La Super Birria

Some culinary crazes disappear almost as quickly as they appeared, and others stick around to become more or less permanent parts of a local culture. Starting in the late 2010s, Birria – heavily stewed meat coming from either cows, goats, or lambs, similar to barbacoa – kicked off the first of its 15 minutes of fame in Southern California, spawning dedicated restaurants and inspiring existing taco shops to update their menus. La Super Birria first appeared in 2018, and like the trend that inspired it, has expanded to additional locations while showing no sign of leaving the spotlight any time soon. The small chain notably specializes in beef birria to the exclusion of other meats.

The must-be-ordered item here is the Red Taco, which combines a two-layered tortilla – reinforced for safe dipping in a hot, strongly beefy consommé – with already wet, tender birria, herbs, and onions. It’s not the most overloaded taco you’ll ever eat (and guests have recently complained about diminishing meat quantities here), but one of the strongest in flavors, and a great example of how birria’s textures and flavors are enhanced by broth. Try the Red Taco by itself or as part of Super Birria’s “birria tour,” but make sure you try it.