BirriaMania 2023: Hundreds Show Up to the San Gabriel Valley for L.A.’s Best Birria and Lucha Libre
Rainy days are birria weather.
The warm aromatics and long-lasting spiciness from all the dried chiles in a proper consomé de birria and juicy meat-filled crispy tortillas warm you up faster than a San Marcos blanket. The hundreds who braved the partially rainy day to drive out to the best horse racetrack in Los Angeles County enjoyed L.A.'s best birrieros and birrieras duking it out for the title for BirriaMania 2023's champion.
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All three valiant guest judges showed up for the call of birria duty: Andi Xoch from Latinx with Plants, Edin Enamorado, and Jenny Yang. It was a blind tasting and the judges did not try any birria until it was time to judge.
Ultimately, Boyle Heights-based Hector Ramirez from Birria El Jaliscience and his oven-roasted, Jalisco-meets-Aguascalientes-style birra de chivo—that only sets up on Saturday mornings—was victorious. An emotional and grateful Ramirez gave an acceptance speech "¡Arriba Jalisco! Me siento muy feliz. Le agradecemos a todas las persona que nos siguen apoyando y las que probaron nuestra comida. No sabia si participar en BirriaMania porque nada mas soy yo y mi familia pero al fin, que bueno que si. Estoy muy emocionado y no se que mas decir. A toda la gente que le gusta la birria de chivo, lo esperamos."
In between bites, BirriaMania eventgoers enjoyed five high-flying Lucha Libre matches courtesy of East Los Wrestle League. The event concluded with a surprise performance by viral sensation Isaiah Justice, performing his hit "Taco Man."
Thank you to all of our members and people who showed up to support! See you all next year. And a special shout out to L.A. TACO's Director of Partnerships (and everything else pretty much), Memo Torres, for making this event happen.
All photos by Esteban Rey Jimenez.
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