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    Papi’s Birria

    4.3 (87 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 pm - 3:00 am (Next day)

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    Reviews With Photos - Papi’s Birria

    Irene Y.

    1) if the birrias had onions in them instead of just cilantros, it would have been better. But the meat is tender+juicy. Also no consome for birria. 2) quessabirria is just melted cheese in your tacos. Total of my birria tacos+fries+quessabirria was $54 (in case you are wondering about the prices they don't show).

    This place is fucking disgusting!!! if I could rate it a 0 I would. they took 1 hour to make the food out of the food truck when there was only 2 people in front of me. there food that they gave us looks NOTHIN like their instagram photos. THIS PLACE IS A COMPLETE CATFISH!!! they tasted like unseasoned white peoples tacos. would NEVER eat here again im actually scared im gonna get food poisoning from the place

    Sarah L.

    SUMMARY: Yes I recommend. Nite that this was only my third time trying birria tacos. Oh and this is a taco truck parked in front of Flicks, open from 2100 - 0300. (Disclaimer: I was not drunk when I ordered so this review is from a sober perspective .) FOOD: these birria tacos made me forget my problems. It was an explosion of flavors and texture in my mouth. Meat with the cheese and the sauce was unforgettable it made me want to try more birria tacos. You can ask extra sauce if you'd like. My only complaint was, the saltiness, it was more than my usual preference. (Disclaimer, I like salt but my prefernece is not as high as the average? But I don't like bland either.) With that said, I enjoyed this very much. But I woke up like a puffer fish. Worth it though! The tacos were grilled like toasty, some parts were grilled like almost burnt (not a negative for me) and some parts were soft. The cheese melt within the meat and the sauce. It was delicious! AMBIANCE: well this is a taco truck, so casual! SERVICE: great! Can handle a convo. Polite and friendly. Sorry picture is dark because I ate inside my car and it was past midnight. Follow them on IG: @papisbirria

    PB TACOS BIRRIA
    Ashley M.

    BEST SHIT EVER. SO FIRE AND SO YUMMY. They are so nice and I have gotten everything and it is so yummy. Everybody is awesome food is fire and memories made for a lifetime. 10/10 recommend. They are in PB and Hillcrest. Get your meal ASAP.

    Taco birria and pastor
    Jorge M.

    Papi's birria came to my apartment complex. Ivan, the owner, is super friendly. Tacos were BOMB and made my Mexican heart shine strong!

    SAVED MY LIFE. Amazing food truck with diverse menu and authentic food. Highly recommend.

    Best carne asada fries i've ever had. This food truck is LEGIT. Menu is diverse, Ivan is very personable and the vibe is great. 10/10

    Birria tacos

    Needed a food vendor last minute for an event & Ivan really came thru for us! Our guests really loved the food & variety. Special shoutout to the Birria Fries, which so many people were raving about. Would definitely recommend for your events or even if you wanna grab a bite for yourself.

    Menu
    Jonathan Z.

    We were lucky to have these guys posted at our apartment from 5p-8p tonight. Simple menu, tasty food. Ordered a couple quesabirria tacos. The cheese makes it more sinful but soooo much better. Def the way to go if you're not lactose...but also even if you are. Perfectly crisp shell, tasty, juicy Birria, and finished off with cilantro and onion. Chicken rolled tacos comes in a set of 5. Topped with cotija, lettuce, crema, purple cabbage. Again, crispy shells, tasty filling. Really can't go wrong. They also had a potato version if you're meat-averse. Ask for a few sauce containers (small) and fill them up with the self-serve sauce station. Light green is milder, more tart but still has some heat, while the darker sauce has a richer, smokier flavor and was noted to be the spiciest of the options. I wanted to try the shrimp gobernador, but unfortunately, the guy at the window said he didn't know how to make them? Guess I'll have to wait 'til next time. $24 for 2 quesabirria tacos and 5 chicken rolled tacos. Cash or Venmo.

    Menu
    Megan G.

    First of all, the food itself was super good. We got the quesa birria tacos and the al pastor fries. These were actually my favorite quesa birria tacos I've had in San Diego so far. The fries were loaded and I was happy with the amount of stuff put on them. They were pretty salty too so I'd recommend having plenty of water with these haha. The guy I talked to was super nice and we got the food fast after ordering. The only thing is there were actually no prices written on the menu. The 2 tacos and fries came out to $37 and even though I kind of expected that with there being no posted prices I was still a little shook lol. So not sure I'll necessarily be running back here due to the prices but delicious nonetheless.

    Rolled Tacos
    Vivian T.

    I thought Birria was overhyped until I gave it another try here at Papis Birria truck! They have been coming recently at the Gasoline Depot where the 7/11 is. I tried their rolled tacos and queso birria tacos. They do beef here because I know some places do goat, which I do not prefer. The consummé is amazing and I wish they gave a little more in the sauce cups but I loved it! The rolled tacos are filled with that shredded beef as well and topped with lots of shredded lettuce, cream, and cotija cheese. Can't really go wrong with rolled tacos in general but these hit the spot. Definitely do not overlook this truck! The menu is small and fairly simple but at the same time some of the best birria tacos I've had so far.

    Al pastor taco Burris taco Quesadilla French fries

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    4 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    Ivan C.

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    2 months ago

    Fabian is AMAZING best food ever. I had a great experience with hi. He gave me the best service

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    2 months ago

    Fabian gave the most amazing experience and service The food was out of this world and the quality was exceptional. Highly recommend.

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    1 year ago

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    Ivan C.

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    10 months ago

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    10 months ago

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    4 years ago

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    7 months ago

    Great service , great food. The ambiance was delightful. Best Birria in San Diego hands down. I love Papis meat

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    10 months ago

    Good tacos I'd recommend. Amazing thanks for posting up in hillcrest!! We appreciate you

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    1 year ago

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    Ivan C.

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    1 year ago

    Best Bierria tacos in town don't miss out. It was juicy spicy and I couldn't resist. I wanted three more.

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    7 months ago

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    Ivan C.

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    Ivan C.

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    10 months ago

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    Ivan C.

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Papi’s Birria

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    Tacos El Gordo

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    Loved the food here!! The line go by super quick so don't get discouraged if it looks long. Inside…read moreyou basically go to the station of the food you want, and they have signs stating the food so you know where to go. The adobada was what I was most excited for. It's similar to Al pastor without the pineapple though. The meat was tender and the flavor was authentic. My partner liked this one the most! What shocked me was the carne asada. The taco was delicious!! It had a wonderfully smoky flavor to the meat and it was juicy and tender. I have been craving it ever since!! This was my favorite. There's no seating downstairs but if you go upstairs you'll find some tables! Be warned that it's hot upstairs. But since you chow down the food quickly you won't be there for too long anyway. If you're visiting San Diego, this is a must!!

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    Chula Tacos

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    Sometimes, there are nights when only tacos can fix me. It's no secret that San Diego has tacos in…read morespades and being so close to the border, you'd think that a quest to find the perfect taco would be as simple as rolling down to the nearest taqueria. Except, it's not quite that simple. Many beloved staples have gone downhill, while some newer spots that might boast things like a Michelin mention or multiple locations ranging from TJ to Vegas contain more hype and gristle than tender meat and substance. Enter Chula Tacos. Chula is, and always was, the type of place that makes you forget that you're not actually in Tijuana. While part of me misses their OG Market Street location, seeing them with brick-and-mortars feels hard-earned and well-deserved. This location on Palm in IB is relatively easy to access from the freeway, but parking can be tricky. You can safely assume that it will be busy and you will either have to be very lucky or be willing to find a spot on the street. Out of all the times I've been here, it's always been crowded enough that I've never been able to find a table inside, but I enjoy sitting out on the patio next to the ahumederos. The first thing that hits you walking through the door is how amazing everything smells. The queue to the cashier takes you near a window showing the kitchen where you can see the Chula Tacos team making fresh tortillas, slicing meat from the trompos, grilling up jalapenos, nopales, onions, labio, and tripa. For me, it's not so much a challenge to decide what I want, it's more a challenge to keep myself from ordering everything. My usual is four tacos: two asada, two al pastor (but I've heard that I should also try their world famous keka). The tacos though? Perfection. Every time, the asada is the juiciest and most tender I've ever eaten, the al pastor is succulent and flavorful, and no taco in front of me is long for the world. At $3.50 each, every one of them is absolutely loaded. Three would honestly fill me up, but I always want four. After getting burned by spots that ask around 75% more and deliver anywhere between 25-50% less, Chula Tacos feels like an absolute godsend of a Tijuana-style taqueria and I can't see any other contenders being my go-to. So, when I say "Tacos will fix me," what I mean nowadays is "Chula Tacos will fix me."

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    Papi’s Birria - foodtrucks - Updated July 2026

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