📍LECMU TACOS | QUESABIRRIAS  – Taqueria Food truck, 77310 Holbox, Q.R
🌍Country: Mexico   
🔥Must-try dish: Consomé de Barbacoa
🪑Seating: Indoor seating only.
👍The high: This is one of the few places on the island that won’t break the bank, and it’s actually better tasting than most of the fancier restaurants. 

👎The low: This place could be overlooked as people visiting Holbox may want to eat at some of the more instagram-looking spots.  

If you’re only going to do one thing, then do it right.

Right in the heart of Isla Holbox, on Mexico’s Caribbean coast, there’s this tiny setup that comes alive around dinner. One, or sometimes two, guys man the grill until late, turning out just three things: birria quesadillas, barbacoa tacos, and a rich, meaty consomé. That’s it. And honestly, they’ve mastered them all.

Seafood is usually the go-to on the island (it’s literally surrounded by turquoise water, after all), but these guys prove the land game is just as strong.

If you wander into the main square, you’ll spot them most nights, grilling away in front of a small shop with a couple of tables and a fridge stocked with cold drinks.

Since there were only three dishes, the move was obvious: try them all. Everything comes out one after the other, piping hot and fresh off the grill.

First up, the Tacos de Barbacoa. The meat hits the grill, the tortillas follow, and before you know it, they’re on your table sizzling. Add a little salsa verde and boom, you’re set. They were fantastic, but watching the whole thing come together right in front of you made them taste even better.

Then came the Quesabirria, and wow. Melted cheese, slow-cooked beef, and a golden, crispy tortilla holding it all together. Every bite had that perfect mix of smoky, cheesy, and juicy. And yes, more salsa verde is always a good idea.

Finally, the Consomé de Barbacoa, basically a supercharged bone broth loaded with big chunks of meat in a rich, savoury base. It was the winner of the night. Even in the heat, it felt like a cozy, comforting hug in a bowl.

Sure, you can get birria just about anywhere now (Toronto included), but having it here in Mexico hits different. It’s a dish that’s loved all over the country, and the secret’s in the process: slow cooking beef with up to thirty different spices, chilies, and herbs. You just can’t replicate that outside of Mexico.

So yeah, the next time I grab a birria taco back home, I’ll enjoy it. But I’ll probably be thinking of this spot on Holbox, the real deal, grilled right in front of me, with the sea breeze and salsa verde close by.

Eat with you soon!