Birra Ramen at Del Taco? What a time to be alive. In early November 2023, Del Taco debuted its viral fast food take on birria ramen. But I missed the window.
It was gone before I could try it. For those who have never tried it, birria ramen is just what it sounds like — ramen with seasoned shredded meat that contains notes of dried chiles, garlic, herbs, and spices. Mexican chef Antonio de Livier is credited with dreaming it up about a decade ago, and the dish has been making it way north ever since, showing up at taco trucks and street stands across L.
A. You can even find a version at Disneyland’s California Adventure . So when Del Taco announced they were bringing it back for a limited time this summer, it was time to act.
I enlisted LAist Senior Editor George Kiriyama to help me see what the fuss was about. George is a self-described ramen connoisseur, having grown up in the South Bay in a Japanese American household. Ramen was a mainstay of his everyday diet.
And I love birria. We ventured to the Del Taco in Pasadena to get you the scoop. Here's our takeaway: The beef Upon the first slurp, the standout was the shredded beef.
It had a melt-in-your-mouth quality, a surprisingly strong player. George agreed. “The beef was the best part of the Birria Ramen.
Tender, flavorful. I could just have soup and beef, TBH.” The broth I was half expecting the consomé or the broth to be overly salty.
But it wasn’t excessively seasoned — or too watery. I found it to be decen.