B irria, a traditional stew usually made from goat — but also beef, chicken, and other meats — from the Mexican state of Jalisco, has found its way into tacos, quesadillas, and even ramen. Here are a few spots around town to satisfy your cravings.
This food truck parked at Bagley and Wabash in Southwest Detroit has a brief menu, but it boasts plenty of flavor in the form of quesabirrias (corn tortilla, birria meat, cheese, spicy salsa, onions and cilantro), birria ramen (ramen, birria meat, consommé broth, cabbage, and limes, and carne asada fries (fries, steak, melted cheese, pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream). It’s only open Fridays and Saturdays. Antojitos Southwest, 2100 Bagley St., Detroit; 313-854-5239; facebook.com/AntojitosSouthwest
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With a name like Burrito King and a menu that spans a whopping 10 pages, it’s easy to miss the birria here. Try the Caldo de Birria made with beef and lamb, the dinner combo with rice and fresh vegetables, or tacos, which features a mixture of beef and goat. Burrito King, 30950 Beck Road, Novi; 248-960-6566; burritokingnovi.biz
This food truck, which is 100% halal, can be found posted up beside the Zazz gas station in Sterling Heights. Get your birria in taco, quesadilla, torta, or burrito form. Catrina Mia, 5757 15 Mile Road, Sterling Heights; 313-939-6888
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Inspired by their upbringing in Southwest Detroit and family recipes from Guanajuato, Mexico, Julie and Jason Stevens created Detroit Loves Tacos, which specializes in Mexican comfort food and healthy vegan options. Their birria — made with chicken or beef — is one of the options for their taco dinner, which comes with rice and beans, cheese, and consommé. Detroit Loves Tacos, 1444 W. Fort St., Detroit (inside Happy Liquor Store); 313-974-7550; detroitlovestacos.com
Stock up on groceries and feast on a massive bowl of birria made with marinated beef and peppers served with tortillas at this family-owned market and taqueria. There are also margaritas so it’s truly a one-stop destination. La Jalisciense, 3923 Vernor Hwy., Detroit; 313-551-0522; lajalisciensedetroit.com
Wife-and-husband team Nancy and Ramon “Wicho” Diaz own La Palapa del Parian, which opened in 2020, but their hospitality roots run deeper than that. They began their growing empire with the popular taco truck El Parian. Now they have three restaurants and six taco trucks. The couple hails from Jalisco, where birria originated, so the dish is well represented on the menu at the Lawndale location, from tacos to birria noodles to the Xtreme Quesabirria, which is exactly what it sounds like: a large tortilla with multiple layers of birria, cheese, and consomme. La Palapa del Parian, 1633 Lawndale St., Detroit; 313-749-7143; facebook.com/LaPalapaDelParian
The birria at this newish Ferndale hot spot is made with beef. Make sure to get at least three tacos (many of the tacos are available a la carte) in order to get the consommé, a crucial part of the birria taco experience. The classic Mexican cocktails with a modern twist (and made with mezcal, naturally, or tequila) are the perfect pairing. Mezcal, 201 E. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale; 248-268-3915; mezcalferndale.com
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This family-owned restaurant has an expansive menu of staples like tortas, burritos, and quesadillas, but the real draw is the birria. Que Pasa kicks the fusion up a notch with the Birria Pizzadilla, a large pizza-sized quesadilla cut up into slices, the perfect size for dipping into a cup of consommé, and Birria Noodles, ramen and birria topped with green onions and cilantro. Que Pasa Taqueria, 33874 Dequindre Road, Sterling Heights; 586-693-5045; taqueriaquepasa.com