Tacos Y Birria La Única — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Tacos y Birria la Unica was opened in 2017 by Jamie and Yasmani Mendoza, siblings that had worked in other peoples' taco trucks before starting their own. Their truck is stationed in Boyle Heights, just a few paces away from legendary shrimp taco purveyor Mariscos Jalisco.

Yes, the taco to get at Tacos y Birria la Unica is the "Birria de Chivo Quesataco." The Mendoza's birria de chivo (aka goat birria) recipe has been in their family for generations, and is as juicy and tender in as much of a true "melts in your mouth" way as I've experienced in a braised goat dish. The taste of the birria is light, a little grassy, but mostly uncomplicated and just downright good. It is served in a blistered corn tortilla shell that has been griddled until it is crunchy and a layer of gooey cheese is melted within.

I asked which of the multiple salsas was recommended for the Birria de Chivo Quesataco, and was pointed towards the Chile de Arbol, which had a sweet and snappy chili flavor without a trace of the soapiness you sometimes taste in other roasted chili sauces. The Salsa de Aceite also is pretty good, and a notch or two up the Scoville Scale. I wouldn't fault anyone for using it on these tacos, even if I think it may overpower the birria, and you really want to taste the excellence of the birria.

As much as I enjoyed the Birria de Chivo Quesataco, I can't recommend the Birria de Res Soft Taco, which was quite disappointing in comparison. The latter is made with beef instead of goat, and probably exists on the menu to feed customers who end up here who don't want to try goat. The beef birria was too dry and over-braised. Textural superiority aside, the goat version possessed a much more nuanced flavor than the beef birria, and was a taco I never wanted to stop eating, whereas the beef taco I was done with after 2 bites. Not even the aforementioned sauces made the Birria de Res Soft Taco very palatable.

I can forgive a bad taco when it is served beside an excellent taco, as was the case during my visit. I do suggest you expect to wait a while for your tacos if you come during peak times, especially on weekends. Even as early as 9:30am on a Sunday morning, I had to wait in a line about 8 people deep. Shaded seating, tables, and chairs are provided, which is nice, and the people running this operation are kindly folks. Given Tacos y Birria la Unica's very close proximity to Mariscos Jalisco, I can't see how I could ever go to one truck and not the other...

Super popular taco truck in Boyle Heights. Came here on a Sunday morning around 11am and there was already a long line. However the line moves quickly (took about 15 min to order), and then you wait for your number to be called (took about 30 min to get our food).

There’s no public bathrooms available. It’s still open during covid for takeout, but you can’t eat nearby. Masks are required and there is hand sanitizer available. Parking is available on the street but you might need to circle the block a couple of times. Cash only. Theres a lot of other food stands like the clay jar michelada/Paloma/margarita stand, which may help pass your wait time. The service here was very friendly and efficient.

Food-wise, I think 3 quesatacos should do it if you’re feeling peckish, although most people seem to order 4. The carne asada meat is really good and is the only meat that comes with guacamole. However, I’d definitely recommend the birria de res, which comes with a small consommé (no meat). The quesatacos come with cheese and you can dip it in the consommé for added flavor. The chivo (goat) was also tender and had a deep earthiness for those craving something more unique. The salsas came with a variety of options, and the light red one was the spiciest. Overall, a great spot to indulge in some meat from a...

Simply put, its the best birria spot in LA. They give you the option to choose between regular beef or goats meat. In my opinion, unless it's made with carne de chivo (goats meat), its not real birria. I grew up on having birria that way so don't hate cause its delicous. The quesatacos are a must with a cup of consome. Normally I would just have the consome with some carne swimming in there and a few tortillas that I would roll up and dip, but there's nothing more satisfying than dipping a amazing quesataco into a phenomenal cup of consome and taking a juicy bite. You lose some meat from the taco into the consome, but the spoon is right there to solve that problem. This place also has the best habanero hot sauce/salsa I've ever had. Put it on everything if you like spicy food. Its a food truck so you must remember seating is limited and parking is also limited, but I'm telling you guys it's worth rolling the dice. I would be a regular here if they were closer to my area. Also this place...