Birreria Villalobos

"Even as extreme nacho lovers, we reached a point in our research for this guide when we couldn't bear to consume another pile of fried tortilla chips covered in melted cheese. Then we checked back in on Birreria Villalobos. This Tijuana-style birria truck made us forget that we'd tried 20 nachos in one week. It was like falling in love with nachos all over again—this time with the help of juicy, spicy beef birria, fresh onion, cilantro, and a mountain of jack cheese. Considering the mountain of meat that comes on top, this thing could feed a family of four. But we happily finished the whole thing ourselves." - brant cox, sylvio martins, nikko duren, garrett snyder, arden shore

"One of the biggest stars to emerge from the Tijuana birria taco wars has been Birrieria Villalobos. The truck runs every day but Wednesday on the border of Boyle Heights and East LA, just north of the famed Los Cinco Puntos." - Farley Elliott

"This Tijuana-style birria truck showcases its slow-cooked beef birria in a multitude of ways. Whether it’s burritos, tacos dorados, tortas, or caldo you’re looking for, this mobile Boyle Heights spot has it. More importantly, tacos here are $1 during their Taco Tuesday special. But if you’re more like me and consider every day to be taco day, head over to Birrieria Villalobos whenever you feel like it for their delicious consommé that’s packed with tender meat, fresh onion, cilantro, and deep chile flavor. If you’re looking for something heavier, you can’t go wrong with their birria torta either. This massive sandwich is first soaked in spicy consommé so it gives in with each bite. It’s then filled with a mountain of meat, melted cheese, onions, and hot salsa roja for probably one of the biggest servings of birria you’ll find anywhere across LA. photo credit: Andrea D'Agosto Food Rundown Birria Quesataco The queso here isn’t a gooey layer of cheese, but almost a second crispy tortilla that wraps around this Tijuana-style birria. The whole taco is bathed in the consommé’s spices and chile flavor, from the stained tortillas to the meat itself, making for a delicious (but slightly too oily) taco. Mulita Like the quesataco but with a second tortilla on top, this sandwich-like taco is twice as spicy with twice the beef birria and consommé dying everything a glistening orange color. However, the cheese in the mulitas is more melted and less crispy, creating a tasty glue between the two oiled tortillas. Torta Beware: this torta is roughly the size of a football. This bolillo is stuffed to the brim with beef birria, onions, cilantro, and griddled cheese that’s both semi-melted and semi-crispy. We also love the truck’s hot salsa roja that we generously pour inside the torta for an extra smoky kick." - Sylvio Martins