Does a ‘mouthwatering’ new food trailer sell Boise’s best tacos? It dunks on competitors

Does Bronco Tacos really serve “Boise’s best Mexican tacos,” as it casually brags on Facebook?

There’s only one way to find out: the go-cram-your-face way.

For sure, the new food trailer at 2455 S. Broadway Ave. dunks on the competition.

Bronco Tacos’ specialty is quesabirria tacos. Birria, a slow-cooked, marinated meat dish, is the star ingredient. The tacos are served with consome, a flavorful, beefy dipping broth.

You dunk your taco into the consome. You sink your teeth into the dripping feast.

Bronco Tacos is set up behind Old Fashioned Fruit and Veg market at Broadway Avenue and Ivywild Street. The atmosphere? Dirt and gravel parking lot. Next to the trailer are a trash can and two picnic tables.

Launched Sept. 14, Bronco Tacos has built a quick clientele of regulars. It also attracts produce-toting shoppers from next door. They’re lured by the scent of meat, seasonings — and, yes, trendiness.

“The hype for birria is relentless,” The New York Times proclaimed in February. “On Instagram, there’s a collective fetishization of cheese pulls in extreme close-ups, and images of tacos half-dipped in Styrofoam cups of meaty broth.”

Bronco’s quesabirria taco plate ($10) comes with three tacos, a cup of consome and two housemade hot sauces on the side. The still-warm, double-layered tortillas have been fried in a mix of consome and fat released by the birria. It gives them an orange-and-red glow. They’re filled with the shredded beef — simmered in birria adobo sauce — and melted cheese. Diced onion and cilantro add zing.

Birria bliss

These tacos are rich — almost, like, enchilada-rich. Steam rises from the cup of consome as you dip and dine in Boise’s crisp fall temperatures.

Co-owners Victor Martinez and Gloria Valdivieso knew birria was fashionable when they opened Sept. 15. Quesabirria tacos aren’t exactly rare in these parts. They’re also sold at not-so-far away Lolita’s Tacos, 1899 E. Boise. Ave. But birria isn’t exactly ubiquitous in Southeast Boise, as Martinez, 34, explains. Or common in Boise, period. “I think as you move toward Meridian, Nampa, you see more of it,” he says.

His mother-in-law, Valdivieso, does the cooking. She uses home recipes that have dazzled friends and family for years. Bronco Tacos’ housemade sauces — a green and a spicier red — are creations Martinez learned from his mom, he says.

Mexican noodles

Family in Los Angeles suggested that they also offer “maruchabirria” ($8), aka ramen-style birria. Served in a 32-ounce cup, it is Bronco Tacos’ “trendiest delight,” according to the menu. (For $3, you can order an extra birria taco on the side for dipping, too.) Like quesabirria tacos, it’s undeniable comfort food.

After forking the dripping noodles into your mouth, you’ll notice yourself slurping the remaining consome out of the Styrofoam vat. If Bronco Tacos wanted to take the experience to another level, it could add a handful of tortilla chips on the side. For crunch.

Nah. Go straight for the quesabirria taco plate, people!

Next time, maybe I’ll try the birria quesadilla ($10).

Birria just has a special allure.

“It’s beef, right? Everyone loves beef,” Martinez says. “... And it slow cooks for hours. I think more than anything, it’s the spice, the color, just the juiciness of the meat. And the taco itself — a little bit different than your normal three-for-$5 taco, right?

“All in all, it’s mouthwatering,” he adds with a laugh. “It’s just mouthwatering.”

▪ Bronco Tacos is open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. It’s closed Sundays and Mondays.