There have been about a million pandemic food trends in the last six months. From ube pandesal and burnt basque cheesecake to sushi bake and DIY samgyupsal sets, all of these food trends have something in common: finding comfort in the delicious.
[READ: Every quarantine food trend so far, explained]
The current quarantine mindset of seeking comfort (and perhaps even a sense of adventure) in food has not changed much. People are still trying out the latest Instagram “restaurants” and having them delivered while working from home. At the onset of quarantine, I was a staunch believer in making my own meals. I refused to order out due to my paranoia, but the siren call of the well-lit Instagram food photos slowly broke my resolve.
One of the first things I ordered were birria tacos. I found out about them through my friend who started selling them. They looked absolutely amazing, so of course I had to try them. Sadly, she only sold them in Cebu, so I had to find some in Manila to sate my curiosity (and hunger).
So what’s a birria taco?
Birria tacos are made with stewed beef, different kinds of peppers, cheese, tortilla wrappers and a symphony of spices. The beef is layered with a generous helping of cheese and tucked into a tortilla dipped in the stew’s broth. If that’s not enough, the taco takes a trip onto a hot griddle and pan fried until browned and crispy. They’re usually served with a bowl of dipping broth made from the stew’s sauce and garnished with some cilantro and lime.
To me, they’re the perfect quarantine meal. They’re delicious, photogenic and give me some sense of adventure because they’re something I’ve never tried before.
These street style tacos were so out of this world, my roommate reverently whispered, “I love your job,” after taking her first bite when we first tried it. It was crispy, chewy, savory, tangy, mildly spicy and surprisingly a bit sweet. I could taste the hours and all the hard work put into creating every taco with each bite.
Basically, it was so, so very good.
I truly recommend that everyone try these tacos at least once, so here are some of my favorite birria spots:
Los Tacos Birria
Aside from tacos, Los Tacos Birria also sells the best guacamole I’ve tried on this side of the world. My favorite thing to order from them is their cuatros tacos, which is basically every taco on their menu with some tortilla chips and dip. Keep in mind though, it’s best shared with friends (cause it’s a lot).
Señorito
I usually don’t like ordering more than one type of taco at a time, but Señorito changed my mind. Señorito’s tacos come in the traditional beef and other flavors like jerk chicken, battered fish, lengua, beef tapa and sisig. Please don’t skip out on the sisig. You’ll definitely regret it.
Peñafiel’s
Peñafiel’s tacos bring together your favorite Filipino dishes like tapa, sisig and chicken adobo. Instead of the traditional lime, they opt for calamansi to give your taco a bit of a zing. Honestly, I have a chicken allergy, but the scent of the chicken adobo taco alone made me want to risk it all.
Headers photo courtesy of Los Tacos Birria, Peñafiel’s and Señorito
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Writer: ANDREIANA YUVALLOS
