Birria mania! 7 spots to get those delicious, dippable tacos

Jess Fleming, Pioneer Press
·5 min read

If you’ve been to a restaurant lately — particularly a Mexican restaurant — you have definitely seen birria tacos, or quesabirria, on the menu.

The dish, which is a favorite among food Instagrammers, consists of braised meat (usually beef in Minnesota) stuffed, along with cheese, into tortillas that have been dipped in the consomme that results from the braise. The whole taco is then fried until the cheese melts and the tortillas soften and crisp slightly. The tacos are generally served with an extra side of consomme for dipping and/or slurping with a spoon.

Birria on its own is a dish that has deep history in the Jalisco region of Mexico, where it was traditionally a preparation for goat meat that European colonizers, who brought the animals to the region, found unpalatable. Mexicans hit that meat with a strong combination of spices, including chili peppers, garlic and herbs, and cooked it low and slow, which resulted in a rich, meat stew in a flavorful consomme. Later, beef was substituted, likely because it’s easier to get a big cut from a cow for cooking big batches.

Birria tacos likely originated in Tijuana, Mexico, where food writer Bill Esparza spotted the dish in the early 2000s. About a decade later, the dish finally made its way to Los Angeles, and from there it has spread like wildfire across the country and the food-photography community.

There’s a reason the fooderati loves the dish — the colors of the red-tinged tortillas and crisp cilantro-and-onion toppings pretty much jump off the screen — and the rich flavors are absolutely craveable.

Birria is such a phenomenon that it pops up in pizza, ramen and even burger form, mostly as specials at some of the Twin Cities’ hottest restaurants.

Here’s a list of some of the east metro places serving birria tacos so you can try them for yourself. Did I miss your favorite spot? As always, email me at eat@pioneerpress.com.

EL BURRITO MERCADO CAFE

The patio at the cafe inside this bustling Mexican grocery is such a hidden gem that I hate to give it away lest there not be a table when I need a margarita and some tacos, stat, but I’m here to serve. The birria here is great, too. The meat and consomme are probably the spiciest of those that I tried, but I love spicy, so they were absolute winners in my book. The order is just two tacos, but they were so huge I couldn’t finish them both, and the consomme is so good I ate most of it with a spoon. The tacos are best paired with sunshine and a margarita on the aforementioned patio.

$12.99 for 2 tacos; 175 Cesar Chavez St., St. Paul; 651-227-2192; elburritomercado.com

BUSSIN BIRRIA

This new stand at the Mall of America, which replaced Hot Indian Foods and is by the same chef and owner, bet big on the trend and it appears to be paying dividends. I was there on a slow day, and there was still a line. These tacos — the most perfectly crisp of the bunch — were worth the wait. The beef is tasty, the provided salsa also delicious, and the consomme rich and beefy. This is the only place I know of that also serves chicken and vegan versions, and the house-made chips and queso are great, too.

$15.20 for 3 tacos; 60 E. Broadway St., suite C332, Bloomington, 952-479-7952; bussinbirria.com

HAMBURGUESAS EL GORDO

If you’re more of a Minnesota-spicy person, these tacos will definitely be your jam. The consomme is rich and beefy, and the tacos are absolutely enormous. I could only finish one. If you’re looking for kick, the little salsas that come with the tacos bring it. The red one was so spicy a few drops was enough — and I love spice. Keep in mind that the birria tacos are only available at the West St. Paul location.

$3.99 per taco; 1731 S. Robert St., West St. Paul; 651-340 -1483; gordoburgers.com

HOMI

This consomme was probably my favorite — rich and flavorful without being too salty. The tacos were good, too, and not as overstuffed as some of the others on this list. I did wish that the tortilla had been dipped before frying, because the taco itself ended up being a little bland compared to others.

$12.95 for 3 tacos; 864 W. University Ave., St. Paul; 651-222-0655; homirestaurant.com

EL SAZON TACOS & MORE

If you haven’t been to this cute counter inside an Eagan BP gas station, you’re missing out. There’s very little on the outside to indicate the presence of the restaurant, just a faded placard in the window, hidden beneath a flashy neon Rock Star Energy Drink sign. But inside, the gas station is clean, and the counter adorned with subway tile and a modern painting of a birria taco, which definitely was a harbinger of the great things that were to come. The menu includes not only birria tacos but also pizza and ramen. Sadly, they were out of pizza dough on our visit, but the tacos and ramen are definitely worth seeking out. The tortillas on the tacos had just the right amounto of grease and crisp, the beef was tender and the consomme spiced just right. That consomme is an excellent vehicle for ramen noodles, which my husband slurped so happily that I barely got a taste.

$13.38 for 3 tacos; 1815 Diffley Road, Eagan; 763-276-0654; elsazonmn.com

MEZCALITO BUTCHER

I loved the crisp on the tortillas, which were high quality and delicious. If you’re a cheese lover, these are definitely for you. The beef was well-prepared and tender, and the consomme slurpable. If you order the platter, they come with rice and beans, or you can order them a la carte in order to sample more kinds of street tacos. Drinks here, particularly those that include mezcal, are terrific.

$6 for 1 taco, $20 for a platter that includes 3 tacos, rice and beans; 14889 Florence Trail, Apple Valley; 952-236-8115; mezcalitobutcher.com

PAJARITO

The cheese halo on these makes them tough to dip in the beefy consomme, but I also love crisped cheese, so it’s hard to knock the chefs for that choice. I ended up just pouring some of the stock onto the tacos and eating them with a fork. Was it perfect? No. Was it delicious? Yes.

$12 for 2 tacos; 605 W. Seventh St., St. Paul; 651-340-9545; stpaul.pajaritorestaurant.com

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