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Birria tacos have probably been THE craze of the social media food scene for the past year. And with a few halal joints popping up in London (and outside) serving this authentic Mexican dish – it’s become the craze of the halal social media food scene as of late too. To date (mid November 2021) we have tried it at four different places. The best is still probably the first one we ever tried, which was Birria Tacos UK. They were originally located off Edgware Road in London (in a small kitchen in the basement of Venture Hotel in Sussex Gardens). They had closed for a number of months to prepare a move to a better location and now that day has come! They will officially open their new doors this weekend (20th November 2021). They are now located in 422 Edgware Rd. Go check them out (here is their website)!
They received a lot of limelight and attention, so we had to go check out the hype. When we went, they had officially only been open two weeks and were only open on weekends. The inspiration behind this venture was the frustration of not finding halal birria tacos and the ones they did find not being of that good authentic Mexican style (and to be honest good authentic Mexican good is hard to find period, strange considering how good the cuisine is!). Speaking to the owners you can really tell the passion they have in this project and the food. Great great customer service too.
What did we think and did it live up to the hype?
Often social media hype is just that. Hype. And it rarely lives up to that hype. However, this place, considering it was only their second weekend – most certainly lived up to the hype. As you get close to the place, you can smell the food from outside and you just know this is going to be something special. The fresh corn tortillas (made fresh daily) along with the slow cooked lamb and cheese (sprinkled with lime before eating) dipped in the deliciously heartwarming consommé made for some amazing bites. Amazing. You can almost taste the Mexican culture and traditions with each and every bite! Me and the wife shared four – usually we offer each other some of our own as a showing of kindness, but there was none of that this time round (I did manage to get one bite of hers though…). Marry the above exciting flavours with Mexican salsa, radish, onions and jalapeño – truly what a marriage of flavours and ingredients! I love the fact that the choice of meat was lamb as I prefer it over beef. They also do an exciting birria ramen – we didn’t try it this time.
The service was impeccable – one of the owners (the chef) explained the dish and their story to us and was very accommodating and genuinely very nice – all while not knowing that we were actually invited! So, true good service from the heart! And good service and food whether you are an ‘influencer’ or not (not that I am).
The only issue was that they could’ve given a larger tub of salsa, we got a really tiny one, which was not really enough for even one person. I would most definitely suggest to give a larger tub of salsa to go with the birria tacos. I mean the recommendation is to sprinkle lime and then pour salsa over it, the small “tub” we had was probably enough for just one pour/bite. But the meat was not dry and the consommé was good enough. I guess I just wanted that little kick from the salsa. Small thing really and something that can easily be fixed (I mean it was only the second weekend remember).
Also, the box it is served in for takeaway wasn’t ideal ideal – especially if you’re going to be eating from it. It’s a dish you need to lift up close to your mouth because of the sauces. And the flaps of the box often got in the way. But again I’m really just being picky now.
We have tried this dish now at the famous Camden Market spot – Meathead, Don Tacos in Manchester and Bake Street. I have to say these guys right here are still number one for us. We haven’t found anything that matches the same taste. And to think they can only get better and probably have gotten better since the time we tried it excites us a lot!
We will most definitely be visiting again and I’d urge all Londoners to go check this place out. If you want authentic halal birria tacos, THIS is the joint! Go check them out this weekend if you can and make sure you pre-order (here) to avoid any disappointment as they can get very busy.
Getting there
Parking: Norfolk Cresent – park and display and yellow single line lanes are free on Sundays / evenings. You can also drive around to look for other spots; there are some roads that are evenings and Sundays free (a little further out). But most are residents only.
Nearest Mosque: London Central Mosque (5 min drive)
Nearest station: Edgware Road
