A birria birthday

When the birria craze hit Hawaii a couple of years ago, restaurants across the state did their own takes on the Jalisco, Mexico, dish as an addition to their menus. But there’s one establishment in particular that made it the single shining star of the operation.

La Birria has three main items on its menu: a birria quesos pack ($12 for three tacos and consommé dipping sauce; $45 for 12), a hell fire birria tacos pack ($12 for two spicy tacos and consommé; $55 for 12) and a birria samin ($12). Simple, right? That’s just how it was designed to be.

But little did the owners know that a year later, their small food truck in the middle of a Pearlridge parking lot would be churning out 36,000 tacos a month. (Don’t worry, we did the math for you: It’s about 1,200 every day!)

“We decided to serve just one thing, and make sure we make it good,” says co-owner Justin Mizufuka. “For a while I’ve been obsessed with the In-N-Out (Burger) model. They have one thing on the menu with a couple of sides that accompany or enhance that one thing — and they’re crushing it.”

Not a lot of places can get away with putting just one item on the menu, but La Birria has proven the exception to the rule. And it all comes down to the quality food prepared with the expert hands and know-how of co-owner and chef Arturo Silva.

The smokey birria meat at La Birria gets its savory mouthfeel from a nearly three-day preparation process. It’s marinated for 48 hours and then stewed for another 12, ensuring a rich melding of flavors in every bite.

While the birria tacos are the most well-known adaptation, Mizufuka says not to sleep on the birria saimin.

“Chef spent so much time and love making this amazing broth, and people were dipping their tacos a few times and tossing it out,” recalls Mizufuka. “So, we put in a saimin option.”

A $5 saimin addition gives diners a side of noodles to add to the leftover consommé. Or, go all out and order a straight-up birria saimin for $12.

While La Birria is still going strong after a year in business, Mizufuka and Silva have their sights set on even more food ventures. Come Nov. 1, the duo will be opening up The Clubhouse Mililani at Mililani Golf Course, featuring seafood sensations like oysters, sashimi and sushi, as well as local kine grinds.