Ed Fernandez Restaurant Birrieria
Mexican restaurant · San Diego ·
Tijuana-style birria tacos, quesatacos, bowls & menudo
Tijuana-style birria tacos, quesatacos, bowls & menudo
"This busy spot for beef birria has a loyal clientele who clamor for stewed meat loaded into bowls or tacos de lengua with a side of consomé. Regulars know to go for the queso taco con nervio (usually a tendon or cartilage with more flavor) and the taco tatemado served with extra char to the birria. On weekends, menudo, packed with hominy, nervio, and tripe in a rich broth, is offered. Make sure to plan your visit ahead of time, as the shop is only open from Wednesday to Sunday. Diners who are in a rush can place their to-go orders at the window or enjoy their birria in the outdoor dining area. The interior, a small, cozy area with a few tables, provides a space for smaller parties to savor a sit down meal. Weekends are the busiest as birria — a hangover remedy — is in high demand after long nights." - Roxana Becerril
"This busy spot for beef birria has a loyal clientele who love the stewed meat loaded into bowls or tacos de lengua with a side of consomé. Regulars know to go for the queso taco con nervio (usually a tendon or cartilage with more flavor) and the taco tatemado served with extra char to the birria. On the weekends, menudo, packed with hominy, nervio, and tripe in a rich broth, is offered. Make sure to plan your visit ahead of time, as the shop is only open from Wednesday to Sunday. Diners who are in a rush can place their to-go orders at the window or enjoy their birria in the outdoor dining area. The interior, a small, cozy area with a few tables, provides a space for smaller parties to savor a sit-down meal. Weekends are the busiest, as birria — a hangover remedy — is in high demand after long nights." - Roxana Becerril
"Ed Fernandez Restaurant almost always has a line of people waiting outside, and for good reason: Brothers Miguel Angel and Jorge Fernandez serve some of the best Tijuana-style birria on either side of the border. Slow, overnight stewing results in a deeply comforting, soul-satisfying mélange of beef, chiles, and spices that you can order by the bowl for self-assembly using the accompanying fresh corn tortillas, or opt for the birria taco in an oil-fried tortilla, ready for dunking in a cup of fragrant consommé. Customer service here is always top notch and questions are encouraged if there’s an item you’re not familiar with. Plan to go there early, as they’re only open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday." - Mary Beth Abate
"There's much to choose from at Fernandez Restaurant. You may get some tacos and mulitas as appetizers, including the crowd-favorite Quesotaco Extremo—a housemade tortilla fried, packed with cheese and velvety beef, and splashed with their famous birria broth. But the reason people start lining up here as early as 9 a.m. is for the birria, made with luscious, slow-cooked meat that, on Fridays, can be accented with lengua, or beef tongue. There are a handful of birria spots nearby, but none have the same warm, enveloping, ultra-homemade taste." - Archana Ram
"A Sunday morning must for many South Bay residents, brothers Miguel Angel and Jorge Fernandez have cooked their perennially in-demand birria since 2006. With a recipe which calls for simmering beef overnight in a proprietary blend of arbol chilies and spices, the end product yields a soft meat in a rich, spicy broth. Ask for tatemado style to crisp up your meat on the grill." - Mario A. Cortez