos.
