The only hitch was that she was cooking out of her home kitchen and delivering the tacos directly to her customers. At the time, I was just not open-minded enough and dismissed it. If you asked me about it today, I would absolutely give it a try — because today I think there is some incredible food coming out of people’s homes. I think of places like Angelo’s Pizza Bar, who is making some of the best pizza I’ve ever had.
A year or two later, Birria Quesa Tacos opened up inside the Salt City Test Kitchen in Syracuse. I’m not sure if it’s still open, but at the time it was a kitchen you could rent by the hour for anything from menu development and prep to hosting pop-ups. I’m not sure how long she was open there before I finally got down to try her tacos during one of my annual searches for the best tacos in Central New York. And these Birria tacos were immediately my favorite. They are so incredibly beefy, cheesy, and dripping wet.
One thing that really sells it for me is the flavor of her Birria, along with the fact that she makes her tortillas fresh in her kitchen. To my knowledge, I don’t think there is anyone else in Syracuse making their own tortillas like she is.
It also helps that Candi and her family are originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, where Birria is from. If memory serves me correctly, her father had a nickname in his neighborhood — the King of Birria. Candi grew up watching her dad make Birria and learned his recipe. So when she came here to Syracuse, that is the bar she was working from.
Birria can be made with a lot of different spices, and I prefer the Birria that has a healthy amount of clove in it. You get this nice, subtle spice that really emphasizes everything for me.
Candi’s tacos are not only incredibly large but packed full of beef and cheese with onion and cilantro. Her Birria consommé has this perfect balance of fat to broth that really makes it stick to your fingers and all over your hands. It’s impossible to eat tacos from Birria Quesa Tacos and not walk away smelling like beef and cheese for the rest of the day.
I was thrilled that Julie from Acropolis Realty Group was able to join me on this trip. It was her first time at Birria Quesa Tacos and she absolutely loved the tacos.
A very special thank you to our friends at Acropolis Realty Group for sponsoring Eat Local New York Taco Month and making all of this possible. If you’re looking to buy or sell a home in Syracuse or Central New York, or need help with a commercial property, make sure you reach out to the crew at Acropolis Realty Group. And if you’re a realtor looking to switch brokerages, give them a call today.
Birria Quesa Tacos
415 West Onondaga Street
Syracuse, NY
Find them on social media here
