When the birria taco, or quesabirria, came on the scene, it took the internet by storm. The flat-top crispy fried tacos are filled with traditional stewy meat tethered to melty Oaxacan cheese and customarily plunged into a small pool of greasy, rich consommé. These aren’t your average street tacos. They are an act of hedonism, gleaming with grease and indulgent to their core. Now, the second wave of the birria trend is here, and our local chefs are on top of it. Say hello to your new indulgence: birria ramen.
It’s exactly what it sounds like. The rich, flavorful broth from birria, a Mexican stew traditionally made with goat but now more commonly made with beef, is used as the base for a traditional bowl of ramen noodles. Tender birria meat makes its way into the ramen as well, and it’s topped with the usual garnishes of the quesabirria—raw onions, cilantro and lime.
Celebrity chef Antonio de Livier is credited with inventing birria ramen, which he originally dubbed “birriamen” when he added it to his Mexico City restaurant menu in 2015. Ramen noodles with birria is such a natural pairing that when I noticed it trending, just like its predecessor, I knew it wasn’t just some fad that would fade into the internet abyss. It’s beef ramen but with a Mexican twist.
What is it about the humble birria stew that has allowed it to evolve into one of the nation’s biggest food trends and into ramen form? At the core of each birria wave—tacos and now ramen—is the innovative use of broth. In the quesabirria, we see it in three acts: first by dousing the tortillas in it before throwing them on the flat top grill to crispen; second when filling the tortillas with the birria filling (the brothy meat dripping out of each bite is quintessential to the experience); and finally when it is served as a dipping sauce for the tacos. Birria ramen is just a step further in making use of a broth so delicious it’s too precious to waste.
James Beard award-winning writer Bill Esparza wrote in his Eater essay exploring the origin of the birria taco that its wild success “is the product of the American dream, driven by the entrepreneurship of children of immigrants.” As birria continues to evolve beyond hearty stew, each new variant has blended tradition with innovation. It’s only fitting that fusion is at the heart of this second wave. Birria, with its completely unique and simultaneous notes of sweet and savory, is successful in not only its deliciousness but also its ability to adapt, evolve and turn into something new that can be enjoyed for years to come.
Here are three local restaurants serving birria ramen in KC and putting their own creative twist on it.
Taco Naco
8220 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park & 4141 Pennsylvania Ave., KCMO
“We are not an authentic Mexican restaurant,” says chef Fernanda Reyes, owner of Taco Naco in Overland Park and Westport, as she gestures towards the birria ramen I’m slurping down during our interview. According to Reyes, “naco” in her restaurant’s name translates to “outsider” in Spanish. Sure, you’ll find plenty of traditional Mexican flavors and dishes in her restaurant, but the ‘naco’ part of her restaurant’s name ensures she has room to play and experiment. Hence, the recent menu addition of birria ramen.
The first time Reyes saw birria fused with ramen was in Tijuana, Mexico, where much of her family lives. At Taco Naco, birria broth is poured into a styrofoam container of Maruchan ramen and served with two birria tacos on the side. The Maruchan ramen cup may seem like a kitschy choice, and it does make one laugh to be served a gas station staple in such a respected KC restaurant, but styrofoam ramen cups resonate with Reyes.
“The Maruchan brand is very popular in Mexico,” says Reyes, who grew up in Durango. “We would use Maruchan when I was little in Mexico and would go to my grandma’s house or the stadiums. That was the cheap option.”
The birria ramen is one of the most popular menu items at both Taco Naco locations—for good reason. The usual saltiness of the Maruchan was pleasantly placated by the deep spices of the birria. You can barely see the ramen under the sea of maroon consommé topped with raw onions. Give it a squeeze of lime and go to town. (taconacokc.com)
Streats
If you want hedonistic food content, just head to Streats’ Instagram account, @streatskc. The Crossroads Food Stop vendor has no shortage of graphic images of stacked greasy, cheesy birria tacos, their specialty.
As the story goes with many great taco businesses, it started in a backyard. Streats co-owner Tony Gordon had lost his job at the beginning of the pandemic and was looking to make ends meet. Streats began when he paired up with his longtime friend Ashton Shelby and the two began slinging tacos from Gordon’s backyard.
“When the demand for the business grew, we decided to look for something fast, and that landed us at the Crossroads Food Stop,” Shelby says.
The Crossroads Food Stop opened in 2022 and is a restaurant co-op. Over 20 restaurants are gathered under one roof, but it’s not a food hall. You place your order on the Food Stop’s website, (crossroadsfoodstop.com). When it’s ready, head into the Crossroads building that houses a long wall of lockers, go to a screen, enter your order number and one of the lockers will open, revealing your order, wrapped and ready for pick up.
The ramen was tightly packaged in a deli container and at the top of it was a beefy layer of birria meat. I forked through the red onions and birria and wasted no time putting a large bite of crimped noodles into my mouth. The birria had a delightful sweetness that permeated the brothy, salty ramen. I didn’t want to stop eating it. It’s served with two birria tacos that might be my new favorite in town. Despite it being a pick-up order, the tortillas were still crisp and absolutely stuffed to the brim with sweet and savory birria meat.
GG’s Barbacoa Café
I consider GG’s Barbacoa in KCK a local treasure. It’s a traditional Mexican restaurant with a barbecue flair and mom and pop feel. There’s no wrong order here. Every dish is dressed to the nines. The ramen alone came with a whole spread of jalapeños, limes, salsa verde, sliced red onions and a dash of cilantro.
While their ramen broth isn’t as birria-forward as Streats’ and Taco Naco’s, the flavor manages to be on par. Even better, it comes with an over-medium fried egg on top that oozes yolk, and the red zesty sauce drizzled on top was reminiscent of hoisin (a common sauce paired with ramen or pho). It was a brilliant touch that added so much depth.
You don’t have to get a side of birria tacos with your ramen, but why wouldn’t you? Indulgence is the name of the game here. Besides, the birria taco is a specialty, and this spot serves some of the best in town. (ggsbarbacoacafekc.com)
