Viral foods don’t always taste as good as they look. (Remember Cheetos ice cream?) In the case of birria tacos, watching these beefy, cheesy tortillas plunge into a steaming cup of consommé is just as much a feast for the eyes as it is the palate. While social media may have been the fuel to ignite this street food’s success across the country, don’t give the Internet all the credit. The birria taco trend originated in Jalisco, Mexico and first found major fame in California before blowing up at the tail end of 2020. Now that it’s made its way to the Garden State, I’ve scouted countless variations from nachos and burritos to ramen and even pizza. If you’re wondering where to get birria tacos in New Jersey, start by hitting up these places.
1. El Jardin Restaurant – Passaic, NJ
New Jersey Digest has written about ravioli in ramen brodo but what about shredded beef in birria broth? That’s what you’ll find at El Jardin in Passaic. Alongside bowls of piping hot noodles, they’ve got birria burritos and, of course, tacos. The varieties of which include beef, pork, chicken, cheese and shrimp.
2. Taco Loco – East Rutherford, NJ
Often referred to as the K.O.B. (King of Birria), Taco Loco won’t let you forget that they are the OGs of birria in Bergen County New Jersey. With each order, you’ll receive three of their crispy tacos loaded with gooey cheese, stewed beef, cilantro and diced onions. Per their Instagram, Taco Loco has also dabbled in birria nachos and ramen.
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3. Julio’s on Main – Vineland, NJ
It’s borderline birria overload at this South Jersey restaurant. Julio’s on Main has birria tacos, empanadas, quesadillas, ramen and…pizza? For the latter, they grill a 12-inch flour tortilla that was first dipped in au jus. Then, they layer it with salsa verde, fresh cilantro, onions and avocado before topping it with their slow-roasted marinated brisket and cheese. Is this the ultimate mash-up?
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4. Chofi Taco – Union City, NJ
This Union City spot managed to fly under the radar but has recently caught the eye of major outlets including ABC7 and Eater. The owners of Chofi Taco opened their brick-and-mortar restaurant in Hudson County this summer, however, you might notice their creations from their stand at Smorgasburg in Brooklyn. Today, Chofi specializes in all things birria from tacos to bowls and pambazo—a Mexican-style sandwich.
5. Irma’s Cafe – Jersey City, NJ
The birria tacos from Irma’s in Jersey City, New Jersey aren’t the only reason I named the cafe one of the best restaurants in the Heights, but, they certainly played a large part. Irma’s offers a birria de res (or “red taco”) in addition to quesabirria. The latter includes griddled tortillas stuffed with beef and cheese before later being folded up quesadilla style. Both options, however, are still served with broth on the side for dipping.
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6. Pico Taco – Jersey City, NJ
This Jersey City restaurant hasn’t made a wrong move in my eyes, including adding birria de res tacos to their menu. At Pico Taco, they’re using their housemade tortillas as the base before filling them with shredded, slow-cooked beef and melty cheese. Sometimes, simple is better.
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7. Brunch by De Martino – Somerville, NJ
A brunch restaurant that has killer birria? That’s right. At Brunch by De Martino, Chef Martino is bringing many latin staples to the party. The birria tacos and quesadilla are a prime example of this. Martino’s birria utilizes short ribs that are braised slowly over the course of several hours with chiles and other spices. The tacos come with Chihuahua cheese, cilantro, onions, lime vinaigrette and consomme to dip, while the quesadillas are grilled with the meat, cheese, pico de gallo and crema.
8. Paellas Cafe – Harrison, NJ
Specializing in both Spanish and Mexican cuisine, Paellas Cafe is also home to traditional, Tijuana-style birria tacos. Although relatively new to the restaurant’s menu, these owners are said to have been making birria tacos for the past 25 years, mostly as a special occasion dish around the holidays. Paellas offers two variations—birria de res and quesabirria.
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9. Torta Truck – Union City and Jersey City, NJ
If you’re having a spur-of-the-moment craving, you’ll have to check out Torta Truck. At one time, the truck changed locations daily and fans had to check out their Instagram to find out where they could score that day. Now, Torta Truck has two brick and mortar locations. This Hudson County spot sports the title of the first birria “vendor” in New Jersey. While their signature item is tacos, they’ve ventured into the worlds of ramen and even vegan birria.
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10. Carlitos Barbecue Taqueria – Paramus and Lyndhurst, NJ
Birria tacos weren’t always on the menu at this New Jersey eatery and food truck. Carlitos introduced birria to their winter menu in December 2020—a tasty combo of beef shank, brisket and chuck round. Each taco comes with two ounces of meat that’s been marinated and braised in adobo, served with a side of sweet, sour and spicy consommé.
11. Taqueria Sabor Mixteca – Jersey City, NJ
Located on Communipaw Ave in Jersey City’s Bergen-Lafayette district, you can find birria tacos every Friday and Saturday at Taqueria Sabor Mixteca. (Hello, weekend plans.) From what I gathered on their IG page, they top their tacos with a handful of cilantro and diced onions after the tortillas have been griddled and filled with shredded meat.
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12. Mi Pequeño Mexico – Newark, NJ
If you live around Newark’s Ironbound neighborhood, consider Mi Pequeño Mexico your go-to. This restaurant offers local pickup and delivery of their beefy, cheesy birria tacos. With every order, you’ll receive a consommé for dipping along with a side of cilantro, onions and salsa verde.
13. La Coqueta – Jersey City, NJ
It’s hard to believe that this woman-owned food truck in Jersey City only came onto the NJ food scene a few years ago. However, you’ll want to be first in line for their traditional Mexican recipes and authentic birria tacos. Seriously, they are all the beefy, cheesy goodness you could ask for. You can often catch La Coqueta outside Solaris Lofts, but it’s best to keep up with them on Instagram for their location and hours.
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14. Sombrero Tacoria – Totowa, Clifton and Ridgewood, NJ
Sombrero Tacoria originated as a food truck but now has three locations throughout New Jersey. Like others on this list, they quickly jumped on the birria bandwagon and added a taco variety to their menu. The birria tacos at Sombrero are stuffed with beef and cheese and feature a charred, crispy exterior.
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15. Edison Tex Mex Deli – Edison, NJ
You’ve never seen a “deli” quite like this one in Central Jersey. At Edison Tex Mex Deli, you’ll find everything from fajitas, burritos and tacos of all flavors, but the main attraction is the birria. Here, the tacos are of the less cheesy variety and come stuffed with shredded beef, cilantro, raw white onions with consommé on the side.
16. La Catrina – New Brunswick, NJ
You won’t always see birria tacos on the menu at La Catrina in New Brunswick, New Jersey. But be sure to keep an eye out on La Catrina’s Instagram page for their rotating specials. In the past, their birria specials have included tacos and ultra cheesy quesadillas.
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17. De Puebla Veracruz – Passaic, NJ
At De Puebla Veracruz in Passaic, you can get your birria fix in more ways than one. They’re offering up birria tacos in addition to tortas, quesadillas, sopes and nachos (because birria obviously makes everything better). It also wouldn’t be a bad idea to visit during happy hour.
18. Los Barbaros Birria – Belmar, NJ
This oceanside spot has become a staple within the Belmar community. Fans flock to Los Barbaros Birria for their slow-cooked birria, which comes in a variety of outlets such as quesabirria, pizzabirria and noodle birria—a ramen noodle cooked in birria broth and topped with meat, cheese, cilantro and onion. If you find yourself craving tender beef tacos at the Jersey Shore, look no further than Los Barbaros Birria.
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19. Locos Tacos Birria Factory & Bakery – North Bergen, NJ
The birria at Locos Tacos Birria Factory & Bakery is something to behold. They’re slow-cooking their beef for four hours with an abundance of spices and guajillo, ancho and pasilla chilis. And the consommé on the side is made with a tomato salsa base. They offer birria varieties ranging from egg rolls, ramen, tamales and flautas to, of course, tacos. Each comes topped with cilantro, onions and radishes.
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20. La Brujeria – Jersey City, NJ
La Brujeria is perhaps the only spot on this list dishing out lamb birria. They’re using slow-cooked lamb stew as the filling for their tacos (although the tortillas are not dipped) and serving them alongside cucumber, radish and lime. Here, you get three per order and can choose what style of tortilla you want from corn to flour in both the soft and crunchy variety. Oh, and did I mention they’re open for takeout and delivery 24/7?
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Have you checked out the birria taco scene in New Jersey yet? Let us know your favorite place in the comments below.
Main image via @sabormixteca
