Super-Dooper Birria at La Super Birria

 La Super Birria

1041 West First St, 

Santa Ana, CA 92703

If there's any food having a bigger moment right now other than birria, I can't think of it. A mere few years ago you'd be hard-pressed to find a restaurant that served birria. Now, a simple Yelp search of birria restaurants in OC returns plenty of results of places serving it. Birria has become so mainstream that Norm's had offered it for a while, and you can now get it even at El Pollo Loco. 

For those of you that are not yet up to date on the birria craze, and are not sure what it is, here's a quick crash course. Originally made with goat meat, most of the versions sold in the US are now prepared with beef. This dish comes to us from the state of Jalisco. It's slowly cooked as a soup or stew with chili and other spices thrown in the pot. It can be served as a stew or a taco filling, but as it has grown in popularity, there are many other ways to get your birria fix, as you will soon see.  

I had my first brush with birria back in 2017 at the delicious Burritos La Palma in Santa Ana. I have had it sporadically since, but it was a fateful night at poker that brought us back to Santa Ana to try another birria spot that popped up, La Super Birria. My good friend Angel was that guy at poker that suggested that we give this place a try. He loves it, and so far he has not steered me wrong when he suggests a restaurant. Let's see if his streak can continue.  

La Super Birria opened at the very tail end of 2018, just when the birria craze was in its infancy. Edgar, the so-called Birriamaster is the owner and head chef. He and his family are from Sahuayo, Michoacan Mexico, and he's bringing a taste of his hometown to the people of OC with their birria, handmade tortillas, and salsas. They must be doing something right because they now have four locations, one in Santa Ana, and others in Orange, Stanton, and Long Beach. 

Obviously, birria dominates the menu here. They offer it in tacos, quesadillas, mulitas, tortas, mixed with ramen, and even on a pizza. You can get items ala carte, or in a combo that gets you a drink and consomme for dipping your birria. This restaurant is a lot bigger than it appears from the outside, and we had no problem finding a table out in front of the restaurant on their makeshift patio in their parking lot. Let's see if this is some of the best birria in OC. 

Starting things off for us were a Red Taco ($2.99) and a Suavacito Taco ($2.79). To tell you the truth, I found both of these tasted the same. I know that the red taco came with a red tortilla, and was supposed to be a bit spicier. It wasn't, but I still enjoyed it. The tortillas tasted fresh and were pliable. The meat was not as soupy as I thought it was going to be. Good subtle flavor and is made even better with their salsa. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of their salsa. 

When I first saw this Birriamen ($11.99) on Instagram, I thought it was kind of just some fusion item to pander for likes. After Katie got this and let me try it, I am now a convert. It was really delicious. Even though I know the upcharge for this item is a little outrageous, I would not hesitate to get this on my next visit to Super Birria. It was very comforting, with a tinge of spiciness at the end of each forkful. It makes sense that this would work because birria is made like a stew, so this is more how birria was intended to be eaten. Definitely worth trying when you visit. 

If you've read my blog for any length of time, you have probably noticed my love for combo plates and meals. They help give you a better lay of the land when it comes to a restaurant, especially since I don't have the budget for multiple trips to the same restaurants, like professional restaurant reviewers. So, when I saw that Super Birria had a Birria Tour ($11.99) I knew I had to give it a try. It comes with a birria taco, red taco, quesabirria, and consomme for dipping. I already wrote my feelings about the red taco, and the birria taco was pretty much the same. Good flavor and both went well with the consomme. The consomme was a nice touch, as it gave the taco a flavor boost and a bit more moisture to the tacos. The clear winner of this plate was the quesabirria. The combination of the melty and crispy cheese and the birria was amazing. I loved the crispy parts of the cheese that hit the flattop, which added a very nice textural component. This was even better when dipped into the consomme. It took a lot of my willpower to go back in and order another one of these. 

I was pretty happy when we left La Super Birria, but I liked it even better as I was reliving our visit while I was writing this review. It's kind of rare when this happens, and it's usually a sign that we will make a return visit in the future. La Super Birria is one of the better spots that we have tried for birria and is a great spot to get your first taste of this trendy food or continue your journey to find the best birria OC has to offer. Right now I'd say this place and Navarro's Taqueria, also in Santa Ana, are the best we have had to date. I don't know what the future holds for the birria fanaticism that's going on right now, but I hope birria is here to stay.   

Out of five goats, (because birria was and still is made with goat meat in some places), five being best to zero being worst, La Super Birria gets 3.5 goats. 

La Super Birria does not have a website, but you can find out plenty about them from their Yelp page by clicking here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/la-s%C3%BAper-birria-santa-ana-2