Several months ago I noticed little shop while driving on Highland avenue in National City.
With a name like Birrias....I knew the Missus would want to check the place out.
The walls of this little shop feature reproductions of vintage photos of Tijuana. The menu is written in Spanish, but there's a English translation on the reverse side of the laminated menu.
Even though the menu features items like Sopes, Huaraches, and Tacos, with a name like Birrias, was there any doubt as to what we'd be ordering? We placed our orders, a "complete order" of Birria de Chivo(goat) and one of Birria de Res(Beef - $8.95/ea).
All "complete" orders (half orders are $6.95) include Tortillas, salsa, onions, lime, cilantro and consomme.
We found the salsas to be nice and lively, the tortillas had an excellent corn flavor, but was very brittle, tearing and falling apart.
The consomme looked very rich, but was really mild, and served lukewarm. More oily, than flavorful.
The Birria De Chivo:
The meat was slightly tender, but like the consomme, it lacked spiciness and much flavor. The Missus added a hefty amount of salt, garnishes, and salsa. The meat was very mild, and lacked the "wild" flavor the Missus enjoys.
The Birria De Res was much better.
The very tender meat had a good beefiness to it. The Missus agreed, and thought this to be quite good. I'd have this again if in the area. How two almost exact dishes could vary....you got me.
The service was very nice and friendly. Though Birrias won't divert us from La Nortenita, it wasn't too bad. The young man told me that Birrias will be opening a Imperial avenue location in the near future.
Birrias Chivos & Cheves
2401 Highland Avenue
National City, CA 91950
Hours 8am-8pm Daily
Looks interesting and yummy ... sorry for being ignorant but just to clarify .. birrias is kinda like a tender meat stew is that right? and you wrap it in your own tortillas with various spices and condiments?
Posted by: Rachel | Tuesday, 13 November 2007 at 04:44 AM
Damn, it's 8am and I'm hungry for lunch!
Posted by: Denver | Tuesday, 13 November 2007 at 08:00 AM
Hi Rachel - So sorry, I should've done a better job explaining. It is a meat stew. Here's some clarification:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birria
Hi Denver - Well the place opens at 8am!!!
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 13 November 2007 at 08:33 AM
Hi,
and thanks for the review. I am the owner and operator of birrias and I would like to personally invite you to try more of our food.
Please contact me or access my website and well offer 99cent birria tacos from mon-fri afternoons to readers of your website or any friends you tell about us.
PEOPLE!!! Come try the best mexican food in town... it is not another taco shop.... we only cook fresh, on the spot, and from scratch.
Sincerely,
Tito Ruelas
Posted by: C. Ruelas | Tuesday, 03 June 2008 at 03:31 AM
I agree! Birrias is one of the only mexican restaurants I will eat at. You can tell they make everything with lots of love. Their tortas are the best I've ever had. It's nice to go to a taco shop that isn't all dirty and grungy. This place is really nice! The seating and ambiance makes the visit there once a week worth the while. =D
Posted by: Filis | Monday, 03 May 2010 at 08:18 PM