Birria El Jalisciense

For die-hard birria fans, there’s nothing better than an excellent birria de chivo. After all, goat is the original protein of choice for the Jalisco-style barbacoa, which is traditionally served during breakfast. In a blind taste test, it’s hard to beat the version at Birria El Jalisciense, Hector Ramirez’s widely celebrated Saturday morning sidewalk operation in an industrial part of Boyle Heights. The northeastern Jalisco native bakes the birria de chivo into the oven at the end of the cooking process, charring the skin and rendering it slightly crisp. Starting at 8am until they sell out—and boy, do they do sell out—the no-frills operation serves both tacos suaves (soft tortillas) and dorados (deep-fried) at $2.50 apiece. Be sure to order the consommé; El Jalisciense’s version is fragrant and minestrone-like, with none of that slightly greasy aftertaste common to inferior birria consommés. If you want to really get your goat on, you can also ditch the tortillas entirely and order a bone-in combination platter ($15).