Here's where to find quesabirria, the taco you've been hearing about everywhere

Taco birria, served with a side of dip at Tacos El Patrón in the Mission District. Taco birria, served with a side of dip at Tacos El Patrón in the Mission District. Photo: Blair Heagerty / SFGate Photo: Blair Heagerty / SFGate Image 1 of / 24 Caption Close Here's where to find quesabirria, the taco you've been hearing about everywhere 1 / 24 Back to Gallery

Quesabirria, with its red-tinged tortillas and side of dip is having ... a moment.

If you follow anyone who regularly posts food photos on Instagram, you've most likely seen photos of these tacos. On carefully arranged tabletops, standing on the sidewalk outside of food trucks — these are the tacos many have been trying to track down and find in the Bay Area, before photographing its lovely red cheesiness and eating them.

The quesabirria movement has been chugging along in the Bay Area, partly due to the deluge of photos on Instagram, but it has also been pumped up in popularity by Chronicle food critic Soleil Ho, who has been documenting her treks for quesabirria.

Quesabirria, or tacos birria, have popped up in multiple articles by Ho, with hungry food fans following her tracks in their own quest for the red tacos she's highlighted. (Luke Tsai with Eater SF wrote a fantastic history of the dish, from its origins in Tijuana to its move north, first to Los Angeles, then the Bay Area.)

Tacos El Patrón in the Mission is having its own moment after being highlighted by Ho earlier this week, with owners José Alberto Pineda and wife Mariana Reza telling SFGATE that the food critic's articles have helped popularize the taco at their restaurant. Pineda and Reza have been serving the taco birria at their Pleasant Hill location for two years before it caught on with the crowds.

"Before, whoever tried it, liked it," Pineda said of the early days of serving the tacos. "But after Soleil, it blew up — a little too much, actually. That night when she published the first article, we sold out. Just yesterday, we sold out again on her new story ... everybody has to try it. And once they come, I'm sure they stay because they like it."

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Birria, for the uninitiated, is a Mexican stew traditionally made with goat, but these days, most places making these tacos, such as Tacos El Patrón, have swapped to the more crowd-friendly beef. The birria is served with cilantro and onion on a lightly toasted corn tortilla, wet with a little bit of the birria grease to give it that red look, and cheese (the cheese is also not traditional, Pineda admitted, but it's become a popular addition to the dish). The taco is then served with a side of consommé, or broth. Some people have taken to dipping the tacos in the sauce, much like a French dip sandwich, but Pineda also suggested sipping it alongside your tacos. (To each their own.)

But ... you're here for tacos. Specifically to get these tacos in your hands — and most importantly, in your stomach. Sure, we can wax poetic on these dreamy, dip-ready tacos all day, but that doesn't mean anything if you don't know where to find it.

So we did the heavy lifting for you and found these Bay Area spots serving the photogenic taco that's only growing more popular with each day. Scroll through the slideshow above to see where you can find the elusive quesabirria.

Dianne de Guzman is a Digital Editor at SFGATE. Email: dianne.deguzman@sfgate.com