Birria de res, particularly in taco form, is having a moment in L.A. right now. It’s about damn time. Some claim that birria de chivo is the only way, and as a the son of Jalisciense mother, I’m inclined to agree. But as an Angeleno, I say fuck that. There is room for both and each is amazing.

However, L.A. goat birria has had its moment in the limelight, and there is a general lack of coverage for birria de res. So L.A. Taco decided to find the best beef birria taquerias in Los Angeles.

Tijuana expats rejoice, birria de res is no longer only found at your tio’s second wedding, you can get some phenomenal birria de res tacos here in the City of Angels. Mr. Mexican with Glasses himself, Gustavo Arellano, credits El Monte’s Burritos La Palma (No. 2 on this list) for starting a recent wave of beef birria or at least popularizing it. Arellano has gone on record saying it would be his death row meal.

Birria is a weekend affair, so naturally it is considered a hangover cure. The idea is that the heartiness of the beef and the spice profile will cure the worst hangover. Is the science exact? Probably not, but at least with this list you get to try some of L.A.’s best birria.

Best Birria de Res in L.A.

12. Tacos y Birria La Unica

2840 E Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles

La Unica is part of the reason why birria de res is having a moment. Part of that success might be because of their popularity on social media. That is not to say that the tacos aren’t good, because they are. The tacos dorados have an excellent crunch. The consomé is different from the others, with the suspected addition of tomato. Though this might not work as well for me because of the sweetness, the long lines might suggest that I’m an idiot. Huge plus is the many different sauces that they offer, from a chili oil to red and green, and everything in between.

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11. Tamales Los Angeles

710 N Eastern Ave. Ste 1, East L.A.

Sure, it isn’t a birrieria but they have really good birria tacos. Tamales Los Angeles is in a small strip mall in East Los Angeles and they sell … well … tamales. The beef birria stands on its own and the tortillas are great. Their tortillas are a bit denser than the standard, but fresh nonetheless. Don’t forget to order a few tamale, or six, for the road.

10. Charlie’s Tacos

1300 N Ave. 50, Highland Park

Weekends

Stationed in front of a park, Charlie’s tacos offers wonderful birria tacos only on weekends. Plastered on the side of the truck are several mafiosos and crime bosses, and at the end is Chuy, a social media personality, giving the “chinga tu madre sign,” like a palm strike. Take that as a welcoming sign to the Mexican partition of Highland Park. Across the street is ground zero for the neighborhood’s gentrification. But the tacos are a tasty reminder of what used to be and still is.

9. Tacos El Morro

Whittier & Albertine, Boyle Heights

Weekends

The smoke coming from the plancha will draw you to El Morro. The high temperature makes for a speedy and crispy taco dorado. The taquero will make several folded tacos and ladle in consomé to flash-sear them. If you ask for cheese on the taco dorado they will place a small pile of cheese on the plancha then place the taco on top. The result is a crunchy taco with a melted cheese hat. The consomé is contender for one of the best. It’s light, perfectly spiced, and delicious.

8. Birrieria Villalobos

Soto & E 4th Street, East L.A.

Weekends

Villalobos is inside a carwash with a flat-top and a table with condiments, which makes it easy to miss. One of the mesmerizing things about this birrieria is watching the taquero drip the bright red rendered fat as he stains the tortillas, like an abstract expressionist painting. The quesabirra is excellent; they place a pile of cheese on the burner to melt and toast then scoop it on to the tortilla. Each taco, vampiro, or quesadilla gets finished off with a touch of consomé to brighten things up. For that, tostaditas and tacos dorados keep their structural integrity best.

7. Tacos El Campeon

Compton Blvd. and Gibson St., Compton

Weekends

The specialty here is tacos dorados, small stained half-moon tacos with birria poking out. They have a delicate crunch on the outside and are insulated with juicy birria. The consomé is more a flavorful beef stock, better than any drinking stock found at a hipster farmers market. They offer a beautiful aceite de chile to compliment the beef birria. The aguas frescas are made on site if you arrive early enough.

6. Tacos De Birria “El Sabroso”

Weekends

The only hidden choice on the list and that’s because these tacos are at someone’s house. Going to this spot is an experience. The set-up is a station that has an area cut out for the large pot of birria. On the side is a small burner with several red-stained tostaditas sitting waiting along with heated tortillas. When an order is placed, the lid comes off and the taquera pulls out a large chunk of birria. For those who are braver (and smarter) ask for nervio (nerve). It adds a pleasant fatty texture to a tostadita or taco. This location is special it is a home and it should be respected as such.

5. Birrieria Los Gonzalez

Multiple locations

One of the few (if not the only) birria de res franchises in L.A. They’ve found lightning and bottled it many times over. The tacos dorados hold structural integrity best against their beef birria. Their quesabirria is one of the best. It’s cheesy, spicy, beefy, and will cure your hangover. But what works best is the smoky and deep red salsa. It is the only one they offer. I love variety as much as the next American but simplicity works best for certain things and Los Gonzalez stands firm on only one salsa. And I have to strongly agree.

4. Teddy’s Red Tacos

731 Slauson Ave., South Central

9532 Whittier Blvd., Pico Rivera

The poster child for L.A.’s birria scene right now, and for good reason. Teddy has come a long way from slanging birria to his Uber customers. Now Teddy’s lines get longer and longer. Seems like every weekend they add an extra table and canopy to accommodate their growing customer base. This month Teddy’s opened its first brick and mortar location in Pico Rivera. I think what Teddy’s does best is presenting the product in a approachable way. Teddy’s famous “deluxe,” a platter with the best that they offer, is all over the food IG sphere. I think Teddy’s ultimate goal is expansion, taking over the now-defunct Slauson railroad track one table and canopy at a time.

3. Tacos De Birria De Res

1400 E 51st St, Central Alameda

Weekends

One of L.A.’s best kept secret, Jesus Barrales has been cooking up of some of the best beef birria on the side of a liquor store. He puts meticulous care into each taco with all the expediency of a masterful taquero. The consomé is light and well-spiced. The biggest advice I can give is to ask him to mix in some nervio into a tostadita or taco. Barrales brings the beauty of beef birria reserved for special occasions and offers it every weekend.



2. Burritos La Palma

Multiple Locations

The OGs of this beef birria game, recently opened a location in the city. A piece of Jerez, Zacatecas has a residency in the LAFC foodhall, The Fields. At this food-hall you’ll find some of L.A.’s best and upcoming food. Burritos La Palma Sure are among the best The Fields has to offer. Sure, it is not a taco in the traditional sense. But it has the same elements except they are wrapped in a beautiful flour tortilla. If it bothers you that much think of their burritos as a masterfully folded taco.

The burritos look like something you’d make as a snack at home but tastes a million times better. The quesadilla, or quesabirria to some, is a piece of art. Your favorite food IG has probably convinced you that adding cheese to anything makes it better. While that sentiment is mostly BS in this case a birria quesadilla is a perfect marriage. The spicy adobo of the birria de res mixes perfectly with the stained fat. A must try, and essential dish that tells the story of L.A.

1. Tacos El Primo

Hooper & 23rd St., Central Alameda

Weekends

El Primo has a residency in a dirt lot of a sleepy residential area of South Central. The dirt lot has long been a blank canvas for the neighborhood, be it for parties or tacos. El Primo has an elaborate process to breakdown the beef. The taquero takes the macsisa and chops slices off while intermittently ladling in their phenomenal consomé, to add some extra moisture (and flavor).

The tostaditas are a small botana that are flavor and texture bombs and the tacos are just as magical. This all has to do with the balance of flavors that goes into their birria. Not too spicy but perfectly spiced, it stays true to the flavor profile of your mom’s or tia’s or abuela’s best birria. The elements come together in a symphony of flavor. Seconds are a must.

Taco Tastes: Teddy’s Red Tacos

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Honorable Mentions

Cocina Los Velasquez

4112 E. Olympic Blvd., East Los Angeles

They offer a Michoacan version of birria, known mostly for tacos dorados.

Tacos El Muchacho

Central & 55th St., Los Angeles

Weekends

The chef is from Tijuana and comes up to L.A. weekends to offer birria de res tacos. The consomé is spicy and has a touch of tomato.

Macheen

Smorgusburg

Sundays

They have birria on occasion. The taco has a curtido for acidity and crema to balance it out. And a birria breakfast burrito, should be enough buzz words to excite anyone.

Little Mexico Chiquito

3823 E Slauson Ave., Maywood

Mostly for the consomé.

Birria La Tia Juana

4027 S Main St., Los Angeles

Really solid tacos and a spicy consomé.

Cocina Santa Cruz

1159 E 53rd St. Los Angeles

Weekends

This truck is parked on the side of the road and offers Tijuana-style birria tacos. What makes them stand out is that they add beans to their tacos, a common practice in Tijuana.

Tacos Gamboa

4207 E Compton Blvd., East Compton

Weekends

They offer both chivo and res birria, try both.

Best Map: Birria de Res Tacos

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Related: The Seven Best Tacos Al Vapor Spots in Southeast Los Angeles