Lunch at L.A. Birria, Tacos al fresco (lunch on the sidewalk)

Updated 2/12 with Ariadna’s help

A friend and I periodically get together for lunch on Fridays. Today was my day to pick and I picked L.A. Birria. It is a small lunch stand on West Adams just west of Crenshaw. The selection was solely based on a small article I saw in the LA Times a week ago.

Now, I didn’t even know what Birria was, but when I mentioned it to Steve, his eyes lit up. He quickly agreed, and we set the date.

I looked up Birria in order to write this article, and found this on Wikipedia, “Birria is a Mexican dish from the state of Jalisco. The dish is a spicy stew, traditionally made from goat meat or mutton, but occasionally from beef or chicken. The dish is often served at celebratory occasions, such as weddings and baptisms, and holidays, such as Christmas and Easter. It is also reputed as a hangover remedy.“

So, armed with enough information to make myself dangerous, we transported ourselves to the right location. Just a little side note here. when I programmed Google maps I got some really weird routes. It took me awhile before I realized that the app thought I was riding a bike today. But we did get to see some interesting side streets on the way before I realized the mistake.

L.A. Birria turns their Birria into savory street tacos, featuring beef (not goat, my mistake). The taco shells are fried on the griddle in fat from the stew, loaded with meat, and/or cheese, and/or grilled onions. Chef Eduardo, and his partner Kevin manned the grill. and the Chef’s wife Ariadna cheerfully took our money.

The tacos are cooked on a grill, located on the sidewalk, with an easy-up to provide the cooks some shade.

We both ordered 3 tacos each, with everything. They were delivered to us hot off the grill. Condiments available were sliced radishes, onions and cilantro, and salsa. They had soft drinks and some of their own concoctions to wash it all down.

Soon Steve and I were seated on a couple of stools thoughtfully provided by the proprietors. Ariadna took our picture on her phone, and cheerfully sent it to me.

The tacos were great, and the quest was an adventure. Two thumbs up for this taco quest. If you are in the neighborhood, or just want a lunch adventure, head to L.A. Birria. You won’t regret it.

Till next time. Peace, surf, and tacos. Don’t let the orange monster get under your skin.