Birrieria Y Taqueria Ay Arandas — Restaurant in San Antonio

Bottom line up front: authentic feel of Mexico and has wide variety of tacos and other Mexican staples.

Went there on Saturday, Jan. 24, around 4pm. You order at the counter, get a number, and wait for your food to come to your table. It's pretty much self-service from the get go. After you pay, you can pick salsas, limes, and other items for your tacos from the small bar in the middle of the restaurant.

Any other day I'd say that is great because you don't have to depend on the servers, you save time, and you save on tips but with COVID-19, I don't think it's wise to have areas and some utensils like the spoon on the large molcajete that everyone touches. They clean and disinfect the area fairly frequently but not frequently enough to prevent multiple people from touching the same areas between cleanings. They have disposable utensils and disposable salsa cups and if you watch what you touch you may be ok but I think it would be safer to hand cups of salsa, limes, etc. with each order to reduce the risk of infection.

Aside from that, I must say the birria tacos here are as authentic as you can get. I've been to Jalisco, Mexico and have visited Guadalajara, Zapopan, Arandas, Mascota, Talpa de Allende, Puerto Vallarta, and these birria tacos are the real deal. They have a wide variety of tacos. Soft taquitos, hard tacos, with a wide variety of meats. Some exotics like cow eye tacos are available if you want to experiment and push your gag reflex.

Overall, I will definitely return to Ay Arandas. The service at the counter was great, the quality of the tacos was great, and the prices are...

If your reading this, decision made, you need to visit them. Loved it. I'm crazy about tacos, and absolutely love trying all the taco trucks and taquerias on and off Culebra. I actually found this place in search of Birria de Borrego. I've been looking for a good one on the west side, since my favorite is across town with limited hours. I found the holy grail here at Birrieria Y Taqueria! It's not tex mex! Deffinately more true to interior Mexican tradition. You wont find a large menu full of plates. They specialize and do what they do (birrias and tacos) really really well. Meat lovers rejoice, they have tacos al vapor! They have all sorts of animal part options! Super appreciate establishments that utilize the whole animal. If your curious about trying something new, this is the place to do it. They also have the basics, asada and pastor done right! They have a drive through and open until 1 am on Friday and Saturdays! Even though its indoors, treat it like any old taco truck. Cashier is like a server, but this place is not your typical sit down restaurant. If your familiar with taquerias in mexico, you'll understand the dynamic. Ooooh, the cafe de olla. I use cafe de ollas to gauge the type of Mexican restaurant I'm in. I question authenticity if a place doesn't offer it. I love my coffee black, no added sugar. Some ollas only have cinnamon, this place had so much more! Mine was a little sweeter than I usually prefer, but I loved it regardless. It was thick...

We were excited to try this place after we saw the great reviews. However, we left very disappointed. We waited in line for about 30 minutes for what appeared to be a very disorganized order placing. After we ordered, we were asked to wait for our food at a table, which took an additional 30 minutes. We ordered the birria plate and at $12.99 per plate, we were expecting a generous serving. They delivered our order which included a small serving of refried beans which is not what a traditional birria restaurant would accompany a birria plate. Usually, they serve borracho beans. The birria was nothing like we had experienced before. It was served in a clear broth unlike the red sauce it’s customarily used for it and in a very small bowl. The meat was like hamburger meat pieces nothing like the chunks of meat we are used to. We were hungry so we ate it but it was not at all appetizing. Our bill was over $35, which included a Mexican Coke and a Jamaica agua fresca. I am sorry but I cannot recommend this place to eat birria. I awarded it a one-star rating, but in reality it deserved maybe...