Atlanta Good Food category interest

We love a good taco, and in a land already obsessed with drenching things in sauce (see our lemon pepper guide), it’s a no-brainer that we fully support birria tacos, too. There’s melty cheese. Meat that’s been simmering in a flavorful stew for just about as long as I-285 has been under construction. And a cup of savory broth that gratifies your childhood instincts to fully submerge solid food in saucy liquids before eating. So when you’re in the mood for a birria taco—whether in pizza form or stuffed with stewed oxtail—head to one of these Atlanta spots first.

THE SPOTS

If you could commit to only one place for birria tacos, make it Salsa Taqueria on Buford Highway. You’ll have to find it first—it’s tucked inside a gas station with a sign so faded you can hardly read it. The fast-casual restaurant has a halal menu with a hodgepodge of items (like burgers, wings, and enchiladas). But, of course, the best thing coming off their busy grill behind the counter is the birria taco. Your protein (shrimp, carne asada, chicken, and our favorite shredded beef, which is stewed until it falls apart) is topped with thick globs of melted cheese. A corn tortilla is the perfect vessel to hold it all in and soak up the broth.

photo credit: Amy Sinclair

This taco spot in Edgewood already made an appearance on our best tacos guide. Everything is great here. And every Thursday, you can grab birria tacos with blue corn tortillas that hold up remarkably well when stuffed with juicy stewed beef. Add in a side of birria ramen and a tequila-heavy margarita, then happily sink into a comfy lounge chair on El Tesoro’s uber-chill patio.

Tacos La Villa in Smyrna is another all-star in our taco hall of fame. This counter-service restaurant does traditional birria tacos very well, too, but we’re big fans of their pizza birria. Mounds of shredded beef and a hefty amount of melted cheese are sandwiched between two giant tortillas. It really does look like a big meat pie—so huge they put it in a pizza box. And at $18, you get eight slices, which are bigger than a single taco ($3.50). Your fingers will be bright orange at the end, but it’s worth braving the oil stains and consommé splatter for this deal.

Not all consommé are created equal, and comparing the sauce at El Indio to others is like Lebron playing a pick up game with school kids. There’s no competition here. It’s beefy. It’s not oily. It’s so rich it could make cardboard taste delicious (but the tacos are quite good too). And it’s so thick that it reminds us of a stew, especially with the chunks of beef swimming around. That means you can eat it with a spoon without ducking behind the napkin holders to do so in secret. Everyone at this busy Norcross spot knows the deal and is finishing their consommé, too.

The birria tacos, along with great frozen blueberritas and churros that have absorbed ten pounds of sugar, make any meal here a satisfying, endorphin-spiking one. The cheesy birria tacos with your choice of 10 proteins (like beef tongue, shrimp, and goat) cement the taco brilliance of this counter-order restaurant in Marietta. Don’t expect a scene here because everyone is more focused on the food. Just dunk the crispy tacos in the tasty brown broth, admire the ceiling banners repping colors of the Mexican flag, and vibe to the fast-paced reggaeton coming from the speakers.

photo credit: Courtesy of Politan Row

If you’ve never had an oxtail birria taco, swing by Pretty Little Tacos and you’ll understand why this Creole-Mexican fusion made our list. The oxtail is juicy, tender, and the perfect partner for the salty consommé. There’s also a faux meat and mushroom option, which is a hard-to-find vegan interpretation on birria. Just get it without the plant-based cheese sauce, which tastes like eating chemicals. This taco spot has two locations with a food stall in Politan Row and a standalone brick and mortar off Moreland. No shade to the food stall, but it can’t really replicate the Barbie-dream-house situation the Moreland space has going on, so head here first.