Nachos with birria, cheese dip, shredded cheese, lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream and jalapeños.
Where this dish comes from
Nachos de Birria are what happens when one of Mexico's great braises collides with one of America's great drunk foods. The birria — slow-braised beef or goat in a dried chile and spice broth — gets piled onto tortilla chips with Oaxacan cheese, and the whole thing is baked until the cheese melts and the birria crisps at the edges. Then the consommé — the braising broth, concentrated and smoky — comes in a cup on the side for dipping.
The birria nacho appeared in Los Angeles taco trucks and Mexican-American restaurants around 2019 and spread nationally within months. It is a perfect example of what happens when Mexican culinary tradition meets American late-night food culture: the technique is ancient, the format is completely new, and the result is better than either would have been alone.